Exploring Manado!

HELLAAAAAWWWWW! Holiday is over, waaay over! But after all the rush in December, which was not really that rush, but I couldn't get my break time even just to post this. SO, on this occassion, I'm eagerly to tell my story about my holiday 2 months ago. 28 days exploring my parents' hometown, mine too actually, but no, I was born and lived in Jakarta all this time. Anyway I finished my Bachelor degree on September 25th 2014. Thanks for the applause! :P

Then, November 6th 2014 till December 4th 2014, I spent my holiday in Manado, North Sulawesi.

I experienced many exciting things there, I couldn't remember exactly each day, but these are pictures which taken during in Manado.

1st. Cakalang Fufu Noodle (left), Cakalang Fufu is a cured and smoked skipjack tuna clipped on a bamboo frame, Cakalang Fufu Noodle is... hmm that Cakalang Fufu mixed with noodle soup. Haha and there was Manado Porridge or usually called Tinutuan, is a rice porridge mixed with various vegetables such as spinach, kangkung, corn, pumpkin and sweet potato or cassava. I ate the mixed of both of them. And the taste was SO SO MANADO! I LOVE IT!

2nd. BUNAKEN! Who doesn't know Bunaken? Raise your hand! Hehehehe Bunaken is an island, part of the Bunaken National Marine Park. Bunaken is located at the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado. I welcomed myself to one of the greatest place in the world! BUNAKEN ISLAND!

Not only welcoming myself in front of the kind of monument lol, I did snorkeling there. Desperately want to scuba diving but the weather was not really good if I did journey in the ocean. I was so mesmerized over the corals! GOSH! SO BEAUTIFUL! SO ENCHANTING! I couldn't find any word to describe how amazing God's art, even in the bottom of the earth!! And I just knew,  Bunaken has a high diversity of corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges. Notably, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. It also claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific.
I'M A PROUD MANADONESE! SORRY NOT SORRY! HA..HA..HA! :P

Another day, I went to Bay View foodcourt which placed in IT Center. I ate pork satay with that kind of view! By the way, pork, pork is really tasty, I can't tell you why. Hahaha

November in Manado, the streets lights up with christmas lamps, christmas songs everywhere and everybody starts preparing Christmas. A beautiful Christmas Tree stood up in the house! It was me and my nephew, Messias Gabriel. :Thank God I could feel the Christmasphere earlier on. :))

Next, I went to Yesus Memberkati monument. It's a monument of Jesus Christ, which is located in the city of Manado, Indonesia. This monument has a height of 50m from ground level, where the statue itself has a height of 30 meters and 20 meters is the height of the jib. This monument is made of 25 tons of steel fiber and 35 tons of steel and is located on the highest hill in a residential area Citraland Manado. This became the most iconic monuments of the city of Manado and is a monument of Jesus Christ, the highest in Asia and the second highest in the world after Jesus monument in Brazil. #ProudManadonese (again) :P

One sweet evening, when the sun goes down, I went to Malalayang Beach which famous with the banana fritters and the view of the Bunaken Island. Some banana fritters with a cup of mocha completed my day. UHH!

Next, next, TOMOHON! A cold yet beautiful place in Manado, has a new restaurant which is so cute. Hello Kitty Cafe & Resto. Everything designed with Hello Kitty, look, even my waffle is a Hello Kitty's head! Lol. By the way, the foods are tasty and variant, you can choose from Noodle to Pizza. The place is so cozy and cute. For those who loved pink, it'd be your paradise!

BUKIT KASIH! Another coolest place in Manado. Bukit Kasih or Hill Of Love, is one of tourism objects in North Sulawesi. It located in 50 km to the south of Manado, precisely located in Kanonang village, Minahasa regency. It is a sulfuric hill that still active and having chill atmosphere. It was built in 2002 as a spiritual center where religious followers from various faiths can gather, meditate and worship side by side at the lush and misty tropical hill. This hill is called the Hill of Love because it is where people from different religions can gather and worship their own faith symbol of religious in peaceful harmony. There are five houses of worship in here, a Catholic Church, a Christian church, a temple, a mosque and Hindu temple that built on the second peak.

BUKIT DOA! On the Hill of Prayer, I can find a unique modern chapel called the Chapel of Mother Mary. The chapel is commonly used as a prewedding photo because of its unique. Another unique building is large enough Amphitheatre with a capacity of about 1500 people. And there is the Way of the Cross. Many statues scattered in the Way of the Cross. However, the most eye-catching is the statue of the Pieta, it's a classical sculpture that depicts the body of Jesus who died on the lap of the Virgin Mary. The place is clean, beautiful, quiet, with many unique buildings. And I can see Lokon Mountain from up here.

Last but not least, Tunan Waterfall! Tunan Waterfall in Talawaan Village (North Minahasa). The 40m waterfall is surrounded by lush green vegetation. Listening to the monotonous sound of the waterfall got me relax.

Days before I go back to Jakarta, I went to Merciful Building in Wanea for buying some souvenirs, but some of my friends want Sambel Roa. Sambel Roa or Roa Sauce is roa fish that finely ground, chili finely ground too, and cooked together. Sounds easy but actually not!

And these are my pictures with my family in Tawaang Village, the birthplace of my parents. In the last photo, there were my cousins, my grandmom, my aunt, after a pilgrimage to the grave of my father and my uncles. Rest in Peace, dad. Rest in Peace, uncles. Till we meet again. :")

AU REVOIR, MANADO! ❤