Beware of scams at Wakai port (Togean Islands, Sulawesi)

I see no one thanked you yet. So I’ll do it. Thanks!

Hehe, thanks a lot Daisyone, that's really kind of you! You're welcome! 🙂

Hello A big thank you—I don’t plan to go to the Togean Islands anytime soon, but this info is really valuable.

Hi HohYao, you're welcome! 🙂 Happy these tips can help for a future trip.

Thanks for the info, Maboo! I visited the Togians (Kadidiri) two years ago and had only heard of Miss Harbor—not the other guys! Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with them. I’m hoping to return in early 2020 and would love to stay somewhere else. I’m really into snorkeling and would prefer spots I can reach without taking a boat—any recommendations?

More recently, he was commissioned by the authorities of Togean Islands National Park (TNKT) to sell entry tickets. And this is even worse: in the name of the National Park, he outright scams tourists, either by selling tickets at a higher price, asking them to pay again, or charging children who are supposed to enter for free.

We had to deal with this man who approached us at Wakai port shortly after our boat arrived from Ampana. He wanted to sell us entry tickets for the national park. He didn’t know we had come from Ampana, and I told him we’d already been on the islands for a few days, that we were making a round trip between Wakai and Malenge that day, and that we’d already paid for our entries—our tickets were in our bungalows in Malenge, and there was no way we’d pay twice for the national park entry. That was a lie—we hadn’t paid anything yet, neither in Ampana (where no one asked us for anything) nor in Wakai—but satisfied with our answer, he left us alone😏

You're welcome, Bouscaillou! 🙂

Glad you didn’t have to deal with the troublemakers in Wakai! Miss Harbor has been causing issues for years, but apparently, she’s in someone’s good books in the government, so she stays put.

You might want to try a resort in Malenge. There are currently 6 of them—plenty of options! I’m not sure which one has the best snorkeling right off the beach, though. There are also reefs 4 and 5 nearby: you’d need to take a boat, but these two reefs are relatively close to the resorts. Alternatively, there’s Waleakodi Island and the resorts near Bomba village (Batudaka Island). I only know that the snorkeling isn’t great at Poki-Poki (even though the resort itself and its owners are lovely).

We had to deal with this guy who approached us at Wakai port shortly after our boat arrived from Ampana. He wanted to sell us entry tickets for the national park... He didn’t know we’d come from Ampana, and I told him we’d already been on the islands for a few days, that we were doing a round trip Wakai/Malenge today, and that we’d already paid the entry fees—our tickets were in our bungalows in Malenge, and there was no way we’d pay twice for the national park... Which was a lie—we hadn’t paid anything at all, neither in Ampana (where no one asked us) nor in Wakai. But satisfied with our answer, he left us alone 😏

Weird that no one asked you to pay the entry fee in Ampana. What year was this? For once, Bagong/Farid would’ve been right to charge you (as long as they gave you a ticket per person and charged the correct price)! It’s still important to pay to help protect the Togean Islands.

There was a time when the National Park staff weren’t very organized at Ampana port, so some travelers slipped through the cracks! Good for your wallet, not so great for the National Park 😉

Weird they didn’t ask you to pay the entrance fee in Ampana. What year was that?

In 2019. Last March... we took the 12/1 PM boat.

It’s still important to pay, for the protection of the Togean Islands.

Do you really think they’re protecting anything and that the money goes where it should when you see how trash is collected—or rather, dumped—in the Togian villages or even behind the bungalows of the "resorts"😏

thanks for this detailed info....

I think it's a shame to be happy about not paying entrance fees for any park or site... 😕

I think it's a shame to be happy about not paying entrance fees for any park or site... 😕

No matter the PARK, everything is destroyed and polluted, and absolutely nothing goes toward protecting the marine environment—it all ends up in the pockets of a few corrupt people.

