Torajaland day 4

Day 4 was a bit quieter than day 3 with the burrial ceremony had been. The plan for the day was to visit two villages first that we had skipped to see the day before, then lunch with a 2 hour hike down the hill and afterwards visit the oldest toraja-village in Toraja-land. Along the way we were checking out the landscape too…

This is a traditional basked for carrying rice.

These rice-fields had water so opposed to most other rice-fields that I saw they were not totally dried out.

*blblblblblb* 😉 Along the way I learned that there are ten categories of water buffalos depeding on the colour and the shape of the horns. This buffalo had been bought for 875 Mio Rupiah (about 5,500 Euro) and is being fattened up for a funeral next year. If they had bought a similar buffalo already grown it would have cost even more.

This was in the weaving-village Pallawa. Most of the huts were closed as there was a big camping ground of boy scouts (who were helped out by military).

Someone came by helicopter (from the military) as after school the kids ran over to have a look.

Then we were off to the village of Sadan where it was possible to see how the Toraja-houses were built. The construction is all traditional with materials that are found in the area (e.g. lots of bamboo).

This woman was up on the rice-storage when we came by and she got some rice out:

Afterwards she ‚invited‘ me in her home which was in one of the Toraja-houses. All items you see are for sale. This is the main room and there were bedrooms on each side (about half the size of this one). So not really a lot of space in there which is why most families live in ‚real‘ houses nowaways.rave

And then we took the scenic route up the hill towards Batutomanga where I had a lunch with a view. Along the way we came across this toraja-rock-tomb.

Dry rice-fields

The restaurant (and no, I didn’t eat a buffalo…. 😉 )

After lunch we started our way downhill. This here is coffee….

And here are some of the gigantic babmboo-trees.

This is a plam tree  with male and female fruits. From the male (at the bottom) they get palm-wine

We came through a few villages and this woman started to stomp rice when she saw that there was a tourist… 🙂

And the weather-vane… Along the way the kids were always shouting ‚gula-gula‘ to me… they wanted sweets… I didn’t have any and that was better as if you give one kid some gula-gula you will be surrounded very fast by lots of more kids.

Anyone need gas?

And another tau-tau

And finally some green rice-fields

And then we went back towards Rantepao. Taxiiiiiiiiii…… 😀

Houses in Rantepao along the Sa’dan-river

And this is the oldest village Kete Kesu (from this village they brought a torajan rice-storage-building to a museum in Cologne where it is displayed in the entry-hall). It is said that all the torajan families stem from here.

Tombs of some VERY important people in traditonal Toraja-hierarchies….

And once again rock-tombs… the stairs that go up are said to be the stairs that go to heaven (there is the incest-tale where these stairs have a major role but I haven’t written that down yet).

Again inside one of the toraja-houses that you saw 4 or 5 pics ago

From Kete Kesu we went back to the hotel. I found it really fascinating that the traditional roofs are part of the ‚daily architecture‘ too. Here it is the soccer stadium with toraja- roofs…