| Understand : The capital of the province, the former stronghold of the Dutch and the cultural center of the Minahasa people, for a long time Manado prospered through trade with the nearby Philippines and the spice trade with the rest of the world. Alas, the bombings of World War II and the suppression of a local insurgency in the 1950s flattened most of Manado's older buildings. While by Indonesian standards still relatively prosperous, most visitors will be rather less impressed and head straight to the islands and reefs of nearby Bunaken Get in : Manado is quite far from the rest of Indonesia and most visitors arrive by plane. By plane Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport (IATA: MDC) An airy, modern facility last expanded in 2001. The airport fields some international flights to Singapore (Silk Air, 4x weekly, 3h), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Air Asia, 3x weekly, 4h), and Davao, Philippines (Wings Air, 1x weekly, 1h), with visa on arrival possible. There are also frequent flights to Jakarta (Batavia Air, Garuda, Lion Air 3h, 600,000+Rp) and Makassar (1.5h), as well as some flights to Balikpapan, Denpasar (Bali), Ternate (North Maluku) and Sorong (Papua). A taxi from the airport to central Manado takes about 30 minutes and costs Rp. 70,000 (bargaining may be necessary). There are also frequent mikrolets leaving from Terminal Paal costing 2,300 Rp that take about the same amount of time. Departure tax from Manado is Rp. 75,000 (Rp.100.000 from 1st Nov 2007) for international flights and Rp. 30,000 for domestic flights. The terminal has an Internet cafe in the public area and the standard array of restaurants (KFC, Es Teler 77)and gift shops inside, but note that there is nothing once past immigration. To do : Dive the clear waters, steep walls and world-class coral gardens of Bunaken Marine Park. Visit Bangka Strait for an encounter with whales, manta rays and other pelagics. Sail to the Sangihe Islands and dive in search of a sunken city, through walls of fishes or on an underwater volcano. Explore Lembeh Strait and discover its rare and unusual marine life and WWII shipwrecks. Whether you are a novice or an expert, we have the diving for you. Visit the highland towns of Tomohon and Tondano. Clove and coconut plantations, rice paddies and flower gardens fill our highlands with the same beauty and serenity found in our smiling people. Visit a small pottery village and a Chinese Buddhist Temple. Pack a lunch and hike to a mountain waterfall. Enjoy a soak in one of our hot springs. Overnight at a cottage on Lake Tondano. Relax in the peaceful atmosphere and cool mountain air, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Climb to the rim of a steaming volcano. Raft down one of our whitewater rivers. Trek through our majestic Asian rainforest. See the world's largest concentration of black crested macaques and glimpse a tarsier, the world's smallest primate, at Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Visit Dumoga Bone National Park where you can search for the fabled babirusa pig deer. Take a 3-day overland trip to the rainforests of Central Sulawesi. Eat Manadonese food is famous throughout Indonesia for two things: the Minahasa eat absolutely anything, and the flavor of choice is very, very spicy. Sugar is used little if at all, with flavor added through lemon and herbs. Being Christian, the Minahasa also often marinate meat in alcohol and favor pork. More exotic protein options include bat, field rat and dog, the last of which is the obligatory centerpiece of any wedding ceremony or Christmas feast. Classic dishes include:
Dutch settlement here has also brought in a few surprising influences, notably:
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Tour Operator SETIA TRAVEL SERVICE |
Selasa, 03 Maret 2009
How to get in Manado - North Sulawesi.................
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