There too, you pay the entrance fee for the "marine park":www.thailandee.com/...uristes-indefiniment And yet, Thailand is certainly doing more than Indonesia to preserve the natural environment. In a few years, concrete will be everywhere, without proper waste or wastewater management, and the Togean Islands will be in the same state as all these other islands: Samui, Phi Phi, Boracay, El Nido, etc... with or without an entrance ticket.

It’s still important to pay, for the protection of the Togean Islands.

Do you really think they’re protecting anything and that the money goes where it should when you see how waste is handled—or rather, dumped—in Togean villages or even behind the bungalows of "resorts"😏

Absolutely, the money goes to the National Park (unless, as I explained in my post, you’re not given a ticket in exchange). The park is under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Environment in Jakarta, not its local branch in Ampana, which is much more effective.

The National Park does its best with the budget and human resources it has, and it’s clear that environmental conservation in the Togean Islands (like everywhere else) is a huge project that will take generations. Waste management isn’t specifically the National Park’s role (even if it’s part of its responsibilities). There’s also coral reef rehabilitation (like coral transplantation), cracking down on fishermen using explosives and cyanide (yes, it’s illegal but still happens), and protecting mangroves and forests, among other things.

The National Park can’t single-handedly change the mindset of an entire population in just a few months or years. A major effort in education and awareness is needed, which must be led by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, and the National Park. Rome wasn’t built in a day 🙂

Paying the park entrance fee is contributing to the efforts in place, even if you don’t necessarily see the results yet. But if you weren’t asked to pay in Ampana, that’s not your fault.

As for waste management in resorts, that’s the responsibility of the owners, not the National Park, since it’s private property. Some owners are somewhat aware and others (often run by Westerners but not exclusively) implement waste management solutions.

It’s important to understand that there’s no waste collection (in resorts or elsewhere). So it’s not obvious what to do with your trash. If we transpose the situation to France, for example: what would you do with your waste if no garbage truck came to pick it up and there were no waste treatment companies? It’s all very complicated, and it’s great that travelers try to understand local issues without judging too quickly.

Thanks for the detailed info....

You're welcome, Gildadesiles, my pleasure! 🙂

I find it a shame to be happy about not paying entry fees to a park or site, whatever it may be.... 😕

No matter the PARK, everything is destroyed and polluted, and absolutely nothing goes toward protecting the marine environment but instead into the pockets of a few corrupt individuals.

Over there, you also pay the entrance fee for the "marine park":www.thailandee.com/...uristes-indefiniment And yet, Thailand certainly does more than Indonesia to preserve the natural environment. In a few years, concrete will be there, without waste management or wastewater treatment, and the Togean Islands will be in the same state as all these other islands: Samui, Phi Phi, Boracay, El Nido, etc., with or without an entrance ticket.

We need to take a step back on all this and, once again, not judge too quickly. More importantly, we should verify our sources.

First, do you have proof that "nothing goes toward protecting the marine environment"? Have you met the people from Togean National Park, talked with them? Have you spoken to the local volunteers who work hand in hand with the National Park staff? I did say volunteers—unpaid, that is. These volunteers are actually simple villagers who live very modestly but understand the importance of environmental protection. Some resorts also carry out volunteer missions from time to time to join efforts with the National Park.

Togean National Park lacks human and financial resources, and as I mentioned in my previous reply, the task is enormous, and Rome wasn’t built in a day. The mindset of an entire population needs to change, and that takes a long time.

I invite you not to lump all national parks together. Making generalizations and taking shortcuts never helps. To judge, you need to speak with full knowledge of the situation, be aware of the realities on the ground—whether economic, sociological, geological, climatic, or otherwise. I don’t know how long you stayed in the Togean Islands, but I doubt a few days, weeks, or even months were enough to fully understand the ins and outs.

How can you claim that "nothing goes toward protecting the marine environment but into the pockets of a few corrupt individuals"? The Bagong/Farid I mentioned in my post is indeed corrupt. That doesn’t mean everyone is. Are you sure all the money goes to corrupt people? If so, I’ll ask you to present tangible evidence.

