In July 1998 (shortly after having evacuated to Sweden for 2 weeks in May because of the riots in Jakarta) we took our first trip to Manado which is on the northern tip of Sulawesi. Needless to say it was very quiet since most foreign tourists were staying away because of the recent unrest in Jakarta. We pretty much has the entire resort to ourselves which was a nice experience.
The area is known for its excellent diving. You can read additional information about the area from our later visits to this area 2000 trip, 2002 trip and 2006 trip. We stayed at the recently opened Santika Hotel (and dived with Thalassa Dive Center which is located on the premises) which is the closest mainland resort to Bunaken Marine Park. If planning a dive trip to Manado we recommend staying at this resort and using this dive center as both are very well run and provide good value.
In addition to diving we took several overland trips to see nearby villages and the locally built houses. According to the guide the houses are built without any drawing. The home buyer simply describes the design they are looking for and the builder builds it on their site. Upon completion the buyer returns to inspect the completed house after which it is completely disassembled and moved to the buyers chosen location. An interesting concept indeed.
In July 1998 (shortly after having evacuated to Sweden for 2 weeks in May because of the riots in Jakarta) we took our first trip to Manado which is on the northern tip of Sulawesi. Needless to say it was very quiet since most foreign tourists were staying away because of the recent unrest in Jakarta. We pretty much has the entire resort to ourselves which was a nice experience. 
