You Can't Get to Sulawesi from Here

Adventuring frequently involves strange twists and turns.

            “Where the devil is Sulawesi Ian?”, you may ask.

            It is an island in the Eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago that used to be called The Celebes.  The unique shape of Sulawesi is shown in figure 1.  Its location in Indonesia is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1: The Island of Sulawesi   

                                       Figure 2: Indonesia   

            I really wanted to go to Sulawesi.

            “Why would you want to go to Sulawesi Ian?”, you ask again.

            Well.  I was a workaholic and had a mid-life crisis because of that.  I had to find something to do that was fun.  I finally found that in birdwatching (birding).  There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world.   Goofy guys like me try to see as many as possible.

            But then, there are the even goofier guys.  These guys find out that all the species are classified into only 249 families.  And so, they go off on a quest to see at least one member of as many families as they can.  That’s me.

            Sulawesi is home to a bird that is so unique genetically that it is in its own family and of course can only be seen on Sulawesi.   I wanted to see this bird as part of my quest.  The name of the bird is Hylocitrea and is shown in figure 3.

Figure 3: Hylocitrea

            I can tell you that I have been to a lot of locations by myself, but Sulawesi just seemed too challenging.  So, I signed up for a birding tour to Sulawesi with Birdtour Asia.  Then I looked at the list of folks who also signed up for the tour.  Wow, none other than Delbert.  Delbert was a man who maintained a website devoted to the families of birds of the world.

            I called him immediately and said, “Hey Delbert, I am also going on that tour to Sulawesi.  I am pretty sure that the only easy way to get through there is through Singapore.“

            Delbert replied, “Indeed.  And I bet you are thinking the same thing I am thinking.  Get to Singapore a little bit early and use the time to go into Southern Malaysia to see the Malaysian Rail-Babbler.”

            “You read my mind”, I said.  “I tried my luck at Panti forest a few years back but was not successful.  My understanding is that it is still the best place to find that bird.”

            Delbert concurred, “Yes if get into Singapore Friday early enough, we can drive into Malaysia, get a hotel on the Northern outskirts of Johor Bahru and have most of the day Saturday to look for that beauty. We can then get back to Singapore early enough to get a hotel near the airport.  Then we won’t have any trouble catching that early morning flight to Sulawesi.”

            I replied, “Sounds good. Let me know what flight you are on out of San Francisco, and I will book my passage to get me on that same flight. I am coming from Washington, DC.”

            It seemed like time flew by, and we were both in Singapore.  We rented car and headed to Malaysia.   We were in our hotel ready for a good night’s sleep within a couple of hours.

            The Malaysian Rail-Babbler is also so genetically unique that it is the only member in its family.  It is found in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, but one of the easiest places to see it is in Panti Forest because of the proximity to Singapore.

            We were off at the crack of dawn and at the entrance to a major trail leading into the park.

Figure 4: Entrance to Panti Forest-Malaysia

            I said, “I hope we do better than I did before.  I spent two days with a local guide from Singapore and never got on it.”

            Delbert replied, “I hope I have something that will help.  Did you use a recording of its song?”

            Me. “No.  I was here on business and didn’t have time to prepare.”

            Delbert.  “I brought a tape player and a recording of its rather unique whistle.”

            “Listen.”       

            Me.  “Wow.  That ought to get it.”

            Off we went, slowly walking down the trail, playing the recording every 50 yards or so.

Figure 5:Panti Rainforest Trail

            We had a wonderful day birding.  The day was hot as expected and there was no rain.  We walked and walked and saw and heard lots and lots of different species of birds.  Quite a few were new for me.  But no Rail-Babbler.

            Toward the end of the day, Delbert said, “We need to head back so we don’t lose our hotel room.   Can’t be certain about traffic between here and town.”

            Me, “Yes, I agree.  But I am kind of bummed that I didn’t see the Rail-Babbler again.”

            Delbert, “Don’t give up hope.  Maybe we will see it on the way back.”

            Me, “Yeah, sure.”

