But it's a deceptive idyll. From far away we hear the painfull screamings of pigs. When we enter the village there are hunderts of curious looks. Also the death look of two buffalo eyes. In this village died a man around two years ago. Since this time the family saved their money for the four days of funeral. They slaughter 75 pigs and 3 buffalos on this day. The meat is cooking over the fire. Afterwards they give it to their around 300 guests. The dead man is mummified and lies in one of the houses. After the ceremony they bring him to a hanging grave or a cave grave. We get a lot impressions: a ceremony place with blood and fixed pigs on bamboo sticks, hundreds of people - some wear a basecape other come in traditional clothes. The guests come from whole Indonesia. We can sit by the hosts and try the freshest pork meat. It's a wonder that I can eat something. Later they kille another buffalo. They cut the throat and thats all.

The buffalo is the status symbol of the Toraja people. One costs more than a car. The more are slaughtered the higher is the status of the dead. For all who want to read more about this tradion: have a look at wikipedia - Tana Toraja. The next day we enjoy on a rented motorcycle. We're already used to leftside traffic. We're driving to some cave graves: bones are scattered between broken coffins. A little loveless in our eyes. In the evening we're climbing in the bus to Makassar. During the long drive I'm start to feel ill. The heat of Makassar brings circulation problems in addition and I don't really feel like to board a ferry. But I don't want to stay another night here and so we go on board.

Regurgitation and diarrhea are getting better slowly but fever's coming in the evening. We're the only foreigners on board. That doesn't make things easier. Everybody wants on the picure when René has to be a model again. Despite our lack of indonesian language people are extremly talkative and crious. Especially the children. Over night René becomes sick with the same sympoms. It's the kids again who are standing in the room watching how René gets tablets from a nurse.

We're really 'exotic fishes' on board. In the following days we'll be encontered with cultural differences and language problems again and again.Hights and depths are going hand in hand from now on: real good-luck of our journey and the sandy beaches we are long for remaining far away.

After 20 hrs on the ferry we arrive in Bau-Bau on Buton Island. We have to go in an extremly expensive hotel because is's the only one with AC. Nobody speaks english and the rooms are dirty and full of insects. On the next morning René's feeling better but I'm sick again. It's to despair...

At the end we can find a simple wooden cottage on a hilltop. We enjoy the view over the bay and the islands plus turquoise sea. The wind cools the felt temperaure down on 30 degrees. On the 1st od Deccember 2009.

Slowly we're feeling better and we're waiting for the (hopefully) positive thing which are coming... E.g. The gecko which is looking down on René at the moment...

Monique

On the way to the german-constructed magnetic skytrain of KL we get some new roti canai. The roti from last evening were accommodaion for ants. Today we have the roti in western style: with marmalade.

The bus to the airport is on time and all things are all right. But not longer. When we stand in front of the departure display, we can't find our flight. Somthing here is really going wrong.

Some minutes later we know the flight to Manado is canceled and is going to Makassar (South Sulawesi) now. We have no other choice and fly to Makassar. We need a long time for changing the flight and so we arrive at the gate very shortly.

There we can't read Makassar. We are suprieced to read Ujung Pandang. It doesen't matter - we are ready to fly to every destination now. Later we find out it's the old name of Makassar. The flight is ok. When we arrive there is the next suprise waiting for us - 25 Dollar for the visa.We knew this, but thought we can pay by creditcard. But there is no possibility. 'and now?' The secretary makes an exception and goes with René outside the terminal to an ATM. René comes back as Rupiah millionaire. That's not so difficlt here: you need only 100 Dollar. After they controled our laugagge we are in Sulawesi.

Except us we don't see any tourists around here. The 'Hello Mister' is at first puchy for us, but the most people are happy to see white people.

We see rubbish and a lot of poor people all over. We are very suprised that prices for tourists here are higher then in Malaysia. We are culture-schocked. But it comes not better...

According to our guidebook there is a smart hotel. With a taxi we arrive in a dark small street. The room is horrible: dirty, the wash basin lays on the floor and there is no water in the bathroom. For us it's to late to find an other hotel and so we take the room. We hope to survive the night.

What's that? Suddenly all is dark - we have a powercut. We are hungry now. This desire is bigger than the distrust and so we go out in in the dark street. On the end of the street we see a light. In front of a hotel we can hear a powergenarator.

On the other site we find a backpackers hostel. 'we should go inside' the rooms are clean and the staff is very friendly. We are in agreement that we change accommodation immediately.After some negotiations we get the money back from the disgusting room.

We are still hungry. On this time 3 guys go out for diner and we join them. Now we go through the city for a long time. We walk on overcrowded streets, through dark alleys, passig foodstalls and little shops in this hot night. Sometimes we have to be carefull not to slip out on a cockroach. After a long time we arrive in a fishrestaurant. There you can select your fish. Then they barbecue him. Thats to much input for us Today and so we go around the corner in an english speaking restaurant.

We lost oriantiation and so we are glad that we can go back with the guys. Welcome in Indonesia!

On the next days we try to change our flights because our plan was to go to the north for diving. But we can't change anythinks and new flights are to expensive. We decide to stay in Southsulawesi. Our recovering has to wait, because at first we travel to Tana Toraja.

In this region old culture is still alive. After that we will travel to the Tukangbesi islands in the southeast for diving.

René