I have just returned from a 2-week long break in North Sulawesi. Yup, Air Asia flies to Manado, North Sulawesi and that's why I can afford to go there for 2 long week! I just love Air Asia tag lines that say 'Now Everyone Can Fly'! Coz it's very true. It makes flying overseas so affordable!
We discover the beautiful city of Tomohon, The City of Flower, as it is also known. This hill town has two volcanic mountain, i.e. Mount Lokon and Mount Mahawu. Due to its cool climate (it was about 24C during our visit) and rich volcanic soil from past volcanic eruption, Tomohon's soil is rich for farming and horticultural activities. There are many vegetable farms and nurseries here. Visitors from the nearby city of Manado will flock into this city on weekends for a cool getaway.
We discover the beautiful city of Tomohon, The City of Flower, as it is also known. This hill town has two volcanic mountain, i.e. Mount Lokon and Mount Mahawu. Due to its cool climate (it was about 24C during our visit) and rich volcanic soil from past volcanic eruption, Tomohon's soil is rich for farming and horticultural activities. There are many vegetable farms and nurseries here. Visitors from the nearby city of Manado will flock into this city on weekends for a cool getaway.
Everywhere we go in Tomohon, we will see flowers. They either grow wildly and beautifully without much care along streetside or tendered with care and love in landscaped private garden. For one who loves flower, this is like a heavenly place to be! Here are some photos that I have taken at Tomohon. Hope you will enjoy them.
A vegetable farm and paddy field located next to a Buddhist temple with a high pagoda.
Beautiful flowers lined up outside our chalets. The white ones exude fragrant smile. I have seen them back home but I don't know its name.
A huge bougainvillae at the pathway leading to our chalets.
We can see many of this plant with huge pyramid-form blooms in northern Sulawesi. It's a huge shrub.
Added on 3 July 2009: Thanks to islandgal246, this plant is known as
clerondenron paniculatum or pagoda flower.
Another popular shrub with many yellow blossoms.
Added on 3 July 2009: Thanks to Blur Ting, this plant is known as candlestick flower.
A rose bush in the compound of the temple.
Delicate-looking rose blooms found in the rose bush above.
Many nurseries like this can be found along the main road of Tomohon.
I found this interesting signages in the garden below. The signages are for "Dapur Hidup" (Herbal Garden) and "Apotik Hidup" (Medicinal Garden).
clerondenron paniculatum or pagoda flower.
Another popular shrub with many yellow blossoms.
Added on 3 July 2009: Thanks to Blur Ting, this plant is known as candlestick flower.
A rose bush in the compound of the temple.
Delicate-looking rose blooms found in the rose bush above.
Many nurseries like this can be found along the main road of Tomohon.
I found this interesting signages in the garden below. The signages are for "Dapur Hidup" (Herbal Garden) and "Apotik Hidup" (Medicinal Garden).
Many gardens like this can be seen in Tomohon.
Check out those healthy heliconia blooms and lush garden!
A beautifully landscaped, neat & tidy private garden.
If you have the time, check out Tomohon and fall in love with the climate, plants and people. After all, Air Asia is always giving discounts for its flight tickets. We met a group of Hashers from KL who paid only RM90 (about USD25) for return flights to Manado! Astonishingly low price!
3 comments:
JC that was such an informative and interesting post. I am ignorant just where is Monado? I know it will be somewhere in your part of the world. That beautiful orange spike of flowers the 4th photo down is called a clerondenron paniculatum or pagoda flower. sounds like you were in my kind of place :-)
Wah, the gardens are are so lush, must be the fertile soil. Yup, that's a pagoda flower and the yellow one below is the candlestick flower.
Welcome back JC! The place looks very serene and wonderful. You must have enjoyed yourself so much. Nice place!
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