Tomohon Traditional Market, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES OF DEAD ANIMALS AHEAD
Travel ain’t always pretty. In fact, it can get downright grisly. And nowhere is that more apparent than at the Tomohon Traditional Market in the hills of North Sulawesi, Indonesia – home to an entirely different sort of meat market.
Well, they have fruit and veggies too, but trust me, that’s not the memory you walk away with. Because for every corner with a scene like this…
There’s another one with a scene like this…
If you’re getting a little squeamish already, I’ll give you a nice little exit in the form of this post with pretty photos of origami. Click away…
Are they gone?
Alright then, on with the gore…
I was in North Sulawesi for the ASEAN Tourism Forum Travel Conference and it was there that I met up with Mario-Ben Gavriel from Flower’s Lane Vacations (Tomohon, ironically, is also known as the City of Flowers) for a rat-hunting tour. And while I did end up schlepping through the jungle for the honour of hunting, preparing, and eating a rat, it was a walk in the park compared with the sights and smells of the Tomohon Traditional Market.
I had heard of the market before, and I’d even seen photos of it, but honestly, photos cannot do a place like this any justice. I think it is the first time I smelled death and that last desperate gasp of air when warm blood turns to cold.
The Tomohon Market starts out innocuous enough – lots of pretty red and green chilli’s…
And then onto your assorted fruit and veg section…
They even make and package tofu here…
It’s not until you get to the tail-end (no pun intended) of the vegetable section that you notice that this is not your typical market.
They do however sell the freshest chicken possible…
That’s when the smell hits you.
Bats. And plenty of them.
But be aware that wings are sold separately…
Rats are even more common here than at your average food market.
There’s even an odd snake thrown in here and there…
This is probably one of my favourite photos from the market. Can you spot how many dead (and living) animals there are in this scene?
(Click on photo to enlarge)
I’m not entirely sure how this chap can keep his breakfast, much less eat it in these surroundings.
This is the head of a Babirusa (wild pig) with tusks partially removed.
This is a dead sloth — completely illegal according to my guide Ben – but something that does turn up from time-to-time in the market.
There are plenty of various monkey bits scattered throughout the market as well.
The saddest thing for me though was seeing the dogs, not just the dead ones…
But the living ones too.
Is this not the saddest face ever?
For me, it was easier to stomach the entrails of monkeys, rats on a stick, and decapitated pigs then it was to see these live dogs awaiting their fate. Maybe it’s because the bats, sloths, and snakes and all those things just seemed so foreign.
I have friends who have dogs though.
And maybe it was because I knew exactly what the fate of all these poor little guys would be.
I like to travel with the mindset of “It’s not wrong, it’s just different.” I had a hard time sticking to that here though.
What are your thoughts? Would you visit the Tomohon Traditional Market or one like it?
Tomohon Traditional Market, Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Best visited early morning Saturday when the market is in full swing. For guided tours of Tomohon Traditional Market (including the rat-hunting tour) you can book directly through Mario-Ben Gavriel at Flowers Lane Vacations or through LocalGuiding.com.
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I read the text, let me eyes skip over most of the photos. I could NEVER visit this place. I am pretty sure it would leave me in tears. Like you, I struggle with my own beliefs versus others when traveling. It is very hard to let go of what you consider right and wrong and open yourself up to what is the norm in another country/culture. Just the other day, when I was at the park, someone brought in two puppies. Their mom was killed by a car. If the park did not take them, they were going to sell them to a local village to eat.
You had to zoom in on that puppies face.. I can never visit this place, I’d be an emotional wreck. Different alright.. in my mind, wrong too. :T
I try hard not to judge, but I’ll admit I’m judging this one. I’m also an adamant animal lover. I rescue them from the local shelter and I foster those who need to find homes. I’ve also adopted a street dog and shipped him from Nairobi back to the United States. I can’t imagine what his fate would have been had I left him behind. I know that animals are not “pets” in other parts of the world, but I would expect them to be treated humanely, which they are not.
I like markets, but this is just a little too exotic for my taste. Don’t see any live animals on the snake photo BTW.
Well, there goes my day. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night just thinking about the horrible things happening to dogs all over. And you just gave me fodder for weeks. I feel ill.
Whew.. I got through it. Thanks for the upfront warning. So very sad to see those dogs. No, I wouldn’t go to this market, but appreciate learning about it here.
