KALIMANTAN or INDONESIAN BORNEO
Kalimantan is home to the “ Orang Gunung “ or mountain people.
Known as the Dayak, they preserve their own traditions, beliefs and architecture.
The island of Borneo is a large island with majestic mountains, colorful local cultures, and wide meandering rivers that offer the intrepid
traveler adventure and a true walk on the wild side.
BANJARMASIN
The provincial capital, Banjarmasin, lies at the mouth of the
Barito River where it joins the Martapura River.
The rivers have earned Banjarmasin the moniker of
“ Venice of Indonesia”. It is easy to see why.
The city is riddled with estuaries waterways and bridges.
Stilted houses are everywhere and the best market in town
is the floating market every morning. These traditional
loating houses are made of wood or bamboo and called "lanting."
To experience Banjarmasin you must take to the river, either by
"klotok" (river bus), or a speedboat for longer trips.
Buy exotic tropical fruits like mango Kesturi, rambutan (read and hairy with sweet pulpy flesh),
and honey sweet Kalimantan pineapples. A visit to the floating market at Kuin is delightful.
The other excellent river trip is to the Flower Island, not far from the floating markets at Kuin.
The island is inhabited by a large troupe of monkeys that live in an old Chinese temple.
The local Taoist population (human) bring offerings of fresh fruit and sweet breads.
The monkeys do get quite aggressive at times.
Kaget Island is home to the long nosed proboscis monkeys, a wide variety of birds,
and other riverine wildlife. It is easily reached by speedboat. Travel time is a mere
90mins from the dock in Banjarmasin. This offers the easiest way to experience
Borneo with all its jungles, rivers and wildlife. Some travelers will probably find it a little too easy and scoff.
Banjarmasin is now a thriving and modern city with ugly megamalls, cineplexes,
and the ever-present McD changing the character of this unique city.
Thankfully, it still retains friendly people and enough of charm and modcons
to keep the occasional tourist occupied. It is well worth
enjoying the comforts of the 21st century before venturing inland by boat.
Cempaka is a small village about 45 mins from Banjarmasin.
It is the centre of a diamond mining industry and is one of the wealthiest
small towns in Indonesia. The miners live a hard life, slogging knee deep in earth,
looking for the elusive little rocks that will change their fortunes.
A visit to the diamond market in Banjarbaru is a must.
The pasar is lined with diamond dealers, with men haggling over prices of this precious commodity.
Even if you are not an expert, prepare to spend a little to buy a small bauble.
USD 100 will buy you more here than it will at Tiffany.
Ask around the market to see diamond polishers and goldsmiths at work.
Loksado and White Water Rafting
Loksado is a mountainous market town east of Kandangan.
and an excellent place to base yourself for exploring the area.
The several villages in the area are traditional and are an easy trek from here.
The Amandit River runs through Loksado and then joins
the mighty Barito River. Visitors travel by river to get back after visiting Loksado.
The river trip, on a bamboo or rubber boat, includes some heart pounding white water sections.
The trip passes Muara Hatip and on to Batu Laki. The rapids rank grades 2 and a half to grade 3.
Kalimantan is an adventure. Well off the tourist map, Kalimantan offers raging white waters, trekking, and thick impenetrable jungles.
Banjarmasin is a city of canals and the Mahakam River leads to Dayak villages that fiercely protect its cultural heritage.
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