The Old Bugis Town of Balikpapan

by MKA,

So... this is Balikpapan, the second largest city in East Kalimantan after Samarinda. It is a port city I am no historian, therefore I don't know for sure where the hell the city got its name from. But from Malay translation, it could mean "the other side of a plank" or "behind a plank". The locals claim the name came from a story where a local king threw his newborn daughter into the sea to protect her from his enemies. The baby was tied beneath some planks that were discovered by a fisherman. Believe it or nor? Believe it!.

The city used to be an isolated Bugis fishing village until early 1900s before oil was discovered. The discovery of oil has transformed the village into a bustling city as what it is today. Other than Indonesian locals, there are also many Europeans, mainly French, living in this city. Most of them working in Petroleum Industry which is the main source of economic income for this city and the country as well.

To get here from KL, you need to transit in Jakarta. The flight from KL to Jakarta will take 2 hours and from Jakarta to Balikpapan is another 2 hours excluding time for transit. In reality, total one-way traveling time from KL to Balikpapan will be around 6 to 8 hours. Alternatively, you can also take a direct flight from LCCT to Sepinggan Airport by Air Asia. But there are only 3 flights per weeks.

The sea in front is the Straits of Makassar.

The sea in front is the Straits of Makassar.

City view facing south.

City view facing north.

This road is leading to the city's main road Jln. Jenderal Sudirman. Don't get confused with Jln. Jenderal Sudirman in Jakarta which named after the same person.

City skyline in the morning.

View facing inland.

Your visit will not complete without trying the local delicacies. Balikpapan is also famous with its array of seafood restaurants. But the best is to find a specialty restaurant. We went to a restaurant called Dandito which is a crab specialist (so called but seems legit). It is situated along Jln. Jen. Sudirman about 2 km from the Sepinggan Airport.

Crab cooked with some kind of spicy sauce. We ordered female crab with eggs. If you prefer a bigger crab, you can opt for male crab, of course without eggs.

Vegetables cooked with "cumi" an Indonesian word for squid.

I cannot disclose the name of these two guys, but they are not bad guys.

Travelling around by a chartered taxi.

All these eaten by the monstrous guys.

Time to get back to Jakarta. This is the main entrance of Sepinggan Airport. Next to this (not in the picture) a new airport building being constructed which will be completed in 2014 or 2015. It will be a really huge airport, probably bigger than Batu Berendam, Melaka.

While in Balikpapan, we stayed in Novotel Hotel. Normal rates is around 100+ USD. Cheaper than Novotel Airport Hotel in Bangkok which can go as high as 250 USD/night.

The restaurant closed at 11pm, but I felt hungry later than that, which means I have to call the room service to order food. The food on the flight seemed to be not enough and its the time for proper dinner meal. I ordered a fried rice called Balikpapan Special Fried Rice served with Beef Satay, prawn and chiken.

The pool overlooking the city.