Oh man thanks for the warning I skipped through the last photos quite quickly.
As an animal lover and dog owner it’s hard to see those poor dogs without becoming overtaken by emotion.
Amazing……….
Visit : amazingtomohon.com
this is Traditional Market so just like that.
more about http://www.tomohon.info/
Even though I knew I was going to hate this post, I still scrolled through the photos. I’m such a masochist.
Those last ones of the dogs are so sad… all I can think of is my own poor pup, who has such a loving and playful personality, being stuck in that crate awaiting the fate of being slaughtered and eaten. Ugh.
Oh man, I was about to make a reference to the title of your post with a snicker, and then I scrolled down =( As owner to seven dogs, those last images just broke my heart.
The photos wrecked my heart.
I knew it from the beginning there must be dogs there. (T__T)
I live in different part of Indonesia, and yes there are people who eat dogs here.
I can never do that, for i love dogs so much (currently taking care of 5 dogs), which is always sadden me because everytime i tried to make them see how beautiful dogs are, they don’t care.
I didn’t appreciate seeing these photos until I remembered that while we all look for beauty and avoid ugliness, each to his own, and this is the world.
Good photos.
Even though I don’t eat meat, I have nothing against who do, but there’s a limit to anything, I don’t think torturing animals is a good sign of civilization, and sadly this happens everywhere, not just in Indonesia, in many different forms. I think it’s just one of the different facets of the deep disrespect humans have towards the planet.
I’ve seen children barbecuing a dog in northern Thailand and watched the entrails float down the river. And dogs hung up in the window of butcher shops in Vietnam. I tried to tell myself I was being hypocritical thinking eating dog is somehow worse than eating other animals. It is hard though.
Oh wow. Just wow.
Good lord they char the crap out of those animals.
For some reason the dogs didn’t really bother me but the live dogs just look so sad. Everything looks like the guinea pigs I saw roasting in Ecuador.
Those poor dogs!
Oh wow, all the animals look like they died screaming in pain.
The living dogs would have broken my heart.
Hmm.. I thought the Kashgar animal markets were bad. This is HORRIBLE.
I guess folks who find cows to be sacred would find visiting your average supermarket in Europe or America fairly horrific too
It’s interesting how one part of the world regards a type of animal as a pet, and in another part of the world it’s a viable food source. Fascinating stuff, if a tad on the gory side. Although as I said.. your average supermarket meat section is not really any worse… just more cunningly disguised!
I just lost my appetite. I don’t know what’s worse the slaughtered animals or the Blackened ones..
Even though I come from a Hindu family where cow is Sacred I eat (Read: Enjoy) Beef.
I don’t think I can even eat Bats/ rats/snakes.. Too adventurous for my tastes
I liked the attention to the detail in the photos..
~Shilpi
Interesting photos. Thank you for sharing. As another commentor mentioned, our stores would be just as grotesque to another culture.
Traveling to China, Morocco and Egypt gave me some interesting views of things. Eating horse sashimi in Japan was an experience.
People in the states and perhaps some parts of Europe would find eating dog or horse horrific. Both dogs and horses are practically a religion in the US, based on the money consumed and time spent caring for them. I’m not anti-dog or horse at all but I also look at the reality the situation.
Yet, in other countries, this is perfectly acceptable and good. We are so used to having our meat wrapped in pretty packages that we’re not used to the real image of getting food.
I witnessed a very similar market in Yangshuo, China. I found it difficult seeing dogs and cats in ridiculously tight quarters awaiting their fate.
Thanks for posting, even though some of the scenes were tough to handle. It’s good to learn that places like this exist to get an understanding of the way different cultures live. Now that I’ve seen it, I probably wouldn’t want to go there in person.
Raymond, I can only say that you’re pictures are both sensational, shocking and gory. I really don’t know if I could hang around there and take photos, like you say, it’s the live animals awaiting their fate that you feel sorry for.
I love Indonesia but these markets are terrible.. Why eat rat, bats let alone dogs? Yes we eat meat and buy in our supermarkets but this is different .. I burst into tears in a fish market seeing rays and sharks, I don’t know what I’d do seeing this.. But thanks for sharing.
