Introduction - We went to Indonesia in 1997 and 1998, and it was one of our best trips. It combined nature (Bromo volcano, Manado Seagardens etc...), culture (like Toraja and Borobudur temple) and friendlyness of the local people. Above all, service is extremely good value for money, and this is one of the advantages over other regions like the Middle East and central America. Safety is less a concern than f.i. in Central America.
- The Singapore page was also made by me.
- The Cambodia page was first made with info I got from other people, and in 3/99 I went to check out things myself.
- There is Myanmar page written by a friend of mine (11/98). They will probably also add a site on Laos after spending 4 weeks in 10/99.
- Steven Buvens has also written a site after his trip to Northern Vietnam (7/99). I went back to Vietnam in 10/2000 and updated the Northern section, and expanded it with a Southern section.
- The Laos page was made by Geert Van Vaeck who stayed there 4 weeks (10/99).
Getting around Asean airpass
- 6 Asian companies have joined forces in an effort to turn off crisis in tourism industry, and they are now offering an "Asian Airpass". Companies participating include Thai airways, Garuda, Singapore airlines, Philippine Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Malaysian Airlines. The deal is the following:
- You have to fly to any Asian destination with 1 of the six carriers. You could f.i. fly to Singapore or Bangkok.
- Then you need to buy the pass for 270 US$. This entitles you to 3 flights within Asia with 1 of these 6 carriers. This pass has to be bought at the same time you purchase your international flight, and it has to be booked outside Asean countries.
- Open jaws are not permitted, except within 1 country. So travel must be contiguous.
- Domestic flights are permitted except in Vietnam and the Philippines.
- Maximum stay is 2 months.
- Extra stretches can be purchased at 90 US$ for one.
- You cannot do the same trip twice (f.i. Singapore-BKK-Singapore-BKK).
- This could be of course a very good deal. Suppose you want to visit Sulawesi. Then buy a cheap ticket to Singapore. With your pass, you can fly to Ujung Pandang (Silk Air), fly back from Manado (Silk Air), and you even have 1 stretch left, f.i. to fly from UP to Manado with Garuda.
- I've not tried this myself, and I didn't get much feedback untill now. It's best you mail singapore airlines for more info.
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There is a daily flights from Ujung Pandang (1 in the morning). Be careful for cancellations. There used to be 2 flights a day from Manado, but Bouraq has suspended their flights, and Merpati are resuming now 3 or 4 flights every week, but cancellations are still frequent. There are buses from Tentena over Poso to Palu. The road is good, except between Tiboli to Tawaeli (this is from the east to the westcoast). There is restricted traffic on this part of the road: from west to east you can go in the morning around 9 am, in the other direction it's in the afternoon around 4 pm. It's muddy when raining and dusty when dry, and there are plenty of potholes. There are spectacular views, but it's still a dangerous road. |
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The boat leaving every Friday evening directly to the togians no longer exists (2/2002). There's a boat leaving every other night around 9 to 10 pm in the evening arriving in the morning in Pagimana, then you have to take a bus to Ampana, and then take a boat to Bomba. you can rent a mattress to sleep. From Ampana there are boats to Bomba ( 2 km out off the city ) in the morning at around 10 am - 10000 Rp. Also boats to Wakai 20000 Rp or the boat of the Kadidiri Paradise goes direct to Kadidiri. There is an new ferry in Ampana but still not in use and nobody nows when it will start to operate. |
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We stayed at the Melati hotel, run by Alex and his family. There was an older section and a spotless newer section built around a beautiful courtyard, with a range of rooms, including air-con. We picked a large fan-cooled double in the new section at Rp 50,000 + 10% tax, including breakfast. This was a relaxing, friendly, and helpful place. Melati hotel, Alamat Jln. Gajah Mada 33, tel 21853-22934 Update 10/2001: Room rates: air condition rooms = Rp 75.000 double/night fan rooms = Rp 50.000 double/night economic rooms Rp 35.000 double/night all incl. breakfast and 10% ... |
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Manado airport was modernised and extended in 2001, so planes can land after dark. In fact, Mandala has a flight from Jakarta landing at 8pm. . There are flights to Ternate and Ambon as well, but they are not very reliable and depend a lot on the whether. Price for Manado-Ternate-Ambon was 947.000 Rp (12/98). Price for a return ticket to Jakarta is about 3.500.000 Rp (1/99). There are also 2 flights a week to Davao (Philippines), 1 with Bouraq costing 100 US$ one way and 1 with Philippine airways. (9/2002). There is one small tourist office and some touts hanging around. One of them took us to Tasik Ria Resort, 20 km south of Manado and we liked it very much. |
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We went to Flores in May 1998 for only 1 week. We liked it very much, although facilities and transport can be very rough. Distances are not so big, but the roads are very mountainous, so it takes 22 hours from Maumere to Labuan Bajo by road. I'd love to go back once to visit inner parts of the island, and not just rushing it as we did now. |
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