The first outlet of this restaurant was opened in Tomohon. Until now, there have been a few outlets spreading in Manado already. Google told me that Parakletos was famous for its banana fritter and avocado durian red bean ice. So we went there to actually taste them!
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| The famous avocado durian red bean. I think it is too overrated. |
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| People in North Sulawesi eat banana fritters with chili sauce and I tell you, the taste is marvelous |
I can't really remember the price exactly, but the ice cost about IDR 25000 (SGD 2.7) and the banana fritters cost about IDR 15000 (SGD 1.6) for a plate of ten.
It was raining very very heavily when we were there. So we waited for a while before we moved to the next destination: Bukit Doa.
Bukit Doa, or Prayer Hill if translated to English, was built in 2007 and has been used as a venue for retreat and via dolorosa prior to Good Friday. Bukit Doa has also been an icon of Tomohon. There are two entrances to go to Prayer Hill. The first one is to go to the retreat dorm while the second one is to climb and pass through the via dolorosa.
So we went for the second entrance because the first was not accessible. There was an entrance fee of IDR 10000 (SGD1.1) per person to enjoy this place. Car could only access to the parking lot at the toe of the hill. After that, it was our job to climb, Baby!
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| The cross that greeted us when we entered Prayer Hill |
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| The view at the toe of the hill |
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| The road to climb, so pretty!!! |
While climbing, we followed the story of Jesus from the time he was judged by Pilate until he raised from the dead. Along the climb we could also see a lot of flowers and greenery. I really felt peaceful walking there although it was quite a tough accent.
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| Why not stop for a while and smell the nature? |
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| And of course, feel the peacefulness of walking up and up and up |
The story of Jesus ended at the tomb. When we walked out of the tomb, we were surprised by another sight: a plaza, a pond, and St Mary's Grotto. Quite a number of people were sitting around the area. A few of my friends quickly used the chance to pray and of course we took tons of photos here!
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| The green pond |
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| Praying in front of St Mary |
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| No chance for photo taking shall be left unattended hohoho |
After this area, we saw another step to go up. We doubted whether we should climb further. But again, we were already there and it would be a waste not to explore the whole thing. So we went up.
And taa daa.
No dissapointment.
I felt that I was looking at heaven.
I saw green grass patch, a dome-shaped chapel, an amphitheater, and a view of Tomohon city and Mount Lokon.
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| The huge amphitheater was the first thing that we saw after reaching the top |
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| The chapel, the grass, and the sky, what a perfect combination |
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| What else to do other than taking pictures? |
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| Can you see Mount Lokon behind? We are so in love. |
Without realizing, we spent about two hours there. It was time to move. We asked Mr. Raymond to pick us at another parking area on top. So no worries, when you visit Bukit Doa, you will not need to crawl back down again. I strongly recommend everyone who visit Manado and Tomohon to come to this place. The star of the day!
Next Post - Tomohon We are In Love Finale
Love is in the air,
Little Feet
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