HOTEL DI MANADO & DI MAKASSAR

In an attempt to attract more tourists, West Papua's Raja Ampat regency opened a representative office in Bali to promote marine tourism in the regency, known as one of the world's best diving spots.

The office will provide complete information about tourism in Raja Ampat and offer travel document services. It will also serve as an information center for investors interested in entering the regency.

Regent Marcus Wanma said his administration decided to open the Bali office since they believed the resort island was a potential draw for tourists from around the world.

"Bali can also serve as a transit point. Tourists can make the journey to Raja Ampat from here," Marcus said at the inauguration ceremony of the representative office located on Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai in Sanur.

The popular diving spot of Raja Ampat was visited by around 4,000 tourists last year, mostly foreign tourists from the US, Australia, Japan and Europe. The regency is targeting to increase tourist arrivals to to between 5,000 and 6,000 this year.

Raja Ampat lies at the center of a coral triangle and boasts a rich marine biodiversity with more than 456 coral species - more than half of the total coral species globally - and around 828 coral fish species.

Located in the northwest of West Papua, Raja Ampat consists of 610 islands, including the four main islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Misool and Salawati.

The area offers diving facilities, beaches and mountains in Wayag area. Tourists can also observe the cultural life of Raja Ampat residents.

Since the regency was established in 2003, the administration has been increasing efforts to develop marine tourism there, including by improving accessibility to the area by building roads, telecommunication networks and airports, Marcus said.

To widen access, the regency, which is still blanketed by forests, began constructing airports in Waigeo, Misool, Waisai and Ayau in 2007. The regency allocated Rp 2.5 billion to build each airport.

Currently, Sorong is the main entry point into Raja Ampat.

"Tourist can only go to Raja Ampat through Sorong and continue their trip by ferry. We expect that the new airports will be ready to use by the end of this year," Marcus said.

Direct flights to Sorong are available from Manado and Makassar.

The head of the regency's tourism and culture agency, Yusdi Lama Tenggo, added that should the new office in Bali succeed in attracting more tourists to Raja Ampat, the regency would open more offices, including in the North Sulawesi capital of Manado and in Singapore.

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

For those who crave authentic dishes, desserts and snacks from Makasar or for anyone who just wants to try tasting the traditional Makasar dishes, H. Mamink Daeng Tata is the place to visit.

Location: There are three H. Mamink Daeng Tata rumah makan (restaurants), all situated in the Tebet-Casablanca area. One is on Jl. Tebet Utara I, the other on Jl. K.H. Abdullah Syafiie, and the newest is on Jl. Casablanca. They are easy to find, so if one of them is full, you can easily move to another, which is just a short distance away.

Looks: The restaurants are located right on the street so parking can be a problem when the restaurants get crowded. The restaurants are in an open area with ceiling fans to cool patrons. The space is narrow, so not many tables and chairs can fit into the restaurant.

What's it got: It is the best place to find the specialties of Makassar cuisine in Jakarta, like sop konro and coto Makassar. Sop konro is an ox rib soup that is very spicy. One portion comes with two ribs.

Another authentic dish is coto, which is not to be confused with soto (soup). Coto is served in a small bowl and you can opt for the meat-only coto or animal innards coto, while with soto you get ribs, meat and animal innards as well.

Either way, soto or coto is served with ketupat burasa (steamed rice wrapped in banana leafs) or steamed rice, depending on your liking. The authentic desserts of Makassar, such as es pisang ijo and es pallubutung are also the best selling ones.

The special snacks of Makassar, such as lemper (steamed glutinous rice mixed with meat and wrapped in a banana leaf), jalangkote (pastel) and lumpia are tasty. The people of Sulawesi fill lemper with hot and spicy chopped cakalang (fish) while in Java it is usually filled with chopped chicken or meat.Lemper is also grilled for awhile to give it flavor from the banana leaf. Other dishes that do not originate in Makasar, such as nasi goreng, ifumi and siomay are also available. Taste factor: The coto, soto and sop konro are original in taste. Their special abundant ingredients blend well together. It is up to the diners to add the desired amount of salt and spice to the dishes. Its burasa, typical of South Sulawesi cuisine, is not special compared to a few months back when its coconut milk was tastier.

The desserts, such as es pallubutung and es pisang ijo, are excellent. Es pallubutung is a mix of sliced sweet pisang raja (banana), tasty rice powdered porridge, syrup, condensed milk and crushed ice, while pisang ijo consists of whole sweet pisang raja covered with sweet, green rice flour, tasty rice powdered porridge, syrup, condensed milk and crushed ice. Interestingly, the condiments on the table are in unlabeled plastic bottles, such as the ketchup, milk and homemade syrup.

