Introducing
INTRODUCING SULAWESI / TORAJA LAND
Like the petals of windblown orchid, the unruly peninsulas of Sulawesi reach out into the Celebes, Molucca, Banda and Flores seas. Within its odd, dancing outlines—the product of the collision of ancient continents—are found extra ordinary landscape. Rugged mist cover mountains, primal tropical jungle, emerald green rice terraces and deep mysterious lake dominate the interior. Along the coast, dazzling coral reefs encircle dormant volcanoes that jut dramatically out of the sea. Stretches of white sandy beach fringed with coconut trees and scattered fishing villages are flanked by rugged limestone outcroppings that might have stepped out of a Chinese painting.
Sulawesi once known as Celebes—is home to an amazing variety of peoples. Fishermen inhabit its coasts, catching flying fish, shark, tuna, mackerel and squid, as well as score of fish. Sailing and trading peoples, in particular the Bugis and Makassar on the south and Mandar people on the west, are renowned for their remarkable wooden sailing crafts and their voyages to destinations as distant as Singapore and Australia even to Africa.
Now a days, Sulawesi becomes the most popular tourists destination outside Bali. The colorful ritual life of Sulawesi’s Toraja people was discovered by foreign tourists. But this remarkable culture constitutes only a part, albeit a stunning part, of the complex, ever-changing tapestry of the island. Form the mysterious megaliths of the Bada Valley to the superb coral gardens near Manado, the island of Sulawesi offers a visual and cultural feast for the visitors with sufficient time and a sense of adventure.
Generally, Sulawesi divided into five parts. Although Sulawesi consists officially of five provinces, a separate chapter has been devoted to Tana Toraja (part of south Sulawesi province), in part because it is the area most frequently visited by the traveler to Sulawesi, and in part because of the striking cultural differences between the Toraja and other groups in the south. But while Tana Toraja is the area most frequently visited by travelers to Sulawesi, the regions of the island are equally is fascinating.
