The city of Makassar is the largest city in the eastern part of Indonesia and is therefore the trading center and airline hub that connects the western Indonesian islands with the eastern islands of the archipelago. For centuries Makassar has been a strategic trading port where merchants from India, China, the Indonesian islands, and later the Europeans came to exchange their goods for local export commodities that include gold, silver, pearls, silks, coffee, and spices that were gathered from surrounding regions. Until today Makassar still has that aura of the old cosmopolitan trading center, where majestic Phinisi sailing ships can be seen tied to the pier at the Paotere harbor.