AT the end of a hot, bone-shaking fourhour drive east of Makassar lies this sleepy seaside town of stilted bright blue and green houses and a strip of shoreline almost worthy of the title “tropical beach paradise.” Counter to conventional wisdom, for one reason or another, this is a rarity in Indonesia.

Bira is one of those places you intend to visit for a few days but stay a week. From the cluster of guesthouses it’s only a fe