Historic Banjarmasin's canals & padddies

Banjarmasin, long the trading capital of South Kalimantan, sits astride the deltas of the Barito and Martapura Rivers. Canals were once the only highways, now more than 60 canals, lined densely with stilt cottages, are still used for transportation. Klotoks fly along the narrow waterways, gangs of kids dive in and grab on for free rides, and the everyday life of the people is open to all passers by.

Further up the canals are the rice paddies, parched now in the dry season, the grains ripening and patiently picked stem by stem by women with a homemade device looking like a spinning top, with a cutting edge. Slowly the rice is gathered and sold to the market. The nearby tiny village is home to the farmers, fishermen and boatmen, living a life simple and constrained by the seasons.

A drive to Banjar Baru leads to the Lambung Mangkurat Museum which offers a fascinating insight into the old life of the trading peoples of the region and the Dutch colonial era. Outstanding pieces are an ornate beaten gold backed throne came from a bygone era of sultans, and a serene landscape with lines of marching regiments going to the top of a hill. We saw exhibitions of the art of bark fabrics, some gossamer thin, patiently beaten out using a bamboo mallet. And another one of ceramics, with a wonderful naive painting of the smooth appealing shapes of earthenware vessels.

Canal tours and Museum visits can be arranged by WOW Borneo.

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El Nino intensifies the dry season in 2015

Normally Kalimantan experiences a musim kamarau or dry season in August, September and October. In recent years this pattern has varied. This year, with the combination of an El Nino weather pattern, we are being warned to expect a longer and drier season than usual. Our cruises have been suspended for September and October as a result.

The extended dry conditions and the lack of rain have led to land clearance fires going out of control over large areas of Kalimantan, causing low visibility and high levels of particulate air pollution. These conditions make it unhealthy for our guests and unsafe to operate boats on the river. Our airport suffers daily flight delays and cancellations.

As the rains normally return in November, and some rains are predicted to start falling in early October, our cruises will recommence from November.

To ensure that all guests on our cruises enjoy the activities as described in our website, we have amended the programs to adapt to the river as levels go down.
This program uses more car transfers and a sample is printed below.
We will automatically revert to our normal programs should the river conditions improve.

ORANGUTAN & DAYAK VILLAGE CRUISE

Dry season September October 2015 2n

Bukit Rawi – Muara Rungan - Palangkaraya

Day 1 ARRIVAL PALANGKARAYA – BUKIT RAWI  -  MUARA RUNGAN

Meet at Tjilik Riwut Airport or your hotel in Palangkaraya and transfer to the Rahai’i Pangun in Palangkaraya harbour to start your journey.

On arrival in Palangkaraya Port, do a walking though the boardwalk village to the handicraft street. Board the boat again for lunch and the cruise to Tanjung Sangalang. Here we transfer to cars for the short trip to the old Sigi village. See the magnificently painted sandungs (bonehouses) and watch as rubber is taken from the trees.

We then move to the village of Bukit Rawi for a stroll through the old town. Enjoy a traditional dance performance by the village children.

Return to the boat and cruise to the mouth of the Rungan River for dinner in the midst of the jungle.

Day 2 PALANGKARAYA– BAPALLAS ISLAND & ORANGUTAN EDUCATON CENTRE

Enjoy breakfast on board as the boat cruises to Palangkaraya.

Transfer to cars for the trip to Pangenan village. Here we board a large motorised canoe to see orang-utans on Bapallas Island, a beautiful pre-release island in the Rungan River.

After this, we visit the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation Education Centre, to learn more about their rescue and rehabilitation program. 

Return to the cars for the short trip to the Eco Village in the Rungan Sari forest for lunch.

After lunch, we go to the nearby village of Sei Gohong to take canoes to see orangutans on Kaja pre-release island. After this experience, we return to the village for some local refreshments.

As dusk falls, we board cars to return the boat. Cruise downstream to a quiet location for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 PALANGKARAYA - CHECK OUT

Enjoy your last breakfast on board as the boat cruises to Palangkaraya.

Pack your bags for transfer to the airport.

A Tiwah at Tewang Rangas on the Katingan River, Central Kalimantan

The second burial or cleaning of the ancestor bones for ceremonial reburial is called the tiwah, in the language of Kahayan Dayaks. In Dayak mythology, embedded in their kaharingan religion, this enables departed family members to reach the highest place in heaven. It is also a right of passage for the survivors to show their worthiness and financial ability to plan and carry out the tiwah ritual, which will in turn bless them with greater harvests and wealth. In Tewang Rangas, background planning over 3 months has gone into preparing every detail for the giant send off ritual pesta tiwah over the final 3 days. As is often the case, this is a mass tiwah, where many families send off their ancestors together. For this, they share the costs and received generous support from local government. The Katingan region still has many adherents of the ancient Dayak religion and tiwah will often take place in August.

The colour of the banners, the placement of ritual objects and of the totem poles, all made during the lead up, the constant throbbing of gongs, which animals are sacrificed and the way meat is shared and the heads are suspended from the totems, is prescribed. Any variation is shunned. The ceremony is orchestrated by kaharingan or local religion basir who are rare and highly sought after these days. The basir prays to Ranying Hatalla Langit, the Kaharingan God, in the old Dayak language. 

The hornbill symbol is placed above all as a reminder of how the soul is transported to the next life in lewu tatau, the bejeweled village. The sacrificial animals accompany the souls on their journey and symbolic weapons give them the means to overcome seven challenges on the way.

 Carved, personalized totem poles, quirky and brilliantly adorned, are made for each soul, and are offered baram and other favourite foods and drinks during their last meal.

Imagine holding a pesta tiwah and inviting not only your own village, but all the villages nearby, the local council members and their families, Dayak adat leaders and elders as well as opening your doors to strangers and curious tourists who happen to turn up. All are warmly welcomed inside the community, fed and given lodging. But visitors have to pass a test, well, many tests, many related to determining that they have come with good intentions, not to disrupt the ritual.

Spirits are taken seriously. Wearing sack cloth and sababuka, or frightening masks, painted a few days before, and staying anonymous throughout, two bukung prowl the village scaring the kids and disruptive spirits. The good spirits are welcomed and housed in structure of bamboo poles decorated with batiks and the spiritual yellow banners in the centre of the festivities.

The music keeps all at a pitch of excitement, as families farewell and keen over their ancestors, whose cleaned bones are placed in newly carved and decorated coffins before the final transfer to the sandung, or family bone house. 

These days resonate with with parades, sacrifice rituals, vast cooking areas, sharing of food, drinking the rice wine or baram, chewing betelnut, gossip and gambling. The Kaharingan tiwah is still very much alive in this area.

I have used the more commonly known language of the Dayak ngaju tribe or the peoples living near Palangkaraya. This tiwah was held in the Katingan region, where the language and customs differ. There are in fact some 40 different Dayak tribes, with their own languages and customs in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.

Tiwah are held at irregular intervals. WOW Borneo can help you attend one.

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