Price Points: Prices on the menu are reasonable. One portion of coto costs Rp 7,000 while sop konro is Rp 15,000 per portion. The prices do not include the burasa, ketupat and steamed rice. Tata ribs is the most expensive dish at Rp 17,000 per portion, and desserts cost Rp 6,000 a bowl. There is no tax on the food you order.

Minus points: Lunchtimes and the weekend are the busiest times at H. Mamink Daeng Tata restaurant. When diners outnumber the seats, they have to line up, and lunch or dinner can feel rushed since those waiting for a seat may stand next to you while you are finishing your meal.

Verdict: Despite the many visitors that come and go during the busy times, service is consistently efficient and you don't have to wait a long time for your order. If you are dining with your family, it is better not to go on the weekend or during lunchtime since it gets very crowded.

The addresses of the three H. Mamink Daeng Tata restaurants are Jl. Casablanca 33, tel. 831 55 55; Jl. Tebet Utara I No.77 tel. 835 00 34 and Jl. Abdullah Syafii 33 tel. 837 93 333. Opening hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Saturdays.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Travelers headed to North Sulawesi rarely include more than a day on their itinerary for the hot, sticky provincial capital.

With underwater delights beckoning at nearby Bunaken island, there really is not much point in staying put in Manado, even if the travel books wax on about it being a pleasant little town nestled by the bay (maybe that was the case 10 years ago).

Manado today is showing the same ills -- unrelenting development coupled with erratic infrastructure maintenance -- that have turned once attractive Indonesian towns and cities into frustrating encounters with traffic jams and pothole-laden sidewalks.

But forces of nature made it impossible to make it out to Bunaken during a recent trip (and we heard reports that some of those who did get to the marine park were forced to spend a couple of days waiting for calmer seas before making it back to Manado).

Making the best of a bad situation, we took a trip around town and nearby areas to find out what to do in Manado when you are left high and dry.

Getting There: Located on the northernmost tip of the jigsaw puzzle piece that is Sulawesi, Manado is a mighty distance from Jakarta. But it is now cheaper to fly to the city than ever before, at a relative bargain price of about Rp 1 million return (including Mandala, Bouraq and Batavia airlines). This will probably include a short stopover, although Garuda does fly non-stop.

Accommodations:Manado has it all, from simple homestays to ritzy (literally) accommodations. A drive around the city shows a sampling of them all, from tiny holes in the wall, sprawling family-style hotels that have seen better days to the Ritzy, formerly managed by Novotel, which is located on the famed boulevard overlooking the bay. The latter looks good from the outside, and it boasts all the standard swimming pool-cavernous lobby-buffet dinner offerings of a star-hotel, if that is what you came all the way from Jakarta to experience.

Seeking a more rustic experience? Head to Molas, a beautiful area overlooking Bunaken. For diving, a friend is a devout advocate of the Nusantara Diving Center, having returned there several times over the last 10 years. The center offers a variety of diving courses and instruction for different levels.

There are several other dive centers located in the area, including one at the luxurious Hotel Santika Manado further up the road. This is much more of a full-on resort experience, with a swimming pool, good coffee shop (unfortunately, the other one looking out to sea is closed but you can still order from its menu) and cottage-style accommodation. But there is no beach to speak of (it's all mangroves) and a trip to Bunaken from here costs a steep Rp 500,000.

Getting out to Molas is expensive by taxi from Manado (we bargained to about Rp 35,000 as the driver wouldn't use the meter) but it's better to take public transportation. Ask for directions to Jl. Hasanuddin, where you can take vans up to Molas from the small market area. That will set you back about Rp 1,500, with Santika the last stop on the journey. It's cramped, you will be treated to an earful of simpering ballads but the people are helpful and friendly.

Sights: Everybody calls Jl. Pierre Tendean the ""Boulevard"", and it must have been something way back when. Now, with a megamall being built along the shore, the street resembles nothing more than a vast construction site. Not attractive by any means, with an eyeful of laundry hanging over corrugated iron fences and endless traffic jams caused by the light blue mikrolet (public minivans). It's said that the best time to visit is early evening to catch the sunset and avoid the traffic jams.

Sitting somewhat incongruously smack in the center of bustling downtown is the 19th century Ban Hian Kiong Buddhist Confucian temple on Jl. Panjaitan. You can go inside, but be discreet and respectful of the worshipers, especially if you want to take photos. It is supposed to have a couple of old cannons on its roof, but we did not make it up to the top.

Right across the street is Warung Ventje I, which sells a selection of local snacks, from bagea (a type of hard cookie made from sago, palm sugar, coconut milk and kenari nuts), candied nutmeg and a delicious nut brittle. Bargain for the best price or buy snacks from the special North Sulawesi snack section at Matahari, also in downtown.

