Makassar is an underrated gem rich in history and culture. I admired the sunset at Losari Beach, explored Fort Rotterdam’s dark colonial past, and marveled at Bugis Phinisi boats in the La Galigo Museum. Local dishes like Coto and Ikan Kudu-Kudu completed the experience. A must-visit destination!
A crisp and fresh morning, bright sunshine tinged with a salty breeze infused a feeling of the sea, accompanied my breakfast in Makassar. This great atmosphere was perfect to commence our day in this very city with people from all walks of life; young and old came here to enjoy breakfast with families and friends. The food was delicious with plenty of choices that you can choose from the menu. The name of the food outlet is quite funny,’Depan Ruma’ literally translated as ‘in Front of the house’ connotes you have a breakfast in front of your house with the breathtaking view of the ocean at a distance where your eyes couldn’t refuse to admire it. The gentle sea breeze here made our breakfast perfect. A beautiful morning unfurls! Breakfast is very important because you need food to build up your energy to work or to do activities that you planned for the day until you break for lunch. The signature menu here: chicken porridge and sweet toasted bread with butter, which is so tempting. Like other customers, I queued in line and ordered chicken porridge and a cup of sugarless tea, Rp30,000, about RM8, which I found reasonable. If you want a cheaper breakfast, at the bottom of the barrel in terms of price, you can opt for Warung or one along the street. A plate of rice with fried chicken and vegetables costs only Rp15,000. I frequently went to the Minang food shop along the busy road that runs along Losari Beach for breakfast. Nasi Kuning is also popular for breakfast here, but I've yet to try it. Since rice and its related foods are staple foods for both Malaysians and Indonesians, we don’t have problems enjoying our breakfasts.
The Asmaul Husna 99 Dome Mosque is one of the landmarks of Makassar. Tucked on the edge of Losari Beach. It is a striking Islamic religious icon for South Sulawesi. Officially inaugurated in 2022 after construction began in 2017, the mosque is part of the Center Point of Indonesia (CPI) development in the Tanjung Bunga area, which was built from a reclamation project. Indonesia straddles 5,200 km along the equatorial line from Sabang in the west to Marauke in the east and Makassar is the centre of the country. Places after Sulawesi are called the East Indonesian region, which includes Nusa Tenggara, Kepulauan Maluku and Irian Jaya. The Asmaul Husna 99 Dome Mosque features a unique architectural style designed by a renowned architect and West Java governor, in collaboration with local architects. The design blends modern classic and futuristic elements, with 99 colourful domes symbolizing the 99 names of Allah (Asmaul Husna), making it one of the most distinctive mosques in Indonesia. The 99 Dome Mosque spans an area of 72 by 45 meters and consists of two floors. Incorporating sustainable features such as natural lighting, ventilation, acoustic walls and ceilings, and environmentally conscious water disposal systems that direct waste and rainwater into proper treatment facilities or the sea. The said mosque not only represents an architectural marvel but also a spiritual hub for Makassar in particular and the region in general. If you visit Losari beach, you will not miss this beautiful mosque where Makassarese and Buginese are very proud of. Many people take photos with the background of the mosque when they come to the beach promenade. I also didn’t miss the opportunity when I had a stroll along the beach. You can walk from one end to the other end of the beach and enjoy the breathtaking views of this mosque and the sea. Usually, in the early morning and late afternoon, many come here because it feels less hot compared to noon time when the sun is overhead. You can see some walking, others jogging, as well as people who were just sitting along the beach looking at the distant sea and the sky.
A Phinisi wooden boat is available for you and your group if you want to experience late afternoon sailing as well as catching the sunset on board in the open sea. After you feast your eyes on the magical view of the orange-colored sky, you can have dinner on a boat. This kind of experience is once in a lifetime. I didn’t ask a Phinisi operator how much I needed to pay to rent the boat when I got on board one of such boats moored at the wooden pier at Losari promenade. As far as my reading on the net was concerned, each passenger needs to pay around Rp300,00 and a charter boat costs Rp3 million per group. As for deep-pocket tourists or those who are willing to spend or an organisation should not be a problem as the price is still below RM1 thousand and I believe you would not get this price at home. A few men, I believed the crews were on the boat and moved to the stern of the boat to allow me and two teenage boys to take pictures on the board. The boat looks luxurious. In the middle was a long polished wooden table and chairs neatly arranged and two masts with furled or laid down mainsails. Also long ratline, some sort of ladder where a crew can climb to fix the mast or to see something from a distance. I have yet to sail on this kind of boat; if I have an opportunity in the near future, I would love to give it a try. I watched a sail ship with unfurled sails sail beautifully when the wings pushed it in the right direction. Unlike now, modern ships rely on diesel engines, which are environmentally unfriendly. In my mind, I dreamed of sailing crossing the sea from Makassar to Ambon or Seram Island off Iran Jaya with this kind of sail ship, like the Malay people in the past who travelled between islands in this equatorial region.
