Kalimantan Archives | Page 5 Of 6

Relying on the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border route for a livelihood

Published on May 1, 2019

Travel

Living near the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, the Krayan Highland communities have one famous saying among themselves: “Harimau di perut, Garuda di dada.” It means ‘tiger in my stomach, Garuda in my heart’, with the tiger referring to Malaysia, and the Garuda to Indonesia.

Although they are Indonesians by citizenship, they rely heavily on Malaysian supplies for their daily lives.

Since the Krayan Highlands are surrounded by mountain ranges and connected by rivers with high rapids, there is no river or land transportation to the rest of North Kalimantan.

Relying on the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border route for a livelihood — Aircraft flying into Krayan Highlands are usually small models such as Cessna Grand Caravans, Twin Otter, or Pilatus aircraft.

The biggest township in Krayan, Long Bawan has an airport offering daily flights to coastal towns such as Nunukan and Tarakan.

But the air fare is expensive and not everyone can afford it. Furthermore, each passenger can only bring up to 10kg of goods.

The solution? They head over to Malaysia’s Ba Kelalan to buy their supply.

Passing through the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border for basic necessities

There is another famous saying in Krayan, “Everything here from Malaysia is enough, except for cigarettes.”

True enough, everything they use such as sugar, coffee, Milo, flour, cement, batteries, toothpaste, detergent, cooking gas, mineral water, biscuits are all sourced from Malaysia. Even the vehicles such as motorcycles and 4WD trucks there have Malaysian registration plates.

Most Krayan residents come to Malaysia to shop via the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang route. Recent statistics from the Malaysian Immigration Office showed that more than 2,000 visitors come in via the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang route every month.

They used to shop at Ba Kelalan without going any further than that. For the past 15 years or so, the Krayan residents also drove directly to Lawas, bypassing Ba Kelalan.

Crossing Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border for source of income

According to local guide Alex Ballang, the residents from Krayan also used the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang route to sell their products.

“Here in Krayan, we have three main products; mountain salt, adan rice and buffalo. We do not sell them solely to Malaysia but also to Brunei. Buffalo can be sold up to RM5,000 per head.

“Some might complain why we don’t sell our products such as salt and rice in Indonesia. But due to accessibility, it is easier and more convenient to trade across the border.”

A visit to any sundry shop in Long Bawan and you will find the local traders selling more Malaysian products.

Living near the Indonesia-Malaysia border has been relatively peaceful for the people in Krayan. “We have families across the border and cross-border marriages are common here.”

Plus, the Lundayeh people in Krayan are considered ethnically the same group as the Lun Bawang people in Malaysia. Alex added, “We are from the same root. Even language-wise, we speak in a similar language.”

Improving the livelihood of the Krayan people

Perhaps because Indonesia is a large country, it has been difficult to provide basic infrastructure and supplies to the Krayan Highlands.

Besides public schools, other basic infrastructure provided for by the Indonesian government so far have been solar power and telecommunication towers in selected places.

However, not all villages in Krayan are able to enjoy the privileges. Some residents like Alex are still optimistic about the government’s latest effort.

“For starters, we had asphalt road for the first time here in Krayan. Plus, construction is still ongoing to improve the road condition here. Recently, we had diesel and petrol subsidies flying in three times a week from Tarakan so we no longer need to buy them in Malaysia.

“But we still need to rely on Malaysia to buy our basic food supply like sugar and other necessities. Will Jakarta remember us if we can no longer buy these items from Sarawak?”

Perupun, the mysterious Lundayeh ancient burial tombs of Krayan Highlands

Published on April 30, 2019

Culture

Long time ago, the Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for the country’s Pharaohs and their consorts.

Here in the central region of Borneo in the Krayan Highlands, the ancient Lundayeh community built perupun to bury their dead.

Both ancient burial tombs have one thing in common, nobody really knows how exactly they were built.

Perupun, the mysterious Lundayeh ancient burial tombs of Krayan Highlands — The journey to the ancient Lundayeh tomb in Pa Rupai requires a little bit of hiking.

Perupun in Pa Rupai village

According to an elder from Pa Rupai village near Long Midang Murad Baru, 73, perupun means ‘batu yang dikumpul’ or piled up stones.

It takes about 20 minutes’ hike from the main road to reach the only perupun in his village.

Nobody knows whom the tomb belongs to, but as Murad said, “This man must be a man of wealth and most probably some sort of a leader or a nobleman.”

