Around 40,000 years ago, when modern humans were reaching as far as Australia and Europe, a few in a cave, just outside Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, decided to get creative.

Besides pictures of animals, which cropped up in a few other countries at about the same time, these people in the shallow cave outside Makassar did something different.  They put their hands on a high rock and spread natural red dye over them to leave very clear hand prints…the first time (to the world’s current knowledge) a modern human had done so.

I’ve always been an avid museum goer and love to experience things that seem “otherworldly.”  I’ve seen fossils, dinosaur bones and space rocks, but this was a different kind of “otherworldly.”  Maybe there was a reason and purpose at that moment for marking the rocks.  Or, maybe as we made the switch from a hunter/gatherer lifestyle to a lifestyle rich in cultivation, time for creativity could actually be afforded.

Maybe it was a bunch of kids sneaking away from their family responsibilities and totally freaked out when they realized the dye they used on the cafe graffiti wouldn’t wash off!

In any case, I’m glad they left a marker, a message, a connection to another time.

The rest of my short trip to Makassar was much more modern…except the drive to and from the caves…that was still peaceful and untouched.

The city of Makassar is very nice, albeit extremely hot.  It had an interesting feel to it, considering it’s a major city.  It was busy but not crowded, highly-traveled but not expensive.  The location was interesting as well.  Makassar is perched on the west coast of one of the peninsulas in the south of the island.  City and tropical beach are strikingly close to each other, which is why you don’t see many foreigners in the city itself.  Apparently after exiting the airport, many head straight to the beach or one of the well-known diving spots.

This worked out really well for me, as I was there for cultural experiences, not time on the beach.  Besides the cave paintings, I was able to tour Fort Rotterdam at the edge of the city.  It happened to be really close to the hostel I stayed in and I was the only white person…so I was naturally swarmed with photos, opportunities with locals to practice their English and even had a request for an impromptu greeting, to address an English class being held on the lawn.  After two years of living here, these are things I’ve grown accustomed to and am ok dealing with those situations.  Everyone in Makassar was so nice and their English was very good…so it was easy to accept the attention with a smile.

Meanwhile, I was actually able to see the beautiful Dutch fort in between speaking engagements. The complex is quite large, including two buildings that are museums with the royal history shown in paintings around the inside.

After the museum and statues, it was time for driving around and shopping.  The city has nice wide streets with plenty of places to park, so I could get a great picture of their central monument (much like MONAS in Jakarta) and grab some beautiful wood carvings at an artisan gift shop.

As usual, this was a quick getaway, but I had a great time exploring a new area of Indonesia for two days.