Once in a while, after I had breakfast at the Minangkabau food shop, I visited Dermaga Kayu Bangkoa, which is a short walk from Lasori Beach. It is on the left side of the busy street of Jalan Penghibur. Also, not too far from Fort Rotterdam. This charming waterfront area serves as a day trip gateway to the nearby islands like Samalona Island and Laelae Island. where their natural beauties and serene views captivate locals and visitors alike. The dock of this humble wooden jetty is always busy with passengers from all walks of life. A row of motorcycles parked on the wooden planks surrounded by boats, some big in size, some very small, various shapes and colours. Every now and then, they came, moored, and left the jetty. Looking at me, a black jet-haired, tall and lanky guy, holding a thick boat ticket, inquired where I wanted to go and left me when I said “I go nowhere”. While the soothing emerald waters provide an excellent backdrop for leisurely strolls, capturing human activities with your cell phones or cameras, it was marred by floating debris of all sorts of rubbish. As a transportation hub near the city centre, Dermaga Kayu Bangkoa facilitates access to nearby islands, inhabited by local people or touristy islands, making it an ideal starting point for island-hopping. The atmosphere here is relaxed yet vibrant. You will find that the location is not only a transportation point but also a lively social space where you can interact with friendly locals and other travellers. As well as passengers, the presence of vendors who were loading and unloading various items on and off boats, carrying gunny sacks with carts and motorcycles, added activity to this very jetty.
At the entrance of the small and short street to the jetty is a beautiful, round-shaped steel arch, where I bought two and a half kilograms Salak fruits from a male vendor. In English, this fruit is commonly known as snake fruit; the name comes from its reddish-brown, scaly skin, which resembles snake skin. Whether you're looking to embark on an exciting boat trip or simply enjoy the vibes, this humble jetty is a worthy visit when you are in Makassar. Due to its strategic location as well as better infrastructure, the seaports of Makassar are usually the launching pad for travellers, tourists, businessmen men as well as cargo ships to Maluku Islands and Irian Jaya. According to my new acquaintance, a member of the University of Hassanudin; the largest and the oldest university in Makassar, which is well-known for its medical faculty that attracts many Malaysian students, there are two ports in Makassar; one caters to cargo and another one to passenger ships. Situated close to one another, he showed me both of them on our way to the hotel where I stayed after we had the sumptuous lunch with the staff of the Faculty of Economics and Business. He said, “You can travel to many places in Indonesia by Pelni”. It is an abbreviation for Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia, which translates to "Indonesian National Shipping" in English. It is a government-owned shipping company that serves both cargo and passenger services.
If you are an adventurous and intrepid traveller, you can take a ship from Makassar to Ambon, Ternate, Jayapura and other places. For example, from Makassar to Ambon takes roughly 2 days by a ship which costs only around Rp0.5 million for a single trip. This includes transits in a few ports along the way to the said destination. You can pay for a sleep cabin on board. On the other hand, if you travel by airplane, only takes only 1 hour 45 minutes but is much more expensive. It comes as no surprise that some Indonesian travellers who are conscious prefer to go places by ships or ferries. As for me, longer hours on a ship can be utilised for reading and writing. Stunning views of sunrise and sunset on board are worthy experiences. This is the experience I am looking forward to embarking on in my near future travel in Indonesia. To sum it up, in the island nation of Indonesia, travelling by ship is a normal thing to do. Like their grandparents, who were familiar with the surrounding seas and the wind’s direction like the back of their hands, up until now, water transportation still plays a significant role in travelling.
