Makassar (Ujung Padang)

Introducing Makassar (Ujung Padang)

Makassar – the long-time gateway to Eastern Indo, and Sulawesi’s most important city – can be unnerving, so most travellers immediately head for Tana Toraja. But there’s poetry in this mad swirl. Chinese lanterns dangle and sway from makeshift power lines in the bustling seaside city centre that’s home to some of the best eating in Indonesia. The busy port is stacked and packed with Bugis schooners, and the neighbourhood surrounding it is accented by children playing football on dry docks, as huge trucks are loaded down with endless bananas and a windfall of rice.

Makassar played a key role in Indonesian history. The 16th-century Gowa Empire was based here until the Dutch weighed in. Three centuries later, in the 1950s, the Makassarese and Bugis revolted unsuccessfully against the central government. Loud, independent-minded, intense and proud, Makassar certainly leaves an impression.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009