            We headed back at a much quicker pace compared to our walk into the forest.  Delbert continued to play the tape from time to time.

            By late afternoon, we were within 50 yards of the entrance.

            I said, “Do you hear that funny clicking noise over there?”

            Delbert replied, "Yes, I do.  I have no idea what it is.  Let’s check it out.”

            We walked a short distance into the undergrowth.  Lo, and behold, it was the Rail-Babbler clicking away.  We stayed very quiet and watched it foraging.

Figure 6: Malaysian Rail-Babbler

            Me,” Thank you Delbert.  You are my good luck charm.”

            Delbert, “Well, maybe.  I was always playing its song.  I think what we heard was its call. That’s what I should have been playing.”

            We basked in the victory of finally seeing the bird on the way back to Singapore.

            We got rid of the rental car, found our hotel, ate and went to bed.

Early Sunday morning,  we were at the check-in counter.  Delbert went first, checked his bag, got his boarding pass and headed for the boarding gate.

            I handed my ticket and passport to the boarding agent.

            The boarding agent looked at my ticket and then at my passport and said, “I’m afraid you can’t get to Sulawesi from here, as least not today.”

            Me, “What?  I must be on that plane.  We are meeting up with our tour group in Sulawesi.  I will be left behind.  I paid big money to be on that tour and now you are telling me that I can’t join it.”

            Boarding agent, “I am sorry sir, but there is a problem with your passport.  You have travelled so much that all the pages are already stamped up.  There is no room left for the Indonesians to be able to stamp you with your entry visa.”

            I was in disbelief.  How could this be happening.

            I asked, “Is there no way around this?”

            The agent replied, “I am afraid not.  The only way is for you to come back with some blank pages in your passport.  If I let you on the flight, I could be fired.”

            Me, “How do I do that?”

            Agent, “You have to go your embassy and get them to add pages.”

            I couldn’t believe it.  I had no faith in bureaucracy.   I was sure this was going to take forever.  There goes my Sulawesi trip.

            Thank God, this was the era of international cellphones.

            The gate agent gave me the number for the embassy, and I was on the phone.

            A man’s voice answered, “Hello.  This is the US Embassy in Singapore.  The Embassy is closed now but will reopen tomorrow morning at 8:30. How can I help you?”

            I explained the situation to the man in detail.

            He was unbelievably helpful.  He said, “My name is Jake, and I am one of the Marine Security Guards at the embassy, making sure nothing bad happens here.  Normally, you need to make an appointment to get your passport fixed.  I get off duty at 6 tomorrow morning, but I will hang around until you arrive at 8:30.  I will also talk to the person responsible for fixing the passport and see if they can squeeze you.”

            Me, “Thank you very very much sir.  That is above and beyond.  I will see you at 8:30.”

            Jake, “By the way, there is no parking at the embassy.   It is just across the street from the Singapore Botanical Gardens.  There is plenty of parking there.”

            I then got on the phone with Fang, the travel agent that I had found to book our earlier night in Malaysia.  I explained my situation.

            Fang explained, “I am afraid there is bad news for getting a hotel reservation.  The Singapore Grand Prix is in town this week.  Everything is booked. You will be lucky to find anywhere to stay.  And you will also pay an arm and a leg for whatever we find.”

            Me, “Please find me a place to stay for tonight and tomorrow.  Price can’t be an issue.  Also, see if you can find me a flight to Makassar in Sulawesi as early in the day as possible on Tuesday morning.”

            Fang, “I’m on it.”

            I then texted my predicament to both Delbert and the tour leader who was already in Sulawesi.

            Then I asked the tour leader, “Please tell me where you will be on Tuesday, so I know where to go to catch up.  He texted that they would be lodging at Lore Lindu National Park in the north of Sulawesi.”

            He complied.  I now had a plan.

            Fang got back to me with lodging she had booked.

            I had to let her know I had further requirements.  “Please get me a flight from the city nearest to Lore Lindu from Makassar.  I will also need a cab ride from the city to Lore Lindu.