Interestingly, in early December 1856, a Victorian Naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace commenced his journey from here, Makassar, to Aru island. He decided to sail with the Malay Sailing boat together with merchants and other passengers when he found the ship would do so. As a westerner who usually sailed with steamers, it was a totally new experience for him. The voyage to Aru Island took almost a month as he transited in a few ports and shortly stayed in another island prior to his arrival at the destination in early January 1857. He narrated a chapter on its own of his journey in his book entitled: The Malay Archipelago, once he went back to England after 8 years wandering in this area. At Aru Island, he first encountered birds of paradise. During his visit to this area, which is close to New Guinea island, he observed how the fauna in this region differs of other islands in the west of Celebes island and Lombok Island. He also narrated the distinctive differences between Papuan people with Malay people who dwelled in the Malay archipelagos and the Malay Peninsula in terms of their physical appearances and behaviours and beliefs. Up until now Maluku Islands are fascinating places for naturalists; natural labs to study unique flora and fauna, which in many ways differ from Malaysia’s. And for some, the opportunity to see and observe a few species of birds of paradise in the wild in this very remote island would be a dream come true. In 1859, he delineated the line that separated these two clear regions. On the west of the line was Indo Indo-Malayan Region, and on the east of the line was Austro Austro-Malayan Region. While differences between these two lines could be diluted for humans, for fauna, he found no animals crossed this line, even between them, only 35 kilometres. While it is accepted for flora, for fauna, it is not necessary so as plants have a different nature when it comes to their movements. This line is known as the Wallace line. I quote here the who sentence what he narrated in his very book “We have here a clue to that most radical contrast in the Archipelago, and by following it out in detail I have arrived at the conclusion that we can draw a line among the islands, which shall so divide them that one-half shall truly belong to Asia, while the other shall no less certainly be allied to Australia. I term these respectively the Indo-Malayan and the Austro-Malayan divisions of the Archipelago”.
As one who read geology and geography, I could easily comprehend this, as what was justified by Wallace was mainly due to the separation of the two different earth crusts that created a deep ridge between Sulawesi and Kalimantan islands. The similarities between the Maluku islands, New Guinea and Australia are because they were the same land a million years ago. When separation occurred, during shallow water in certain distant periods, animals could cross over between these islands within each region but not between them because of the depth of the seas that separated them. During my short visit to Makassar neither I did not have the opportunity to wander around the hinterland nor to observe the flora of Sulawesi, but I came across Buginese and Makassarese who physically have rather more Papuan features than Malay. This shows intermarriages between Malay stock and Papuan stock in this island.
One of the reasons we travel is to experience different things from what we are familiar with in our home country. Different types of food are just one of many. After I had a fruitful session with the dean of the faculty of Economy and Business, University of Hasanudin we went to Rumah Makan Nelayan, a famous restaurant here, which is situated a few kilometres from the campus. The dean could not join us and excused himself as he had a meeting in the afternoon. We left the faculty with two vehicles driven by administrative staff. On our way to have lunch at RM Nelayan Daya (RM is an abbreviation for Rumah Makan) along the busy road of Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan, my acquaintance from the Faculty of Economy and Business, University of Hassanudin cracked a joke. “We said Makassar is much hotter than other cities in Indonesia because it has four suns, one Sun is extraordinary, it is ‘matahari’ mall”. Matahari Mall is literally translated as Sun Mall. He added that the three other suns are ordinary suns. Sitting in the front seat next to the driver, he showed us how he looked whiter when he spent time in Surabaya during his postgraduate study. The guy who drove the car shared his story of the recent visit to Kedah. According to him, Malaysian drivers follow the road rules according to the speed limit on the highway. Here, he said, we don’t mind speeding, especially when there aren't many vehicles around. He admitted no such highway here, like in Malaysia. The hot afternoon stole up on us, we pressed on to the said restaurant, plied a busy road, and I was besieged by hunger and looking forward to having authentic Makassar meals. I believed RM Nelayan would be the best restaurant in the area.