We went to a similar market in China and it really upset us to be there. It’s the fact that the animals see exactly what will happen to them as they await their fate. I had tears in my eyes and couldn’t take it. I couldn’t take the dogs, the chickens, the snakes, the turtles. Everything broke my heart. It’s the fact that they blow torch the dogs right in front of the other dogs sitting in the cage. That they cut off the parts right in front of the animals that are still alive in the cage, They are squished together in tiny cages and minimal water. Even the scorpions were tortured as they squirmed on skewers to be deep fried alive. It is a depressing scene.
Humans are just the worst living creature on the planet. We seem to want to make everything suffer.
We took photos of the dogs and turtles etc in China and couldn’t even bring ourselves to write a post about it. It’s just not something we’re comfortable with sharing. I know that pigs and chickens are treated poorly in North America as well. It’s a human thing, we’re a terrible species.
I sat on the fence with these photos for a while as well. I like to keep things pretty upbeat and quirky around here, but the world can sometimes be an unsettling place, and I think that needs to be shown as well.
Thanks for the comment Deb!
NOOOOO! Not a dead sloth
Also, bats?! They don’t even look real – and they look pretty massive, too…shudder.
As for the dogs thing, some people here in Korea still eat dog and I just can’t get my head around it still. I grew up surrounded by dogs and don’t know how anybody could eat one.
Dead sloth?!?! Nooooooooo! Also holy crap those bats are big! Shudder…
As for the dogs…I live in Korea where people still eat dog meat, although thankfully it’s not common. I know it’s part of the culture, but I just can’t get my head around it as I grew up surrounded by dogs. It’s something I’d never, ever eat.
I am the same way — I could never eat a dog. Cats on the other hand…
Oh…really horrible to see! But it is needed to show the reality, to not hide away from it. So good on you, even if it hurts when looking. We must bet angry, upset, sad, horrified, all these feeling we needs so that we act!! Because we must many join together and makes the life better for all animals, and of course for all humans, but it all go hand in hand. Here is my project to raise awareness and help dogs in Bali if anyone is interested: http://www.dog-stories-from-bali.com
Thanks for stopping by Anna — looks like a great project!
I think I would be the one bartering to get the live dogs freed. But what would I do with them all? I surely can’t take them all home, I would have to contact some dog rescue people I know of…
I thank you and admire your bravery for going to this market, I think to TRAVEL and truly travel – one must need to see all that is different, even if it hurts our hearts
I am liking your travel blog a little too much… I have training to modify and update!
Cynthia, one must see dead things to truly feel alive!
I remember those training update days, so good luck!
oh and were those bat penis?
There were indeed!
This market reminds me a lot of Chinese markets
. Nice shots. How did you feel exploring it?
I actually felt sort of queasy towards the end. I’m glad I didn’t have breakfast before I went that’s for sure.
Thanks for commenting Agness!
I wonder how many of the people whho are appalled by these scenes eat meat. I’m not sure why eating a cute little dog is worse than eating a cute little lamb. The good thing about this market is that it doesn’t sanitise the truth of eating animals as we do in the west. Most peopple would be horrified by this but eat battery farmed chickens and non free range meat. What’s worse – that or the Tomohon market?
I do eat meat, and accept that an animal has to die however i buy my meat from a local butcher where I know that the animal has been dispatched humanely and has lived locally so hasn’t spent hours being transported to a huge abattoir where things can go wrong- the issue with a lot of eastern cultures is that cruelty seems to be acceptable in the killing process and even thought to enhance the flavour or give it additional health benefits- this needs to be stopped along with the fur, ivory and other animal bi-products.
Neil, no animal is ‘dispatched’ humanely. The fear is still in those animals as they await their fate as it is in the dogs waiting their fate in these markets. It’s a known fact that the stunning process is painful, it has been tested, and it is quite normal for animals to wake up during the skinning process. buying meat from a local butcher or not, animals do not need to die for us.
Lisa, I agree with you (but I think Neil is a humane, caring person – just needs to change his thinking some). The horror that goes on everyday is unacceptable. There must be something we can do about it. I just started to watch (couldn’t stand to finish) a youtube video showing a crying dog being pulled out of a cage in the Tomohon market and being beaten with a club. I feel guilty going through life without doing something about it. Organizations like the Humane Society aren’t. They pay their staff huge salaries and huge pensions (http://www.humanewatch.org/pets_or_pensions/). I can’t stand it any longer. What goes on every day is heinous. We see only a tiny, minuscule fraction of it.