When set foot in Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport a few days ago, the memory brings me back in time five years ago when the last time to touch home "Roosters of the East". At that time, things like airports in areas that seem solid and like a bus terminal. But now, my eyes were amazed to see the changes that are very different.

Modern Eve is very thick felt. At a glance, I felt was at the Soekarno-Hatta. Remove from the airport, the car drove straight into downtown Makassar. Again, I remembered with Jakarta. Makassar toll road highway that penetrates like a capital city lay in plain sight. The toll road is connecting the city of Makassar with Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. My arrival was greeted this time the heavy rains. In February it was still the rainy season. Not to loose my sense of Jakarta, which naturally, out of highways, streets jammed because right at home during office hours. At some point, the street looks flooding. Complete has the feel of Jakarta at the southern tip of Sulawesi.

"Do not be equated with Jakarta lah, mbak. Here the breakdown is not as bad as Jakarta. This is not a flood, but the stagnant water," said Wahyu a resident of Makassar who took me, laughing.

I then stopped at several locations in Makassar. The main tourist destination is Fort Rotterdam, Netherlands fort covering an area of three hectares. When viewed from the sky, tortoise-shaped fort. The fort was so beautifully maintained.

At the time, the fort was built deliberately facing directly into the sea. When visitors stand at the end of the fortress that resembles a turtle's head, looking vaguely at the sea front. Unfortunately, the view was blocked by buildings and shops. The good news, the central and local governments are now revitalizing the citadel. The buildings at the fort will be torn down and the moat that surrounds like the colonial era fort will be built. If this is true, then from a distance will look majestic castle stands.

Music bands and boisterous crowd of young people in front of Fort Rotterdam in Makassar my attention. A hangout called Kampung Popsah now standing to challenge Fort Rotterdam. At night, lights of different colors lights up like a charm Makassar residents.

When I go into it, the majority of visitors are young people. In the middle there is live music stage with tables overlooking the visitors. While around various common foods are often found in Jakarta. At a glance like a food court with the feel of a typical young boy reminds places seputaran hanging out in Kemang, Jakarta. Moving further inward, so charming scenery. Expanse of sea spoil the eye. Cocoklah so hangout with friends, joking.

Makassar City has indeed been growing rapidly over the past five years. Makassar can be called as city transit. Because the city has a level of transit via commercial transportation, both air and sea, the highest in Indonesia. The strategic location makes the Makassar as a liaison to the eastern parts of Indonesia.

"Makassar is the largest transit city in Indonesia," said Director of Promotion of Domestic Kemenbudpar M Faried. Unfortunately the people who transit has not been used optimally as a potential tourist market.

Several countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Singapore, with slick design a special tour packages for visitors in transit. For example, by selling city tour packages of 3 hours, 6 hours, or 9 hours. Potential visitors transit in Makassar was apparent when I was looking at Fort Rotterdam. There, I had talked with two foreign tourists from Finland and Sweden.

"We really want to Biak. We were in transit and had to wait 6 hours for a flight to Biak. We do not know what to do, so we come here," said they. One of the tourists were even asked back to me, the building whether they are visiting.

Meanwhile, South Sulawesi ASITA Chairman HM Irham Ilyas said, some travel agencies are selling tour packages in transit at the airport. Package tours to tourists in transit is actually quite need a minimum of two hours.

"One hour for round-trip airport. Time one hour to eat and shopping," he said. Type of tours taken by visitors to most major transit it is eating and shopping. They want to look for food typical city of Makassar.

"Most are looking for him culinary, because the easiest and most considered to fill the time before departure. They are looking for grilled foods, like grilled seafood by the beach. Once there was the Japanese group came from Bali. They come in the morning, then tour to eat seafood, afternoon return back to Bali, "Irham story.

But there is also some tourists who want to see the sights. According Irham, tourist attraction for tour packages in transit is usually Paotere Fort and the Port of Rotterdam. Apart from the distance near the airport and the estimated time to look around quite a half hour.

Quoted from http://travel.kompas.com/read/2011/02/15/20560259/Aroma.Jakarta.di.Makassar

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