He further explained, “Since he was without an heir, nobody was allowed to take his wealth, and he was buried together with all his belongings.

“In order to protect his wealth from tomb raiders, or his enemies from taking his head off his body, they piled up all of these stones on top of his grave.”

Murad said his grandparents used to tell him that many noblemen back then did not have any heirs. It was believed they were cursed to die without children to carry on their line by others jealous of their courage and wealth.

Over the years, the stone mound at Pa Rupai has been heavily damaged by thieves. Today, there is still evidence of a gaping hole where thieves tried to dig up the tomb.

Accroding to Murad, the perupun was damaged even before his time but he believed that whoever the thieves might be, they must be living a cursed life.

“Anybody who tries to steal from the perupun will experience misfortune until his death. Back then when I was a child, it was even forbidden for us to visit this tomb. But we became lenient over the years, and now everybody can visit these ancient tombs.”

Building a perupun

“Can you imagine how people in the olden days managed to collect all these more than 100 big stones to build this stone mound?” Murad asked.

They most probably carried these stones from the river about 10 meters away to build the tomb.

Judging by the hole left by the thieves, the perupun could be two meters deep and the stones piled up two meters up from the ground.

“Most probably they took up to two weeks to build it. According to my grandparents, the olden community would come together at this site, cooking here, eating here, while building it.”

Since nobody could inherit the nobleman’s wealth – including his livestock – the villagers would have slaughtered all his livestock and eaten them while building his tomb.

The perupun in Terang Baru village

In Terang Baru village, there are two perupun. Just like the perupun in Pa Rupai, nobody knows whom these tombs belong to. All they know is that they belonged to noble people because perupun are not built for commoners.

It helps that they found beads in one of the two perupun. According to Krayan native Ellias Yesaya, this particular perupun most probably belonged to a noblewoman.

Unfortunately, time and the natural elements have left both perupun in bad condition. The stones have either rolled away or collapsed and are covered in weeds.

A fence surrounds one of the perupun to prevent wandering buffalo from damaging it any further while the other perupun (the one believed to belong to a noblewoman) is located on private property.

Besides Pa Rupai and Terang Baru, perupun can also be found in Long Umung, Pa Raye, Long Layu, Long Api and Pa Kebuan. There are also jar burial sites in the Krayan Highlands which most likely belong to the commoners.

Ellias had two theories on how people in the olden days managed to build these ancient tombs.

“I think our ancestors were way taller and stronger than us. I remember in the 60s when I was still in school, they found bones in old burial grounds. Their bones were very long,” Ellias said.

Another way was that they used their strength in numbers and simply did ‘gotong-royong’ (communal work).

“The community could have come together and built this perupun,” he added.

Crocodile mounds, where the headhunting after-party took place in Krayan Highlands

Published on April 29, 2019

Culture

The Lundayeh people of Indonesia had the same reasons to build crocodile mounds or effigies like the Lun Bawang people in Sarawak; to celebrate successful headhunting trips.

Crocodile mounds, where the headhunting after-party took place in Krayan Highlands — Melud leading the way to one of the two sites of crocodile mounds in his village of Pa Rupai.

In the olden days, it was considered a great achievement for a man to take an enemy’s head.

Upon returning home, they would raise a pole (called ulung) on an earthen mound shaped like a crocodile.

In Krayan Highlands of North Kalimantan province today, these crocodile mounds can be found in places like Long Midang, Tang Payeh, Trang Baru and Long Layu.

Each mound is maintained by the communities who live near the area. However over the years, the shape of the crocodile on these mounds are difficult to distinguish. This is due to several factors such as soil erosion as well as trampling by animals such as buffalo.

Crocodile mounds as a symbol of bravery

According to Melud Baru, 73, from Pa Rupai village of Long Midang, the Lundayeh tribe picked the crocodile as a symbol of bravery.

“According to our ancestors long time ago when we still had lamin panjang (longhouse), they made this as a symbol of bravery. They picked a crocodile because it thrives both on land and in the river,” he said.

“My grandfather told us the crocodile was an unbeatable animal. Its scales are impenetrable, it has strong jaws and teeth to bite its opponent, its tail can be used to strike its enemies.”

No other animal could ever beat the crocodile before so their ancestors picked the crocodile as their symbol of bravery.

They are specific ways to build these crocodile mounds. Most of their heads face the river,to protect the community who built them from enemies coming for them from the river.

