MAKASSAR - THE CENTRE POINT OF INDONESIA PART 1

In the late afternoon, I embarked on my journey to Makassar, located in the south of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Perhaps not many realised Makassar is situated at the centre of Indonesia, the nation that has more than 17,000 islands scattered in the middle of Southeast Asia. The range between the West Kilometre 0, Sabang, and Maraukee, at East Kilometre 0, is 5,245 km, the same distance as between Jakarta and Seoul. Could you imagine the logistics challenges it faces? Ships are the favourite transportation between islands, and it is common to sail for a few days from one island to another. Unlike us who prefer airplanes, here only big cities are connected by planes. Due to its geography, ships are more suitable. Moreover, the travelling costs are also affordable for many. For intrepid travellers and those who look for distant places, remote islands in Indonesia would be tempting. One is Komodo Island.

Settling into my seat with the seatbelt strapping on the waist, I was ever ready for a three-and-a-half-hour journey. One thing about air travel that has always appealed to me is the way an aircraft cuts through various layers of clouds during ascending and descent. This is much like ourselves as we move on, ups and downs of life. We move on despite all adversaries. I always looked through the window, mesmerised by the magical and flawless clouds and the sky. The signs of Almighty Allah’s creations. The first layer, the lowest in altitude of the cloud, is a cumulus nimbus cloud, much like a big cotton and this cloud is big and heavy, bringing rainwater. Usually, you feel a little bit shaky when a flight flies through this cloud. On the other hand, the highest one is cirrus cloud; wispy and feathery, relatively lighter, and altostratus cloud sandwiched between the two. So when you are flying, you can see them and look at their shapes and sizes. Hardly, I moved my head, continually looking through the window.

In Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu is well known for its stunning and breathtaking sunset. It comes as no surprise that Koreans are drawn to the capital city of Sabah. Some boasted Kota Kinabalu as one of the best places in the world to view sunsets. This is due to unique atmospheric conditions near the equator, where humid but clean air creates vibrant, fiery sunsets with a range of colours. I didn’t know Makassar was also popular due to its impressive sunset view until I came here. Makassarese flock to the Lasori Beach, witnessing the magical sunset and at the same time enjoying food and drinks with families and friends. I didn’t miss the opportunity, and deliberately chose a hotel that is a walking distance of this place. Choosing the right spot, I was able to see the setting sun slowly disappearing on the horizon, its radiant colours painted the best pictures of the sky, blending extremely well, creating a golden hue, which you are unable to explain with words. Witnessing the magical creation of Allah SWT. Subhanallah.

I found a spot with a clear view of the western horizon provided the best vantage point for me to enjoy the sunset under the trees along the concrete beach of Losari. Here, sunset watching provides good business. Vendors neatly arrange plastic chairs and tables on the concrete embankment. Each business proprietor uses different colours of chairs and tablecloths to differentiate them from one another. The best spot was not difficult to find, as many customers occupied the chairs and tables. While looking at the sunset panorama, I ordered Pisang Epe; grilled, flattened banana drizzled with sweet brown sugar. If you come here, you should try this popular street food. I sipped sugarless tea right after the meal. The next table was a group of people from the government office; the bespectacled guy wore a white corporate suit like in our place, he sat against the view of sunset, enjoying the meals while talking with his friends, the two ladies. The sun had already disappeared, and the orange sky was gradually disappearing; ships in the cove silhouetted against the dimming sky. Soon, more and more customers deserted, and I would soon leave this sport. Tomorrow to come again, to see another sunset. And for those petty traders, their businesses are daily basis for them. What I see here is something that I cherished as a treasure trove of my time in this beautiful place.

Do you know that in Indonesia, usage of acronyms, like other things they is also used for their provinces. For us, we only mention Sulawesi as the whole island without mentioning any particular province there. Actually, Sulawesi is divided into 6 provinces: South Sulawesi or Sulawesi Selatan with its acronym Sulsel. North Sulawesi, Sulawesi Utara - Sulut, Centre Sulawesi, Sulawesi Tengah - Sulten, West Sulawesi, Sulawesi Barat - Sultbar. And South-East Sulawesi, Sulawesi Tenggara - Sultra. Where Gorontolo is used in full without an acronym. So anytime you hear and overhear these acronyms, you will understand what those words are about.

