ARA CAVE

Back in Bira you walk back to the turn (a 5 km climb) towards Ara, which is located 13 km ahead. Every once in a while you can see the sea between the trees. The prosperous Ara is known for its shipbuilders. The village doesn't have easy access to the sea (two kilometers distance), nor it has supplies of wood. Still, the biggest part of the male population works in the shipbuilding industry across Indonesia. They always return to their families in this village. The road sign to the caves of Ara (Gowa Purbakala Ara) on the main road indicates a distance of 500 meters. Which turns right at the sign, has to go through bushes and scrubs. The caves themselves are not exciting: reasonably open, with scattered remains of broken porcelain, coffins and bones.