            Fang, “I will do what I can.  There may be another day’s delay.  Sorry.”

            I jumped in a cab and got to my lodging in short order.  It was a flea-bag place at an outrageous price, but at least I wasn’t on the street. The room with a bed was barely big enough to turn around in, and the bathroom was down the hall.  Oh well, I have done worse.

            I was at the gate to the embassy first thing in the morning.

Figure 7: US Embassy Singapore

            When the external gate opened and got to the front door, Jake was waiting with his hand extended, “Hello Ian.  Wait here. I will go get Norma who takes care of passport issues.”

            Within a short period of time, he was back with Norma.

            Norma said, “Hello Ian.  Jake has explained your predicament.  Please give me your passport.  I will do my best to sneak into the queue.  Be back here about 2:00.  We close at 3:00, so try to be on time.  If I have been able to pull it off, I will have your passport returned with lots of blank pages.”

            I thanked them both profusely.

            I left the embassy and called Fang.

            She said, “I have performed the requested miracle.  You have a morning flight that gets you to Makassar at about 11:00.  There is a connecting flight that gets you into Palau by 4:00.  I have booked a taxi that should have you to Lore Lindu by 7:00.”

            Me, “Thank you.  You really are a miracle worker. I will only miss three days of my tour.”

            I was back at the embassy at 2:00.  Sure enough, the front desk had my repaired passport.

            Back to my flea-trap, off to bed, up in the morning. By the end of the day, I had caught up with my tour group at Lore Lindu.

            The rest of the tour was wonderful and uneventful by the last few days standards.  Delbert and I went on to see Hylocitrea with the rest of the group as well as many other birds found only in Sulawesi.

            Thank you, Jake and Norma.  I will do my best to not badmouth bureaucracy again.  Wonder dedicated public servants like you are plentiful.

            Thank you, Fang.  Dedicated travel agents like you across the globe make the world a smaller place.

Adventuring in Eastern Outback Australia

Travelling in out of the way places can sometimes lead to danger.

            Jason and his dad Ian did quite of bit of exploring in out of the way places in  Eastern outback Australia.  Their experiences were many and varied but some involved a bit of danger.

            After their two weeks at Fowler’s gap tackling kangaroos, they set off to see as much of Eastern Australia as possible.  They hired a car in Broken Hill and headed south toward Adelaide.   They caught a few nights in several little towns along the way, but they also camped at two of the National Parks.

            At Hattah-Kulkyne NP in Victoria not far from the Murray River they camped in open bush and saw plenty of Emu.

Figure 1: Hattah-Kulkyne NP Open Bush

            They went on to Wyperfeld NP also in  Victoria with similar habitat.

Figure 2: Camping at Wyperfeld NP

            Jason said, “ I sure like getting up in the morning and seeing the kangaroos and Emus so close to our tent.”

Figure 3: Emu

            Ian replied, “I glad you chose Australia for your 16th birthday trip.”

From there they set off to Adelaide to catch a plane to the center of the outback at Alice Springs in the Northern Territories (location of a US military installation for tracking satellites). After a restful night at a local hotel, they rented a car and headed South to the fabled Ayers Rock (Uluru), a 5-hour drive.

Figure 4: Ayers Rock (Uluru)

            You can’t be a true Australian unless you have climbed to the top of Uluru.  They started first thing in the morning.  The 1.6-kilometer climb took them about 2 hours.  They were sweating torrents.  After resting for a while they headed back down.

            Ian panicked, “ Jason.  Come hold on to me.  This is so steep, and my cataracts are acting up.  I can’t see right, and I am getting dizzy.  I know I have a chain to hold on to, but I am still afraid I will fall.”

            Jason grabbed him with one arm and grabbed the chain with the other, “It’s OK Dad.  I’ve got you.  We just need to go slow.”

Figure 5: Climbing chains on Ayers Rock

            Down the daunting slope they progressed, very slowly.  They got safely to the bottom.  Their first encounter with danger.  They found out later that people did die on this slope, but mostly on the way up due to heart attacks.  But there were occasional falls on the way down.