The underrated city of Makassar actually offers a lot of attractions for tourists and travellers. While many Malaysians prefer to visit places in Sumatra and Java islands, including Bali, due to their proximity to us, ranging from one to two hours’ flights from Kuala Lumpur, Makassar takes one hour more, but the valuable experiences you will gain offer more worth than the hours of travelling. I spent a week here, but hardly enough to discover touristy places and uncover deep layers of socio-cultural of Makassar in particular and the Sulawesi Island in general. I never miss the stunning view of the sunset. But it was only a slice of its richness. I have yet to visit a nearby island, to visit local villages and mingle with villagers, and also yet to taste indigenous food like Pallubasa and others. I wish I could stay a little bit longer to cherish my time here. Actually, one visit is never enough, it was the introduction of this contorted shape island, but so me its bizarre shape doesn’t undermine its beauty. It has attracted me since I first saw its map during my primary school more than five decades ago. The child's wild dream came true.

One of the best-preserved examples of Dutch architecture in Indonesia is Fort Rotterdam. After the name of the place or hometown of a high-ranking officer of a Dutch company. Located within walking distance of the Losari Beach. It stood above the rubble of the Gowanese Fort in the sixteenth century, which was once ruled by Gowanese Sultan. When I arrived there in the morning, the fort’s complex was bustling with Makassarese who participated in the event, including a food festival, a talk, as well as a short marathon. I walked on the old bricks and touched the stone walls, as I circumnavigated the fort like sentinels on duty, guarding it from its enemies. Since its construction in the seventies century, the fort has witnessed the history of Makassar. Once a booming trading nation of the old Malay kingdom, with the presence of ships from many parts of the world. Once you could see the open sea in front of the fort that justified its strategic location, but now the view was hidden by buildings and the seaport. No more moats surrounded the fort. 

I spent more than 2 hours inside it, scouring important parts of it. This visit made me realise the importance of fort in defending against enemies, and in the past formidable fort structure like this one was a game-changer. In Malaysia, we can only see A Farmosa, the gate of the one and only fort of the Portuguese, which is less superior compared to Fort Rotterdam, which was relatively new, a historical structure of Western Colonial left in our country. Other paths of the fort were demolished by the British. Once the superpower in the east due to its advantages of being an early bird, the Portuguese couldn’t compete with the Dutch and English that came later in Southeast Asia, which found its footing respectively Malay archipelagos, which is known as Indonesia, and the Malay peninsula, which is modern-day Peninsular Malaysia.

The footprints left by the Dutch through its company, whose acronym VOC left an indelible mark on many, on how history has taught us valuable lessons. As the one who read geography, this visit rekindled me of the subject of Historical Geography. It is the branch of geography that synthesizes discipline that shares both topical and methodological similarities with history, anthropology, ecology, geology, environmental studies, literary studies, and other fields. And the existence of many Sultanate states in Makassar, as well as other places in our area that fought with each other for power, created fissures that could be easily exploited by outsiders. After about an hour stroll around the Fort Rotterdam, I went to La Galigo Museum, which is spread across two buildings, which were once a place VOC housed spices and other valuable items to be transported back home to Europe. It is one on the right side after you enter the main gate. When I arrived at the entrance, nobody was there. Later, a middle-aged guy with a uniform came and handed in the entrance fee, Rp5000. Supposedly, twice the fee as for an international tourist. He thought I was local. Of course no difference in our physical outlook, so differentiating was not easy.

While outside was eventful, no visitor was inside except me, so I got the whole building on my own to explore. Inside its two floors and it has an assortment of exhibits, including Palaeolithic artefacts, rice bowls from Tanah Toraja, Polynesian and statues, musical instruments and traditional costumes, a horse cart, an old bicycle, as well as models of Bugis Phinisi ships and older wooden boats. Overall, the museum has a modest collection of Sulawesi, but worth the admission, and I spent close to half an hour inside the building. I was overwhelmed by Bugis Phinisi boats as they, in those days, were used to sailing to trade as far as northern Australia. The design of this sail ship in many ways shows the ingenuity of Bugis people or Buginese, no wonder they were known as good ship makers and excellent sailors in our region. As seamen, Buginese knew the seas around them like the back of their hands, making journeys throughout archipelagos many times a year. As they stayed on the island, they were always oriented to the sea. A long sojourn to places around the area while waiting for the right wind to carry them home was wisely used to trade, and some would stay and marry local people. This is why you can find Bugis descendants in many places in our region. And in Singapore, the street is named Bugis Street to honour their presence there. 

