Water Music

Sulawesi

Appears in
top 1000Indonesian Regional Food and Cookery
Indonesian Regional Food and Cookery

By Sri Owen

Published 1994

  • About

Sulawesi, Celebes as it used to be called in the West, is an island that seems, on the map, to be all coastline. Its shape has been likened to that of a windblown orchid, but it more closely resembles one of John Wyndham’s triffids. We landed at Dr Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, near the end of the outflung north-eastern arm of the island, up by the triffid’s sting.

This is hill country, well populated but not overcrowded, with good soil and plenty of water to irrigate the rice fields. Around these intricate coasts and offshore islands are rich feeding grounds for fish, and shoals of tourists come to dive and snorkel among the coral gardens of Bunaken and Manado Bay. There are many Christians here, and the extravagant designs of whitewashed churches, inspired at least partly by a wish to see how far the architect could go with reinforced concrete, reminded me of those of the Philippines, not very far away across that ultramarine sea.