Tomohon -- Minahasa's City of Flowers

Tomohon -- Minahasa's City of Flowers

Text by Wahyuni Kamah Photo by Thomas Kiss

TOMOHON, North Sulawesi (JP): When one thinks about Minahasa,
a district in a North Sulawesi province, one often thinks of
cloves, kolintang (a traditional bamboo musical instrument), the
Bunaken sea garden, or bubur Manado (Manado porridge). Though the
beautiful landscapes and the distinctive Minahasan villages are
not easy to get to, they are in fact the attraction of this
mountainous district. The beauty is hard to describe unless
experienced firsthand.

Compared to the three other North Sulawesi provinces, Minahasa
is the most heavily populated and highly developed district.
Minahasa is naturally a peaceful place. It is no wonder why it
was rumored that many Jakartans wanted to flee to Minahasa for
fear of unrest in Jakarta prior to the May election. As a people,
Minahasans are naturally friendly, extroverted and lively and
they warmly welcome their guests. Unlike in Jakarta where
newcomers are targeted by devious taxi drivers, in Minahasa, the
taxi drivers will take you directly to your destination with
reasonable prices, despite the fact that you are not a native
Minahasan.

The climate there is normally temperate, but in the middle of
the year when it is usually hot, it also rains. "It has been
raining quite frequently in Tomohon lately," said the taxi
driver, who took us from the Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado to
Tomohon.

Tomohon, twenty-five kilometers to the south of the capital of
the North Sulawesi province, is the best place to enjoy the
beauty of hilly Minahasa and life in a Minahasan village.
Situated on a hilltop between two volcanoes -- Mt. Mahawu and Mt.
Lokon -- it is a good place to escape the heat.

Besides the attraction of its mountains, Minahasa also boasts
a historical site on the way to Tomohon. In Pineleng we passed
the gate leading to the grave of Imam Bonjol, a Dutch colonial
fighter in West Sumatra, who was exiled to Ambon and later to
North Sulawesi and died there in 1864. Along the main road
connecting the cities of this predominantly Christian district
stand many bible schools and churches of various dominations.

The rain stopped as we were about to enter Tomohon and wet
fresh air welcomed us as we entered this town. The first
impression I had of this city was one full of flowers. On either
sides of the road, in flower kiosks and in the gardens of wooden
Minahasan houses, I saw flowers galore. They included hibiscus,
gladiolus, lilies, irises, asters, carnations and bougainvillea.
It is no wonder that this town is popularly known as the "City of
Flowers". It seems the townspeople do their share to perpetuate
this reputation by planting neat rows of colorful flowers in
their gardens and along the streets of Tomohon.

Kakaskasen village is a wonderful place to stay. Most homes
are typical wooden Minahasa houses with flower gardens. To truly
enjoy the atmosphere of a Minahasan village, stay in the Volcano
Resort located in the middle of Kakaskasen II village.

Like other Minahasans, the people in Kakaskasen village are
quite friendly. Children especially enjoy greeting foreign
tourists with a warm "Hello Mister". Dogs are also welcomed in
Minahasa. Each house in the village usually has more than one
dog, and these dogs are free to wander about.

Our taxi driver was right about the climate. The clouds began
to gather in the afternoon and rain fell almost every afternoon.
At night the air was chilly and it made the stay in this famous
Christian education center perfect. The weather, however, will
not keep you from enjoying the surroundings of Tomohon. In the
morning the weather is normally perfect.

As a small city, it is possible to reach every corner of
Tomohon in one day. A stroll down to the center of Tomohon for a
look around is worth doing. The center of Tomohon is a bit
crowded in the afternoon. The facilities are quite comprehensive
-- including a bank with an ATM, shops selling sundries, a wartel
(telecommunications kiosk), an Internet kiosk, restaurants, and
even a pub.

You won't starve in Tomohon because there are a lot of toko
kue (pastry shops) and restaurants. But beware -- the local
cuisine is known for its dog flesh and pork. Walking around a
traditional local market in Tomohon, it is common to see heads of
dogs or pigs on the table for sale. Moslems, who eat neither pork
nor dog flesh, must be careful. However, most restaurants' menus
are posted on boards at the door and Moslems can find suitable
food at Restaurant Padang, where only chicken, beef, or fish are
served. And it is best not to miss the typical local Minahasan
dishes such as ayam rica-rica (hot sauteed chicken), ikan mas
bakar (grilled carp fish) or cah kangkung.

Vihara

The Vihara Buddhayana complex and Buddhist temple in
Kakaskasen III village are interesting phenomena, taking into
account that the main houses of worship are churches. The
dominant red buildings of vihara attract visitors from the main
street. A friendly guard from the vihara complex will accompany
visitors through each building. Climbing to the top of the seven-
floor pagoda is worth your time. From there you have a wonderful
view of Kakaskasen village and Mt. Lokon from a distance. It is a
breathtaking panorama.

There are four eight-sided buildings and one cave-modeled
building in the complex and each has its own purpose. "Most
buildings here are for meditation and each building is used
according to its purpose, for instance for a special festival",
said the Moslem guard. A Buddhist visitor who was going to
meditate there told me that most Buddhists who come to this
complex are from Manado.

From Kakaskasen, you can reach other interesting places
inexpensively by angkutan kota, the public transportation. Local
people call this minibus oto (Rp 600 one way). Directions can be
attained from the billboard in the Volcano Resort's reception
area. Although some of them are written in clumsy English, the
attendants will help you with information. Interesting
neighboring areas include Tondano Lake, Kampung Jawa in Tondano,
the waterfall near Rurukan, waruga (sarcophagus) near Sawangan
village, the Japanese caves near Sonder and other villages. If
you plan to take a day trip, do it early because in the afternoon
the buses run early.

The Minahasans speak bahasa Manado dialect, but they also
speak Indonesian well. As an Indonesian whose mother tongue is
bahasa Manado, I had no problems in asking the directions on my
travels. If you are not an Indonesian, knowledge of some
Indonesian is necessary for you to ask the directions.

Some real adventures can also be found in Tomohon, if you want
to try to trek on Mt. Lokon. The first thing you have to take
into account when going to the Mt. Lokon crater is the weather.
In the early morning it is usually warm, but beginning at noon,
it starts to be cloudy and then rains. Along the clay and rock-
paved path to this mountain, you will pass a deserted village and
sometimes friendly farmers working on their land.

We were not lucky enough to reach the Mt. Lokon crater because
on our way the weather suddenly changed and started to rain.