Actually, the name of this museum comes from La Galigo, a poetic text of the people of South Sulawesi. This visit was indeed worthwhile, not only telling and showing Sulawesi rich culture and heritage but at the same time reflecting our own civilisation, where more or less in many ways the same as Malays in the Peninsula of Malaysia. For example, how we weave songket more or less using the same technique as simple wooden instruments. Additionally, many things that our great-grandparents did were exhibited here. Now I really understand why Bugis people, until now, still have a strong attachment to sailing and travelling. Both are part and parcel of their characteristics. It comes as no surprise to me that many prefer to take a ship to travel from Makassar to Jakarta, it takes the journey on the rough ocean takes more than two days. Could you imagine you close your eyes, trying to sleep, and the boat moving up and down as the boat floats, mixed sounds of engine, and sound of waves and winds in the middle of nowhere, as for me, more oftentimes I could not sleep if it is my first experience. But this kind of experience is what intrepid travellers want to experience. Intriguing them to explore places less travelled.

This museum serves as a significant cultural landmark for Makassar in particular and Sulawesi in general. When I read the information regarding the spread of Islam in the island, entitled “The Islamic Culture Time”, I found Islam here was introduced by Muslim traders from the Malay Peninsula, including Pattani, Pahang and Johor as well as those from Minangkabau in the mid-sixteenth century. It was once a flourishing spice trading port, reflecting this place's maritime heritage. My visit to the building next to the museum revealed deeper layers of the history of religiosity, struggle, leadership, as well as principles. Here, the crown prince of Java, Pengeran Diponegoro was imprisoned inside this very fort for more than 2 decades. He fought bravely against the Dutch VOC and successfully managed to put his enemy to bay. The war continued, neither he surrendered, nor fatigue overwhelmed him. VOC then used a dirty tactic, pretending to negotiate and arresting the prince who came to its headquarters. While VOC managed to douse the fire of the resistance amongst locals, this cowardly action made nobody in Java and other islands believe them and the Dutch prince’s crown recorded this in his diary when he met Pangeran Diponegoro. He wrote deplorable conditions of his prison, which were unfit for the Java prince who deserved better treatment and respect. 

The building was locked when I approached and after an inquiry, I was told to ask the guards at the entrance for the key. Which I did. Inside the cell, on the ground floor, you would see a wooden bed, a chair and a table with a book written by the Java’s prince. I was told by the young good good-looking guard with an army-style moustache and glittering eyes that the authentic manuscript was in Jakarta. He also told me the prince was free to go outside the building to get fresh air and to exercise, but not outside the fort without permission and strict conditions and surveillance. No interaction whatsoever with Makassarese when he was allowed outside the fort. He usually rode a horse accompanied by the Dutch armies. The prince had come to terms with his fate and filled his time seeking and improve his knowledge and engaged in writing. From Java Island, first he was brought to Manado, which is located at the northern tip of Sulawesi and after he was there for a certain period, he was transferred here. This kind of strategy of exile of leaders of enemies was commonly practiced in those days to douse the opposition. Pangeran Diponegoro tomb is not far from the Ford Rotterdam. Visitors from near and far come to pay respect to him, admiring his bravery and strength. In honouring his bravery and contribution to the country, the Indonesian government named a university in Central Java after his name - Universitas Diponegoro.

The main reason VOC fought with the Makassar King was to control the spice business. At that time, Makassar port attracted many traders from near and far. Dominating and monopolising the trade meant no other competitors and they were free to dictate terms and conditions. Fort Rotterdam was used to store spices before they were transported to the Netherlands. As a result, it came as no surprise that many Bugis traders and ordinary Bugis moved elsewhere, to other places, including to Malaysia, especially in Johor and Selangor. If you looked at Google Maps, you would find that the Malay Peninsula is about 3,000 kilometres. It shows Bugis people in those days travelled far and wide looking for a better place to settle down. They were hitherto known as those who were experts in making excellent boats to undertake a long journey. Even during the peak of Malacca, many Bugis people were hired to make and repair boats; the a sought-after skill at that time. They also engaged in business to market their products, as Malacca was an entrepot; it served as a major trading centre in this region.

If you are alone and want to go places around a city in Indonesia, a motorcycle taxi would be the best option; faster and cheaper. Unlike in our place in Malaysia, we hire a Grab car, but in Indonesia, when you click on the app, you will find Grab Bike. Choosing your destination and picking up location within one or two minutes time a Grab Bike with its green colour bike and green uniform rider will be ready for you. But before you ride, you must wear a green helmet with the Grab logo imprinted on it. I went to many places around Makassar. Usually, for a shop ride, it costs roughly Rp 13,900, or roughly about RM 4 for a ride. The most expensive journey I took was Rp47,000, equivalent to RM12.40, it was about half half-hour ride from the city centre to the outskirts of it, about 12 km away.

