Traveling Blog by Aden: The river city of Banjarmasin

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The river city of Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is the capital city of  South Kalimantan, Indonesia.This city known as the “River City” because this city located on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. The city is laced with flood-prone waterways, and many houses are built on rafts or stilts over the water. Many of such waterways are also used for travel, using relatively small rowboats. 

To experience Banjarmasin of course we must visit Muara Kuin floating market in the river of Barito, take to the river by a “klotok” or “jukung” --a kind of river bus.The floating market is a traditional market that all activities carried out over the water by boats. The atmosphere is unique because it looks squeezed between large and small boats, the oats are both not motorized and motorized and always shaky because of the river water waves, sellers and buyers is also using the boat. 



The Muara Kuin floating market is the meeting point of merchants from various villages along the Barito river branches. As a market, the floating market also contain food stall and tea shops. But all of the shops stay on the boats. It is conceivable, how beautiful, eating on the boat that sometimes, we slammed by big waves, because of big boat passing in the river. Not to mention the sprinkling of water flying into our faces, because between one and another boat are collided with each other, but do not worry, because the boats are always safe.


Although the shape of a boat is small, but there are also dining table, kitchen, dish racks and sinks.

However, seats are not available. Everyone has to sit with cross-legged. Foods sold here are as follows: soto Banjar, soup, nasi kuning , rawon, curry and typical of Banjar snacks . If you want to try different kinds of snacks, you can buy it from another boat that specialized in selling snacks. To get it, you do not need to move closer to the seller snack boat, you can use a pole with hook at one end. 

Not far from the floating market there are Pulau Kembang, the place of hundreds monkeys. 




Banjarmasin is served by the Syamsudin Noor Airport, located about 25 km outside the town. The town is also served by a port, named Trisakti Harbour. A fairly important deepwater port, Pelabuhan Trisakti Banjarmasin is the trade center of the Barito basin; exports include rubber, pepper, timber, petroleum, coal, gold, and diamonds. Passenger ships and ferries to and from Java also carry their operation here.

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