Our first stop on our round-the-world adventure was Makassar on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Makassar, also still referred to by its former name Ujung Pandang, is not only an interesting place to visit in its own right, but was also the location of our friend's wedding, making it a special stop for us.
In days of tradition and ritual mixed with glitz and glamor, from intimate ceremonies to a huge party to remember, here is a window into some of the Makassan and Bugis ethnic traditions we were lucky enough to witness and even be a part of.


























Hy Jessica,
I have been after You on Mount Fuji, two years ago, and now in Makassar. We stayed in hotel Singgasana for two nights 14 and 15 of july.
From Makassar we continued to Tana Toraja, whewr we witnessed several burial ceremonies. Very strange, even barbaric, but worth seeing once.
We saw a wedding to in Tana Toraja, but much simpler then the one described by You, which seems almost European.
Aniway the photos You have posted on Your blog are senzational.
Hi Avraham,
Thanks so much for your message. Tana Toraja sounds amazing. We really wanted to get there but we didn’t have enough time around the wedding celebrations. We’ll definitely have to go back to Sulawesi.
Yes, the wedding was very elaborate. Some of the ceremonies even followed rituals done by royalty!
I’ll pass on your comments about the photos to Hai :)
Thank you and happy adventuring!
Incredible wedding photography. Man! That table of the desserts, I wish I had a crack at those foods.
Many thanks Leon and regarding the desserts, they all tasted as good as they looked.
What a lovely and interesting photo essay! The ornate costumes are reminiscent of what we saw on Bali, when we observed a traditional dance practice there. Such an intriguing part of the world. How much time did you explore Indonesia?
Thanks Tricia. The ceremonial gowns were indeed spectacularly ornate and beautiful. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any more stunning, she changed and showed us otherwise. This time round, we only got to spend a week there specifically for the wedding but we’ll definitely be back.
Wow! So amazing to see this played out through your incredible visuals. The pre-wedding ritual for the bride was my fave. Just beautiful.
Thanks Britt. Due to the intimate gathering of close friends and family to the pre-wedding ceremonies, we were fortunate enough to get a close and unobstructed view of the proceedings.
These pictures are absolutely incredible. I feel like you told us the story of this wedding and shared an intimate look at a culture that most of us will never experience in this personal way. I loved it. Thank you!
Thank you again. Yes we were extremely lucky and truly honoured to have been invited to attend.