Rantepao, Indonesia Summary

RANTEPAO is a prosperous market town on the rocky banks of Sungai Sadan, home to both the Sadan Toraja and, for half the year, swarms of foreigners. However unfavourably you view this, Rantepao has excellent facilities and a couple of sites within walking distance. West of the exhibition grounds and away from the couple of main streets, stalls supply locals’ day-to-day needs – heavy stone rice mortars, plastic chairs, noodles, fish (couriered up from the coast by motorbike every morning), fresh noodles and tempeh, and chillies, with a warung or two for fried bananas and coffee. Rantepao’s main market – the biggest in Tanah Toraja and located 2.5km northeast of the centre at Terminal Bolu – is a must: where else could you pick up a bargain buffalo then celebrate your purchase with a litre or two of palm wine? It operates on a six-day cycle, and an entry fee of Rp2000 is demanded of foreigners.