may 4

Our nightly sunset view from Ben's verandah

may 3

Panther was gruff when we first met him, but once we won him over, he had the sweetest temperament - and quite a charming smile.

may 2

Bela was the blonde bombshell of the litter.

may 1

At the end of the April photos, I was going to switch back from Sulawesi to home - but I just couldn't resist another little visit with my Indonesian pups.

Ginger, the littlest one, tagged along one afternoon as I wandered the gardens.

april 30

Ben's verandah view, daytime.

april 29

The night view from Benja's verandah.

Coconut trees sway under drifting clouds and a million stars; Tasik Ria shines bright as Manado twinkles in the distance.

april 28

Another colourful boat tucked away on the beach at Bunaken.

april 27

Mt Klabat, north of Manado, drifting in clouds.

april 26

Bunaken village, when you approach from Manado, has a spectacular backdrop. The Christian church stands out against the volcano on Manado Tua island, just beyond Bunaken.

april 25

We spent a few days on Bunaken Island, which has spectacular diving. As much as I liked the diving, I liked the boats even more. Wooden boats painted bright green and blue, speeding across clear turquoise water.

april 24

The way almost everyone gets around in Manado is by Microlet. Hundreds of tiny blue vans troll along set routes, horns and kickin' sound systems blaring, picking up and dropping off passengers at will (good luck getting the driver to hear your "stop, please!")

Microlets are privately owned, and most are personalized to some degree. Decals adorn rear windows and windshields alike, and I made a game of capturing the different slogans.

Manado is primarily Christian, with a church for every 300 people, so most decals slogans are unabashedly religious: Holy Spirit, Katholik Boys, Nazareth, Halleluyah, Blessings, Gloria, God is Love, Blessed Child.

Edgier microlets sported sayings like Stoner, Bad Boys, Destroyer Team, No Fear, Hanter (?), Forever Young, and my personal favourite - Blaze of Glory.

april 23

I'm not sure what this flower was, but there were lots growing in the garden. I love how lush and vibrant tropical flowers are.

april 22

"Camboja" closeup - this one with the macro option on the Digital Elph.

april 21

Luscious orange blossoms looked good enough to eat.

april 20

Maya's garden had the most exquisite tropical flowers. This one is called "Camboja" (like Cambodia) in the local Manadoese dialect. I shot this with my close-up filters, just as the sun came back out after a torrential downpour.

april 19

Crates of palm wine in Tomohon market, Minahasa.

My favourite Sulawesi drink is made with a strong distilled version of the palm wine, called Cap Tikus (Chap Teekoos - I'm told it means "Kiss from a Mouse").

Pour some Cap Tikus over ice, squeeze in lots of fresh lime (there are wonderful orange-green limes in North Sulawesi), and mix with lots of palm sugar - a Minahasan Margarita!

It's a little like drinking Mezcal, in Mexico. No worm - but you get that little extra kick.

april 18

ikan merah

(bahasa Indonesia for red fish)