Bira

Bira is a very small place on the most southern tip of West Sulawesi. Besides beautiful beaches and crystal clear water, there's not a lot to do there, but than again this is what makes it interesting. There's a possibility to do some good diving here for experienced divers, but prepare to grab deep in your pockets as they charge 70€ for 2 dives (end 2004). Due to 'Idul Fitri' (Muslim celebration in November) we decided not to go to the nearby islands, judging from Bira and the stories we heard, they must be very interesting.

Links:
Makassar: Bira is reachable from the south bound terminal in Makassar by car or public bus (3€/OW/5 hours). Be sure to bargain hard and don't believe anything they try to tell you.
Flores: There is a ferry leaving Flores on every Wednesday and Saturday, leaving Bira every Thursday and Sunday (end 2004).

On the long and bumpy road to Bira there's a lot to see. Salt winning fields, mountainous scenery and ocean views are just some of them. We had to stop on one occasion, because the local people caught a crocodile!

Well as probably every day in Bira, there's not much going on...

The beautiful beach with ash fine sand and clear waters is definitely an attraction.

Just a few kilometers before Bira is the harbor. This harbor is mainly used for ferries going to Selayar and its neighboring islands. Besides the few busy hours when the ferries arrive and depart, there's a tranquilizing Mediterranean feeling to it.

This shot could be part of a painting, beautiful to see. I'm not a sailing expert, but they seem to match a lot with the older type sailing ships I've seen in Europe.

Just besides the harbor, we find a picturesque Indonesian fishermen's village situated on a nice beach.

Of course, a white guy never goes without notice. The locals are very curious, so one of the first questions is almost always: 'Mister, mister, dari mana? (Where are you from?). When I tell them, I'm from 'Belanda' (Netherlands), they almost always reply with one of their soccer heroes like: 'Van Nistelrooy' or 'Ruud Gullit'.

The clean and tidy fishermen's village..



Bira Bira is a very small place on the most southern tip of West Sulawesi. Besides beautiful beaches and crystal clear water, there's not a lot to do there, but than again this is what makes it interesting. There's a possibility to do some good diving here for experienced divers, but prepare to grab deep in your pockets as they charge 70€ for 2 dives (end 2004). Due to 'Idul Fitri' (Muslim celebration in November) we decided not to go to the nearby islands, judging from Bira and the stories we heard, they must be very interesting. Links: Makassar: Bira is reachable from the south bound terminal in Makassar by car or public bus (3€/OW/5 hours). Be sure to bargain hard and don't believe anything they try to tell you. Flores: There is a ferry leaving Flores on every Wednesday and Saturday, leaving Bira every Thursday and Sunday (end 2004).

On the long and bumpy road to Bira there's a lot to see. Salt winning fields, mountainous scenery and ocean views are just some of them. We had to stop on one occasion, because the local people caught a crocodile!

Well as probably every day in Bira, there's not much going on...

The beautiful beach with ash fine sand and clear waters is definitely an attraction.

Just a few kilometers before Bira is the harbor. This harbor is mainly used for ferries going to Selayar and its neighboring islands. Besides the few busy hours when the ferries arrive and depart, there's a tranquilizing Mediterranean feeling to it.

This shot could be part of a painting, beautiful to see. I'm not a sailing expert, but they seem to match a lot with the older type sailing ships I've seen in Europe.

Just besides the harbor, we find a picturesque Indonesian fishermen's village situated on a nice beach.

Of course, a white guy never goes without notice. The locals are very curious, so one of the first questions is almost always: 'Mister, mister, dari mana? (Where are you from?). When I tell them, I'm from 'Belanda' (Netherlands), they almost always reply with one of their soccer heroes like: 'Van Nistelrooy' or 'Ruud Gullit'.

The clean and tidy fishermen's village..


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