Why Pendolo Pendolo is a stopover on the long journey from Makassar to Manado, a cross-roads with a few places to sleep in sort-of decent hotels for the tourists traveling from the famous mummies in Toraja to the snorkeling islands up north. It sits on the shores of Lake Poso, a lake so big that […]
High Elevation Durian in Dombu, Sulawesi
It was a chilly morning when I climbed down the wooden ladder of the main house. The room we’d slept in was located right above the kitchen and wood smoke was wafting through cracks in floor. Someone was making breakfast. Cradling a cup of hot coffee, I stood by the dining table under the house […]
Alcohol Durian Cocktail in Desa Kuku
The bottles contained Air Nira – the palm sap of the Arenga pinnata tree that is used for making Gula Aren sugar. Was it alcoholic? I asked. Yes – they nodded. You should mix it with durian, the woman said, and pouring the frothy liquid into a glass promptly set about mixing me an alcohol […]
Sulawesi Wild Fruits and Ancient Durians at Dodoha Mosintuwu Homestay
In Tolai, I asked our durian host a question. “If most people here are ethnically Balinese, and your parents moved here from Bali – who lived here before them?” The Kaili people, he said. Kaili is an umbrella term for the 13 different indigenous-language groups that still live in Sulawesi today, and their many sub-groups […]
Lake Poso Durian Road Trip – How to Circumnavigate the Lake
“The road might be okay,” Pian said, nodding as he thought about it. “But not really recommendable.” We were asking about taking the Western road because Richard was excited to circumnavigate the lake hunting Lake Poso Durian. While Google Maps “said” there was a road, we already know that in Indonesia Google Maps can be […]
Sulawesi Durian Lokal in Parigi Moutong
We didn’t have any durian friends in Parigi – yet. So we went to the morning market, found the friendliest durian seller, and within an hour were wading up a crystal clear river lined with 100-year-old durian trees on a magical blue-sky morning. Sometimes you find the most amazing durian experiences when you have no […]
Sulawesi Monthong Durian Export in Tolai
“You’ll think you’re in Bali when you get to Tolai,” a friend told me. “why? – you’ll see when you get there.” I didn’t see anything that made me think of Bali as we left Parigi Moutong and drove the 30km south along the east coast of Central Sulawesi to Tolai City. The road was […]
