Indonesia Travel

Black gold pumps through Balikpapan’s veins, from the endless stream of traffic, to the concrete, glass and steel business blocks competing for attention along the main drag. The huge oil refinery dominates the city and, when flying in, you can see stray tankers and offshore oil rigs.

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Tana Toraja is quite simply unique. A cultural island, hemmed in by mountains on all sides, the Toraja prove there is life after death with their elaborate ceremonies. Take the beauty of Bali, the houses of the Bataks in Sumatra and the megalithic cultures of Sumba and you’re still not even close. Cave graves, hanging graves, tau tau (life-sized wooden effigies) of the dead and buffalo carnage every summer; it’s macabre but mesmerising. This is a world unto itself.

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If you want to trek, swim, explore traditional Batak villages, soak in hot springs, party or just chill with some cool local people, Pulau Samosir is your Eden. Your chickenbus beaten body will begin to unwind on the slow 8km ferry cruise over to this volcanic isle (it’s actually connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, but why quibble?) 900m above sea level. In the late ’90s, Tuk Tuk, the island’s resort town, rocked with full-moon ravers, but Thailand stole their thunder, and now empty hotels and quiet streets are the norm. Which means low prices, high value and tranquillity.

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The Baliem Valley is the most accessible gateway to tribal Papua. It’s a place where koteka (penis gourds) are not yet out of fashion, pigs can buy love, sex or both, and the hills bloom with flowers and deep purple sweet-potato fields. Unless you land here during the August high season, when Wamena and nearby villages host a spectacular festival with pig feasts, mock wars and traditional dancing to attract the tourism buck, you will be outnumbered by Christian missionaries (a constant presence since the valley’s ‘discovery’ in 1938) and Javanese transmigrasi. You may also be startled by blatant evidence of Indonesia’s neocolonisation of Papua, but mostly you will marvel at the mountain views, roaring rivers, tribal villages and at the tough but sweet spirit of the warm Dani people (for more on visiting the tribal interior, see boxed text, below).

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Bali may be small in size – you can drive around the entire coast in one long day – but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so. Ask travellers what Bali means to them and you’ll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. Virescent rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, enchanting temple ceremonies, mesmerising dance performances and ribbons of beaches are just some of the images people cherish.

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The main attraction of Bajawa is the chance to get out into the countryside and explore the traditional villages. It is certainly possible to visit the area alone, but you’ll learn a lot more about the culture and customs (like the caste system) with a good guide, and some will organise meals in their home villages or treks across the countryside. The main difference is their proficiency in English (a few also know a little Dutch, German and/or French). You’re likely to have prospective guides approach you in your hotel, or in the restaurants Camellia and Lucas.

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This once-remote stretch of coast, from Amed to Bali’s far eastern tip, has reached that nefarious critical mass where it becomes a destination just because of its size. Yet unlike some other places on the Bali coast, it is holding onto the charms that drove the development in the first place.

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