Tourism Information for North
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.HAAWHATSWHATS HAPPENINGHAPPENING December 2003 March 2004 Volume 6, Issue 1 TOURISM INFORMATION FOR NORTH SULAWESI Welcome to North Sulawesi, As this publication is an effort Contents to highlight our diversity and December 2003 March 2004, Volume 6, Issue 1 offer you our guests, an opportunity to experience this diversity, we urge you to take advantage of some of the Whats Happening . various other activities that around Bunaken. 3 await you, outside your resort. Although you probably came here to dive and dive and dive Dancing With again, you may not be aware that North Sulawesi has some The Dolphins 5 outstanding gentle adventure experiences. Within a 1 ½ hour radius from the center of NEW FLIGHT SERVICE Manado you can trek to the top of Mt Mahawu (1311 meters) 6 with its bubbling ponds inside the crater, horse-back ride in SOME LIKE IT the cool hills of Tomohon, test your rafting skill on the rapids HOT. ! ! 7 of the Nimanga River and search out the Tarsier Spectrum To Cry For in the Tangkoko Nature *A=?DAI Corals Reserve. Check with your resort To Die For 9 or dive operator on how to arrange these trips. Last of all, please remember Bukit Kasih that it is the smiling faces of Bukit Kasih 10 your hosts, the Indonesian people who make North Sulawesi an unforgettable DontDont SmellSmell It,It, JustJust EatEat ItIt experience and wish you Sampai jumpa lagi, (hope to see 12 you again soon) 15 Eateries of The Month Warm regards, NINNY RUATA BARNES 16 Manado City Map Editor: Whats Happening Website: www.manadosafaris.com Email: [email protected] Cover Photo: Tel: 62 431 857637 Photograph Special thanks to USAIDs donated by: Natural Resources Printed by: Management Project for their Percetakan Offset Manado William Tan continued support for this Tel. +62 431 862475, 852003 tourism publication 3 Whats Happening . around Bunaken. BAs 2003 wraps up, there are a number of exciting happenings to report around Bunaken National Park. We are very proud to announce that Bunaken has been selected from amongst 70 projects from 37 countries as the global winner of this years British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Bunaken National Marine Park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, was chosen among more than 70 other entrants in the worldwide competition, which raises awareness of the worlds leading role models for responsible tourism.. The Tourism Turak Emre by: Photo for Tomorrow Awards began in towards their local natural and to eliminate destructive fishing 1989 and has been run by British cultural environment. In practices such as dynamite and Airways since 1992; the global Bunakens case, the award honors cyanide fishing while program recognizes organizations the efforts of the Bunaken simultaneously improving the in the tourism industry which have Management Board and the North livelihoods of the 30,000 villagers made a positive contribution Sulawesi Watersports Association living within the park. These Volume 6 Issue 1 | Nov 03 Feb 04 4 advances have been made largely planned state-of-the-art visitors center thanks to the revenues generated by for Bunaken Island (targeted for the Bunaken entrance fee system, completion in mid-2004). Bunaken which both funds a 24-hour joint village is also nearing completion of a villager/ranger/police patrol system long-awaited community landing dock and allocates approximately 30% of that has been funded by the Seacology revenues towards village-level Foundation in return for the villagers conservation and development commitment to a multiple-use zonation projects. Examples of past projects system that includes significant no- funded by the entrance fee include fishing zones. construction of public wells and toilet There is plenty of interesting facilities, mangrove replanting, and underwater news from Bunaken as school renovations. well. Recently, noted coral reef scientists In anticipation of the increased Dr. Emre Turak and Dr. Lyndon popularity of Bunaken and North DeVantier completed a rapid survey of Sulawesi as a marine tourism the biodiversity and status of Bunakens destination, USAIDs Natural reef corals as part of a study for the Resources Management Project has International Ocean Institutes Regional just completed a comprehensive Centre for Australia and the Western marine tourism carrying capacity Pacific (additional funding provided by study for the reefs of North Sulawesi. the TOTAL Foundation of France and The studys final report, expected in the Marine Conservation Action Fund January, will highlight a number of of Boston). The scientists documented concrete policy recommendations to 390 species of hard coral representing ensure that the expanding diving 63 genera and 15 families from within industry in the province is kept at a Bunaken National Park, an