116 Travel | Rinding Allo
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“ This place is surrounded by rice fields . From miles away , the scene looks like freshly-cut English grass in the autumn ”. British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described Sulawesi thus in his famous book The Malay Archipelago . He visited the rural areas of Sulawesi in September 1856 before farmers headed out to tend the weeds growing across their rice fields .
1 Horses crossing the village road with rice fields surrounded by hills in the background .
2 Modified two-wheeled vehicles are the main means of transportation for the people of Rinding Allo .
Before setting foot on the island , Wallace also encountered massive warships with 42 gun barrels , guards and smaller ships docked at a port not too far from the fortress built by the colonial government of Makassar . The purpose of these ships was to track down pirate ships , back in the days before Sulawesi achieved the peace it now enjoys .
Today , decades after Wallace ’ s visit , I stopped by the very same place in southern Sulawesi , although unlike Wallace , who had arrived there by sea , I had flown in from Sumatra . Landing in Makassar , I took an executiveclass night bus to Masamba . After the 10-hour ride , I disembarked at Baebunta . My next mode of travel was a motorbike , which took me from Baebunta to Rinding Allo , in the highlands of Luwu Utara , South Sulawesi .
I rode with my guide Adnan , driving through the tree-lined Rongkong forest , over rocky roads and potholes . I jolted in my seat from time to time . “ I have passed this road for years . I can navigate it with my eyes closed ,” Adnan said .
I ignored the cold that was piercing my skin , for how could I turn my attention away from the magnificent sight before me ? From atop this cliff , Rinding Allo offered an alluring landscape . “ It ’ s about to rain ,” Adnan said . He began driving , racing against the rainy clouds that were headed towards the Kawalean hamlet .
“ That ’ s Rinding Allo down below ,” Adnan said , soothing my worries . I saw what looked like miniature houses perched at the foot of