Below is a GPS track log of the trip by car from Makassar to Tana Toraja last December. As usual, I used my Garmin GPSMAP 60CX to log the track and to mark the places we stayed at.
One day after returning from Pulau Derawan, I became sick with severe headache. It lasted a few days. On 16 January I flew from Balikpapan to Jakarta. On 18 January, my visa expired, so I flew to Singapore, and took a ferry to Batam for another 30-day visa. I stayed one night at Istana Hotel […]
Pulau Derawan (and nearby islands) is another one of those hidden gems in Indonesia’s remote corners. Not many have heard about it either. Arrival at Kalimarau airport. Excited as I was, on 4 January, 10:40 hours, I flew from Balikpapan on KalStar Aviation (Rp 720k) via Samarinda, and arrived at Kalimarau airport in Tanjung Redeb, […]
We happened to be situated in Balikpapan during the New Year. Astrid was our host, and still is, during our stay here. On 1 January we were surprised by a really heavy downpour while driving, and the streets were flooded in just 15 minutes or so, making some stretches impassable. But the rain vanished just […]
Christmas 2009 was spent in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, together with Caecil, Astrid, Saras, Eka, and Rani. Tana Toraja is known for their unique burial rites. I and Caecil also spent a few days in Makassar afterwards. 23 December I and Caecil flew from Jakarta to Makassar on Batavia Airlines (Rp 750k each), and checked into […]