In praise of Makassar’s Hasannudin airport

Arriving in Makassar’s Hasannudin airport last week was a shock, in a most pleasant way. Gone was the cramped musty terminal! In its place is Indonesia’s swankiest and newest airport, with gates and halls that are as wide as football pitches. For more than 70 decades, the old Hasannudin airport has serviced this city, normally considered the gateway of East Indonesia. The market and traffic certainly have grown since and by the time that the new millennium came, the government has started plans to move out of the cramped quarters. It certainly helped that the immediate past vice president Kallah is from South Sulawesi. By no coincidence, the construction of the new airport was fast-tracked and opened just before he left the office. (NB- He ran and lost in last month’s presidential elections).


the airport is said to have been designed and built by local contractors



the predominance of glass ushers in natural light



hallways are cavernous so people have to walk long distances inside the terminal


After just about one year of operation, there is still only one international flight flying into Makassar (Air Asia, with Kuala Lumpur flights) but other airlines may just follow suit. With an equally new multi-lane concrete free way shrinking travel time around South Sulawesi, the city of Makassar is ripe for development.


giant boarding gates offer comfortable space to the passengers



air bridges connect the boarding gates and the planes


To go: Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport is in South Sulawesi, between the border of its capital city, Makassar and Maros. It is about 17 km from Makassar central via the new toll hiway (15 min).

stepping back in time at the Fort Rotterdam of Makassar

It was high noon summertime in Makassar, and the sun was vicious. I was still keen in exploring the old city so I persevered and had my friend tour me inside Benteng, more commonly known as Fort Rotterdam. I’ve been in Makassar countless times, often for a day trip or an overnight visit, but it was my first time here.


a becak sits under the shadow of a solid arch inside Fort Rotterdam, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/200s, f/5, 7.1 mm


In pre-colonial Dutch East India period, Benteng Ujung Pandang or the Fortress of Ujung Pandang, was a showcase of the great Gowa kingdom of South Sulawesi whose success and prosperity was borne from the famous as seafaring Bugis tribes. It was built by the King of Gowa in 1545 and was just one of about 17 defensive fortresses along the coastline of Makassar. First made of clay, it was later completed in stone in the 1600s.


preserved remnant of the original Gowa stone walls
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/400s, f/5.0, 7.1 mm



an second interior door of the gate of the fort
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/60s, f/5, 7.1 mm


The fort was no match though to the gunships of the Dutch and it fell to the hands of the invaders. While all the other 16 fortresses were destroyed, Benteng UPandang was taken over and reconstructed after the treaty of Bungaya in 1667. Serving as a safe gateway to Maluku (Moluccas), the fabled spice islands, the Benteng was built in the shape of a turtle going down to sea, hence the local term panyua. The five-meter walls of the fort were of natural black stone and were designed to repulse attack.


the main gate opens into the Benteng harbor facing the Strait of Makassar
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/200s, f/5.0, 7.1 mm


During the 17th and 18th century, the fort was a walled city, with numerous buildings that serve the military, political, economic and even religious functions. There was the governor’s residence, the military officers’ quarters, government offices, the armory, the library, the warehouses, the garrison and at the center, a Protestant church. The fort has five bastions in every corner of the wall.


the Protestant Chapel in the middle of the fort courtyard
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/400s, f/5.0, 7.1 mm


Colonial Dutch architecture is basically simple, almost severe. Exterior walls, though thick, are unadorned. Windows, sparsely distributed around the buildings, are few. Most buildings have louvre windows with open slats that can admit air – obviously a concession to the hot climate of the island- but some are also solidly constructed vertical panels fit for a garrison.


a window and door of a building inside the fort
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/5.0, 14.7mm


The colonial-era Dutch buildings inside are remarkably well-preserved. Some are given new life as a public museum and as a center for culture and arts. On occasion, spaces can be used for music and theatre performance rehearsals. When I was there, a Christian bible study was even ongoing in one of the corridors.


the former military officers’s quarters
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/250s, f/5.0, 7.1 mm


From a distance, the buildings inside the fort look quite robust and solid, transporting you to a different place in time. Despite the modern usage and the refurbishments, the fort remains a solid remembrance of an aggressive military past.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/40s, f/5.0, 7.1 mm

the bewitching falls of Bantimurung

September 13, 2006. It was already late in the afternoon when I finished my business at Maros in South Sulawesi. I meant to catch the waterfalls of Bantimurung during sunset but it was not meant to be. Bantimurung was still some 10 kilometers from central Maros. Still, I asked my friends to take me there as there was little to do in Maros anyway.


midday shot of the falls, taken Nov. 12, 2002
Canon Powershot S40, 1/60s, f/2.8, 7.1mm, ISO 800


Bantimurung falls is a popular bathing pool in South Sulawesi. Entrance to the park was about 5,000 IDR (about 0.5 USD) which makes it relatively affordable to the locals. Within the vicinity is a butterfly conservation center which is home to several rare species. The park also has a tennis court which I had played at in one occasion.



the Bantimurung falls under multicolored lights, taken Sept. 13, 2006
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 4s, f/10, 49mm, ISO 800


Night had fallen when we pulled into the entrance of the Bantimurung Park. We quickly raced on foot to the waterfalls which is still some distance away. The bungalows around the river flowing out of the falls were already empty and the souvenir stalls were already closed.


nightfall at Bantimurung from a distance
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 8.0s, f/4.0, 21mm, ISO 400


Since it was September – summer in South Sulawesi – the volume of water was not heavy. The falls wasn’t really extremely tall at 15 meters but it was wide which made it impressive. Luckily, the waterfalls had ample electric illumination. Directly on the falls was a pair of high wattage fluorescent light which gave cold blue white color. Contrastingly, by the river were incandescent lamps that cast warm orange hues in the foreground.


the falls under fluorescent lights
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 30s, f/8.0, 18mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV


The drama was not lost in the photographs and the varying colors even gave a hint of surrealism. The scenes were miles different from the photos I took of the falls during midday four years earlier. Different is not bad. Sometimes I can get lucky.