Hallo Mister!

Everywhere I go, walking down the street, driving down the road, people yell out "hallo mister!' regardless of the fact that I am not a mister. A few of those better at English say "hallo miss!" but that is rare. I don't take offense.

I know you are sick of hearing how ridiculous the Sail Indonesia rally is, so if you can't stand hearing of lavish parties and more over-the-top events, stop reading now. Really, I don't mind. I just feel the need to recount the events of yesterday. It was a nutty day. I mean, the whole Buton experience was crazy, but yesterday was the icing on the cake.

We were picked up in cars at 8:30 AM and taken for an hours drive until we arrived in Bau Bau, a biggish 'city' on the island of Buton. I was in a car with Kyle and our three guides (Tati, Tika and Salam) and the whole way we rocked out to Nirvana, Green Day, Michael Jackson and introduced them to some underground hip-hop - Atmosphere and Ugly Duckling.

We arrived in Bau Bau and were taken to a hotel (kind of thing) at the top of a fortress. Apparently this fortress, built by the Dutch in 17-whatever, is one of the largest in the world. We were greeted by guides who showed us an old flag pole and then were ushered into the courtyard where we all shook hands with and took pictures with the mayor of Bau Bau. After that there were the obligatory welcome speeches, cultural dances and then a traditional feast.

A note on traditional Indonesian fare - it kind of sucks. No offense to the lovely Indonesian ladies that toiled all night to prepare food for us, but the diet is a little too similar to that of the South Pacific. It consists mainly of starchy roots like cassava and yam, leafy greens cooked in coconut milk, rice, noodles, deep fried plantain and lots and lots of fish. Occasionally you might score a curried chicken soup or something, but on the whole I am not that impressed.

But I digress. There was a feast. After that we were permitted some "free time" to walk around the fortress but Kyle and I were hot, tired and a wee bit over it, so we talked our guides into sneaking off into town to chill out. They had a long serious conversation with an official before we were allowed to leave, but promised to be back an hour later. On the plus side we were supplied with a car and driver to take us wherever we wanted.

We opted to go to a cafe for a cold drink and air conditioning and returned an hour later much more refreshed. Then we were herded back into cars to go to a silversmith handicraft market, but our driver got lost and we ended up stopping ten different places before opting to go to the hotel that was the next meeting point.

At the hotel we were given rooms so we could "rest". We weren't even staying over night - the schedule had changed - but they still hooked it up with full on hotel rooms so we could have some down time. Aside from the mosquitos infesting the bathroom and the suspicious stains on the carpet the room was very nice, but Kyle and I opted to drink beer by the pool instead of napping.

After an hour or so, my guide Salam - who is a local of Bau Bau - offered to give me a special tour around town on his motorcycle. So, for the second time in my life, I jumped on a motorcycle (no helmet) and took off racing around town. He took me to a cave with an underground pool, a waterfall, rice fields outside of town, a Balinese temple and to his family's house. His mom was so flustered when I came into the house she almost cried, apologizing for "how small the house is" and "how dirty it is." This of course made me feel awkward but I smiled and laughed, ate the food they gave me and took pictures with the family. She wanted to feed me dinner but there was a "Welcome/Going Away" gala feast that Salam and I had to attend, so I politely declined.

After leaving we headed for the feast where, once again, tables with white linens had been set up, along with a dance floor, a band and heaps of food. We had to wait a few hours before the mayor arrived to eat, but in the meantime were entertained by more traditional dances. I am pretty sure I could do every dance by now - I have seen so much of it.

Dinner was pretty good - a little more variety than the standard traditional - and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and stuffed themselves as per usual. After dinner there were more speeches, more shaking hands with the mayor, a bit of obligatory dancing and then - as if the gods demanded it - we were ushered back into cars and left Bau Bau. Usually the events seem to go on all night, but by 10 PM we were out of there! I should have been more suspicious.

When we arrived back at Pasar Wajo there were tents set up. And lights. And a dance floor. And a buffet. And a band. And hundreds of people applauding our arrival. Shit.

As we left today, the wonderful people of Pasar Wajo deemed necessary to throw us a (second) farewell dinner, never mind that we had JUST come from one. As we all stumbled out of the cars, tired, full and ready to go home, cameras flashed in our faces. I stifled a yawn and a groan. Others did not.

"Yes, please, welcome, please come this way. Please go sit down at a table." We were ushered to tables under the lights in the tents, in front of a crowd of 100 locals who had eagerly been awaiting our arrival. I couldn't help but laugh at how haggard all of us yachties looked, in spite of our hotel rooms and being well fed and carted around in air conditioned cars. It was just too much.

After yet more speeches, the singing began and we were invited to eat. Again. "Just go put some food on a plate," whispered one of the officials. We all took small plates of rice or fruit and smiled at all the people watching us eat. Finally, the locals were given the go ahead and allowed to eat - after us. After our third feast of the day, they were allowed to eat. To me that is wrong. But I am a VIP and I guess I just need to get used to it. (Ha)

Then, in what was probably the most astounding act of the evening, the officials brought out cases of Bintang beer and flasks of whiskey and vodka. I was stunned. They are Muslims and drinking alcohol is a sin, not to mention illegal. At past events there might be a few beers for sale, but last night they brought out all the stops and let the booze flow. They might as well have fried us up some bacon.

Although I felt a bit strange drinking vodka in front of an audience of observant Muslims, it didn't stop me. In fact it helped me loosen up when it was the "line the white people up and laugh at them while they try to dance" time. Kyle and I definitely tore it up on the d.floor for a few songs before nabbing a ride back to the blissful peace of the boat somewhere around midnight. We were absolutely exhausted.

This morning we said yet another teary goodbye with our beloved guides who have become close friends. I will never forget how they saved me from mobs of people trying to take pictures with me, or how they informed me I was eating cow heart after the fact, or how they waited for us every morning at the dock to escort us for the day. What awesome people. I know we will be friends forever.

As you dry your tears I am sure you are wondering how the people of Buton could afford to host a week long party like this. I do not know for sure, but rumor has it there is a millionaire on the island who footed the bill for the whole thing. He is trying to promote tourism on the island of Buton and apparently, spending $2,000,000 (US) on a party for the Sail Indonesia rally participants is an excellent way to go about it. Bravo, I say.

And so, if you ever find yourself in southeast Sulawesi, stop at the island of Buton. You will be treated royally. You might not get a $2 million party, but I'm sure it will be worth your while.
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At 8/24/2013 11:04 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 05°40.82'S 122°27.51'E

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