THERE'S more to Indonesia than Bali. Try Makassar and Manado for a change. There's something mysterious about theme parks and exciting rides that make people either go green or have them asking for more. I'm somewhere in between.
I used to love rides. From drop towers to roller coasters, I would queue up for every single ride, waiting faithfully for my turn to come. But I've noticed my guts have shrunk lately. So there I was, at the Trans Studio Theme Park in Makassar, Indonesia, wondering what was in store for me.
What I found interesting about this indoor theme park was that its dark under the black canopy and chilly too, so that's a big plus. Divided into four sections called Studio Central, Lost City, Cartoon City and Magic Corner, this theme park boasts over 20 rides and attractions. I was whisked into a theatre to catch a musical called "Jason Mencari Cinta" ("Jason's Looking for Love").
Similar to Disneys High School Musical, it was surprisingly colourful and humourous, and had the cast dancing and singing in what was essentially an Indonesian version of Cinderella. The prince of the piece is a young star looking for his love, Cinta, who is constantly bullied by her evil (and, of course, ugly) stepmother and stepsisters. After the 20-minute show, it was time for the rides! The rides here are not too extreme and so are suitable for famililies because both young and old can enjoy them. Another attraction is the 4D SpongeBob rides at the Bikini Bottom that is sure to have visitors giggling throughout. Located in Tanjung Bunga, this Universal Studios- and Disneyland-inspired theme park opened in 2009 on 3ha of land that includes a shopping centre, hotel, supermarkets and other facilities. Entrance fee is 100,000 rupiah (RM34) per person including admission to 15 rides. From the 16th ride onwards, you incur a charge of 25,000 rupiah (RM8.50) each time.
From this chilly indoor theme park, we headed for the great outdoors. Makassar is home to an archaeological park called Leang-Leang where there are caves with prehistoric handprints and painting of pigs said to date back some 5,000 years. The guide said the site used to be submerged under the sea and so there were mollusk shells in the caves. About 10 minutes drive away is the Bantimurung Waterfall, the natural habitat of several species of butterflies. Many local boys here make a habit of following tourists around, trying to sell framed butterflies, key chains and bookmarks at cheap prices. Not being a big fan of dead insects, I did not purchase any.
Another pride of the city would be Fort Rotterdam, a structure built in 1545. When the Dutch occupied Celebes (Sulawesi Island) from 1666 to 1667, the structure was used as their headquarters. Tourist destinations aside, Makassar is home to a variety of sambal and mouth-watering dishes like the coto makassar (beef innards soup), sup saudara (a broth similar to coto makassar) and ikan bakar (grilled fish). Another local favourite is the pisang epe (green banana pressed and grilled). It is eaten with a black sugar syrup and shredded cheese.
Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi, is also called Anging Mammiri (the wind blows smoothly). The Tourism and Cultural Office of Makassar is targeting the busy city as a top tourism destination for 2011 with the tagline 'Great Expectation'.
Quoted from :http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asian%2BOpinions/Story/A1Story20110221-264600.html
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