Exploring Tomohon

June 19, 2018

I apologize in advance for this long post & so many pictures.  Today was filled with some of the most interesting sites & cultural attractions we have seen-
We went to the local market, visited a geothermal site and biked through small villages around a volcanic lake.  It was a full and fantastic day.

Waiting on the deck after breakfast to begin our day-
Little did they know that tomorrow we will climb the active volcano that is looming just above their heads in this photo.

Tomohon's Market, where the locals come to shop daily for food and various other sundries-

Yacson (who graciously allowed us to call him Jackson) educated us on how to select and prepare dishes with the fruits & vegetables that were not familiar.

Many indonesian dishes are made with chilis- Indonesians love their spicy food

These women and their dried fish reminded us of the village we visited in Tanzania-

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world- this starchy fruit can grow to up to 100 pounds!
It is an everyday fruit in southeast Asia but in the US you can find it in the high priced health food section as a vegan meat substitute.

Palm sugar is the primary sweetner here & found in many differient forms in the market-
We opted to try it in these fresh fried cakes...YUM!

Fish drying racks

A first for me: a gas powered coffee grinder

_________________________________________________________________________________

These next photos are not for the faint of heart...

Before we entered this next area, Jackson gave each of us lemongrass leaves to hold under our noses if the smell became overwhelming.  Locals here eat many (actually ANY) kinds of meat, some raised for slaughter and others because of opportunity provided by the jungle...

While we were in North Sulawesi, a woman in South Sulawesi was eaten by a python-
it went the other way around here.

Smoked jungle rats-

Fresh cuts- no wait

Charred flying foxes (BATS)-
we were told that the tongue & wings are the best part

Local vendor proud of her dried skip jack tuna

With our market visit complete, we headed for some fresh air...

...straight to the beautiful green volcanic Lake Linow and the sulfur-smelling geothermal hotspots!!
* in the foreground is boiling mud*

A short walk to another geothermal area-
call me a terrible mother for letting the boys go first over this rickety wooden bridge...I was just not sure if I could make myself cross it...

Boiling mud & the sulfuric gases of the steam vents reminded us of our time in Iceland last year.

Finally, fresh air...if you don't mind the smell of cows- HA!

Each small village has a colorful gate and political flags to welcome visitors-

Beautiful vegetables growing in the lush highlands-

Pulutan Village is "famous" for their ceramics & pottery making-
We stopped at one artisan's home to learn about the process & see his wares.
This is the wood burning kiln behind his house... 

...and his son protecting the family's livelihood.

Watching the women washing clothes in Abai (earlier on this trip) & observing this fellow mother's laundry "room" makes me regret having ever complained about mine.

White walled gardens house flowers and herbs 

Village school children- all learning the pottery trade

Because there is lots of land and few regulations, many families bury their dead on family land but we did pass some community cemeteries like this one.  
In the 17th century, the Dutch had a monopoly on the spice trade in Indonesia and colonized this region.  You can still see the influences of the Dutch in the flowered gardens (like our inn) & these tiled tombs.  We even saw some tombstones with Dutch names.

We did not see any other pedal bikes on our ride but besides the blue mini vans, the major mode of transporation here are motorbikes.
When I first saw these stands everywhere I was puzzled as to what these vendors were selling...These 1 liter coke bottles are the perfect unit of gas needed to top off your tank.

In this village, Jackson tells us that "the lake is taking back the land"-
villagers unwilling to move just build walkways to their front door.

The Indonesian "Venice"

We biked 50K to our lakeside lunch spot-
the boys were really ready to dine on the tasty local fish.

just not exactly sure how to go about eating the whole fish...

After lunch we biked the final 10 (or 12)K-
This reminded us of the terraced fields in Peru.

We stopped in the archeological park in the Sawangan village for some more history.
Warugas are stone sarcophagi or above ground tombs that the Minehasan people used to bury their dead beginning in the 1600's  until banned by the Dutch in the 19th century.
They placed the deceased in these roofed boxes in the fetal or squatting position always facing north.  Carvings on the outside of the tombs detailed the life of the person before death.

Once we finished with the bikes, we loaded in the van to drive to the Mahawu Volcano for a short climb to view the crater and hopefully the Bunaken National Park.

Jackson cut pieces of cinnamon bark for us to chew on our walk-
it was curiously strong...like Altoids

More prehistoric looking foliage like we saw in Borneo-

We made it to the crater but alas! the clouds moved in blocking our view of the surrounding region.

Back at the Gardenia Inn, they served us late afternoon tea with the boys' new favorite snack-
fried bananas!

The food here at the Inn has been truly delicious.  It is easy to understand why the locals frequent the restaurant & why local brides would want to have their wedding here.

Tonight was BBQ night & we all thought it fitting (after being in the market) & thoroughly enjoyed cooking fresh meats & vegetables right at the table-
a superb way to end the day!