Most people are struck first by the baroque geography of Sulawesi, created by the primal forces of colliding continental plates. The drama of the geography continues into the topology.
Dense forests surround clear,still, highland lakes.
Land meets azure sea in endless stretches of white, sandy beach, at stark limestone cliffs, or in the coastal and wetland's gentle blending of soil, water and teeming life. The human geography is equally complex and fascinating a migrant of peoples with superficial differences and deep similarities. The brave and fiercely independent Bugis sea-farers ranged as far as China and Australia, providing the backbone of regional commerce. The highland Toraja climb sheer cliff faces, unaided, to carve deep crypts into solid rock. The Bajau spend their entire lives on the sea,, able to dive for so long they are reputed to posess gills.