extremely sustainable level. One key focus of the high number for such a small area. recommendations will be a new Moreover, they showed that Bunaken licensing system to ensure that both has the highest known within-location dive operators and dive guides have coral diversity theyve ever recorded, the proper knowledge and training to with an average of 155 species recorded minimize their own and guests per site. On one site on Mantehage impact on North Sulawesis stunning Island, the team recorded a world reefs. record 221 species in a single dive. Just Additional funding from USAID as impressively, the overall coral should hopefully result in significant condition of Bunakens reefs was the improvements to Bunakens highest average of all the sites the team environment as well; a 6-month had previously surveyed (including the project designed to help Manado city Northern Great Barrier Reef) with an tackle its serious solid waste disposal average of 42% live coral cover and a problems should decrease the amount strong overall positive ratio of live:dead of plastic trash flowing into Manado coral cover of 10:1. The scientists Bay and Bunaken National Park. attribute this coral condition in large part Other infrastructure developments to the improvements in Bunakens funded by USAIDs NRM III project management system over the past 4 include the recent renovation of the years. landing dock and entrance fee gate at Continued on page 15 Liang Beach on Bunaken Island and a Please visit the PATA Website www.noth-sulawesi.com for the most up to date information on North Sulawesi Volume 6 Issue 1 | Nov 03 Feb 04 Tourism Information For North Sulawesi 5 Dancing With The Dolphins I have been to Manado many times, but never had any success in approaching dolphins underwater although they are a common sight around the Bunaken group of islands. The countless times I have attempted to photograph them, they would either be found swimming in the midst of monstrous feeding wishful thinking of swimming with the tunas with fleets of local fishing boats above - dolphins. both determined to run me over should I be Adjusting his mask and snorkel holding stupid enough to enter the water; or when I am onto the ladder by the boat, Guo Hao shouted lucky enough to find them without the fishing he was able to see the dolphins in the water. boats and tunas, they would always dive down Seconds later, when he claimed he was touched into the abyss just when I am able to make out by one dolphin that swam by, there was a big their shapes at the far edge of visibility in the commotion on the boat. Except for the water. boatman, the boat was suddenly deserted! This October, when I returned to Manado There must be close to a hundred dolphins with 4 musician colleagues from the Singapore around, but because we had entered the water Symphony Orchestra, we encountered a pod of in such haste and kicked up lots of splash in our dolphins behind Siladen. As usual, we enjoyed excitement, the dolphins became more wary, having them coming over to bow-ride in front of keeping a distance of at least 15 feet away from the boat. It was interesting how these smiling us. cetaceans are able to turn 5 musicians (me I counted 17 that were closest to me. When included), who are trained professionally to some of these turned their heads control emotions on concert stage, to go totally simultaneously to look at me, it was as if time berserk. Shouting and screaming in joy like 5 had come to a stand still. It wasnt until they little kids, we reached for our land cameras and turned and videos and th swam in the shot till all On October 30 2003, 5 musicians came other available to Manado and had a chance of their direction that films and I realized that video lifetime dancing with the dolphins! my lungs footages were were exhausted. screaming for me to rush back to the surface to Guo Hao, a new diver and a 1st time visitor breathe! to Manado, apparently refused to understand We stayed with this pod of dolphins for that it is impossible to get into the water with almost an hour. Right before they left us, one of the dolphins. Upon his stubborn insistence, we them broke away from the pod and circled stopped the boat and put him in the water, around us several times as if to bid us farewell. hoping he will be convinced to give up his Story by: William Tan (www.silent-symphony.com) Volume 6 Issue 1 | Nov 03 Feb 04 6 of Manado for three strait days with cultural dances, dinners and as usual many NEW FLIGHT SERVICE speeches. Howver, I must say that speeches were kept short and the travel agents and press all walked away with good impressions of our growing destination. Malaysia Airlines operates twice weekly flights on Thursdays and Sundays between Kuala Lumpur and Manado, departing Kuala Lumpur at 0845 hours to reach Manado at 1425 hours, with a 55-minute stopover in Kota Kinabalu.