1. Lo’ko’ Mata

Lo’ko’ Mata

Toraja is known by its burial stone. For that reason, it is very common to find burial stones in it. One of the famous burial stones in Toraja is Lo’ko’ Mata. Compare to others burial stones in Toraja, Lo’ko’ Mata can be described as a hundred times bigger. Also, each door in it has varies motives that turns to be a catching eye to every visitor. Therefore, coming to Toraja will not feel complete without visiting Lo’ko’ Mata. 

2. Ke’te Ke’su

Ke’te Ke’su

Ke’te Ke’su is the most pristine and traditional Tongkonan in Toraja. As explained in the previous article (link to discover Toraja highlands) that for Torajan Tongkonan is not only as a house or home but also as the final resting place that very sacred as it demands a complecated requirements. 

PS : If you’re coming to visit Toraja, I highly recommend you to visit Ke’te Ke’su in order for you to see the true culture of Toraja regarding to its Tongkonan.

3. Palawa’

If you are looking for kind of carvings, then you can come to Palawa’. In fact, this is another type of Tongkonan that decorated with some carvings on it. The carvings are rooster and sun circles. Furthermore, Palawa’ is the remaining heritage of the Torajan ancestral war in the past 11th century. As a result, it is very common to find the majestic buffalo horns on it that proclaim its regality. Curious how it looks? Come and visit 😉

Toraja is one of four ethnics in South Sulawesi Indonesia. This ethnic is very unique due to its value and culture. Most parts of its territory are rocks which makes it to be limited in land. Based on that circumtances, ancient Torajans are relying on a very restricted resources. 

Read also : 9 Recomended Places to Discover in Toraja Sacred Highlands

According to Torajans living condition, this tribe turns to be self-fulfilling ecosystem. Torajan ancestors select the older and most captivating survival art particularly in terms of harmony as they have a very limited resources.   They believe that human, animals and plants have mark that attaches on them as one system. They believe that each living thing need to take care each other in order to survive. There is a philosophy that they call as Tallu Lolona which refers to the dependency among them (human, animals and plants). Those three elements will suffer the consequences once each of them is harmed. It is therefore, all living things have no choice but to protect each other for surviving. 

In Toraja, they have a religious ancestor back to their mythical past called Aluk Todolo. This is where Tallu Lolona was born. Aluk Todolo taught the Torajans to build respect to all living things in order to keep the balance in life. The living things in his teaching include the parents, elders, and others (animals and plants). 

Interestingly, Tojarans are able to keep this philosophy lives on despite the modernization in making them no longer dependent on harmony to survive. 

They, Torajans, believe that they are able to keep and will strive the balance of the living things, in this case human, animals and plants. Take the prized water buffalo as an example, this water is often used for bathing and relaxation. This instance clearly shows that people in Toraja are very gentle towards their surrounding nature, not only to human being venturing into their land but also to  animals. Also, they keep maintaing the plants in their environment using both usable sources of nutrients and as life circle path. 

The teaching of Tallu Lolona represents the ancestral spirit among Torajans in mythical highland. This teaching has created an ultimate bonding between each other (all living things). It becomes the solemn guard that can watch over them both in silence and in crowd. This bonding exists through inside the veins of every breathing organism and spread through the society. 

Tongkonan, 

For Torajans, a house is not only a place to take shelter but also as a place where all existing matter and space considered as a whole which they call as their own universe. A house as well as home for Torajans is called Tongkonan. This Tongkonan architecture is derivied from Torajan civilization and it becomes their own traditional house ever since. This house symbolizes a very detail relation among generations that refers to upholding value and peace among them. 

Back to Torajan history, there was a related blood clan called Ma’rapu. In this clan they had an elder who was responsible for teaching about their ancestral ways of life within his Tongkonan, the elder was called Parengnge’. His teaching explained that a Tongkonan is like a set of laws and values for each family that required seven ethnic dance to be executed. Until then, this seven ethnic dance passed through generation in order to keep their culture alive. 

