Manado is the second largest city on Sulawesi with a population of over 500,000. I’m a curiosity here because not many travellers visit. Standing out are the churches. Manado is a Christian city in a mainly Muslim Indonesia and strikingly different to Hindu Bali. The churches are many and beautiful. No two are the same. They dominate this city and the surrounding towns and villages.
On bike with guide I spend the day travelling in the hills southeast of Manado. The roads are typically busy and the going is slow but life here is fascinating for me to view from the back of the bike. It’s coming into the wet season here so it’s warm but the mountains provide some respite. I’m amazed at the churches. Villages can have several grand churches sharing a block. Each seems to try and outdo the other in architecture. There are also some mosques around. Horse and cart are a popular form of transport and they manage to mix it comfortably with the the rest of the traffic. They are a colorful addition. A coffee stop is a chance to sample the local brew. Not that impressive really!
Further up the winding road we come across some tunnels. I understand that these tunnels were built by the local villagers to escape the Japanese during WW2. There are several entrances in a row separated by about 30 meters. Some guys doing some restoration work greet us and offer to show us around. They take us in and the tunnels go on and on and down. They’re big enough to walk through without bending for much of the way. And steps displaying a level of sophistication to the structure. My guide explains that his father’s generation still carry the stories of this time, when the Japanese invaded. Such memories survive generations. We lost soldiers to the torturous ways of the Japanese armies but these peoples lost families. I’ve heard there are caves around here with the skeletal remains of Japanese soldiers.
In the distance there’s smoke. That is Mount Klabat (I think). It’s an active volcano and fairly unstable. It’s possible to get close but authorities don’t encourage it because of it’s unpredictability. I’m keen but my guide isn’t.
Lake Tondano is a crater lake. It’s deep and provides a beautiful addition to the forest covered mountains behind it. Fish farming is prevalent here and the locals make good use of this pretty location with many restaurants built over the water.
On the way back to Manado we pass through beautiful Tomohon. If I was to visit far North Sulawesi again I would make this place my base. Mount Lokon provides a formidable backdrop. There is cloud on top I thought, but I find later it is smoke. It has become active recently! As well as being a picturesque place, it’s cool and it gives easy access to interesting surrounds.
angusmccoll 
I’ve always wanted to go to manado. Rica rica and tinorangsak are my favourite dishes from there. I heard they also have bat bbq. Thanks for great pics.
Haven’t come across the bat bbq yet…fortunately.