A headhunting after-party on the crocodile mounds

The crocodile mounds were where the celebrations took place after the headhunters came back from a successful headhunting trip.

Melud said, “Back then during our ancestors time, if there was a conflict among them, they wouldn’t talk it out like they do nowadays. The young people just gathered and went headhunting to ‘solve’ the conflicts – less talk that way.

“For headhunters who just came back from the trip, they would ‘slash’ the body of the crocodile mound using their parang just to say, ‘We are home!’ Then, they would drink and celebrate.”

The celebrations at these mounds lasted for weeks, sometimes even months.

On top of these mounds, they would erect the ulung for them to hang the heads that they claimed from their enemies.

Before the celebration, they would prepare jars of rice wine or burak. The amount of jars prepared ranged from 10 and above depending on the amount of heads they achieved. Thus, the more heads, the more rice wine they prepared.

“The weird thing is that there are no crocodiles here in Krayan, so our ancestors may have never even seen a crocodile. But they managed to build a crocodile mound. Maybe some of them had travelled far enough to have seen a crocodile,” Melud said.

A memorable dinner at Coffee Malabar Tarakan

Published on April 24, 2019

Travel

During my recent trip to North Kalimantan organised by WWF-Indonesia, I had the opportunity to spend a night in Tarakan.

The island of Tarakan is located in northern Borneo, just across the border from Sabah, Malaysia.

After enjoying our evening view at Pantai Amal while devouring countless numbers of crunchy fried shrimp and hard clams, I thought I had enough.

However, my friends convinced me to eat something or at least try something new. How often do I get to visit Indonesia, let alone Tarakan right?

We were then brought to Coffee Malabar Tarakan at Pamusian, Tarakan Tengah.

At a glance, it looked like a typical hispterish, Insta-worthy dining place. They had funny and interesting quotes about coffee on the wall, antique decorations, unique lighting and old doors for the ceiling. The patrons all seemed to be relaxed and enjoying themselves.

A memorable dinner at Coffee Malabar Tarakan — Coffee Malabar Tarakan

There were plenty of choices of Indonesian, western and fusion cuisines. Too many for me that I couldn’t decide what to have.

After few suggestions from my friends, I decided to give nasi gudeg a try. Without even asking any more details, I just left my taste buds and gastronomic experience in the hands of my new friends.

My first nasi gudeg at Coffee Malabar Tarakan

When my order finally arrived, the first thing I tried was the gudeg. Originally from Yogyakarta and Central Java, gudeg is made from young unripe jackfruit stewed for several hours with palm sugar and coconut milk.

So you can imagine my first thought was that it was sweet.

Some of the additional spices for gudeg are galangal, bay leaves, garlic, shallot, coriander seed and teak leaves. Teak leaves give it its reddish-brown colour, making it looked like stewed beef.

The nasi gudeg was also served with other side dishes such as opor ayam, telur pindang and krechek – all of which were new for me.

Let me start with opor ayam; it is basically chicken cooked in coconut milk. For Malaysians, imagine ayam masak lemak but with less ‘lemak’ or coconut milk.

Telur pindang looked like my favourite Chinese tea egg (where a boiled egg is cracked and cooked again in tea) but without the herbal fragrance. The telur pindang is boiled slowly in water mixed with salt, soy sauce, shallot skins, teak leaf and other aromatic spices.

Last but not least, my first ever nasi gudeg came with krechek. To be honest, I could finish all of my side dishes including the gudeg, but not the krechek.

When my friends asked what I thought about the taste? I honestly answered, “Unique.” For me, its almost-rubbery texture was unfamiliar hence making it unique. It is made from skin of a cattle, cooked in a coconut-milk based stew.

Glancing over at my friends’ orders, I thought ‘Dang, I should have ordered the Nasi Pecel’. It came with pecel, a salad dish made of cooked vegetables with peanut sauce, steamed rice and other side dishes.

There were other dishes on the menu as well such as Crispy Cheese Chicken Rice, sandwiches and burgers.

Sampling the different coffee beans from all over Indonesia at Coffee Malabar Tarakan

Coffee lovers would definitely love Coffee Malabar. You can choose your beans, which come from different parts of Indonesia.

Did you know that Indonesia was the fourth-largest coffee producer in the world in 2014? They have more than 20 varieties of arabica coffee being cultivated in the country.

Even if you are like me, who doesn’t like arabica in general due to its acidity, give Indonesian arabica a try. Their arabica coffee generally has low acidity compared to those from Central America and East Africa.

