Also known as Ujung Padang, Makassar is a port city on eastern Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island.

A statue of Sultan Hasanuddin (nickname, the “Fighting cock of the east”) looms large at the airport entrance. He was the 16th ruler of the Sultanate of Gowa from 1653 to 1669, with a reputation for great aggression in battle, seeking independence from the Dutch and attempting to end their monopoly on spice exports.

Loved this chattering family group with major luggage overload, taking up a substantial area of the ‘exit’ pathway 

I haven’t been to an Asian city for a while, but the ‘old familiar’ surrounds you quickly – the traffic chaos including meandering animals and motor bike kamikaze; the constant ‘ bip bip’ of car horns to warn or thank others; plastic waste polluting waterways, roadsides and gardens; the smell of exotic spices in food being cooked at street stalls; and in Makassar, the regular chants of mullahs throughout a day.

When I got to my hotel, discovered my guide had not booked a room for me despite a text between us a fortnight ago. “0h oh”, I thought!

A few hours of zzzz and then a stroll along the Losari promenade to see the floating Amirul Mukminin Mosque at sunset.

Dinner at RM Nelayan, seafood restaurant with great reviews in TripAdvisor….delicious bbq prawns, rice, mango slices, Indonesian lemon myrtle looking herb and chilli. Discovered a new dish, Otak Otak – a grilled fish cake made of ground fish meat, spices, leek wrapped in a banana leaf and bbq’d – yumbo!

Heard from my guide that night . “Yes, very sorry…I had trouble with my phone that took all day to fix. Got your messages”. Leisurely start to the day tomorrow – at lunch.