I’ve personally taken part in coral transplantation operations with the National Park. I’ve gone underwater with them and seen how complex the process is—scrubbing each transplanted coral with a toothbrush to clean them. I’ve seen National Park staff catch blast fishermen in very difficult conditions and hand them over to the authorities. I’ve cleaned beaches and villages with them, attended awareness sessions they organized in the villages. I’ve seen them get pelted with stones by crowds of villagers who lack the education to understand that limiting fishing in certain areas is crucial for the survival of marine ecosystems.

Please, don’t make such statements on a forum if you don’t really know what you’re talking about. And don’t condemn the Togean Islands outright with your pessimism. You don’t know what’s being done there right now to protect the environment. Controlled tourism development is entirely possible, and unless you’re psychic, you have no idea how the Togean Islands will evolve. Neither do I, but I’m an optimist by nature, and my actions aim for positive development.

Second, since you give the example of Maya Bay in Thailand, forgive me, but it was tourism that destroyed this bay and its corals. And if Danny Boyle’s film *The Beach* hadn’t made the site famous, tourists wouldn’t have come. Should we blame Danny Boyle? I don’t think so.

Those tourists—you’re one of them. Because if the inhabitants of some developing countries don’t yet have an ecological conscience (and by the way, ecology in France isn’t that old either), tourism development isn’t without consequences for environmental degradation. Those tourist boats that drop anchor in Maya Bay or elsewhere and damage the corals—you take them too. And as a tourist, you also generate waste, consume freshwater, use sunscreens that kill coral reefs, and leave a carbon footprint.

Being a responsible tourist also means finding out about where you stay and choosing places based on their involvement in both environmental conservation and the empowerment of local communities. There are resorts in the Togean Islands that are very committed to this—they reduce and sort their waste, recycle some of it themselves, ensure their boats (and their clients) don’t damage the corals, use natural cleaning and toiletries, work with local communities to develop the economy, improve living conditions, and raise awareness about environmental issues. Maybe by staying in one of these resorts, you would have had a completely different understanding of the situation and a completely different appreciation of the Togean Islands and the work of the National Park. Don’t forget that you’re part of all this, and if you don’t want to be, you can always travel in France where everything is perfect and clean (I’ll come back to that later).

Waste management in the Togean Islands isn’t that simple: there’s no official waste collection yet, so each village takes the initiative—or not—to manage its waste. Moreover, collection alone isn’t a solution to the problem: once you’ve collected it, what do you do with it all? There’s currently no waste treatment or recycling company in the region or beyond. Most recycling companies are only in East Java (Surabaya). Sending waste there isn’t necessarily a solution, considering the carbon footprint and cost.

The very first key is waste reduction (avoiding producing waste rather than having to deal with it), but again, this relies on education and awareness, as I mentioned in my previous reply.

We recently created the Togean Conservation Foundation, which a few resorts have already joined. It will act on the following fronts: waste management, reuse/upcycling of certain waste, environmental education, agricultural diversification (polyculture instead of monoculture), preserving biodiversity in agricultural systems, water retention, development of local crafts, etc. All these topics, and many more, will be addressed using permaculture principles. We have an Irish volunteer who specializes in permaculture and has been working on all these plans for a year and a half, in close collaboration with local communities and the National Park (yes, the famous park that’s lining its pockets). We hope to raise enough funds for the foundation to be able to pay this person so she can work sustainably.

The waste in the Togean Islands is shocking because it’s visible, and I’m the first to regret it. But we mustn’t forget that the West produces far more waste than rural Indonesian and Southeast Asian regions in general, which are often outside the consumer society. Their populations don’t buy cars, washing machines, dishwashers, or the latest smartphone when their current phone still works, and so on. Here in the Togean Islands, people consume little, repair, and reuse—not for ecological reasons, but simply for economic ones.