Soon we arrived, and in front of the restaurant, a Papuan-looking man (who had been formed by a mixture of Malay and Papuan) cooked fresh grilled fish over banana leaves in the open kitchen and the blend of smell of grilled fish and aroma of banana leaves wafted in the air was irresistible. Many customers had their meals when I set my food on the doorway and when we turned to the right, I saw that two sets of meals were ready for us. Out of all the dishes, one looked so weird; the scary-looking box-shaped fish filled with fried meats. One of my acquaintances who sat next to me on my right introduced the fish “This is Ikan Kudu- Kudu, only available in Sulawesi, you can have a try, very delicious”. I took the first bite, and I liked it instantly; it tasted like a chicken nugget. Despite its monstrous look with the line of small, sharp teeth, this hard-skinned fish had tender meat. It belongs to the family Ostraciidae. Ikan Kudu Kudu is also known as Box fish due to its shape, like a box. First, I thought it was pufferfish, or we call it ikan buntal, but I was told not that kind of fish. This fish only thrives in Makassar sea because its habitat is in the deep ocean and it is a favourite fish among Makassarese. If you come here, you can choose between frying and grilling the said fish. I have yet to try the latter, but I believe it is also delicious as well as healthier, as no additional cooking oil is used and fish oil has less cholesterol. I enjoyed the food very much. Dishes that we could not finish were wrapped and taken back to the campus by the staff.
Once done with lunch, they drove me back to the hotel and during the journey to the city, I got valuable information about Makassar seaport as well as travelling by a PELNI ship from Makassar to other cities in Indonesia from the staff who sat at the passenger’s front seat. The driver, from time to time, interjected in our conversation. They dropped me in front of the hotel and told me that they would come back tomorrow morning to drive me to the campus, as I had a talk with the students.
The next morning, I waited some time, but at 8.30 the administrative staff did not make their appearance. I was worried as the talk was scheduled at 9 am. When he arrived, he told me that he had forgotten the arrangement, and when he realised it, he rushed to the town to invite me. The talk was rescheduled at 10 am to accommodate the availability of the dean, who gave a welcoming remark on my talk and left as he needed to chair another meeting. I was thankful to the dean and my acquaintances from the university, as they hospitably entertained me during my short stay in the city. They showed me respect and were exceedingly polite in their manners and character. Makassar, the city that I wished to visit and in my bucket list for many years, only had the opportunity to do so in 2025. I would be only in the city for a week, and should explore the beauty of the island by travelling up to the middle of Palu and to the northern area, Manado, which I heard is very unique on its own. I prefer to travel by bus to an aeroplane, the reason for this I can pretty well see the views of the back of the island along the journey, as well as the opportunity for me to jot down what I watch, my thoughts, moments, smells, as well as other things that I can capture. As a travel writer, a piece of writing that we can share with readers to the extent that they seemingly travel together is our master piece. It is something that we feel extremely good about inside. I feel sure that if I keep on writing, sooner rather than later, my writing will be much better. That is why travelling and writing have to go hand in hand with one another, closely related and strengthening each other.
When Malaysians travel to Indonesia, especially places in Sumatra, Java and Southern Sulawesi, we find a lot of similarities in terms of our physical appearances, food, culture, social fabrics, and religion. This comes as no surprise, as we are originally from the same race - Malay. Apart from the Malay Peninsula, Malays can be from Sumatra and parts of Borneo who speak in Malay language. However, outsiders like Westerners on the whole call people who live in our region Malays. This is used as a representation of the overall population, where one ethnic is used to represent a similar group of people. Of course, we are ethnically different because Acehese, Bugisnese, Javanese, Madurese and others who are grouped as Malays are actually from different ethnic groups and are not identified as Malays. They also have their own languages. Due to our similarities, Malaysian tourists and travellers would feel at home in Indonesia. Since Indonesia has chosen Malay language as its national language to unite its diverse languages, which is called as Indonesian language, we do not have much problem in terms of communication, albeit differences in meanings of certain words, but we can still understand each other.
Perhaps our Nasi Lemak, which is cooked with coconut milk, originated from this rice. But, over the years, it has been modified accordingly due to local factors to suit our mixed-race taste buds. True enough food in Malaysia that we enjoy now originally comes from other places, including Indonesia. People from various places around our region came and stayed here, introducing their own food and after a while, changed their tastes to suit different races' taste buds, which were later accepted and identified as our own recipes. On the other hand, the same food is also originally from our place. Proving originality and when the food comes from is never easy. That is why when we visited places in Indonesia, we found much that is similar. That is why we easily feel at home compared with other countries where people are physically different from us, as well as their languages and cultures. Apart from Coto, I observed Nasi Kuning is also a popular breakfast in Makassar. One morning, after I had breakfast at the Minang food shop along Jl. Penghibur near the Losari Beach, I saw an elderly woman on the street selling Nasi Kuning and next to her were two adults, Chinese looking male customers, sitting opposite each other was chatting while eating and enjoying the said food. My eyes glanced at the food display and saw Nasi Kuning, pieces of chicken. I wished the following morning I would try it for breakfast, but due to the drizzle, I abandoned my intention. She was one of the street food vendors in this city.
