S
ulawesi is a unique K-shaped island comprised of three plates, its geographical features creating diverse landscapes from rainforests, highlands and valleys to unpopulated beaches and acres upon acres of reefs attracting divers from the world over. Don’t let the island’s skinny peninsulas fool you – Sulawesi is the world’s 11th largest island, and its northern and southern cultures could not be more different. In North Sulawesi alone, three main tribes exist – Minahasan, Gorontalo and Bolaang Mongondow – along with many others from varying parts of Indonesia, each with its own language.
Manado Manado is the largest city in North Sulawesi with a population of approximately 500,000. Home to one of the world’s most famous diving spots, Manado is characterized by dramatic volcanoes and azure waters that enclose the bustling city. This traditional trading city on the tip of North Sulawesi has been colored by centuries of trade, particularly influenced by the Dutch. It is still apparent today in the memorials, architecture, language and even ethnicity of the locals. The roads are filled with horse-driven carts and minivans without doors and windows providing natural air conditioning. Many are the same shade of sky blue required for any form of public transportation in Sulawesi. On early mornings, local markets sell fresh fish, fruit and, if you’re daring enough to try, an exotic line-up of local delights including dog, forest rats and bats. “We like to say people from Manado will eat anything with four legs except the table, and anything with no legs except a plane,” Wiro, a local guide, jokes. Meat, vegetables, and fruits are abundant, and nearly every meal includes some sort of seafood. A little south of Manado, with arms outstretched, stands Kristus kase Berkat (Christ Blessing), the world’s fourth largest (and Asia’s second largest) statue of Jesus. Manado, unlike predominantly Muslim Indonesia, is 62 percent Christian with Protestant churches and Catholic cathedrals found on nearly every street. Completed in 2007, this statue was made by Ciputra, an Indonesian real estate mogul, and one of the country’s wealthiest men. It is part of a development called Citraland that includes a miniature waterpark and a slew of bizarre, life-size alabaster figurines of angels and animals.
Island Escapades Manado’s most notable diving spots are found around the nearby islands of Manado Tua, Bunaken and Siladen. Ferries leave from Manado Harbor or the private Marina Plaza Harbor and take about an hour. Manado Tua is a volcanic cone island that rises 764 meters out of the seas. The earliest residents of Manado, the Minahasa tribe, originated from Manado Tua, directly translated as “Old Manado,” but had to move to the Sulawesi mainland in the 16th century when they ran out of fresh water. Today, nearly 1,000 people live on Manado Tua. If you want to take a break from diving, there is a pleasant twohour hiking trail up the volcano and plenty of real estate for mountain biking. Currently, there are no hotels in Manado Tua, but camping is allowed if you report to the local city police and Manado Tua village head. Boomerang-shaped Bunaken and the smaller Siladen, Manado Tua’s low-lying neighbors, have many great diving
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and snorkel spots. They are also good places to set out for the main diving attraction, Bunaken National Park, one of Indonesia’s first marine parks. Accommodation on the islands range from inexpensive backpacker lodges to luxurious spa resorts. It was low tide when our boat arrived at Bunaken, so we parked a little farther out and then came ashore and jumped into a cart attached to a moped and headed through the village. It was noon, yet kids were getting out of school for the day. A crowd of shy but curious school kids gathered around to look in my camera at the photo I had just taken. English is not taught in public schools here. The majority of locals speak two languages: Bahasa Indonesia and their
ethnic tongue. The children, however, had us laughing as they practiced Japanese words they picked up from TV (“Ninja!” “Karate!” “Anime!”). They were soon off for a quick dip in the ocean and a game of soccer before returning home to help with fishing or preparing dinner. We spent the next few hours snorkeling around Bunaken’s famed reef walls. While the view of the blue skies and sloping mountains mirrored in water is surreal, it does not compare to the underwater landscape. Healthy coral of every shape and color thrive along the wall where the ocean floor drops into oblivion, while schools of parrotfish, angelfish and gobies feed off the reef. More experienced divers can take a boat to spots teeming with barracudas, rays, lion fish, reef sharks, eels and penyu