Those travelers who want to experience a more adventurous side of the archipelago than just Java and Bali should consider Makassar, one of Indonesia’s most colorful, fascinating and totally unpretentious cities. For openers, Makassar has been the largest and busiest mercantile and communications center in all of eastern Indonesia for over 500 years.
Formerly known as Ujung Pandang, this bustling commercial, shipping, and government center constitutes a major air-sea crossroads. The cultural hub for Sulawesi’s largest ethnic group, the Bugis, Makassar has a population of over 1.5 million, the sixth-largest metropolitan center in the country. It’s also the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, with scores of government buildings crowding the downtown.
People are friendly and many are eager to practice their English. Be mindful, however, that the inhabitants are predominantly conservative Muslim, so dress accordingly. Periodically, in order to “maintain public morality,” the mayor issues decree requiring dress codes for students or restrictions on alcohol. Yet the city at night has a decidedly naughty side when its numerous bars, discos and karaoke lounges come alive.
Makassar Bay teems with sailing prahu and offers magnificent sunsets and serene getaway islands. Makassar also serves as the jumping off point to destinations deep interior of the island, such as to the Bantimurung Waterfalls and the spectacular Torajan highlands. City telephone code: 0411.
Sights
The old fortress of Fort Rotterdam, in the heart of the city overlooking the harbor, is one of Makassar’s principal attractions. Captured from the King of Gowa in 1608 by the Dutch, who buttressed the fortification with walls 2 meters thick and 7 meters high. Within its precincts are some of the best-preserved specimens of 17th-century Dutch colonial fortress architecture in the country. On the left as you enter is Speelman’s House (1686), the fort’s oldest building. The La Galigo Museum, formerly warehouses, consists of two buildings, one covering ethnology and the other history. Climb to the top loft in the eastern end for the best vantage point over the whole fort. Open Tues.-Sun. 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., closed Mon. and holidays. Entrance is Rp7500 for adults, Rp2500 for children.
Lively Paotare Harbor (pronounced “putre”), in the NW end of town, is an amazing sight with rows of handsome, still-active Bugis wooden schooners (pinisi) from Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Kendari, even as far away as Palembang. Designs haven’t changed since the time of Genghis Khan. See fishermen spreading their nets to dry, mending sails, paddling lepa-lepa (small sailing outriggers), and gaunt overworked laborers shifting foodstuffs, consumer goods, cement, rattan and other cargo. Hire a boat to chase and photograph prahu. Get to Paotare by taking a bus (Rp500) 3 km north on Jl. Sudarso, then walk 200 meters. Admission Rp1000. During the east monsoon May-October, you can sail all the way to Banjarmasin by first getting a surat ijin from the harbormaster’s office here.
Shopping
The whole length of Jalan Somba Opu, south of Fort Rotterdam and east of the waterfront, is lined with shops selling a wonderful cornucopia of superb crafts and artifacts at reasonable prices: jewelry, mother of pearl, Gowa brasswork, Torajan handicrafts and coffee, cheap postcards, massage oils, Bugis flutes and sarung, bone carving, seashells, clove ships, antique Chinese ceramics, celadon stoneware, woven cloth, plaited work, colorful ikat-dyed silk.
Many gold shops are also found along Jl. Somba Opu. Toko Jawa and Toko Paris sell the highest quality at the fairest prices. Bugis women bedeck themselves in jewelry and much of a family’s worth is invested in women’s adornments. The best is to buy gold with a Makassarese friend doing the bargaining, or ask around at your hotel.
Places to stay
A number of star hotels on the waterfront offer stunning sunsets where you can relax in style and comfort for US$40 to $60 (plus 21% tax and service) per night and no charge for children under 12. All feature coffee shops, bars, health and fitness facilities, outdoor swimming pools, and are within walking or becak distance of shops, local restaurants, the fort and the city’s famous sea promenade. For the most part, hotel restaurant food is overpriced and ordinary, so plan on eating out.
Try the smartly contemporary Sedona Makassar ($40-80), Jl. Somba Opu 297, tel. 870 555, and the comfortable Quality Hotel Makassar, Jl. Sombu Opu 235 with personalized and efficient service. The Makassar Golden Hotel (Rp400,000 per room), Jl. Pasar Ikan 50-52, tel. 333-000, has Makassar’s cleanest and most spacious rooms, inexpensive laundry service, good breakfasts, convenient location, small pool for kids. Enjoy some of the best views from any large city hotel in all of Indonesia.
Food
Makassar is home to some of the best food anywhere. The city’s warung and restaurants are renowned for their barbecued fish and seafood (ikan bakar) grilled over charcoal fire pits, complete with rice, cucumber, chili sauce and hot tea tawar. A famous regional specialty is coto makassar, a savory, nutritious soup made from cow or buffalo intestines served with ketupat rice. Dinar, in the city center, is Makassar’s best seafood restaurant.
Between 4 p.m. and midnight, a whole line of stalls set up at Losari Beach south of the Makassar Golden Hotel along Makassar Bay. Savor enormous barbecued king prawns, cuttlefish, sea bass, red snapper, succulent crabs, fresh spicy sauces, cold beer. The seafood is fresh and tasty, bursting with wholesome juiciness and served piping hot from the grill. One of the longest restaurants in the world, this is the best show in town.