Eats:Locals will tell you to go to ""Samrat"", as in Jl. Sam Ratulangi, for the best ayam bakar rica-rica (grilled chicken basted in Manado chili sauce). After spending a good 20 minutes walking back and forth looking for Tinoor Jaya restaurant (apparently it's under renovation), we settled for another restaurant, Gracia, on the same street.

The grilled chicken and sauteed vegetables in turmeric were tasty, but we gave a wide berth to some of the more exotic meats on the menu (especially with a despondent looking pooch sitting outside).

Although Manado is an overwhelmingly Christian town, restaurants are very accommodating when it comes to diners who do not partake of the local fare. There are also places serving halal (conforming to Muslim dietary proscriptions), including several smalls sidewalk eateries near the end of the road from Molas to Jl. Hasanuddin.

A more scenic spot to dine is on the winding road up to Tomohon in Tinoor, the area's own equivalent of Puncak in West Java. It's a refreshing drive up into the hills, with small restaurants clinging to the side of the road and providing a stunning view of forests and Manado Bay in the distance. We settled on Tinoor Jaya to try its dishes after missing out on its branch in Manado town.

We once again gave a miss to what the waitress termed ""batman"", but tucked into some very good chicken, fish and vegetables in the small but clean eatery (Rp 23,000 for two).

Of course, any culinary stopover in Manado must include seafood. The place to go is Malalayang on the road to Tasik Ria beach, with many restaurants offering the freshest catch of the day.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The once pretty face of Manado has never been the same since reclamation projects altered the shoreline along Manado Bay to make way for big shopping complexes.

Along the city's famous boulevard -- where once upon a time visitors could enjoy an unobstructed view of the sun setting over the sea -- now stand ugly structures, housing department stores, supermarkets and fast food eateries. The distant sea seems to have beaten a retreat from the advancing ""development"".

Worse than the still ongoing construction projects is the city's haphazard urban infrastructure.

Blue public minivans reign supreme in this 157.25-square-kilometer city, and with such an obvious lack of traffic control, I was not surprised when one day I found my vehicle going on the right side of the road instead of the left.

In terms of sightseeing, unless checking out the malls is your idea of fun, there is not much to see or do in Manado, and visitors usually head straight to dive sites in nearby Bunaken.

But those stuck on the mainland should definitely visit the 300-year-old Chinese temple Ban Hing Kiong on Jl. Panjaitan, said to be North Sulawesi's oldest temple.

A visit to the provincial museum on Jl. W.R. Supratman also helps if you want to learn a little more about the culture of the people you are visiting. Although a little run down and dusty, the museum displays about 460 items and stores an impressive 3,000 others in its storehouses. A life-size replica of a traditional Minahasa house is displayed at the back of the museum.

Many travel books recommend a dawn walk to the fish market and nearby Bersehati traditional market for unique sights and smells, but with soaring crime rates, it is hardly wise for newcomers to wander these crowded places alone.

The only way to really enjoy Manado is to get out of it and into the surrounding countryside.

Active volcanoes makes the North Sulawesi landscape lush in vegetation. It's the land of nyiur melambai (waving coconut trees), as the songs say, and you will see why as you travel around.

Getting around: Public minivans are still the best way to travel around Manado. You may need to change vehicles several times to get to a destination, but there are very few places that these blue monsters do not go. Fares are cheap at Rp 1,000 (about 11 U.S. cents) a ride, and you pay when you get off.

You can signal for minivans anywhere on the road, and to get off just shout out ""muka jo!"" (in front, please) to the driver.

A costlier alternative is to take taxis. Many taxi companies have sprung up in recent years but be aware that many still do not use meters. The usual taxi meter starts at Rp 3,000.

For traveling to farther destinations, nothing beats hiring a car for the day. Ask the concierge at major hotels for help. I rented a car at Rp 250,000 per day, including gas and driver. You may have to pay for the driver's meals along the way though.

On the city outskirts you could sample a ride on the bentor, a combination of becak (pedicab) and motorcycle, that takes three to four passengers and costs Rp 1,000 per trip per passenger.

Where to go

* Tasik Ria: Get a glimpse of how Manadonese have fun on the seashore. There are plenty of places where you could stop over, including at the Manado Beach Hotel, which is probably one of the few places with a decent beach. Other locations are usually just rocks, with a sheer plunge into deep water.

* Mausoleum of Tuanku Imam Bonjol: The final resting place of the Muslim cleric who led the Minangkabau resistance against the Dutch in West Sumatra. He died in exile here in 1864.