In the West, on the other hand, we’re in overconsumption and produce an astronomical amount of waste. But this waste is much less visible than in the Togean Islands or other developing regions simply because it’s "managed." So we get the impression that everything is clean. But beware: simply sorting your waste for recycling and having garbage trucks and collectors isn’t enough. Do you know where your old washing machine goes when Darty delivers the new one and takes the old one away? Do you know where your recyclable waste ends up? Is it really all recycled? Do you have proof? Did you know that 91% of the world’s plastic isn’t recycled? What we need, on a global scale, is to REDUCE our consumption to create as little waste as possible. The zero-waste movement goes in this direction and is, in my opinion, an excellent driver for changing mindsets worldwide.

In the same vein, did you know that many European countries (including France), as well as the United States and Australia, export waste they don’t want to recycle to Asia because it’s cheaper? We sort our waste thinking we’re doing the right thing, but some of it ends up in nature in Asia (maybe even in the Togean Islands)! A painful statistic: every year, France exports several hundred tons of household plastic to Malaysia (which, by the way, is sending it all back, like other Asian countries).

If Asia has become France’s dumping ground and that of other countries, we’re not really in a position to lecture the villagers of the Togean Islands who throw their waste into the sea. I’m not justifying their actions; I’m simply broadening the debate by highlighting two things:

Plastic arrived in the Togean Islands about thirty years ago. Did it take France less than 30 years to become eco-friendly (if we even are today!)? For example (among many others), the European law banning certain single-use plastics is very recent and won’t come into effect until 2021 (uh, how long have we been using these plastics in Europe?). Please, let’s give it time and focus on education, and do our part by setting an example—without hasty judgment. It’s not that simple, and seeing the world in black and white, pointing fingers at the "bad students," isn’t really the solution. We ALL share responsibility for what we’re doing to our planet, here or elsewhere, at the government level as well as individually. It’s time for everyone to realize this instead of blaming others and start acting at their own level to stop the destruction. Every action counts, even what you might think is a drop in the ocean. "Together, we are stronger."

A few links for reflection: www.facebook.com/...h/?v=447214106042086

www.nouvelobs.com/...-to-the-united-states.html

www.francetvinfo.fr/...waste_3465921.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/...nesian-villages.html

Totally agree with you, Maboo. A lot of tourists get outraged by plastic pollution (which they contribute to) but don’t realize we pollute 100 times more in our own countries with far more dangerous products. Kudos for these actions with the park people—it seems essential to involve local communities in this kind of fight.

Hi there,

Your explanations are really clear... thanks! 🙂 It’s true that tourists often contribute to damaging the places they stay in. I was particularly shocked by the state of the beaches in the Thai islands—glass bottles, all kinds of trash, plastic bags... It’s easy to point fingers at locals when we can’t even behave properly ourselves...

Totally agree with you, Maboo. Many tourists get outraged by plastic pollution (which they contribute to) but don’t realize we pollute 100 times more in our own countries with far more dangerous products. Kudos for these efforts with the park’s locals—it’s essential to involve local communities in this kind of fight.

Thanks, Bouscaillou, for your clarity and encouragement—I really appreciate it! 🙂 Indeed, change can only come through local populations. It’s up to us (tourists, Westerners living there, associations, government bodies, and locals already involved/aware) to work hand in hand with those who aren’t yet aware of the danger and support them as best we can in this transition, which is so complicated but so necessary!

Hi there,

Your explanations are very clear... thanks! 🙂 Indeed, tourists often contribute to destroying the places they stay in... I was particularly shocked by the state of the beaches in the Thai islands... glass bottles, all kinds of waste, plastic bags... it’s easy to throw stones at the locals when we ourselves can’t behave properly...

Hi Gildadesiles, you’re welcome! 🙂 I hope I’ve managed to raise awareness a bit among those in this discussion about the reality on the ground. It’s clear that tourists share some responsibility—thanks for acknowledging that, it’s important!

