In 2017, on a trip to South Sulawesi, I arrived at a small village called Bira and came across a group of men building the hull for a new Pinisi (Phinisi), the traditional wooden sailing boats that this tribe has been making the same way for generations. I knew a little about the Bugis people and their rich history, just enough to spark my imagination and set in motion dreams of following in the footsteps of the early explorers.