Makassar Adventure Part 2

Three days meeting in Makassar with tight schedule does not allow us to uncover Makassar to the fullest. The meeting arrangement is perfect, the host has done a fantastic job especially in meeting arrangement and reception.

Suprisingly I reunion with my good friend Halim in Makassar who is representing BDA. He was my Uni Malaya coursemate before.

Lets see what is there in Makassar....

Makassar is famous with its batik..which is called Batik Makassar. The following photos showing sweet Makassar model with some of the latest fashion made of batik.

Food is also something that attracting our attention in Makassar. "Sup tulang lembu" and grill prawn were the main dishes during the dinner.

Coto is one of the "must tasted" food for visitors to Makassar..which tasted like sup power.

We had chance for city tour on the final day after the meeting. The first destination was Rumah Adat in Kabupaten Gowa outside the city. Rumah Adat is actually the Singgahsana or Palace..former residence of the last Sultan of Makassar, Sultan Hassanuddin who governed the territory sometime in the 15th or 16th century. The palace kept all the Sultan's belongings and historical facts and artifacts that show the greatness and the power of the Sultan that time.

The entrance to the Palace..now converted into a Museum..it was made from heavy wooden structure. Those who read the history of Southeast Asia may aware the important role of Makassar in the trading activities in the early days until it attracted the attention of the western conquerors.

The visitors are welcomed to the palace with traditional dance similarly practiced in the early days when the Sultan receive visitors. The Palace is full of an invaluable collections of treasures such as the gold "mahkota" weight at 2.7kg! You can figure out its value based on today's gold price.

Golden Mahkota weight at 2.7kg!

Golden Snake

Gold coins from various part of the world showcased the evidence of trading activities in the old days.