While it’s necessary to educate local communities about environmental issues, I’m convinced that many tourists also need to be educated. I don’t want to generalize, because there are also a lot of responsible tourists, but it’s true that there’s a category of travelers who couldn’t care less about the environment in the countries they visit (even though they’re much more respectful in their own countries). I’ve already heard (not in the Togean Islands) someone say: "Anyway, it’s already dirty, so it doesn’t matter if I throw my trash anywhere." That’s the typical selfish attitude and the "after me, the flood" mentality. Totally irresponsible in my eyes: just because a site or region isn’t aware of environmental problems doesn’t mean we should add to them and make the situation even worse. If protecting the environment is a core principle for someone, they’ll do it out of conviction, no matter the external conditions.

And then there are tourists who simply don’t care, at home or abroad!

But what really saddens me is the tourist who thinks they’ve got it all figured out and are better than the locals, just because they sort their trash at home. Yet, as we’ve seen above, selective sorting isn’t a guarantee of recycling... Besides, we often hear this confusion: "At home, we recycle." No, you don’t recycle—you sort. It’s not the same (unless you actually have a recycling workshop at home!). Recycling is an industrial process (which, by the way, is very energy-intensive—that’s the other controversy around recycling... it’s not necessarily eco-friendly, and in fact, that’s another reason why waste reduction is a much more effective and sustainable solution than recycling) carried out by recycling companies or, occasionally, in an artisanal way by small communities (as is the case in some villages in the Togean Islands).

That kind of tourist is usually moralizing, a bit (or a lot) colonialist, and not at all interested in understanding local issues (but travel is also about that: understanding cultural differences, or at least being interested in them). They judge, belittle, generalize, and don’t care about the reality on the ground or the context.

It’s also this tourist, most of the time, who you’ll hear say: "Oh no, there’s no way I’m picking up trash or helping clean this beach/village—I’m on vacation! It’s not my job!" Okay, you’re on vacation, but aren’t you also a citizen of the world who sees beyond the comfort of your own little country and understands that protecting the environment is a global issue? Aren’t you here to participate in something, to exchange with locals? Isn’t that what travel is about? And don’t you take pride in contributing to something big and important, in helping a noble cause? Aren’t you a kind person toward others? Aren’t you full of gratitude for the nature that gives us so much, don’t you want to protect it just because without it, you’d be gasping for air, and because what it endures, even outside your country’s borders, affects the entire planet? A little loyalty, come on.

Is it really going to ruin your vacation to lend a hand for a few hours? And if it’s not your job, whose is it then? Associations? Other people who don’t litter but are concerned and altruistic enough to roll up their sleeves, bend down, and pick up trash? Or the locals (they should just deal with it, it’s their trash after all), who often don’t understand the stakes and are more worried about having enough to eat tonight and enough money to send their kids to school?

Unfortunately, selfishness and self-centeredness won’t get us very far 😕 And I’m pretty sad to see how little some travelers are actually curious about the world they claim to explore. Hey, we live on the same planet, don’t we??

I’m not saying all this to you, Gildadesiles, even though this reply is addressed to you! I’m just agreeing with your comment, which, like Bouscaillou’s, is very honest and clear-sighted. Safe travels to you! 🙂

Thanks so much, Marion, for your enlightening and well-reasoned message—I totally agree with you. I was lucky enough to cross paths with you, and I know all the energy you put into preserving the Togian Islands. Modestly, you didn’t even mention the association you founded in 2012, EVERTO, which has done amazing work, especially in Katupat. Hope to see you soon!

Thanks Marion for your such enlightening and well-argued message—I agree with you completely. I was lucky enough to cross paths with you, and I know all the energy you put into preserving the Togians. Modestly, you didn’t mention the association you founded in 2012, EVERTO, which did amazing work, especially in Katupat. Hope to see you soon!

Martine, Martine... who took Ida to Bali? So great to hear from you!! Thank you so much for your message—it really touched me. I know you’ve traveled through quite a few countries over the years, always engaging with the context, seeking out local encounters, and striving to understand their daily lives and challenges. So glad there are travelers like you!

