Reflections on Death: A Funeral in Tana Toraja

January 24, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

It was a combination of the tears on their faces and the high, warbling wail that ran chills down my back. It’s a bit odd, from our cultural standpoint, to […]

Portraits of Tana Toraja: Photo Essay

January 24, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

By far the best part of travel is the people. We so enjoy the folks we meet, the interesting faces in a crowd, and swimming in the rainbow of melanin […]

Life in Tana Toraja: Economics and Elections

January 23, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

Life in Tana Toraja is a world away from the beehive of Jakarta, or even of Makassar, with at 1.7 million is a “small city” by comparison. Rantepao has a […]

Tana Toraja’s Bamboo Orchestra

January 22, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

We took some video for you the other day, of some fantastic kids with a unique musical talent.   They play bamboo pipes! These children, 30 of them, live together […]

Tana Toraja: Blood, Cigarette Smoke, Sweat & Testosterone: Losing a Cock Fight

January 22, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

On a ten point scale from Wolfe Island to the road into San Marcos, Guatemala, the roads of the highlands of Tana Toraja are a solid 16.  Imagine our driveway […]

Tana Toraja Market: An economics lesson

January 21, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

The weekly market at Tana Toraja is spectacular And we’ve been to our fair share of markets. This is not a tourist market like the one at Chichicastenago in Guatemala. […]

Drive by Shootings: Makassar to Tana Toraja: A Photo Essay

January 20, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

Makassar to Tana Toraja is a nine hour drive Covering about 330 km of the stunningly beautiful interior of South Sulawesi. After spending what’s felt like entirely too much time […]

Visiting Samalona Island

January 20, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Inspiration

We loved Samalona Island… So this is another “how to” post for those of you who’d like to visit as well. If you’re searching the web for links to lodging […]

Snorkeling Samalona Island, Indonesia: Photo Essay

January 19, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Snorkeling, Travelogue

Samalona Island is a quiet isle of the coast of Makassar, on the big island of Sulawesi. It’s an easy day trip from the big island. Simply catch a boat […]

Samalona Island: Pirates, Pringles & Play

January 19, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

In my children’s memories, Asia is going to taste like Pringles. It’s the only brand of chip that can be depended upon to come in sensible western flavours like, sour […]