Indonesia an Infinitely Varied Mosaic of images
There is so much to see in the Indonesian archipelago; here are a few of the highlights
- Published: 24/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Brunch
From no other place will travellers return with such a diverse and rarely overlapping collection of memories. Remote islands, exotic cultures, teeming cities, perfect beaches, captivating wildlife and extraordinary artworks are just a few parts of the bigger work of art that is this huge and diverse nation.
DIVING BUNAKEN With a bottle on your back or a snorkel in your mouth, you'll see some of the most stunning coral walls anywhere in the world around the drop-offs surrounding Pulau Bunaken. Look for tiny neon-coloured nudibranches between the swaying sea anemones, check out tree-like coral of every possible description and gasp for more air as a sea turtle swims past you to take a breath at the surface.
TANA TORAJA From majestic rice-terraced valleys to the gory ceremonial butchering of water buffalo, Tana Toraja is an assault on the senses. Hike through bucolic villages, visit cave-burial sites that look like they came to life from the pages of National Geographic and take part in a balok (palm sugar wine) swilling funeral ceremony highlighted by dancing and animal sacrifices; this region is simply unforgettable.
IDYLLIC ISLE Pulau Derawan is the island you dreamed of when you packed for Indonesia - a simple, friendly fishing village fringed with white-sand beaches and surrounded by phenomenal marine life. Walk with sea turtle escorts to your simple room built on pilings over clear Sangalaki Archipelago waters. Electricity runs from dusk to dawn only, and it seems time barely runs at all.
‘INDONESIA’: Available from all good bookshops for 1,095 baht.
GOING APE Why did the proboscis monkey cross the river? Because it knew your boat's propeller noise would scare away the crocodiles. If it's not flabby-nosed primates paddling around your ride up Sungai Sekonyer in Tanjung Puting National Park, then it's gaily coloured kingfishers diving for lunch in front of it, majestic hornbills soaring above it, spiky pandanus and nipa palms reaching out to slap it, and spindly macaques cackling at it, as you putt-putt toward close encounters with orang-utans, human beings' third closest relatives. Tanjung Puting is the best place left to see these critically endangered great apes up close in their natural habitat.
TURBULENT MARKETS In the eerie pre-dawn stillness, your outboard canoe courses upriver on a mission in search of papaya. In Banjarmasin, all forms of tropical fruits and vegetables are sold from canoes at the city's floating markets. Wash down your fruit fix with coffee and the city's signature kue (cakes), which you've skilfully speared with a nail-tipped bamboo pole from the snack boat. After shopping, share your market finds with new friends you make at wash time along the intimate canals of the Venice of Asia.
BASTIONG PORT, PULAU TERNATE Ternate comes vibrantly to life in this marvellously chaotic harbour area - boats bobbing, market stalls peddling, speedboats weaving, children diving and unnamed family eateries roasting up superb-value fresh-fish dinners. And all with the spectacular backdrop of Tidore's perfect volcanic cone.
BANDA ISLANDS Overcoming all those transport obstacles makes reaching the brilliant Banda Islands a thrill in itself. There you'll find such colour in the reefs and clarity in the water that snorkelling feels like you've fallen into a tropical aquarium. Set amid soaring buttressed kenari trees, the crumbling fortresses whisper colonial secrets. And for breakfast you can spread your pancakes with jam made of nutmeg - once worth its weight in gold.
MOROTAI'S OFFSHORE JEWELS Pulau Dodola is one of those impossibly idyllic desert islands that film stars generally snap up. But this one is all yours to explore. Uninhabited but for part-time seaweed harvesters and treefuls of giant bats, Dodola's super-soft white sand caresses the feet and forms an achingly beautiful natural causeway between the island's two palm-hung halves. Heading back to Daruba, don't miss Pulau Zum Zum where General MacArthur had a base and where locals are still trawling up rusty World War Two weaponry.
BALIEM HANGING BRIDGES South of Wamena, Sungai Baliem becomes the fiercest, most raging torrent you'll ever encounter. And you have to criss-cross it on wobbly hanging footbridges. Locals do it without a thought. The secret is not to look at the water, but do look where you're putting your feet!
THE GILI LIFESTYLE Just a two-hour speedboat ride from Bali are three luscious drops of white sand that deliver everything from serene solitude to barefoot luxury, fine dining and all-night dance parties. Add in the superb diving (the deep reef attracts sharks, turtles and rays throughout the year), and it's no wonder the Gilis have become Indonesia's hottest new destination.
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK Drop into crystal-clear seas swirling with colourful clouds of fish, soar over pristine coral and commune with huge schools of sharks and manta rays, pods of dolphins and whales. Then stroll Komodo Island's pink beaches, trek through the marsh and up steep mountains in search of the infamous Komodo dragon. Simply spectacular.
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