Today we move forward to the city of Palu, in central Sulawesi, so I have but a few morning hours to go further explore the Center Point of Indonesia complex. This time I took a tuk-tuk there, and successfully put my foot down to pay only 50,000 rupiah, instead of the 100,000 I was asked for. It was a basic and blunt negotiation, but I know for a fact that such a trip can be had for as little as 30,000.
Mi first stop was the mosque that I had spotted in the distance yesterday afternoon, it is a very imposing structure as you approach it, with four rows of tightly packed onion domes painted orange and white surrounding one central dome. As a structure is very simple, however, with the rows of onions being nothing but buttresses to support the soaring central dome. Once I took off my shoes I walked into the mosque and admired the grandeur of the simple interior, which under the enormous cupola could easily accommodate a couple thousand true believers. As it is, the only person there was yours truly, an infidel, respectfully admiring the beauty of the simple interior (mosques have very little in terms of decoration).
From there I crossed the new parks until I reached the ocean front, where I joined many old ladies taking a constitutional walk and admiring the art pieces built along the promenade. This is a completely new look for Indonesia, more in line with modern design of public spaces. Cannot blame the city planners for joining globalization. Folks here are very glad with this new look to Indonesia.
On the way back stopped at a small restaurant to have breakfast (coto) and felt like a true local.
At 11 am Hilman came to pick us up to take us to BMKG, where Jamroni gave us the VIP tour of the seismic hazard monitoring and early warning station. We met six young geophysicists who work the morning shift, had a good conversation and many laughs, and of course took advantage of many photo opportunities. I have never been in so many selfies in my life!
Lunch was a luscious affair, and afterward Jamroni and Hilman brought us to the airport for our 3:45 pm flight to Palu. They are both good friends and I hope life will bring us together again.
We landed in Palu, in west-central Sulawesi at 5 pm. I am glad I decided to fly instead of driving or taking a bus, because the 1,000 km would have taken a good 24 hours. Leaving the arrivals hall we met Ms. Nur, who will be our escort for the next couple of days. This visit to Palu is the geological highlight of my summer trip. This small city, of maybe 350,000 inhabitants, experienced the effects of a strong earthquake on September 28, 2018, which resulted in all sorts of damage. I am hoping we will be able to inspect the most recent fault rupture and the liquefaction deposits.
For this evening, however, we have been invited to dinner with the head of the geophysical station of BMKG. We are being treated to the signature dish of Palu, kaledo. Kaledo is a cow's foot stew cooked over a long time, with delicious meat and abundant marrow, and with tamarind and chile added to give it a tangy flavor. Yumm!
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