I had the time of spending 5 days in Manado. I took the Sriwijaya Air with my Mum and Dad to Manado and had it transit at Surabaya which makes my flight like 3-4 hours and really annoying yet exhausting. Luckily I had the chance to stay at Sutan Raja Hotel.

I did not do much cause I was a bit sick but I was so lucky to be able to go to Tondano which was really beautiful with my mother. Yes it was just the two of us wondering around the Minahasa Lands. As we went to Tondano I passed Tomohon which was known as the the city of flowers and located in the hills. I did not stop there but I enjoyed sightseeing using taxi.

We stopped at Imam Bonjol’s tomb. The historical figure from the 5000 IDR note. I read a brief history and knew that he was exiled from west Sumatra to Manado due to the conflict with the colonizer from that era.

As my mother arrived in Tondano by taxi, much I can say I loved everything about it. Even though I did not know how the culture specifically but the people from the Minahasa land are nice people. There is this saying, once you are in Minahasa land, you are already a family to them. I did not understand the tone of their language though but I didn’t realized it that much that their sense of belonging are so strong. I spent around $20 from Manado to Tondano using taxi. Then we were dropped off in a restaurant which was pretty deserted I guess… Feeling uncomfortable, we walked down the hills of Tondano together and enjoyed the view while we were trying to find a local restaurant.

We found a decent small restaurant that was located at the shores of the lake. We ate and stayed for a little while enjoying the view. It was a totally a mother and daughter time.

Then around 2 or 3 p.m. we tried to head home but we couldn’t get any public transportation as it were all full with local citizens. So my mum and I walked and walked and walked until I decided to stop a pickup car. A decent man decided to lift us up and drove us to the nearest city from Tondano. He told us many things of Manado moreover the land of Minahasa. God bless him.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with my mother. I don’t know what will come next but it’s every moment you should be grateful for. I’ve been keeping myself busy with all that social acts and things that matter for other people. Well I just wanted to do something that my mother and I could enjoy together by just walking, talking and enjoying the views.