Coffee Malabar offered the choices of Luak, Bali Kintamani, Toraja Kalosi, Java, Aceh Gayo, Flores and Papua coffee beans.

Each came with descriptions of aftertaste, acidity, roasting and popularity levels.

I chose the Bali Kintamani; it was thick with a rich herbal aroma. It also had a slight citrus-y aftertaste.

There were plenty of other drinks as well and the one caught my attention was Iced-blended Avocado with Coffee.

As much as I wanted to be daring in my dining experience, I only had room for one and it was for nasi gudeg and its unique krechek.

Having a taste of adan rice from the Krayan Highlands

Published on April 22, 2019

Travel

Fresh air, unpolluted environment, clear water from the mountain streams, cool temperatures; perhaps these were the combined factors that contributed to adan rice of Krayan Highlands being so delicious.

Famous for its fine and small grain with a unique texture, adan rice is in high demand not only in Indonesia but also in the Malaysian market.

Located at an altitude between 760 and 1,200 meters, the highlands are not well connected by road with the rest of the Indonesian lowlands in Kalimantan. In addition to that, river transportation is impossible due to high rapids. So, the main centre of Krayan, Long Bawan is only accessible by flight from Nunukan or Tarakan, North Kalimantan.

However, Long Bawan is connected by gravel road to Ba Kelalan in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Due to this, most farmers sell their adan rice to the Malaysian market after reserving some for personal consumption.

Having a taste of adan rice from the Krayan Highlands — A view of Krayan paddy fields from our plane.

Paddy farming in Krayan Highlands

The farmers in Krayan cultivate paddy according to traditional and organic practices. Every family farms between one to five hectares of rice fields.

Adan rice in particular takes about five to six months to mature. Hence, only one crop is planted every year.

According to local guide Alex Ballang, some of the locals tried to plant the rice twice a year but the attempts were never successful.

“We are not sure why the attempts failed. Maybe because of the weather or temperature, so now we only plant them in one cycle a year.”

The locals start to prepare the rice seedlings in July and the planting begins. Then, they start to harvest the rice in late December until February.

Everything is organic when it comes to maintaining the paddy fields. The farmers use traditional irrigation techniques like bamboo pipes and canals to channel the clear water from the mountains surrounding the fields to their farms.

On top of that, although buffaloes can be seen almost everywhere in Krayan Highlands, they are not used for plowing; they let the buffaloes loose in the fields to trample the soil and eat the weeds.

Plus, what can be more organic than buffaloes’ dung to fertilise the rice fields?

The nutritional value of adan rice

In 2012, the Indonesian government awarded the adan rice from Krayan highlands the certificate of Geographic Indication (GI). This was to acknowledge the unique characteristics of this rice.

Adan rice comes in a number of colour varieties – white, red and black.

The black adan rice in particular was included in the Slow Food Art of Taste products by Slow Food Foundation. Created by Slow Food International and Slow Food Italy, it is the operational body to protect food biodiversity.

According to the foundation, the black variety of the rice is rich in minerals such as iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Additionally, it has high protein content and relatively low fat and carbohydrate content compared to the white variety.

Cooking adan rice

The Lundayeh people of Krayan have different ways to cook their rice.

Luba Laya is their soft rice wrapped in isip leaves. The Kelabit of Malaysia also have a similar dish. It has a soft, almost porridge-like texture. As for other Indonesian dishes, luba laya is most almost like the softer version of lontong.

Speaking of porridge, the locals have their own known as biter. Almost like risotto, but without the parmesan cheese, it is cooked with different kinds of wild vegetables such as cassava leaves and ginger flowers.

Among the three varieties of adan rice, the crème de la crème of them is none other the black variety.

Traditionally, black adan rice is cooked together with other rice particular the white ones. Now, more and more people love to eat the black variety on its own.

When it cooks, the black adan rice gives out a sweet aroma distinctively different from other rice.

Even when you taste the black adan rice, you will notice that it is slightly sweeter than the others. It is flavourful enough that you can eat the rice on its own.

Come for the view, stay for the seafood at Pantai Amal of Tarakan

Published on April 18, 2019

Travel

Do you know that you can take a direct flight from Tawau to Tarakan? That is how accessible this largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan for Malaysians.

It is also reachable by flight from Balikpapan, Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and Makassar.

Located in northern Borneo, the island is just across the border from the Malaysian state of Sabah.

