Adventures at sea in Sangir

Adventures at sea in Sangir

Text by Wahyuni Kamah Photos by Thomas Kiss

MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Since Merpati Airlines has
suspended its flights between Manado and Tahuna from July of this
year, visiting Tahuna on Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi now
requires a trip by sea. There are only two choices to visit this
island of nutmeg and cloves: by ferry or by jet boat, both of
which serve the Manado-Tahuna route three times a week.

I was eager to visit this most northern archipelago of
Indonesia and see its landscape and meet the locals. I thought it
would be exciting. Sangihe is one of three main islands in the
Sangihe-Talaud archipelago, the other two being Karakelang, the
biggest, and Siau. There are 77 neighboring islands but only 47
of them are inhabited.

On the day we wanted to travel there was no jet boat leaving
from Manado. We decided to take the ferry which, unfortunately
for us, ran out of business class tickets and had only deck seats
left.

The name of the ferry that we were going to take to Tahuna
reminded me of Columbus' ship the Santa Maria. I didn't think it
would be a nightmare to travel on this ferry. However, the
nightmare began as soon as I boarded in Manado Harbor.

Manado Harbor was busy in the afternoon. There were a lot of
people. All passengers of the Santa Maria had to cross the
crowded one meter-wide wooden platform to reach the ship. This
platform was filled with vendors, young and old passengers and
porters carrying large heavy sacks on their shoulders. I had to
simultaneously watch my step so as to not fall into the sea while
keeping an eye on the porter who carried our bags. It was truly
chaotic. I was shocked when I first boarded this small ship. As
vendors noisily hawked their goods, some passengers rolled out
their mattresses for a rest.

For Rp 23,000, the price of a one-way economy ticket serving
Manado-Tahuna, each passenger receives a bed with a hard mattress
and nasi bungkus (take-away rice). The bunk beds were all
occupied by passengers -- women, men, babies and children mixed
together.

There were no spaces at all on the deck because there were
many boxes and big sacks scattered around. My friend compared the
deck on this ship to a slave ship -- an apt description
considering the number of people on board.

On deck, the situation was much like that of the traditional
market until the ferry left for Tahuna and the vendors left the
ship. "Beep, beep ... ," the signals sounded at 6 p.m. as the
ferry left Manado Harbor. In the basement, the odor of people's
perspiration mixed with the aroma of ripe durians. The smell from
the toilet added to the sickening odor.

The ferry is the only available transportation for people who
regularly commute between Manado and Tahuna. Most passengers are
used to this mode of transportation. All the passengers were from
Sangihe, or Sangir, and most were vendors. Their merchandise,
such as different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and snacks, were
strewn about the basement. Those passengers who did not get beds
slept outside the room together with their belongings and
merchandise. They did not seem to mind.

People stared curiously at us. Their first question was "What
are you going to do in Tahuna?" because they thought there was
nothing special there compared to the Bunaken Sea Garden in
Manado.

It is recommended that anyone who suffers from seasickness
take antinausea tablets before boarding this ferry. Six hours
after leaving Manado, the sea was rough and it easily stirred up
the contents of your stomach or made you quite dizzy. The waves
shook the ferry for three hours and for newcomers like me it was
really a nightmare. Thanks to the antinausea tablets, I was
sleeping as the rough waves shook the ferry.

At about six in the morning, the Santa Maria finally arrived
in Tahuna. The nightmare was abruptly over when I stood in Tahuna
Harbor. The mix of the fresh morning sea air cooled our nerves
after 12 hours of sitting, standing and sleeping on the ferry.
The harbor was small. There were three other ferries which were
docked as we arrived. The landscape of Tahuna by the harbor was
stunning. The hill bordering the harbor was adorned with compact
rows of coconut trees.

Everyone seems to know each other in this small town of
24,000. Thus, it is obvious if you have newly arrived. As a
newcomer, unfortunately, you will be given different prices,
especially if you are a tourist.

People in Tahuna call the minibus a taxi. The taxi driver took
us to the hotel which we found in the tourist guidebook. At six
in the morning, life had not begun yet in this small clean town.
The road to the connecting town in the capital of Sangihe-Talaud
Islands is good and the landscape of Tahuna is unique. Half of
the town is surrounded by rocky, planted hills. Coconut trees and
cloves are the main trees along the road in Tahuna. Most zinc-
roofed houses that we passed by are decent but all look neat.

Unfortunately, this town is not prepared to accommodate either
local or foreign tourists. Hotel Nasional for example, does not
serve their guests well despite its rating in the guidebook as
the best hotel in town. The hotel attendants do not dress
properly to welcome guests. They responded to guests' requests
very slowly and served guests with strange faces. There are a few
restaurants where you can enjoy good food after a long trip from
Manado.

The facilities on this island are basic. However, the view of
the sea, its unique landscape and the typical hot seashore
climate are impressive. The heat in the afternoon is intense on
this island where people speak in the Sangir dialect. You can
really enjoy the sea, the heat and the landscape. It is a
fascinating place.

There is nothing special in this very slow-moving town. People
dry their nutmegs and cloves on the side of the road. There are
only a few shops in town. They are like shops in old Jakarta --
kiosks made of wood. However, the town is surrounded by a hill
planted with coconut trees and it has an attractive and unique
appearance. If you want to visit white sandy beaches, you can go
to Pantai Pasir Putih in Pananuareng. No public cars are
available so you have to rent a car. It is best to negotiate the
price, which includes a charge for waiting. This beach is located
behind the hill that surrounds Tahuna, so to save time you can
also rent a boat in the harbor to reach the best beaches.

Most people in Tahuna are devout Christians. However, there
are also some Muslims that live in Kampong Islam Tidore. Besides
civil servants, most of the population are farmers of nutmeg,
coconut and cloves. Sangihe is also popular for its almonds. The
native Sangir people are fishermen and they usually raise pigs in
their yards.

After knowing the nightmare of taking the ferry, we preferred
to take a jet boat back to Manado, which only serves the Manado-
Tahuna route. It took us seven hours to get there and the ticket
was Rp 170,000. The 100-seat boat is air-conditioned and
comfortable. However, as it is smaller than the ferry, passengers
can feel the rough sea strongly. Therefore, it is also
recommended to take antinausea tablets before traveling.