Like people in my generation who have been categorised as GEN X, we are people who, in our early years of life, lived in the transition period. We were born in the era where our country, just a decade after experiencing independence, where we and Malaysia grew together, in the early phase of modernisation, life was somewhat simple and unsophisticated like today. I vividly remember our country's population - only 10 million. We first learned to use the word “Warung” in school. Food shops in Kelantan were usually known as “kedai kopi”, a direct translation from English for coffee shop. Another type of kedai kopi in Kelantan, where its concept is more open and customers sit on a relatively high chair like a bar stool, and it’s actually a long wooden bench and tucked in the middle is the place where a shop assistant prepares tea and half-boiled eggs for you. This kind of “warung” for Kelantanese is called “kedai pa’ti. Actually, the name originated from the English word “petty,” which means small. Until today, this food shop is still available in Kelantan and some are very popular where customers fill to the brim, especially during breakfast. Fast forward, Warung, Kedai Kopi, as well as Kedai Pa’ti have now been replaced by cafes which mushrooming here and there. Unlike people in my generation who don’t mind eating in Warung as we were and up until now familiar with its food, services and vibes, I found the younger generation, GEN Y or Millennials shun away Warung as its environment and vibes are not conducive to them. True enough, they choose premises with air-conditioners, preferably milk-based coffee with milk, comfortable chairs, as well as Wi-Fi service.
Of course, it cannot be denied, cafe provides comfortable environments for customers rather than Warung. In Makassar, I frequently visited this place to sit back, relax, and enjoy reading and writing. Time passed quietly with me as I was absorbed with what I did. More often than not, I was an early bird, and in the midday to afternoon and the evening, more and more customers, especially GEN Y, came to have coffee with their friends. I observed that many worked on their assignments and at the same time enjoyed coffee. Since I had the whole day to kill, I preoccupied myself with reading, a few motivational books and novels in the Indonesian language I read and after I had my fill, I left, walking back to the hotel, to make my legwork after a few hours sitting in the cafe. A motivational translation book by Dr. Ibrahim Alfiki entitled Berfikir Positif, a medical doctor and successful Egyptian motivational speaker who found fame in the US was a worth reading.
As for us, GEN X, we are flexible enough, we can go to both Warung and Cafe. Interchangeably. We cherish our time in Warung as its food is more traditional in nature, cheaper, and we enjoy being with people around us from different walks of life. We are lucky enough to presently experience things from the past. But we now come to terms with the present-day living. Talking about Warung, in Malaysia, it is related to a small food shop, usually along the street. We call it Warung Kopi and use it for premises related to food and drinks. It is common and can be used interchangeably with food shop, like kedai kopi, and kedai makan. It is not usually used for other types of shops. However, in Indonesia, the word Warung is not specific to food; it is referred to as a small shop, as people call Warung Telefon, Warung Rokok, as well as Warung Jamu.
When I first visited Indonesia in the late 2000s, I came across “Warkop “Wartel” as well as Warnet. They were the strangest names I ever heard. But later, I found that in Indonesia, it is common to combine two words and simplify them. For example, Warkop is for warung kopi, Wartel from Warung Telefon. After some time, due to many of my visits to Indonesia, I could easily grasp the meaning behind the combination. In the meantime, RM is a shortened form of Rumah Makan, where we name it Restoran, adopted from the word Restaurant. Perhaps to change it to Rumah Makan is more appropriate rather than Restoran, we spell differently of the English word Restaurant.
