Happiness is a 4 day weekend.

Instead of our usual round of visiting Muslim friends over the Aidilfitri holidays, this year we decided to make a trip to a off the beaten path destination. Diversity is the draw at Bunaken National Marine Park in North Sulawesi, part of the Indonesian archipelago. There is first-class snorkeling : the shallow reef tops are glorious, every square inch packed with life from colourful corals to encrusting sponges, crinoids, sea fans, and other plants. Swarms of anthias and basslets dart here and there in the shallows, while the bigger schooling fish flow like rivers of liquid colour over the reef crest and down into the depths.

We took a cab to Manado harbour and hired a speedboat for the day.

Our first glimpse of Bunaken Island :



This is our guide, Mr Erick, who is a Bunaken native. He started swimming before he could walk and enthusiastically pointed out the rarer species of marine life as we snorkeled.



The coral which Erick gave me as a souvenir, but I decided to return it to the sea where it belongs:



Clown Fish and other marine life in Bunaken ( I got these pics off the Internet )







It was the bestest bestest snorkelling I have experienced and was reluctant to come back to the boat. I think I was underwater for over 3 hours in total, and now I am sunburnt Ouch ! My legs and arms are lobster red and I have applied numerous layers of cream to prevent further peeling.

As far as I know, there are no luxury hotels on Bunaken Island. So if you cannot sleep in a non-airconditioned room and do not want to bathe in sea-water ( because the homestays have run out of freshwater as they have not had proper rain the past 6 months ), I suggest you stay in Manado town. We spent 3 nights in Swiss-BelHotel which is relatively new, comfortable ( 4 star ) and value for money.







There is also a lot of sightseeing to be done in Manado. Endowed with scenic beauty and good infrastructure like airports, seaports, and roads, it is an attractive place to visit and live. We came across these structure when we passed by CitraLand development, The City of Blessings.

Does this remind you of a statue in Rio ?



Do not need to make a trip to London to see this Tower



Tomohon, twenty-five kilometers to the south of the capital of the North Sulawesi province, is the best place to enjoy the beauty of hilly Minahasa and life in a Minahasan village. Situated on a hilltop between two volcanoes -- Mt. Mahawu and Mt. Lokon -- it is a good place to escape the heat.



Before the rain



Birds came out of nowhere during 5 minute shower...



Ladies selling BBQ corn in Tomohon



We also visited the village of Woloan, famous in the region for its prefabricated houses. Master carpenters craft these unique two-storey wooden houses by the roadside in front of each workshop. You want to buy a house? Simply wander down the road, choose one, and pay. These elaborately decorated Minahasan houses can even be exported. They cost as little as USD$2000 and will take 3 weeks to assemble. The cost will depend on the quality of wood and the size of the buildup area. But you have to pay for the airfare of the carpenters and the freight charges.
Exterior view






Interior view



Sawdust



We stopped for a late lunch at Tumou Tou restaurant located on the banks of Lake Tondano. The restaurant is built on stilts over the water and is surrounded by wooden walkways that allows one to view the lake, adjacent resort buildings as well as fish stockades in the water filled with different types of carp, goldfish, including those that appear on the restaurant menu.












We weren't familiar with the local menu items so we just went with the recommended favourites. We had a good-sized barbequed Mujair fish which turned out to be really delicious.
On the way to Tumou Tou Restaurant, we stopped to view these keelongs by the lake.






After lunch, we adjourned to Bukit Kasih in Kanonang village ( Kanonang Hill of Love ), Kawangkoan which is some 55 kilometers from Manado. It was built in 2002 as a spiritual center where religion followers of various beliefs can gather, meditate and perform their worships in this fertilized and fogged tropical hill.This hill is called the Hill of Love because it is where people from different religions can gather and perform their worships close one another as a symbol of religious and peaceful harmony. It was a bit of a miracle that I made it to the top of the hill :



In addition, this place is believed as a place for ancestors of Minahasa tribe, namely Toar and Lumimuut as their faces are carved on hillside under the second peak.



Sunset at Hill of Love



I will definitely make another trip to Manado as the snorkeling is AMAZING. Until my next adventure, I will leave you with this photo which I took in Remboken. Thanks for viewing

For the post and for returning the coral.

I can't belive the guy that gave it to you actually makes a living from taking people to see them. What an idiot! The coral is worth more to him alive than the extra tip you would have given him in return. It's because of ignorants like that that the world is in such conditions.

Unfortunately the boat operators and tour coordinators are only interested in $$$ and sad to say the corals and reefs will die within the next 5 years if current conditions persist.. i will make another trip there in 2010 so that i can enjoy the snorkeling one more time.. and hope to bring my own underwater camera to capture the beauty !

Great description and intro to the place. Tq.

You should try snorkling Sipadan one day. It will blow your mind 'coz of the number of turtles and sharks you will see just in one short snorkling trip!

You have improved tremendously.

Try Layang-layang Island in Sabah. You won't regret.

Regards
Ling

Thanks for the tips.. i will include Layang Layang and Sipadan in my Bucket List ( which is growing longer and longer with each passing year )

Nic pics, you sure do go to some exotic and off the beaten path locations. Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
ED-209

Thanks for the encouraging words

TS Li Ling

Thanks for such a detailed report and those wonderful pics. From the report, it looked like a wonderful trip you have had.

Keep taking lots of great pics and keep sharing your endless trips with us.

Take care and enjoy your journey of life...

My pleasure

resting on spindles for support.....amazing!

Thanks for the photo-tour.

 

Regards, MTF

Me thinking of importing one of those houses so i can avoid the hassle of engaging an architect and having to monitor the construction of my house and having to argue with contractors.. need a simple life so that i can spend more time travelling kekekekeke