A day in Makassar

Our first stop was in Makassar, a city in Indonesia that neither of us had ever heard of, but it was convenient since it’s a short daytime flight from here to Sorong, where our real birding tour starts. We stayed at the Rirna Makassar and got a giant suite as our first home base. The main point of today was to get used to the time zone, and we sort of did by both waking up at 3 AM, which is a lot better than waking up at 3 PM. We go boating tomorrow and most days at 4:30, so instead of switching to a normal schedule, we will just continue to get up around 3:30 or so.

At 6am, we were the first people at the breakfast. It’s a large buffet but they make fresh eggs. There’s coffee and pastries, so Chris had extra caffeine and gluten. Later, when complaining about stomach congestion and swallowing some antacids, Mike asked if more coffee and Beignets would help.

 

Our giant suite in Makassar.

We found some attractions nearby, including Fort Rotterdam, which dates from the 1600s. It’s about a mile away, and we decided to walk there and continue along the waterfront. We probably should not have walked; it was a busy road without crosswalks.

We walked along Losari Beach, Makassar’s best-known waterfront promenade. It is not really a swimming beach, but it is a popular place for people to stroll or eat snacks from the nearby food stalls.

The colorful mosque across the water from Losari Beach.

One of the sculptures along the Losari waterfront.

Another view along the Losari waterfront depicting a traditional Makassarese fisherman's family

Fort Rotterdam is one of Makassar’s most important historical landmarks. The original fort was built by the Gowa Sultanate in the 1500s, but after the Dutch defeated the sultanate in the late 1600s, they took control of it and rebuilt much of it in the distinctive European style seen today. The fort was renamed Fort Rotterdam and became the center of Dutch administration and military activity in the region. Its thick walls, large gateways, courtyards, and remaining colonial buildings make it easy to see why it was such an important stronghold.

Here are some photos of the fort. It’s free to get in, but a local “guide” approached us and gave us some information (and misinformation) about the fort. We took a Grab (like Uber) back.

Inside Fort Rotterdam, with its colonial-era buildings and palm-lined courtyard.

Statue of Sultan Hasanuddin in front of Fort Rotterdam. Makassar’s airport is named after him..

One of the old cannons at the fort.

Our unofficial guide explaining the history of Fort Rotterdam—some of it more accurately than the rest.

We also visited Phinisi Point Mall, which is next to the hotel. It is a large, modern shopping and entertainment complex with clothing stores, restaurants, cafés, and a movie theater. It was also a comfortable place to escape the heat and see how local residents spend their time.

Making a new friend at the mall.

The mall also has a large indoor play area for kids.

In the airline magazine, Mike saw Ayam Taliwang, an Indonesian dish he used to get at the Jakarta restaurant in El Segundo near Aerospace. With the help of ChatGPT, he found a restaurant with the same name that specializes in the dish. Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered it was out of business, and a different chicken place was there. Not to be deterred, he found another branch of the same restaurant, but it was either out of business or had changed its menu and didn’t have the dish it was named after. Eventually, at the third restaurant, he found the dish, and it was as good as he remembered, but the portion size was a bit small.

First attempt: this restaurant opened where Ayam Takiwang closed. plenty of chicken on the menu, but no Ayam Taliwang.

Second attempt: a restaurant actually called Ayam Taliwang Sulawesi—but still no luck.

Third time lucky: Ayam B22.

Ayam Taliwang at last—chicken, rice, greens, peanuts, and plenty of spicy sambal.

Tomorrow we go birding with a local guide who is not part of our tour, which starts later.