            They went back to the camping area (there is no lodging here because it is an aboriginal sacred location).  They packed up their gear and headed back to Alice Springs for another night in a motel.

            In the morning, they took a short flight to Darwin on the Northern coast of the Northern territories.  They had time to look around locally before settling into a motel. 

            Jason, “ I want to see the saltwater crocodiles that are supposed to be here.”  So, they went looking.  It didn’t take long.  They kept their distance, so no danger here.  But they saw one of the locals walking a small dog without a leash.  The dog headed toward the croc yapping.  The owner had to rush to the rescue.  It was close.  They learned that pets often made diner for crocs around Darwin.

Figure 6: Saltwater Crocodile near Darwin

            The next morning, they headed to Kakadu NP, the other famous aboriginal sacred region where many aboriginals still live the traditional life.   It was only about an hour and a half drive. On the drive, they encountered an aboriginal hitch-hiking, so they stopped and picked him up.  He got in the back seat and was not very communicative. 

Jason introduced himself, Hi, I am Jason. What's your name?"

"Coolie.", he said.

Then Jason really opened up and asked him, “Do you like Witchetty Grubs?  I ate I whole bunch of them recently.  I thought they were pretty good.”

            He answered, “Yes, I eat them regularly.  But what I really like is Goanna.”

            Jason, “Goanna is monitor lizard.  It is really tasty.”

            The conversation ended as we approached the park.

            Jason researched the critter when we got home.

Figure 7: Goanna-Aboriginal Delicacy

Just before  we entered the park he asked to be dropped off.  We complied and entered the park.

Figure 8;: Kakadu entrance

            They spent a lovely day there with lovely sights like the waterfalls coming down off the Arnhem plateau.

Figure 9: Waterfall in Kakadu NP

They also saw aboriginal rock paintings dating back as much as 20 thousand years.

` Figure 10: Aboriginal Rock Art

            After an exhilarating day at the park, they headed back to Darwin for a good night’s rest before getting on another airplane in the morning. 

When they entered the motel lobby, the attendant asked, “ How was your day?”

Jason said, “We had a wonderful day at Kakadu.  We also were able to do a good deed and give an aboriginal hitch-hiker a ride to the park.”

The desk attendant blanched and said, “You should never pick up hitch-hikers out here you idiots.  That is just asking for trouble.  Car-jackings are a regular occurrence.  You are very lucky.”

Whether this was true or not, or just white man’s prejudice, they would never know.  But they were feeling relieved at escaping danger number the second time on the trip.

The next morning, they boarded a plane headed to Cairnes in Queensland.

When they landed, Jason said, “ I can’t wait to go the Great Barrier Reef.  That’s the one thing I really, really wanted to do on this trip, after tackling kangaroos of course.”

Ian responded, “ Well, you have to wait until tomorrow.  We will have to go book an excursion and then find a hotel and get something to eat.  Can you wait?”

Before they knew it, the next day had arrived, and they went to the Marlin Marina to get on the tour boat.

Figure 11: Great Barrier Reef tour boat.

            It took about an hour to get to the first snorkeling spot.  Jason was first in line to get fitted with snorkeling gear, listen to the safety briefing, and was into the water as soon as it was permitted.  Ian was not too far behind.  The sights were spectacular.

Figure 12: Underwater Sights-Great Barrier Reef

            They spent five hours out on the reef.  They had slathered on plenty of sunblock before they went, but all the time in the water seemed to weaken it.  Ian came down with a bit of a sunburn.  Jason was darker skinned so had no problem.  When thy got back to the dock they were exhausted.  Fortunately, no sharks were seen that day, so it was not danger number 3.

            The next morning, Ian announced, “ I want to go find a Cassowary today.  Their main home is in New Guinea, but they also occur in this northerly part of Queensland.”

            Jason asked, “ Where do we have to go to do that?”

            Ian answered, “ We need to drive south to Mission Beach.  It is about an hour and a half.  Then inland a little way to a sanctuary.”

