Let’s get this out of the way first: Tana Toraja is not a suitable holiday destination for any of the following: committed vegetarians, animal rights activists, or anyone with a pressing sense of their own mortality. But if you like your meat, don’t get squeamish at the sight of trussed-up pigs on their way to slaughter, and have no problems with a few skeletons, then the green hills of South Sulawesi are for you. The elegant tongkonan houses that sit like boats on a green sea play a central role in Torajan culture. They can neither be bought nor sold (although apparently they can be dismantled and sold in pieces to those wanting to take home a souvenir.

Newly carved and painted house panels can be found for around Rp 50,000 all over the place, but for an authentic piece of toraja, keep an eye out for sales of old houses, with weathered panels going for around Rp 200,000) and generally last for a century or two.