To be informed that building Tongkonan is not as simple as we might think. It, on the other hand, requires at least five confidential stages that perform in a ceremony. This type of ritual surely demands a complicated requirements as well as high expenses to be done. For that reason each family member needs to share the cost and work hand in hand  to perform the ritual successfully. Prior to that, a Tongkonan cannot be built without having a traditional council approval. It is therefore, this Tongkonan becomes a sacred house for Torajan family. 

Fascinatingly, as Tongkonan has become a sacred house for Torajans, it becomes a place for them to give birth, to bold love and to return to as their final resting place. As a result, Torajans will always have a circle back to their sacred house no matter how far they travel.  

To sum up, Toraja ethnic has confidence in respecting among living things (human, animals and plants) and live under Tongkonan, a sacred house that requires seven ethnic dance to be built. Furthermore, The bond of love between Torajans not only refers to related blood circle but also through affection and respect in their daily life. 

Find out the 9 Recomended Places to Discover in Toraja Sacred Highlands in the next page !

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Every human being is born with their own book that contains their life story. A book that tells the whole chapters of their life ever since they are still in their mother womb till the end of their life. Every tale in their life has been told systematically and orderly.  

Some might came out to this world imperfect physically such as without feets, unable to hear, blind or other cases. They do have their own story. 

Some might born in a conflict family. Tension, shouting, fighting become their daily consumption. They  do have their own story.

Some might came out to this world in a very small house in the country side. No electricity, no reception, leaving behind from the crowd of a city that insist them to fight every step to get the point that they call a bright future. They do have their own story.

Some might born in unsafe environment that requires them to live under a tent till they grow up. Being friend with bombing attack, shooting bullets or unfriendly circumtances that might invite an acid rain that could kill them instantly. They do have their own story.

Whatever it is the story that we are being through today, we only need to reach one point. A point that only us who will determine how will it be. We are all given two options whether we choose to end our story in misery or to close our book with a happy ending story. 

You are the main cast or character in your own story. And so am I in my  own story. And we all are. For that reason, live our role as best as we can. Take it easy, each part in it wont last long. When sadness comes by, be patient. When happiness comes by, be grateful. 

Therefore, I hope that one day we can sit together under a shady tree while holding our respective story book, telling story each other, laughing togther, having fun with it and admiring each other on how our story reaches this eternal heaven.

~got inspiration from a friend

Read also : Quarter life crisis and how to deal with it

One day in Kuala Lumpur - Things to do

Having decided to have a short visit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia? Or perhaps having a lay over in Kuala Lumpur? You might want to consider of doing these things instead of staying in the airport. 

Recently, I was trying to find out instagramable spot in Makassar as I needed to capture some photos to feed my hunger instagram haha. Grabbing out my camera then trying to spare more time to explore around in the middle of my hectic days was totally worth it. Well, at the beginning, I had no idea where to go as I am not that kind of cafe-lover person. Until my friend asked me out then brought in these cool places. 

One of a very frustrating moments you will find when you decide to go traveling is airport. Whether you go on solo or on group trip. Airport condition always has its own way to drain our energy such as taking a long queue for checking-in, dropping luggage and immigration. All those activities require much time to get completed. Even-more, if you have a connecting flight from one destination to another where you have to spend more hours before departing. You know how the feelings gonna be like. 

Changi Airport continues to improve its innovation in order to give the best service to all tourists who are traveling or having lay over in Singapore. This airport, in fact, turns out to be the best airport in the world. It offers varies facilities that can be accessed by all visitors domestically and internationally. 

One of the most shopisticated systems that applies in Changi is Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST). When I was traveling to Singapore, I only spent a day as everything cost an arm and a leg. Instead of renting a hotel to sleep, me and my friends decided to have lay over in Changi.

Changi Airport (Source)

When I was in Changi, I was so much amazed by this system called FAST. Firstly, I kept wondering why there were no check-in counter officers working. I was innocently thinking that “oh perhaps this is a resting time”. Then I asked myself back “but why everyone is taking a rest in the same time?”. Waiting until morning, things did not change until I move closely to a machine and found out what was it for?. Then I realized that it was a FAST machine after reading the instructions on it. (Helloooo, I was literally wasting my time waiting for the check-in officers who will never show up hahaha)

PS : When you come to Singapore or have a lay over in Singapore, dont ever wait for the check-in officers as you need to do it yourself 🤣

So, Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) is an independent check-in and check-out service. Everything is automatically using machine from checking-in, dropping luggage, till facing immigration process. FAST helps tourists out of queueing particularly when they are in hurry. Through FAST, you will only spend around 10 minutes to get everything’s done. 