            They headed to Mission Beach and when they  arrived there they went directly to a walking track at Lacey Creek day use area just off the highway.

Figure 13: Mission Beach walking trails-Lacey Creek

            There were roadside signs making you aware of their presence as they are an endangered species in Queensland.

Figure 14: Watch for Cassowaries Sign

            They parked the car and started on the trail.  Almost immediately they came upon some baby Cassowaries with the mother right behind them.

Figure 15: Cassowary with Chicks

            The mother started toward them  to protect her chicks . They immediately retreated to the car because they knew that an angry Cassowary can literally kill you.  Cassowaries  have a fearsome claw that can deliver a fatal kick.

Figure 16: Cassowary Claw

            Ian said, “ My heart is pounding.  That is the third bit of danger that we encountered.  I don’t think I can take anymore.”

            Nathan replied, “Dad. That wasn’t really close.  I didn’t know you were such a pussy.”

            Ian, “ Well. I have had enough.  I am glad this trip is essentially over.  We have a flight tomorrow back to Sydney.  From there we head Home.”

            Jason, “ Thanks for doing this for us.  It has been wonderful”

            They returned home safe and sound with many stories to tell.

            Because it is unlikely that you are very familiar with Australian geography, a makeshift map is provided with the major locations noted.

Figure 17: Makeshift Map ; Major locations

Horses to the Rescue

When you go adventuring, you never know what’s going to happen next.

            I joined a birding group that was birding Eastern Brazil in 1998.  Because of business constraints, I could not join at the beginning of the tour, but rather caught up with them about halfway through.  The tour was organized by the now defunct, but legendary Ornifolks organization led by  Mathew Flannery from St. Louis.

            Mathew had hired an Englishman by the name of Gerald Kay to guide the tour. Gerald was an expert on Eastern Brazil birds and where to find them.

            I arrived in the afternoon at the airport in Belo Horizonte (a city of 6.3 million) and waited to be picked up. 

Figure 1: Belo Horizonte Airport

The others were supposed to arrive in a van being driven from Serra de Canastra, a well-known birding spot.

It wasn’t long before I heard Mathew’s booming voice.  “Hey Ian, we are over here.  Bring your gear and get in the van.”

            I put my gear in the back and hopped in.  The 12-passenger van had every seat filled.  There was a total of 12 of us, the 2 Ornifolks organizers, the leader, and 9 participants.  

Mathew said, “ Hey folks, this is Ian.  He is an Ornifolks regular.  He has been with us in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.  He loves to bird.  You folks can introduce yourself to him when it makes sense.  He knows all of your names from the pre-trip registration.”

            I said simply, “ Glad to meet you folks. More later. I have heard a lot about many of you and have birded with a few of you before.”

            Mathew jumped in and said, “ Ian, this is Eduardo, our driver.  He has been with us since he picked us up at the Rio de Janeiro airport.  As you know, we have already been birding for 22 days.  Gerald has shown us a huge number of birds including many, many endemics. “

            “Hip, hip, hooray.”, came from the others in the bus.

            Mathew again said, “ We will be staying at the Hotel Esplanade here in Belo.  It is quite comfortable.  Off we go.”

Figure 2; Hotel Esplanade-Belo Horizonte

            Eduardo drove us to the hotel.  As we disembarked, he said, ” I have to take the van to the garage.  It needs a bit of maintenance.”

            As we got off the van I said, “Hello Don.  Looks like we are room-mates again.”

            Don to me, “How have you been since that very rough time in Colombia?”

            Me, “Smooth sailing since then.  I am tired. I am heading for bed early right away.”

            In the morning, I organized myself.  I have always been sun-sensitive, so I wore clothing that covered as much skin as possible.  Long-sleeve shirt. Long pants, neck kerchief, gloves, and broad-brimmed hat.  Insects were also an issue, so I had sprayed my pants with permethrin before coming and had plenty of both spray and cream insect repellent.  Because I also have some potentially serious health issues, I always carried my personal first aid kit.  It consisted of  Band-aids, gauze, adhesive tape, tums, aspirin, doxycycline, diarrhea meds, EpiPen for allergic reactions, Ventolin for asthma attacks, Flexeril for back cramps, and more.  Of course, I also had my binoculars and bird book.  I did not carry a scope or tape recorder.  I counted on the leaders to provide these.  I carried all the loose items in a fanny pack.