Maybe you will worry about your safety riding a motorcycle taxi as compared to a car, but from my experiences of riding it throughout the city, I found it was safe, unlike in Malaysia vehicles could not speed or go fast, as traffic was heavy. More importantly, Indonesians are more tolerant when driving and riding vehicles. With a motorcycle, you can easily ride and pass between cars and usually always in the front when waiting at traffic lights. With this kind of service, you no longer need to hail an angkut that follows its own route and change angkut to another before arriving at your destination. The first time I tried this service, I nearly missed giving back the helmet, but the driver gently reminded me. I said, “I’m sorry, forgetful”, he said “biasa”, it is a normal thing for a pillion rider. In the present day no need for you to pay with paper money as Grab can automatically deduct from your bank account, what a convenience. In Bangkok, motorcycle taxis are also available, especially if you want to go to a nearby place. Since I visited the metropolitan city with family and with friends, I missed the opportunity to try its services. I watched and observed some tourists riding as pillion riders on motorcycle taxis, which are easily available in many parts of the city. But one thing struck me when I found many didn’t wear helmets when riding. The case never happened in Makassar, passengers are obliged to wear helmets for safety reasons. As a rider, I am really concerned about this. Wearing a helmet is a must because riding a motorcycle is dangerous and riders need to wear one to protect their brains, the most valuable asset for us, even though they know no policeman would catch them. Another thing I noticed is that many riders wore helmets but didn’t fasten them; this is obvious in our place. Occasionally, I came across secondary students riding motorcycles very fast on roads without wearing helmets; if they really knew how dangerous it was, they would not do that. What a pity. Safety first seemed so remote to them.

The adage “old habits die hard” actually runs true for many, including myself. I have a tendency to visit thrift stores to find branded clothes and trousers when I visit a city. One thing peculiar about this kind of shopping is that you never know which thrift stores you can get the best items from. It's like finding a needle in the haystack, perhaps I am exaggerating, but I want to say things that you look at not necessarily available. In this respect, it is common for thrift customers to visit from one store to another. Finding the right size, pattern, good condition, reasonable price and among others. One beautiful afternoon, I hired a motorcycle taxi to bring me to the thrift shop, which was about 6 km from my hotel; the ride cost me twice than ordinary rides, which I frequently took. When I arrived at the thrift store, no customers were around, and a young lady who looked after the store was killing her time by watching YouTube of her favourite drama. She was so engrossed with it hardly moved, just glued her eyes on the screen of her hand phone. Hundreds of clothes: t-shirts, winter clothes, denim shirts and trousers were neatly arranged and hung up to the ceiling. After a deeper check, I found that no quality branded items were on sale. I didn’t wait for too long and ordered a motorcycle taxi to bring me to the area where I stayed. This visit was not fruitful, but it was worth trying. 

Fortunately, I was indeed lucky because on my second day here, at midday, after my early morning visit to Fort Rotterdam, I went to Pasar Cidu with a motorcycle taxi and bought two pairs of blue denim jeans, which cost only Rp150, 000 about RM40 each, which is reasonable for such a branded jean. During the selection, a young guy helped me when he found I was looking for a particular brand of denim. The male vendor said I could get 3 pairs for only Rp400,000. I didn’t mind emptying my pockets as long as I found the right items at a reasonable price. After all, I didn’t want to go home empty-handed. Along the busy street with blaring honks of cars and motorcycles lined with vendors of second-hand items, ranging from clothes, shoes, watches, belts, to men’s rings. People from all walks of life thronged this street. Since I had ample time to kill, a rendezvous at a coffee shop along the street was the option. The shop was full of male customers; some chatting and some browsing on their hand phones. The ceiling fan was spinning above my head, but I hardly felt cool as the day was hot. I asked the guy who was sitting in front of me where I could find a tailor to alter my denim trousers. Nonchalantly, he said “di sana”, showing to the left. Once paid for the drink, I left and followed the left direction, but found none until the end of the road, which forked into two smaller streets. After an inquiry, a woman who was sitting nearby showed me where I could find a tailor and found a house tucked at the corner of a small street. I greeted an old woman, “Assalamualaikum”, and asked her to shorten two pairs of jeans. She asked when I wanted them done. I said I wanted them done immediately and waited for a chair to get them done. Only one pair was altered as the length of the second pair suited me well. Once I gave payment of Rp10,000 to the lady tailor I left, and the woman who told me the location of the tailor asked if I was done with the alteration.