While nowadays we can use our debit or credit card or Wise card in Indonesia, we still need to keep Indonesian Rupiah notes with us when travelling, as not all shops accept our cards to pay for what we buy electronically. If Warung or street food vendors refuse to accept cards, I could understand and comprehend, but when the staff of this cafe said she wouldn’t accept cards, I was somewhat confused. When I produced Rp50,000 to pay for Rp30,000 for an iced Latte, she struggled to give a return as she found not enough money inside the cash machine. Luckily, a young guy behind me came to assist. He asked me, “Are you from Malaysia?. Breaking Rp50,000 should be less hassle compared to Rp100,000. Justifying that I was the first customer and the electronic payment was not yet ready could be acceptable, as such a thing also happened everywhere, including in our country.
Makassar is a launching point for those who want to explore the eastern region of Indonesia, making the city an important airport and seaport. No wonder the seaport of Makassar is busy with both cargo and passenger ships. The same scenario for its airport, when you looked at the information board, various cities throughout Indonesia flashed out. “If I could visit these places would be so wonderful,” I said to myself. More often than not, when I mentioned Bali, many shared their visits in this touristy island that overshadows other places in Indonesia. As for me, Bali is charming but overcrowding due to the excess of tourists. We are also familiar with Jakarta and Bandung in Java, as well as Padang, Medan, Aceh and Bengkulu in Sumatra Island. I strongly believe places where not many Malaysians set foot for holidays or travelling, like Ambon, Maluku, Biak and Jaya Pura that offer new excitement as these places are least visited and untouched. As people from these far-off places are ethnically different from us, as they are from Indon-Australian stock that we could easily notice the physical differences. Their natural landscapes and pristine conditions make these spots unique, as the clock seemingly doesn’t tick here. As for those who love nature and an unquenchable thirst for off-the-beaten-track, these places would be your next destinations.
Ambon should be on the list that you tick if you travel to East Indonesia. Since we were very young, this city has been very familiar to us as we learned in history lessons in school. It was an important city for the spice trade, which was the most valuable and sought commodity for European markets, as it was used for food preservation and condiments. So it came as no surprise that European countries raced against each other and tried to dominate the spice business. Apart from rich historical heritage, this city and its surrounding areas have a lot to offer, including seeing dolphins and whales happily swimming, accompanying your ship, as well as beautiful tropical coral reefs teeming with Nemo, the clown fish of Banda sea. Since it's situated in an active tectonic its geomorphology is very unique as it is still active. You will marvel at the cone-shaped volcanic mountain rising from the sea, this other-worldly landscape, which is called seamount, was created by the volcanic activity millions of years ago. As for me, who frequented Padang in Sumatra, I was always attracted by Mount Singgalang and Mount Merapi, two famous mountains created by volcanic activity on the land. But in Ambon, the mountain appears from the seabed. Perhaps you visited Langkawi, Malaysia; Halong Bay, Vietnam and Phuket, Thailand, you will be peppered with limestone outcrops, the pinnacles rising out of the sea, but here in Ambon is a different phenomenon altogether. You have two choices to travel to Ambon from Makassar where the distance almost 1000 km from each other; first, take a flight, which takes around 1.45 hours, second, sail by Pelni ship, which takes about 2 days. Perhaps try both modes, experiencing different types of transportation to and from Makassar - Ambon. If you do so, you will experience the best and the worst of both modes. Travelling by flight means you arrive when you are still fresh and energetic, and you can hit the ground running as soon as you arrive. So you can spend more time on the island. On the other side of the coin, you will part with more of your money. For deep-pocket travellers should not be a problem. After you hop in and hop out the island, off you go. This is the best option for those who prefer a short visit. If you choose to a rather slow mode and have more time to spend, could you imagine watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the board during a journey by ship, looking at the blue sea and distant islands, and at night to see a magnificent sky studded with the twinkling of millions of stars above your head. The long journey should be enjoyed to the fullest, after all, sailing is always captivating us as well as past travellers and sailors, and remember Allah SWT makes it easy for us to travel, to see His flawless creations, eat good food and always remember, to Him we are returned. Our life in this mortal world is like a traveller on a journey, our destination is the world after.