            Don and I headed for breakfast.

When everyone was assembled, Eduardo announced, “Sorry folks but the van will not be ready right away.   I am afraid we will get a late start to Januaria.

            Gerald spoke up, “Yes, we are driving to Januaria today. It is about 365 miles from here but will take at least 8 hours. We just have to cool our heels until Eduardo is ready.”

            I chatted a bit with Ken, “Do you still live in DC?”

            Ken, “ Yes. You still in Sterling?”

            Me, “ Yes.  We should share a meal sometime.  I really enjoyed my time with you in Ecuador.”

            Ken, “ Indeed.  It’s too bad you had to miss the first half of the trip.  Gerald really knows his stuff.  And the sites like Itatiaia and others close to Rio and Sao Paulo are really excellent.”

            Me, “ Yes, I just couldn’t get away from work.”

            Gerald interrupted, “ Hey folks.  Gather your gear and get your box lunch from the front desk.  Eduardo should be here soon.”

            Eduardo arrived, we jumped in the van, and were off to Januaria.  Conversation was mostly about the birds to be seen around Januaria.  We arrived about 7:00, too late to bird.  We ate and settled down for the night.

            Up early, we gathered for breakfast and were briefed by Gerald about the next two days birding around Januaria.  That is just what we did for the next two days.  Absolutely terrific birding.

            On the third day, at breakfast, Gerald laid out the planned itinerary for the day.

            He said, “ We have another long day in the car.  We are headed to Ibotirama about 350 miles and close to 8 hours again.  We can probably get a little birding in if we don’t dawdle on the way.”

            Eduardo added, “Unfortunately quite a bit of the road is under construction, so we probably won’t make very good time.  However, I do know a back road alternative should  it get too bad.”

            Off we went. Trouble right away.  Going was impossibly slow.

Figure 3: Construction on the way to Ibotirama

            Ever resourceful, Eduardo said, “Not far up the road there is a turnoff that will put us on a dirt road that will take us around all this.  That’s what I am going to do. Right, Gerald?”

            Gerald, “Sure, you know best.”

            For the next four or five hours the going was great.  Good birding, no traffic, and making good time.

            Then we came to a small stream that had to be crossed. Ouch.

Figure 4: Our van stuck in the stream

            Gerald, “ Everybody out. Let’s see if we can push it.”

            The water was up to our waists as we got out. We tried to push the van with no avail. Not only was the van stuck, but the engine had died completely.

            This was the days before cell-phones. 

Eduardo hollered to us from the other side of the stream, ”Take it easy folks.  I am going to go for help.  There is a village not too far from here.”  With that he took off running down the road in the direction we had been headed.

He was back in about an hour with several villagers and a team of two horses.

Figure 5: Horses to the Rescue

            The villagers got into the water, hooked up the team to the van, and soon had it pulled out of the stream.  Eduardo got in the van and tried to start it.  No luck.  It wouldn’t turn over at all.

Eduardo spoke to the villagers, “Can you tow us back to town?  Can you put us up for the night while I try and make further arrangements using your telephone?”

They agreed.  We jumped into the van and the horses towed the van and us to the village.  It was very basic.

Figure 6: We stayed in a village like this

            One of the villagers guided us to a group of huts.  There we got into some dry  clothes  and slept on the floor.

            By the morning, Eduardo had worked some miracles.  He had hired taxis to get us to the next city of Carinhanha and a nice hotel.   He had also been able to hire a new van and send the water-logged van back to Rio for repair.  The rest of the trip was clear sailing.

            Thank you Eduardo.

            I am pretty sure you have no idea about where in Brazil any of this takes place.  The next figure is a makeshift map to give you some idea.

Figure 7: Brazil Makeshift Map