This is Indo Travel!

On the road again and this time our final destination was the Togean Islands. Our choice of transport (after much discussion!) was to be a “coach” to a place called Tentena. We would spend a night there and then go to Poso to get another bus to Ampana. We would spend a night in Ampana and catch a boat across to the Togeans the following morning.

So after saying our goodbyes in Rantepao (in Tana Toraja) we hopped on board for a 12 hour journey on what can only be called a junk heap of a bus! It wasn’t long into the mountains that the engine started to splutter and cough until it died, then went, then died, then went again…. This went on for a good while (stopping whilst three or four fellas stuck their heads into the engine and under the bus) and we were starting to consider other options like hitching the rest of the way! Eventually whatever it was that was causing us to stop all the time got fixed (we were told that we also ran out of petrol!) we were on our way once again with our fingers firmly crossed! It’s on journeys like this that the Indonesians come into their own, they have such a can do attitude when it comes to some things and it’s always Tidak apa apa (which means no problem) when it comes to transport as they are used to the very long and uncomfortable journeys whether its by plané, train or automobile. Here you can see them strapping a couple of motor bikes to the back of the bus which we found very amusing. Check out the three guys standing on some little wooden thing, safe as houses eh?!

Anyway, the rest of the journey was pretty uneventful. We arrived late (of course) in Tentena where we were sorted with a couple of bike taxis (my one was pissed!) to a hotel nearly 5k's away.

The next day we ended up at the bus station (if you can call it that) in Poso and had two choices to get to Ampana. We could take a Bemo (small mini bus thing) with other people in it (i.e. full to the brim) for 5 hours, or we could charter our own Bemo. What with my long legs and the want for a bit of space we decided on chartering our own which was quite pricey but worth it in the end. The Bemo itself was a little shabby to say the least and our driver had a bit of a nervous tick, but we didn’t mind so much as the alternative would have been way too much to bear!
En route the rain started to fall quite heavily and you can imagine our amazement when we arrived at a rather brown and torrid looking river (which cut the road off completely). We had to cross it! So with someone in front of the car guiding us through the alleged best way, we made it through.


But again, not far from the first, we come across a second and then a third. It's worth noting that there are many people around, it seemed like a big village event! You have people carrying bikes across the water and all sorts of other goods that needed to get across. Of course small sums of money were being exchanged but you couldn’t help but feel that this was also a bit of fun for everyone. Men, women and children all mucking in and having a laugh.


The third river we got to was worryingly deep and wide!! We embarked on what seemed like a decent (or relatively sane) course through the river when some old fella directed us another way. Questioning in my mind the new and obviously improved route we charged into the deepest part of the fast flowing, mud brown water, all the time waved on by the old nut who wouldn’t know a good way over a river if it bit him on the arse! Needless to say we got stuck and were immediately surrounded by blokes trying to push us out! (All smiling and saying Tidak Apa apa)

Their efforts were to no avail and we had to bail out with the bags double quick as the car started to filled with mud and water!

So there we all stood looking at the car trying to figure out what to do as we watched some cars get across with no great problem (and no old nut guiding them I might add!) The old fella was trying to dig the steepest part of the bank away so that it would create a slope when the area directly in front of the car was probably the flattest bit around, so we just ignored him now as a rope turned up and was lashed onto the car. Satu, Dua, Tigaaaaaaaa! (1,2,3!)

We all pulled and the car slowly edged out of the water and onto relatively dry land!! His was much to the entertainment of everyone around who were all cheering and clapping. We just needed to get the car started again and we would be off!

I look like a giant against these dudes! Anyway, we had to bump start it once we dried the engine bits out a bit which proved successful. Excellent, we are on our way! Until…… our driver took the deepest possible route through a large puddle and again the car died!! Doh! At least this time it was only a large puddle. We had caught the attention of a few kids (you always tend to being a white giant) and they came bounding over to help out which proved to be very funny. We all got to push the car out of the puddle which they loved!

Then they “helped” to fix the car…

Then they helped to bump start it!

After lots of High Fives and cheers from the lads we were off again! What a laugh!!
We stopped for lunch in a small warung (food stall / shop) about another hour up the road which was a nice spot to reflect on the days activities. We had a small lunch which consisted of the best cooked snapper we had had in all of Indonesia which was a result!

We took a couple of snaps and made our way along the coast to Ampana where we were to catch the ferry in the morning for the final part of our journey and onto paradise!