Birdwatching with Callyn Yorke

My birding pal, Christo, had already arranged our itinerary when I arrived at Bunaken. He met me at the dock in Manado, with Kiki, his brother-in-law, whom agreed to be our driver. Our first stop was an ATM, of which there are plenty in Manado (and elsewhere in Sulawesi). The conversion rate for US Dollars was about 1: 11,400 Indonesian Rupiah. Since the biggest currency denomination is a 100K Rupiah note (roughly $10), it seemed I would be carrying around a backpack full of cash just to cover basic food and transportation. And there was another inconvenience. Sulawesi ATM's dispense a maximum daily withdrawl ranging from US $50-$100. Fortunately, Most hotels and large stores accept VISA, which becomes pretty much a necessity for transactions exceeding $100. The good news: Sulawesi is much less expensive than Singapore. For example, deluxe accomodation on the Sulawesi mainland can be obtained for $50-60 US per day. Food is ridiculously inexpensive; a full, three-course Indonesian-style meal costs less than $5. Public transportation is just pennies per mile. Long-term drivers will negotiate reasonable prices for their service. Car rental is available for about $60 per day, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone lacking driving experience in the region.

Christophorus Merung Tangkoko National Park, Sulawesi 17 June 2014 Christo was the go-to guy for just about all of our needs. In addition to making logistic arrangements for us, he demonstrated expertise in natural history and especially Ornithology. Christo instantly identified the majority of birds we encountered and knew the Latin binomials for all of the Sulawesi birds (about 500 species). He had received his training while working for several international conservation organizations in Indonesia, including The Wildlife Conservation Society and The Nature Conservancy. http://avconline.avc.edu/cyorke/