Our Visit to Makassar, Indonesia

Today we visited the Port City of Makassar, Indonesia

We had planned to make a leisurely day of our visit, so we waited to “see-what-we-could-see,by using “Pat and Mike”, and local transportation.

So we hired a “pedicab” ….

…. to take us to a local attraction located a mile or so from the port. This is our view …. of traffic both directions. That’s an open pedicab just ahead, while we had a more deluxe model, with a roof!

Our destination was Fort Rotterdam, with free admission, except after we were required to sign their guest book, a donation was requested.

The ship had also scheduled multiple tours to the fort, with a “potty stop” thrown in ….

…. Barbara just managed to use the facility (one unit) before the cruise ship guests arrived. I did see one woman jump the line and use the side for men.

Three of the local residents greeted us …. mother and two nursing babies.

We were permitted to wander the walls and I came upon this hole that had been repaired

This is a section of the outer wall that time and history have worn.

When we decided it was time to return to the port, we thought it would be interesting to walk and get a better feel for the city.

When I looked through this opening I saw what looked like a bamboo forest, which in reality was shoring for the floor above.

Weather and time provided a very nice canvas for this lone plant to set it’s roots.

We had been advised by our staff that do not be surprised it the locals want to have their picture taken with you, and sure enough, as we were strolling along, a man and woman pulled their motor scooter, to the curb, the woman took off her helmet and stood with Barbara while the man took their picture …. with his smartphone.

As we neared the end of our “trek” we stopped by a small cafe to rest on a low wall. Seeing our plight at having to sit on a wall, an Indonesian woman appeared with two chairs for us to use, and oh by the way lets have a group picture ….

…. the look on her face does not reflect her true personality, as she was jovial and charming. What a great way to finish our visit.

Of course we know the Indonesian folks are great, as they serve us everyday on the ship.

Whenever a HAL ship spends time at an Indonesian or Philippine port, families of the crew are permitted to come on board for the day …. today we had 45 visitors.

I will close with a scene that is representative of those visitors as we bid them farewell ….

…. though it was a sad occasion there was an air of festivity exhibited from those on the pier.

Next: A Day at Sea on our way to Bali, Indonesia