Home ATTRACTIONS City/Village FAM Trip Kaltara: Final-Bits & Pieces in Tarakan

Familiarisation Trip, backpackers, destination, exploration, North Kalimantan, Obyek wisata, Tourism, trans border, cross border, Borneo, 婆罗洲印尼游踪, 北加里曼丹打拉根 — Cheers

FAM Trip Kaltara: Final-Bits & Pieces in Tarakan

December 21, 2020

Location : Kota Tarakan, Kalimantan Utara, Indonesia.

Tarakan is an island and the largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is located in northern Borneo, just across the border from Sabah, Malaysia.

So finally, this is our last post for the trip comprising of photos of the things we did before we left Tarakan for Nunukan, connecting to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu, Singapore and as for us to Kuching. We had to return to Tawau via Nunukan as no express boat was plying Tawau direct on that particular day. Thanks to Mr Ivan Kansil for his good local connections we were able to have a smooth connecting boat ride through Nunukan.

ferry terminal, express boat, speedboat ride, Kapal Besar, international, backpackers, exploration, destination, Indonesia, obyek wisata, Tourism, travel guide, cross border, 跨境婆罗洲游踪, 印尼北加里曼丹 — Arriving at Nunukan port

pelabuhan, ferry ride, Kapal Besar, international, Transportation, backpackers, exploration, Obyek wisata, Tourism, travel guide, Cross Border, Trans Border, Borneo, 探索婆罗洲游踪, 印尼北加里曼丹 — Nunukan port

express boat, international, Transportation, backpackers, destination, exploration, Kalimantan Utara, Obyek wisata, tourism, travel guide, Trans Border, — Lots of money changers like her

pelabuhan, express boat, speedboat ride, international, Transportation, backpackers, exploration, Indonesia, North Kalimantan, Tourism, travel guide, Trans Border, cross border, 跨境婆罗洲游踪, 沙巴斗湖渡轮码头 — Paying for excess baggage at Tawau port

Just to mention that on the day before our departure, we were able to squeeze a few a visits such as the oldest Chinese temple, souvenir shop, Gajah Mada Hotel and most interesting of all the ‘red light’ joints of Tarakan.

backpackers, destination, exploration, North Kalimantan, Obyek wisata, Tourism, travel guide, trans border, 探索婆罗洲游踪, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根岛旅游景点, — A working pump in town

backpackers, destination, exploration, Obyek wisata, tourist attraction, kelenteng, travel guide, Trans Border, Borneo, 探索婆罗洲游踪, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根岛古庙 — Visit the oldest chinese temple in town

local products, backpackers, destination, exploration, Indonesia, Obyek wisata, Tourist attraction, tourism, travel guide, Borneo, trans border, cross border, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根岛旅游景点, — Noisy time at the souvenir shop

exploration, Tourism, Cross Border, Borneo, 北加里曼丹打拉根岛 — Hospital

penginapan, backpackers, destination, exploration, Indonesia, Tourism, travel guide, Cross Border, Borneo, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根旅店住宿 — Thanks to Mr Kie Pie for the tour of his hotel Gajah Mada

backpackers, destination, exploration, Indonesia, obyek wisata, Tourism, Cross Border, Borneo, 跨境婆罗洲印尼游踪, 北加里曼丹打拉根岛 — Happy cafe

backpackers, destination, exploration, Obyek wisata, Tourism, Kaltara, Food Court, Cross Border, Borneo, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根岛旅游景点, — Cafe Inbox

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Upon the offer of Mr KP to lead the tour, 6 of us from Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak took up the offer as Mr KP honestly explained that it was all part of the tourism industry. Nothing to hide. We agreed of course and off we went for the window shopping. If we had expected bikini bars and pole dancing like in Pattaya or Angeles City we would have been greatly disappointed. They were mostly Indonesian girls in hot pants sitting in multi tier seat ‘aquariums’ playing with their handphones while waiting for customers to book them by the hour for karaoke. I believe anything is negotiable after the singing is done.

backpackers, destination, exploration, Indonesia, Obyek wisata, Tourist attraction, travel guide, Cross Border, Borneo, 印尼北加里曼丹, 打拉根岛旅游景点 — The Aquariums in Tarakan

Tarakan, Red light district, backpackers, exploration, Indonesia, North Kalimantan, Tourism, travel guide, Cross Border, trans border, Borneo — Karaokes

I need to take this opportunity to mention that when we were taking the express boat from Nunukan to Tawau, the air-conditioning was broken and passengers were sitting on the steps at the doorways indicating there was over booking. We had to open the porthole windows otherwise we would die from suffocation.

ferry, express boat, Kapal Besar, international, Transportation, backpackers, destination, exploration, Indonesia, North Kalimantan, Tourism, Cross Border, Borneo, 穿越婆罗洲游踪, 印尼北加里曼丹 — Broken air-conditioner so had to open the porthole windows. And notice the passengers sitting on both sides of the steps.

The Maritime Department of Nunukan needs to fix the negligence in enforcement here. Otherwise, the whole trip was simply awesome. Thanks to North Kalimantan Tourism Board and all the crews who made our stay so unforgettable.