Greg James Wade:
Sulawesi, Indonesia album cover. 330 photos.
Greg James Wade:
Sulawesi travels. I motorcycle 8,108 km in 37 days (plus two weeks diving). Road conditions aside, by comparison Beijing to Moscow is a 7500 km drive, Los Angeles to New York City is 4500 km.
Greg James Wade:
Makassar metropolis, at 2.2 million souls, is the largest city in Sulawesi. Within 24 hours of landing my ambition to tour the island is set in motion better than I expect.
Greg James Wade:
The first variable is handled by Rina, manager of hotel New Legends. Re-entering the country on April 23 with a new 30 day visa, on April 24 she gets a 30 day extension ("I know the right people").
Greg James Wade:
Sulawesi style. It takes a few hours to find the right man to rent me a bike. Rizal offers a deal of $8 US per day. I take it for 30 days (with option to extend 30 days). As Hopper (of A Bug's Life) says: "Let's ride!"
Greg James Wade:
Rizal, the man of Makassar who rents one of his bikes for a month so I can tour Sulawesi.
Greg James Wade:
Someone put thought into Mosque Amirul Mukminin, built over the water with sunset eternal as its background. Makassar.
Greg James Wade:
An appropriate t-shirt. A becak is a pedal bike taxi, and the drivers are persistent looking for a fare, following people in the streets for blocks. Makassar
Greg James Wade:
Mountain scene north of city Pangka Jene
Greg James Wade:
Stopping for lunch along the highway, a girl working in the restaurant asks for a picture, I ask for one in turn.
Greg James Wade:
Minnows
Greg James Wade:
Drying fish in the middle of the highway
Greg James Wade:
Candyland mosque, city of Pare Pare
Greg James Wade:
Town of Mamasa. The mountains make for nice scenery but it comes with a price: brutal roads.
Greg James Wade:
A peculiar piece of property: a triangular mound with houses on top, surrounded by five flooded crop terraces. Mamasa
Greg James Wade:
Mamasa country church
Greg James Wade:
Mamuju city waterfront has various vehicles to pedal around the streets at night. The bug is my favorite.
Greg James Wade:
Boys of city Mamuju. I meet them at the waterfront and they nominate themselves as my "bodyguards." The kid second from the left loves Avril Lavigne and he sings What The Hell for me.
Greg James Wade:
Heading home on the motorcycle after a day of shopping.
Greg James Wade:
Highway and landscape scene of the western coastline of Sulawesi, as I drive the 400 km from Mamuju to Palu.
Greg James Wade:
Coastline near town Pasang Kayu, the vessels along shore being floatable homes fishermen use for extended ocean time.
Greg James Wade:
A floatable home, enabling a fisherman to stay out on the ocean for long periods of time.
Greg James Wade:
Kids pile on for a photo. Second from left, Niblet does his best kickass pose.
Greg James Wade:
Group picture as I'm strolling Donggala beach
Greg James Wade:
Graffiti explaining Model Politics in Palu, with a thug liquidating nature for cash.
Greg James Wade:
City of Palu, connecting central Sulawesi and the northern peninsula.
Greg James Wade:
Hotel room, looking out into Palu Bay, lights of northern Sulawesi stretching into the distance, map behind me, pondering where to go next. City of Palu.
Greg James Wade:
Coconuts: a major export
Greg James Wade:
Departing Gimpu I can not find the road south. A local gives me directions to Gintu. Seeing this first bridge I should have known what lay ahead.
Greg James Wade:
A shaky pedestrian bridge across mountain river Palu, held together with wire and vine.
