Location : Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia.
Long overdue post of our trip last year to Derawan, Maratua and all the other islands around them. There are 3 ways to reach these islands ex the jetty from Tanjung Batu which is 2 hours drive from Tanjung Redeb in the regency of Berau. We chose the most difficult route from Kuala Lumpur to Balikpapan-Samarinda-Bonta
The flight from KLIA2 took us 3hours and the first surprise to catch us was the brand new airport. Frankly speaking I still prefer the old and exotic looking airport which was just beside the new one. I hope they keep the old one and turn it into something useful.
The 2hr drive to Samarinda was very pleasant this time. Road was widened and straightened plus a fresh coat of asphalt. As we got pass the half way point something pinkish on the roadside caught our attention – it was the season of the dragon fruit. Kaltim’s latest craze. Everyone is into it and why not. Healthy fruit and good income. Grade 1 was selling for RP15,000 a kilo. Fascinated by it, we stopped to grab some and also to sneak into one of the many farms closeby.
As we got nearer to Samarinda I noticed the ‘Rumah Adat Tator’ on the right and quickly got my Bugis host Mr Guntur to U turn back so we could check out this latest addition. Awesome architectural structures of the Dayak Toraja of Sulawesi. Good to see another ‘foreign’ culture blending into Kaltim’s colourful landscape. 5 houses were already up. Looking forward to another visit when this project is completed.
We would like to thank the group of young adventurers of Samarinda Backpackers to come out to meet us after dinner. Their choice of the venue for the meetup was most interesting. Allowed us to learn how the locals ‘lepak’.
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Also please check out our posts on
- Day 2 : Samarinda Seberang
- Day 3 : Kota Bontang, Sangkima
- Day 4 : Kutai National Park, Sangatta
- Day 5 : Wahau
- Day 5 : Miau Baru, Suku Dayak Kayan Village
- Day 5 : Desa Wisata Kampung Merasa, Kelay
- Day 6 : Maratua Island Part 1
- Day 6 : Maratua Island Part 2
- Day 6 : Dead Coral Reef Island
- Day 6 : Teluk Alulu Village
- Day 6 : Kampung Bohe Silian & Bohe Bukut
- Day 6 : Kakaban Island, Stingless Jellyfish Lake
- Day 6 : Sangalaki Island, Diving Snorkeling Paradise
- Day 6 : Pulau Pasir
- Day 7 : Derawan Island
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