The burial caves and baby tree of Tana Toraja
After attending the funeral ceremony, we carried on to the burial cliffs, caves and trees. We arrived first at the cliffs and there were no other people in sight. There are some older Tongkonans (traditional ancestral houses) near the entrance, their roofs covered in moss and plants. Tongkonans are of a very unique design with …
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The funeral rites of Tana Toraja, a dying culture
WARNING Due to the nature of the funeral rites of the Torajan people (such as animal sacrifice) this article may disturb some readers. Contains graphic descriptions and photographs. After settling in, I met a local guide named Johannes. We had a chat and Johannes offered to take me on an all day tour and after …
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Lost in translation – Finding my way to Tana Toraja, Sulawesi (Indonesia)
In all honesty, I did not like Makassar at all and was reluctant to go out and explore. Even though I made an effort (as I had done in most of Indonesia) to cover myself up, wearing long trousers and a scarf wrapped around my shoulders and chest, men stared and shouted at me. I …
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Lost in translation – Kidnapping scare/ misunderstanding in Makassar (Sulawesi)
I left Lombok after managing to miss my original flight (which I had booked for the wrong date), and since I couldn’t get the website in English I just decided to try my luck at the airport. I did eventually (after hours of waiting and being pointed to go around the airport in circles) manage …
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Pura Batu Balong – Lombok, Indonesia
A temple on the water in Lombok, Indonesia
Well after the local spirit poisoning incident of Gili T, needless to say, the ensuing boat and car journeys to Lombok were not fun for me. I spent the whole journey with my eyes closed, sucking on a polo and concentrating all my willpower on not being sick again. We weren’t spending very long in …
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Don’t drink the “local spirit” in Gili T
Normally, I am the sort of person that can hold my drink. Admittedly, my tolerance had decreased of late. I hadn’t been out much at home to save money for traveling, and once away and traveling solo I mostly preferred not to drink more than one or two to keep my wits about me. Gili …
Blue waters, coconut mojitos and snorkeling with turtles in Gili T
After Bali, myself and a few people that I had met along the way decided to head to the Gili islands. The original plan was to visit all three if I could - Gili Trawangan (where we started), Gili Air and Gili Meno. The Gili islands are quite small; to get to and from the …
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The Gypsy Heart Travels 