Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport

My initial plan was to arrive in Makassar on the evening of July 6th, stay at a hotel near the northern bus terminal, and then bus it to Rantepao (the main travelers’ hub in Toraja) the next morning. While researching how to get from Makassar to Tana Toraja, I could not find any buses scheduled for Sunday morning from the northern terminal. I tried looking at the various travel and bus companies’ sites but I only got conflicting information. As I was on a tight timeline with little room for error (a sad consequence of once again being a gainfully employed adult), I decided to seek help from Dodo Mursalim, a freelance guide who came highly recommended by the Lonely Planet. Dodo responded to my email promptly, and he confirmed my suspicions that there were limited Sunday daytime buses from the northern terminal. He offered to pick me up at the airport, put me up in his homestay, and then send me to the bus company that did run Sunday morning trips, all for a very reasonable price. I gratefully accepted his offer.

I arrived exhausted at Makassar airport on the evening of July 6. Dodo’s friend Eddie was waiting for me. I gratefully hoisted myself into his car for the ride to Dodo’s homestay. The initial drive on the toll road was very pleasant, but that soon ended once we exited the toll road onto a gridlocked road. This being Indonesia, there were few traffic lights and lots of traffic going in all directions. I have spent enough time in this country to not be fazed. As we approached our destination, I noted the number of mosques in the vicinity and groaned inwardly... this was going to be an early wakeup.

At his homestay, Dodo greeted me, showed me to a simple room, and bade me good night. Even in my addled state, my mind registered Chinese paraphernalia all over Dodo's house.

I slept well that night, but, at the expected hour (4.30am), multiple calls to prayer woke me up. Arrggh. It has been a while since I’ve been in a Muslim city. I had a difficult time falling asleep again. At 6.30am, I joined Dodo and Eddie for breakfast downstairs. Breakfast was coffee and bread with chocolate rice - talk about an Indo-Dutch concoction! This breakfast was oddly comforting as it reminded me of breakfasts at various losmen way back when.

Dodo, not surprisingly, turned out to be quite a character; warm, friendly, full of surprises. He even performed a magic trick. Dodo also explained that he was married to a Chinese woman (she was out of town) which explained the Chinese paraphernalia. I wish she had been around as I’m very interested in learning more about the lives of the Indonesian Chinese.

Anyone who needs a fixer in Makassar shouldn’t hesitate to seek Dodo out. According to Eddie, Dodo manages to set up just about anything for his guests. Don’t expect luxury if you stay with Dodo. What you can expect, though, is a warm man who will treat you like an old friend. He can be contacted via WhatsApp at +62 812-4129-913.

Dodo’s website: http://dodopenman.blogspot.com

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