Yep, EVERTO—my first steps into waste management, diving into this tough but fascinating issue. Seven years already, time flies! Do you remember the trash bin stencil-painting sessions in Katupat? Such great moments shared between locals, travelers, and the association.

Are you still coming to the Togean Islands? Would be awesome to see you again :) Big hugs.

I’ve been traveling to Indonesia for 20 years, and honestly, I might’ve doubted the usefulness of paying the park entrance fees—just like Djalma did—but your reply really convinced me otherwise. 🙂 It’s awesome that you took the time to write such a long, detailed response. It really sets the record straight!!!

I’ve been visiting Indonesia for 20 years, and honestly, like Djalma, I could’ve doubted whether paying the park entrance fees was worth it. But your reply really convinced me otherwise 🙂 It’s really great that you took the time to write such a long, detailed response—it really sets the record straight!!!

Thanks so much, Vikingboy—I’m so glad I convinced you 🙂

I totally get travelers’ hesitations, the doubt, the fear of getting scammed (maybe because it’s happened to them before). All of that makes sense (which is why I posted about scams in Wakai). But be careful not to go to the extreme and dismiss everything outright, like saying all national parks are useless. What a shame! It’s good to be cautious, but you’ve also got to stay curious and do your research.

I think if you have those kinds of doubts, it’s best to do a little research before visiting a region—find out what’s going on there, any potential entrance fees, the initiatives in place, etc. We’re lucky to have the internet, this amazing tool that gives us access to so many valuable resources!

That’s why I took the time to write such a detailed reply: first, because the topic is really close to my heart, but also because I think travelers need this kind of information.

I truly believe that all of us, no matter where we are, have the power to make a difference in the world. And if I, living in the Togean Islands with firsthand knowledge of the context, can share this kind of info to make it accessible to as many people as possible, well, that’s already my way of contributing and making a difference.

Thanks again for your kindness and honesty. I’m really happy my words resonated with you 🙂🙂 Wishing you amazing travels.

The waste in the Togean Islands is shocking because it's so visible, and I’m the first to regret it. But we mustn’t forget that the West produces far more waste than rural Indonesian and Southeast Asian regions in general, which are often outside the consumer society. The people there don’t buy cars, washing machines, dishwashers, or the latest smartphone when their current phone still works—and that’s just the start. Here in the Togean Islands, people consume little, repair, and reuse, not for ecological reasons, but simply for economic ones.

In the West, on the other hand, we’re in a cycle of overconsumption and produce an astronomical amount of waste. The difference is that this waste is much less visible than in the Togean Islands or other developing regions simply because it’s "managed." So we get the impression that everything is clean. But beware—just sorting your waste for recycling and having garbage trucks and collectors isn’t enough. Do you know where your old washing machine goes when Darty delivers your new one and takes the old one away? Do you know where your recyclables end up? Are they *really* all recycled? Do you have proof? Did you know that 91% of the world’s plastic isn’t recycled? What we need—on a global scale—is to REDUCE our consumption to create as little waste as possible. The zero-waste movement is heading in the right direction and, in my opinion, is an excellent driver for changing mindsets worldwide.

Along the same lines, did you know that many European countries (including France), as well as the U.S. and Australia, export waste they don’t want to recycle to Asia because it’s cheaper? We sort our waste thinking we’re doing the right thing, but some of it ends up in nature in Asia (maybe even in the Togean Islands!). A painful statistic: every year, France exports several hundred tons of household plastic to Malaysia (which, by the way, is now sending it all back, just like other Asian countries).