Visitors can also see the large rock on the river where Imam Bonjol used to pray. It is now covered with a permanent roof and visitors are permitted to pray at the site.

* Tomohon: A delightful little highland town famous for its hibiscus, bougainvillea, lilies, gladioli, carnations and irises. Plots of land in front of traditional wooden Minahasan houses are never empty of flowers. Flowers also often border the asphalt highway.

* Woloan: For those interested in owning their own traditional Minahasan house, this is the place to stop. Villagers sell knock-down wooden houses for between Rp 30 million (about US$3,333) to Rp 95 million.

The houses are constructed here, then dismantled for shipment within the country as well as to Germany, Japan, Australia and Poland, where they are then reassembled by Woloan's master craftsmen.

* Lahendong: Although not quite up to tourism standards, the hutan pinus (pine forest) is worth a stopover, less for its pine trees than its volcanic hot springs.

Feel the earth's restless energy at this park of boiling streams and bubbling mud plains. Four huts for bathing in the sulfurous spring -- believed to cure various skin diseases -- are located at the far end of the park, but inquire for the key at a small cafeteria near the park entrance.

Before you leave, be sure to take some mud for that beautifying mud face masker.

* Sonder: A boomtown when clove prices were at their highest in the 1970s, Sonder had the highest income per capita of any village in the country. Traces of this bygone splendor could still be seen in the large houses in the area.

Stop for some outstanding freshwater fish dishes at the two restaurants floating on manmade lakes here.

* Watu Pinawetengan: Probably the most sacred site in all Minahasa. According to legend, the ancestors of the Minahasan people divided up her people at this stone, and later Minahasan chieftains were said to convene here to discuss political matters. Today, local people still come here to consult with the spirits of the elders.

Pictographic carvings on the stone have never been deciphered, and today the stone is housed in an open walled structure.

* Tondano: The administrative center of the Minahasa region is but a sleepy town with wide, orderly streets. Nationalist leader Dr. Sam Ratulangi was born here.

Follow smaller roads around the shores of Lake Tondano, and don't forget to stopover at the many floating restaurants along the lake serving freshwater fish dishes.

* Pulutan: A small pottery producing village. The current production trend is to make round, colorful, garden tables and accompanying benches. A set consisting of a table and four benches costs from Rp 100,000 (about US$11) to Rp 125,000.

* Kampung Jawa: A village established from the descendants of the 60 Javanese fighters exiled here during the Java War (also known as the Diponegoro War after its leader Pangeran Diponegoro), by the Dutch between 1825 and 1830.

The legacy of that time is the mixture of Javanese, Tondanese and Minahasan language of the present villagers, as well as the many Javanese rituals still in practice today.

Another is the old Al Falah Kiay Modjo mosque, built in 1866. Although originally built in the image of the famed Demak Mosque, unfortunately the Al Falah has been renovated several times over. Only the four pillars, pulpit, bedug (a large drum suspended horizontally), and wood planking from parts of the ceiling remains.

* Waruga of Airmadidi: Meaning the place of the bubbling water, and even bottled water company PT Aqua Golden Mississippi has taken advantage of Airmadidi's numerous natural springs.

The area also has the largest collection of ancient stone sarcophagi, called waruga, dating back between 500 to 600 years ago.

Also near the waruga complex is the Tumatenden spring, where it is believed nine maidens used to come down from the heavens to bathe.

* Tangkoko-Batuangus-Dua Saudara Reserve: A place to spot elusive tarsiers, playful black macaques and hornbills.

Early evening is the best time to catch the tarsiers coming out of their dwellings, while the afternoon is best for birdwatching and macaques.

Stop at Batuputih village for local guides and pay the entrance fee to the reserve.

Getting there:

Manado's Sam Ratulangi International Airport is never idle. The opening of the country's aviation industry two years ago, and the resulting entrance of new airlines, has been a boon for this new airport.

Fierce competition among newly established local airlines has kept prices low, and convenient flight schedules to and from the country's other major cities meant a dramatic increase in airplane passengers in 2003.

""We are proud to say that we no longer have a low season at Sam Ratulangi airport, all flights average 85 percent load factor,"" PT Angkasa Pura I's head of administration and finance division Purwanto told The Jakarta Post and Harian Jakarta during a recent visit.

With between 52 to 54 flights in and out of the airport each day, Manado has become one of the country's most accessible cities.

Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Bouraq, Mandala Airlines, Celebes Express Air, and Batavia Air all have daily flights to Manado from various domestic destinations, while Silk Air, Bouraq, Merpati, and Malaysian Airlines flies from Kota Kinibalu in Malaysia, Davao City in the Philippines, and Singapore.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta