Tomohon

During my two days in Tomohon, I spent one day alone with a scooter and on the other day, I let Svenja from Mr. Simple's accommodation drive us to our various destinations. Mr. Simple is a Grab driver and took us to our first destination. Since Svenja and I didn't want to keep ordering a new Grab every time we wanted to go to the next destination, we negotiated a flat rate with Mr. Simple for the whole day and even invited him to dinner at the end.

Among the attractions I visited, some were really worth it, including the hike to Gunung Lokon, the market, Danau Linow with its sulfur field, bathing in the Ranolewo Hot Springs, and the 4-Waterfalls Lookout. Less worthwhile destinations were Gunung Mahawu, Danau Tonado, the Warugas of Sawangan (stone graves of the Minahasa), the Woloan houses, which are made entirely of wood, and the winding road between Manado and Tomohon. The only exciting thing on the way to the winding road was that I almost unlawfully took the scooter onto the highway and then had to drive part of the way back as a ghost driver.

The market in Tomohon doesn't seem extraordinary at first glance, as the offering of knickknacks, clothes, fruits, vegetables, and fish appears to be the same as at any other market I've visited so far. However, the market in Tomohon also has an 'Extreme' section, where various types of meat are sold, including snakes, bats, dogs, and rats—essentially everything that is used in Minahasa's kitchen.

Svenja and I visited the market on a Sunday, and the 'Extreme' section was not very busy then. The majority of the residents on Sulawesi are Christians, and therefore Sunday is their day of rest. Nonetheless, we discovered pigs, snakes, and bats in the 'Extreme' section, and that was enough for me! The sight was not particularly pleasant when the snakes and bats were chopped up and packaged in plastic bags for sale...

Coincidentally, I had already checked off most of the less worthwhile destinations on the first day by myself and then had a truly nice day with Svenja before I had to continue my journey the next day.