I think we didn’t quite understand each other... I’m fully aware of the problem, and my criticism isn’t really aimed at the Togean Islands or even Indonesia... And it’s not just about waste management—it’s a much bigger issue you touched on: overconsumption, which is primarily a Western problem (though not exclusively, since China opened up to tourism). And we’re not really ready to turn the tide! This overconsumption goes hand in hand with the overexploitation of natural environments due to ever-increasing tourist concentrations in small areas. I started traveling in Southeast Asia in the early 1970s, and I’ve seen how the natural environment (both land and sea) on an island like Samui, which was almost untouched, has gradually degraded over the years—and I understand why. Back then, these islands were home only to fishermen and copra farmers who trained monkeys to pick coconuts... No roads, no electricity, and no plastic! Just pristine beaches, coral, and fish... The few backpackers at the time got by with very little. We slept on mats on the sand, in palm-leaf huts; we ate fish, rice, and a few fruits. That was the daily life of these islanders... A few years later, mass tourism developed, driven by demand for comfort—so concrete, roads, electricity, and consumer products with their plastic packaging started arriving from all over Thailand and abroad... Then came the airport and its ever-growing waves of tourists... Some countries, like Cambodia, were spared for political and historical reasons until recently, but China has now set its sights on them, and anarchic concrete development is flooding in with its ugliness, along with hordes of Chinese tourists on the coast and islands... Money rules everywhere... If the Togean Islands and other lesser-known islands are still spared, it’s because they’re relatively hard to access (it takes time) and lack comfort—but developers (as everywhere) will be stronger than the managers of the "natural park," and I’m convinced there’s no reason the Togeans, or Bunaken, or Raja Ampat, should escape the ecological disaster that’s already hit Samui, Phuket, Phi Phi in Thailand, Boracay, and El Nido in the Philippines... I think the most effective way to protect these sites is to stop luring tourists with advertising...

Conclusion: Avoid going to the Togean Islands—it’s starting to get dirty and polluted, the coral is bleached, and on top of that, it’s infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes and beaches overrun with sand fleas. Am I pessimistic or just realistic?

Thanks for this beautiful, intelligent clarity—it restores dignity to the word "commitment" and shows it’s possible to engage respectfully in a foreign place.

A question’s been nagging me since reading the first post, even before the discussion took off... Maybe it’s off-base (like Djalma), but I’ll ask anyway: With names, photos, and precise details, you’re calling out a small local mafia under your full identity and showing your (lovely) face.

Courage, recklessness, or peace of mind... Have you thought about the risk of retaliation?

Good afternoon Marion, Thanks for this really valuable info. I went to Fadilah twice a few years ago but never ran into this guy. Just so you know, in 2017 I was in Tomia, which is part of Wakatobi Park, and there was also an entrance fee of 150,000 IDR (a park rep came to my guesthouse to collect the money and gave me a nice receipt valid for the duration of my stay in the park). By the way, kudos for your contribution to preserving the environment in the Togians. Best, Patrick

Hello, I find Maboo’s messages really insightful in more ways than one—I completely agree, even if I have to say that during my vacations, I don’t think I’d go so far as to join a beach cleanup campaign. And even though I share the idea that, like the hummingbird, everyone should do their small part to help put out the fire, I still remain extremely pessimistic about how things will turn out. I’m only talking about the effects of tourism or overconsumption without even getting into the even more disheartening fact that several leaders of the world’s most polluting countries have no ecological awareness whatsoever—in fact, quite the opposite...

So, much like you all do, I don’t share—or no longer share—certain spots I’ve discovered, hoping they’ll stay preserved from the ravages of mass tourism for a little while longer (though let’s be modest, my influence isn’t exactly huge).

When you see the damage that a single Instagram photo or the filming of a movie or music video can cause due to mindless, herd-like tourism...

Totally true about Ulfa or Miss Harbour! She sold us ferry tickets Wakai/GORONTALO that never existed! Avoid her—she’s a real scammer.

Hi Marion. Thanks for your post and especially for your involvement and local help. I’m looking for news about a freelance guide based in Rantepao we traveled with twice. His name is Wempi Yarmin, and he’s perfectly fluent in French. Maybe you’ve heard of him? The contact info I have doesn’t work anymore, and I hope nothing’s happened to him. Wishing you a lovely day. Armindo.