:: Manado City - North Sulawesi Travel Guides ::
Manado is the capital of the
North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Manado is located
at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous
area. The city has about 417,548 inhabitants. The
municipality of Manado is divided into nine districts:
Malalayang, Sario, Wanea, Wenang, Tikala, Mapanget,
Singkil, Tuminting and Mapanget.
History
The
Dutch
East India Company built a fortress in Manado in 1658.
As with regions in eastern Indonesia, Manado has
undergone christianization by Dutch missionaries,
including Riedel and Schwarz. The Javanese prince
Diponegoro was exiled to Manado by the Dutch government
in 1830. The English biologist Alfred Wallace visited
Manado in 1859, and praised the town for its beauty. The
city was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World
War II. In 1958, the headquarters of the rebel movement
Permesta were moved to Manado. When Permesta confronted
the central government with demands for political,
economic and regional reform, Jakarta responded in
Manado by bombing the city in February 1958, and then
invading in June 1958.
Tourism and Places of interest
As
the
largest city in the region, Manado is a key tourist
transit point for visitors. Sam Ratulangi International
Airport of Manado is one of the main entry ports to
Indonesia. In 2005, no less than 15,000 international
passengers entered Indonesia via Sam Ratulangi
International Airport. Ecotourism is the biggest
attraction in Manado. Scuba diving and snorkelling on
the nearby island of Bunaken are popular attractions.
Ban Hin Kiong Temple is another tourism spot in the
city, especially during the chinese new year
celebration. Souvenirs shops are located on B.W. Lapian
street. Other places of interest are nearby Lake Tondano,
Lokon Volcano, Klabat Volcano and Mahawu Volcano.
Shopping malls
It is easy to
find places to shop around Manado, since many of the
shopping malls are located on Piere Tendean Boulevard.
There are four recent shopping malls there, namely Mega
Mall, Manado Town Square, Boulevard Mall and IT Center.
Traffic jam usually occurs at Piere Tendean Boulevard
because of the existence of the shopping malls.
Language
The local
language spoken in Manado and the surrounding area is
called Manado Malay.
The
city
also has a good number of hotels and restuarants as well
as bars and karaoke lounges, which makes it the only
option in the province for any kind of nightlife. Places
seem to open and close fairly regularly so try to get
some local knowledge before setting out for a night on
the town. A string of seafood restaurants and stalls
along the waterfront set up in the evening, offering
visitors a taste of the fiery Minahasan cuisine. If you
like it hot sample the Ikan Tude (pronounced "tooday"),
a traditional fish recipe with an abundance of chilli –
but remember you were warned!
Manado has also become the focal point of Minahasan
culture, and while it seems to be fading somewhat, with
some luck and persistence you may be able to witness a
performance of either of the two main traditional
dances. The most engaging is certainly the Cakalele or
war dance. Derived from the words for "fight" and
"shout" this pretty much describes the Cakalele.
Wide-eyed warriors decked out in blood red costumes with
a profusion of hornbill beaks and feathers arranged on
their heads gives them a frightful appearance as they
scream and engage each other in mock fighting.
Originally designed to deter invaders, the dance is now
used to welcome visitors.
The
other
more sedate performance is the Maengket. With
colourfully attired singers in bright pinks, greens and
yellows, the full harmonies of the Maengket are as much
a joy to hear as they are to see as the dancers
continuously move in carefully choreographed unison.
This dance once had connections with the rice harvests
and building of new houses but seems to be performed now
only for the benefit of visitors. Finally, for
sighteeing and perhaps a bit of retail therapy, check
out the Chinatown disrict. On Jl Panjaitan you’ll find
the Ban Hian Kiong Buddhist Confucian temple. Originally
constructed in the early part of the 19th century, the
temple had to be rebuilt in the 70s following some
severe vandalism, which partially destroyed the
structure. Now though it is functioning as a place of
community worship and its colourfully decorated walls
also contain a selection of Portuguese and Dutch
artifacts including an ancient set of cannon.
There you have it, a diversified tour of the best of
North Sulawesi’s non-diving culture and attractions.
There is much more to this extraordinary province than
just those amazing sights to be found under the surface
of the water. Spectacular scenery, colourful culture,
brilliant beaches, diverse diving and awesome adventure
– all of these and more await you in North Sulawesi – so
go on, take the plunge!
Come and Discover Indonesia Islands with us!
