The island of Buton, in south Sulawesi, was the next stop on the sailing rally after Wakatobi. I arrived in a different way than expected, and on the other side of the island from everyone else.
My blog
@watusiwoman/watusi-woman-and-the-misadventures-of-carol
goes into the details of that part of my journey, should you be interested in reading about it.
So, I arrived in Baubau, the main town of Pulau Buton, on the western side of the island and Hubby joined me a day later in our boat. We were supposed to visit Pasarwajo on the eastern side first but had to bypass that in the name of friendship. I spent the first 2 nights in a lovely hotel, tending to my friend Carol's needs. When her partner took over Carol's care it was time for Hubby and I to explore this beautiful island.
The town of Baubau itself sits on a harbour, a lovely calm anchorage for our yacht. Getting onto land was quite a bit more challenging. And quite hilarious for the locals watching our efforts. A temporary dinghy dock was in place, a blue floating clip-together plastic affair that almost, but not quite, met the old broken timber and steel piece of jetty that still existed. To get from the dinghy dock to the jetty involved a swinging tyre as a step and a scramble up to the unbolted planks of timber on the jetty. No handholds, no railings. High tide was a good/only time to access the land easily. Low tide involved an over 2 metre climb up or jump down. With high tides being 12 hours apart, there was always a climb or a jump involved. I made a call to the organiser of the rally to fix this issue before the rest of the participants caught up with us, otherwise most of them would be boat bound.
one of the many mosques in town*just 200m off our bow
the dinghy dock is 2 metres lower than the rustic jetty
Right. First things first; hire a scooter. There were a couple of tours organised for us rally participants but we like nothing better than to head off on our own explorations as well. We explored the town and found, aside from many mosques, several markets. The morning market was great for fresh produce and fish, especially the beautifully sweet fresh pineapples, already skinned, just waiting to be made into pina coladas or pineapple daiquiris 🍹. The day market had alot of everything, and the night market on the foreshore at Pantai Kamali was full of clothes, bags, watches and shoes. There was a big area of rides for kids, full of flashing coloured lights and lots of noise. A line of food stalls followed the esplanade for your choice of local cuisine.
Pantai Kamali and the statue symbolising Buton
bananas anyone?
We spent a couple of days exploring the coast line. Heading South we came across Lakeba and Nirwana beaches, both stunning, with powdery white sand and aqua waters enticing one to take a dip. Lakeba also has a fabulous restaurant with a jetty just begging to be photographed at sunset.
Nirwana beach
Nirwana beach
Lakeba beach
Lakeba beach
Lakeba beach
Lakeba jetty
North from Baubau took us through the Bali village where lush green rice paddies and Hindu temples line the road. A turn off along the coast and we found ourselves on potholed, sometimes gravelled, bone jarring, brain rattling minor roads overlooking pearl farms and seaweed farms in the shallows of a bay. We rode inland through refreshingly cool jungles and found a wonderful waterfall to soak ourselves in.
lunch overlooking the rice paddies in Bali village
seaweed farming
this stunning waterhole speaks for itself
There was an organised bus trip to the Buton Palace Fortress that sits above the town. It has 12 gates and thick walls with cannons placed strategically along it. This fortress is said to be the largest in the world and was entered into the Guiness Book of Records in 2006.
There is quite an amazing history to the Kingdom of Buton that dates back to the 1300s, with the first 2 leaders being Queens and direct descendants of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. The Kingdom converted to Islam and became a Sultanate in the 16th century, the same century the fortress was built. It remained a sultanate until 1960 when Buton joined, and became part of, Indonesia.
We visited a school within the fort walls and were greeted by songs and a prayer from a class of delightful students.
The local Regent and the Tourism department put on an official welcome for us all, including a wonderful warrior style tribal dance performed by the men. There were some welcome speeches followed by a most delicious lunch. The kids put on a display of a local game they play with a piece of coconut shell, a stick and a series of coconut shells placed strategically apart that you have to hit with your shell. Much amusement for the kids and adults alike when they coaxed a couple of us to have a go.
These delightful children praying for our safe sailing
A warrior welcome from the Wolio people
We squeezed in a dive day at Nirwana Beach and a boat trip out to Liwutongkidi island, an uninhabited island just a 40 minute long boat ride from Buton. Who doesn't love a deserted tropical island all to oneself? Hubby and I were dropped at the island to wander, swim and snorkel the day away while a couple of our mates scuba dived off the boat around the other side. I just love some of the starfish we spotted under water. You find the purple ones draped over rocks and coral like discarded soft toys, flung away to land where they may. One pillowy type look like a squeaky toy you would give to your dog to chew on.
Liwutongkidi island paradise
our mode of transport
Dive day at Nirwana beach, thanks Rob for the pic
Our stay in Baubau finished with another fancy affair at the Mayor's residence, with some speeches, cultural dances, dinner and some karaoke to end the evening. The Mayor himself took to the stage and crooned a couple of numbers for us. Very impressively done too. We, as a group, belted out our rendition of 'We Are Sailing', the song we have claimed and made our own.
We had a wonderfully fun experience with a local man, Yos, and his family. They opened their home to us, his wife cooked a scrumptious dinner, and we had a laugh making banana pancakes and smoothies with them.
Special thanks go to Tiffany and Caleb, a lovely American couple who have made Baubau their home with their children for 15 years now. They have a tour company called Saltwater Tours and can make any tour or self exploration happen, no matter what you want to do and see in Buton. And they speak fluent Bahasa, as opposed to my minimal vocabulary.
We sailed away from Pulau Buton with some very special memories and some new friends made.
Until next time, Watusi Woman - heartfelt sailor, out. 💗
Baubau harbour
