Weddings and Contests

Our next-to-last full day yesterday and things are hectic with getting ready to leave. But got in lots of fun yesterday too. Went to a traditional neighborhood wedding - very simple, but lots of family and friends there. Had to wade through mud and water to get to the house and get in - the bride and groom were so happy we came.


The guy who did the makeup for the bride is a friend of YGC - he dressed mom up as a traditional Bugis bride for a quick photo opportunity.


In the evening we attended the Mr. and Mrs. Makassar beauty contest - lots of great traditional dresses and entertainment, food too. The pageant took five hours but was fun.

Hello from Neva

Tom did a great job of explaining the trip, but I just wanted to say hello and let you know things are going great. The bus trip was wonderful, because we could sit and look at the countryside as it changed from city to country- we also entered mountains and the views were really beautiful. I could also sit and watch small towns and the people in them as they went about their everyday life. When we arrived in Toraja, the rest of the group stayed at Dadang's family house, but Tom and I stayed in what we were told was a hotel. It turned out to be a spare bedroom in an orphanage! But it was fun to be there. The children seem well cared for and the older ones do the laundry and prepare the meals. Then when guests come like us, they have a bamboo orchestra and play for us and do a traditonal dance in the courtyard. In the same bedroom area we stayed in, there was a young couple from the Netherlands, so we could do some English communicating. The wife was working with the orphans - I am not sure what her husband was doing. They had been there a month and were leaving the day after we left.

We were provided with three meals by the family and all 20 of us would sit down and eat. The family would stand back and watch us eat and were so concerned that I was not getting enough rice. They were so helpful and would provide a drink whenever we would sit down. It was a very interesting experience and I got to know the group from Gaya Celebes much better. They are great people and are hard workers.

That's all for now. Talk with you later.

Our adventures in Torajaland!

We are back from our wonderful four days in Tana Toraja (Torajaland)! I've got about 325 photos from the adventure - but my new camera's memory card messed up during the trip, so a couple short videos I made are so far un-downloadable. I'll try to get help with that when I'm back in the US. 22 of us went, a whole busload for the 8 hour trip each way...


The land of the Toraja ethnic group is up in the mountains in central Sulawesi. They are famous for their beautiful homes and carvings and their death rituals. We stayed at the traditional home of Dadang's family. Dadang is a staff member of Gaya Celebes.

Right in front of the house are some limestone megaliths placed there hundreds of years ago.


The view of the karst (limestone) mountains and rice paddies in every direction are breathtaking.


We had a great time meeting Dadang's family. Mom was especially taken by little Rio, one of Dadang's nephews.


The two full days we were there, we rented two vans and took everyone around on visits to interesting sites. For hundreds of years the Torajan people have buried their dead in limestone caves, some at ground level and some hundreds of feet in the air. They are buried in elaborate wooden coffins. As they rot over the centuries the bones fall out and mix together. In front of the caves they build effigies called tau-tau, about 3 feet high, in the image of the deceased, looking out over the rice fields.



Babies who die were often wrapped up in fabric and placed inside holes carved in giant forest trees, the hole covered with fiber until it closed of its own accord. These tree and cave burials still continue.

So much more to say about the trip but I'm quite busy with the preparations for returning to the USA, so I'll let Mom add an entry of her own.

We'll be awol for 4 days...

My mother and I are having a great time - I just gave a talk at a local university and my mom came along for the ride. Tomorrow morning (April 3) early we're going with the whole stuff up to Torajaland, a beautiful hilly area about 8 hours from here, a favorite of tourists. 25 of us will be going up and we'll be returning the evening of April 6. I won't be taking the laptop. So it may be April 7, Indonesia time, before we post again to the blog. Don't worry - we should have some great photos!

Fort Rotterdam

Mom and I have been having a lot of fun - it's nice to be in vacation mode for a couple days. This morning we went to Fort Rotterdam, the old Dutch fort here, just a few blocks from the hotel near the water. We went early, 8:30am or so, but it was already getting hot.


Lots of pretty flowers and interesting passageways on the grounds.


There were a lot of schoolkids there, many bused in from outside town so not at all used to seeing Westerners. So we were definitely part of the attraction, but we took it in stride and had fun talking to them.

Hello from Neva

Tom and I at an orchid place on my first day in Indonesia.
Sunset in Makassar from the hotel restaurant.

Hello everyone -
I have been thinking of all of you and wanted to let you know that things are going well. I've arrived safely in Makassar, Indonesia in the late afternoon, and Tom was at the airport to pick me up. The trip was long, but went well and I was able to see 5 movies inflight, movie fans. We went to the hotel and I was able to rest, and the next morning we went to Gaya Celebes, the organization he helped found, that helps those dealing with HIV/Aids.

The staff there was very kind to me, and had many questions about my life in the U. S. It was an impromptu English lesson and at times we got stuck, but it was enjoyable to meet everyone and try to learn their names. There were about 10 people there in the morning. Tom and I then went to a shopping area in town and picked up some things and ate, and later that evening we were back at Gaya Celebes where I set in on an HIV information session with staff and some local people. Tom showed a short film and talked about HIV transmission and treatment. I had to work hard to stay awake at that point - I was fading fast, but got back to the hotel and slept well last night.

My impression of the city is that the people are very kind and polite, but it is very crowded and I could never drive here. Tom won't even try it. We are preparing a short film to show you the street experience. The streets are crowded with cars, taxis, motor bikes, carts and pedestrians. Small shops are packed in to the edge of the street with no sidewalks and a rare stoplight. Zoning - who needs it. We would have 6 inches clearance between us and a motorbike with mom, dad and two little kids (forget the backseat carseat thing) while up ahead a pedestrian was crossing and someone was coming head on as they tried to pass someone!! Pictures and movie later.

One interesting thing is that there are very few Westerners here. So that when Tom and I are shopping, everyone literally stops and stares at us. Tom says the only Westerners they see are on TV usually, so they think we are movie or TV stars. We were in a little supermarket and one little boy was sneaking close to me - I could see him out of the corner of my eye - he reached for something on a shelf near me and was staring at me, and I looked at him and smiled and he ran away embarrassed. Usually when we go into a store, the manager comes over and they are giving us the royal treatment. The standard of living is much lower, and so they are doing everything they can to get our business. We take a cab from place to place and the starting price is 47 cents and the most we usually pay is $2.

We take cabs everywhere because of the humidity - it isnt the heat so much as the extreme humidity. And also because it is hard to navigate the streets. We take a few showers each day and go out in the morning and evening mostly.

This is a great experience and I will post more later. Next week, the group is renting a bus and we are going about 2 hours north of here to the mountains and a place called Toraja. About 20 will go and they will stay with the parents of one of the group. They are rice farmers. The native art and carvings there are remarkable, I am told, plus it will be cooler. Tom and I will stay in the hotel (wimps) and we will all spend a few days there seeing the sights.

My love to you all, and thank you for caring about me. Neva

Mom is here, safe and sound!

Mom got in yesterday afternoon - right on time, amazingly, luggage and all! We had a good first night at the hotel and how are at GC and Mom is meeting everyone. I'll post more updates later!