I booked the e-hailing car service a day earlier of my departure to get a discounted fare from the Grand Citra Hotel to the airport. At noon, I received a call from the driver. After checking out and taking Rp100,000, the room’s deposit, I went outside the hotel and got in the car, which was waiting for me to go to the airport. The distance between the two points was 12 kilometres, which took 25 minutes. With a toll highway, the journey only takes 15 to 20 minutes. I asked the car’s driver to use toll-free roads, as the traffic at the time I made the journey was not as congested during the peak hours. The journey was smooth and along the way, we exchanged words and got to know one another. The driver, the guy in his early 40s, is originally from Makassar and her wife is from Manado. He made a long journey to Manado from Makassar a few times a year, including ‘Mudik’ before Aidil Fitri. He usually drove about 20 hours for about 1,700 km journey from Makassar to his in-laws' house in Manado. He told me the majority of Manadonese, more than 60% are Christians, followed by Islam, which constitutes only 30% of the total population of 500,00 people. While in the second-largest city in Sulawesi, you can find Halal food. According to him, Muslim visitors need to be extra careful to choose halal food providers. He was elated when he heard I intended to go to Manado from Makassar on my second visit to Sulawesi. He opined that I took a bus to Gorontalo, which is situated on the Minahasan Peninsula. The road distance between Makassar and Gorontalo is 1370 km. After one day there, he said I can continue my journey to Manado. By so doing, I can enjoy its stunning beaches like Olele and Biluhu, the historical Otanaha Fortress, and its unique Gorontalese cuisine, especially seafood dishes with a mix of spices. Engrossed in talking, the car ride seemed very fast. He dropped me at the departure section of the airport. Before parting, I asked him to charge the payment to enter the airport on my WISE account since I had no cash with me. The Sultan Hassanudin Airport is a big airport. In the Indonesian language airport is BANDARA, a combination of two words BANDAR and UDARA. Since the AK335AirAsia flight, which that supposed to fly at five o’clock past six in the afternoon, was about 6 hours away and passengers were not yet allowed to get boarding passes at the airline check-in counter, I walked to the bakery cafe to quench my thirst and to kill my time by writing. The flight was rescheduled to 8.45 pm due to the late arrival of the flight from Kuala Lumpur. As for seasoned travellers, flight delay is a common thing that we always experience and we come to terms with it. Two hours’ delay for me wouldn’t be a big matter because I would use the time on writing, writing things or ideas that popped into my mind. I have been inculcating this habit a few years ago as I wanted to improve my writing skills. As for a late bloomer like myself, I need to work really hard because I didn’t have an early advantage like my younger peers; I need to have resiliency and work from setbacks. Marin Luther King, a leader of the US human rights once said: “If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run, then walk, if you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Since I was fully engrossed with the topics of writing, hardly, I aware of the call from the airline’s ground crew that the flight was ready and we were politely asked to queue according to our zones, which were printed on our tickets. When I saw passengers queuing, I knew it was time to go. Unlike zones 2 and 3, passengers with hot seats were given priority to get on board first. Prior to that, the AirAsia ground crews handed out bread and drinking water as a token of little compensation to passengers. A loaf of bread I got, actually the same one I ate at the bakery cafe, I kept it in my knapsack, I would eat it later when I feel hungry. Flying at night had its own disadvantages; one of them was the inability to see outside the plane as everything was in the dark. But the view of the lights of buildings, houses, and lamp posts from above was breathtakingly beautiful. Makassar, the largest city in Sulawesi island, with 1.5 population, was showered with lights. And when the plane soared higher and higher, cutting through clouds, outside views were enveloped by darkness. By midnight, after 3 hours flying, the plane safely touched down on the tarmac of KLIA, a happy return for a traveller and for Makassarese, a happy welcome to Malaysia.
“I came as a stranger but went back as a believer", I believe you are familiar with these wise words. Telling a transformative experience that someone went through after a stay, seeing around and engagement with local people, in my case, with the surroundings as well as meeting people during the short stay in Makassar, also known as Ujung Pandang. While it was only a week's visit, it developed a strong sense of belief that Indonesia offers a lot of things for wayfarers, travellers, as well as travel writers. At the same time, it also uncovered the challenges that this island country faces in developing a unity that at the same time accepts its diversity. This does not include its challenges in physical development and modernisation.
By interacting with people, learning about their rich culture, and experiencing it first-hand, developing a deep appreciation and connection between us, Malaysia and Indonesia, we are actually brother and sister; same ethnicity, religion, as well as culture and technological adoption. Hopefully, this visit sparks would not be the last one, looking forward to visiting this beautiful island and the vicinity areas in the very near future.