HOW TO USE FAST?

At first, you need to do self check-in using the automatic machine. In this case, you need to prepare your passport and your booking code flight number. After that, you will have to print out your boarding pass by simply following the process inside the machine and pressing the button “print out my boarding pass”.

PS : This is a self-check-in process, so there wont be any operator asssists you. Make sure to read the instruction carefully. 

After doing self check-in and print out your boarding pass, directly following the path to the automated bag-drop machine to drop your luggage (because I didnt have any luggage but cabin luggage, so I skipped this process). 

PS : In order to get your bag-dropping process done quickly, make sure to measure your baggage in the given lever balance to check whether you’re overload or not. If your baggage is oversized then you need to report it in the airline counter before proceeding to the next process. 

Once your check-in process complete, you may continue to the Automated Immigration Gate (AIG). In here you need to scan your passport and will be asked to scan your finger to get verified based on your passport. Remember to take off your passport cover so that the FAST machine can read your identity quickly.

The last process before entering the plane is going through the automated boarding gate. In this case if you are wearing hat or glasses, you need to take them off so that the machine can identify your face clearly. 

One good thing using this computed tomography service is that you dont need to get your electronic devices out your bag such as laptop or mobile phone. However, make sure that you dont have any sharp weapons like knive, scissor or liquid materials above 100 ml to avoid the ringing alarm.

FAST was really something new to me when I was in Changi Airport. In Makassar or in most other airports, our backpack needs to be checked by the officers before entering the plane. Even, when I was in Kuala Lumpur, I needed to take out all my electronic devices including open my shoes before passing the boarding gate. Yet in Singpore, everything is using machine and once we pass the automated immigration gate, all we need to do is entering the plance by scanning our boarding pass. 

I keep asking myself that if only every airport has this FAST like system, then no one will have to experience the airport stress condition that literally drains a lot of energy. I do hope that one day every airport can apply FAST like system so that we can really enjoy traveling :)

So, what do you think about FAST system? Its cool, isnt it? 😎

Furthermore, there are a lot of things and entertainments to do in Changi both for free and paid here 😉

Read also : How do I manage to travel 6 ASEAN countries with only 200 bucks in my pocket 

When you are traveling to ASEAN countries like Thailand, it wont feel complete to skip Cambodia as it is very easy to get there using public transportation like bus. From Bangkok, you can reach Siem Reap Cambodia roughly within 6 hours depends on the traffic congestion. Also, the fare is quiet cheap since I just spent THB 750 (around IDR 350.000) from Bangkok to Siem Reap Cambodia. 

Me, enjoying the morning view of Akkarena

Hello guys, welcome back. Traveling to 7 different countries opened my way of thinking in terms of diversity and on how to be a globally open-minded person. Before coming to Myanmar, I was in doubt whether to put it on my bucket list or not as mostly of my friends told me that it is dangerous to be visited and yet I found it to be more challenging to go there (stubborn person haha). Until, I stepped on both of my feet and found myself to be impressed in every corner of Yangon. 

Hi guys, this time I am gonna share 8 unique facts that I found out when I came to visit Vietnam. I believe that everyone has known that Vietnam is one of SEA countries that for Indonesian can easily enter without a visa. So, the 8 unique facts are as follows : 

Have been to Europe before? or wanna experience European atmosphere on budget? Then you should definitely visit Ba Na Hills Vietnam. 😁

Hi guys, can you guess what date is today? Yes, its 27th of February. It's my blessing day to be born and gifted to see the world Alhamdulillah. My post this time might be a little bit different from my other previous posts which are mostly focusing on travelling and anything related to it. However, based on what the title says that “How do I overcome a quarter-life crisis” which means How did I find my way in dealing with this life crisis phase. Also, I provide 7 vital ways to overcome it based on my experience for sure. Hehe 

Yolo Hostel Siem Reap Cambodia~