Historians or World War II buffs would know about Tarakan. It was among the first Japanese targets early in the war.

Realising they were short of oil supply, Japan declared war on the Dutch East Indies (also known as Netherlands East Indies) on Jan 10, 1942 and their troops landed on Tarakan the very next day.

This was because it was one of the five largest petroleum processing centers in the East Indies way back in the 1940s.

The name Tarakan is believed to come from the Tidung language. “Tarak” means meeting place while “ngakan” is to eat.

Long time ago, Tarakan was a meeting place for sailors and traders to eat, rest and trade their catch.

Making a pit stop at Tarakan’s Pantai Amal (or Amal Beach)

Come for the view, stay for the seafood at Pantai Amal of Tarakan

If you find yourself in Tarakan someday, follow in the footsteps of the olden day sailors and have a munch and rest at Pantai Amal.

Popular among the locals, the beach is located on the eastern side of the city.

Visitors love to sit along the coastline and simply enjoy the view of Pantai Amal.

Instead of looking forward to the sunset view, the beach is a famous place to have a glance of the sunrise.

But it doesn’t mean you should not visit it during the evening. The place is the perfect hangout site to relax and eat.

There are huts built along Pantai Amal managed by different stall operators.

Just have a seat in one of the huts and someone will come and take your order.

What’s to eat at Pantai Amal?

There are two dishes you need to have at Pantai Amal; its fried shrimps and stir-fried kerang kapah (hard clams).

The fried shrimps are crunchy and tasty while the clams are chewy and juicy. Both are Pantai Amal’s specialties and both are equally addictive.

You can skip the carbs if you want to but if you want to order rice, you have to order buras.

For Sabahans who live in Sandakan, Tawau, Kunak and Lahad Datu, they might be familiar with this. It is a traditional Bugis rice dish cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in banana leaves.

This sticky rice somehow complements the taste of seafood in your mouth. To take your gastronomic adventure even further, dip the fried shrimps and clams into the sambal (chilli paste) before digging them in.

Those who can’t stand the heat, you might want to skip the sambal. Unlike most Indonesian sambal which is sweet, the ones served at Pantai Amal is more on the sour side, making it perfect pairing with the seafood.

For desserts, order a plate of banana fritters. Don’t forget to order coconut too because a trip to a tropical beach like Pantai Amal would not be complete without sipping on a coconut drink.

10 interesting things to know about Balikpapan, Indonesia

Published on April 15, 2019

Travel

Located on the east coast of Borneo island, Balikpapan is the industrial, commercial and financial center of Kalimantan.

It is the second most populous city in the East Kalimantan province of Indonesia, after Samarinda.

If you want to know more about this city, here are ten things to know about Balikpapan, especially on its unique history:

10 interesting things to know about Balikpapan, Indonesia — Water fountain at Bakapai Garden, Balikpapan. Credit: Pixabay.

1.The various stories behind its unique name

Those who understand Indonesian Malay might find the name ‘Balikpapan’ unique. ‘Balik’ means ‘behind’ while ‘papan’ is wooden plank.

Legend has it a king who was afraid of his daughter falling into enemy hands had bound her to several planks and sent her out to sea. Waves came and hit the planks, turning the daughter – who was still a toddler at the time – over. When the planks washed ashore, a fisherman found the daughter still bound to the board. The area where she was found was called Balikpapan.

Another theory is that the Kutai sultanate’s Sultan Muhammad Idris sent 1,000 planks to help the Paser kingdom build a new palace. They shipped the planks from Kutai to Paser through Borneo shorelines. Out of the 1,000 planks, 10 was washed away and resurfaced at a site which is now called Balikpapan.

The last theory is that it was named after a couple. Kayun Kuleng and Papan Ayun were the ancestors of Pasir Balik tribe, a native people of Balikpapan. The area that they lived is called ‘Kuleng-Papan’ and “Kuleng” means “Balik” in Paser language.

2. The city was part of an old kingdom called Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate

Before the late 19th century, Balikpapan was just a group of Bugis fishing villages which was part of the Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate.

Then in 1844, the Dutch came and defeated Kutai’s ruler Sultan Aji Muhammad Salehuddin. The event forced the sultan into exile, allowing the Dutch to take control of the whole sultanate including Balikpapan.

3.The booming oil industry in Balikpapan under Dutch Rule.

The first oil drilling in the city began on Feb 10, 1897 and the oil well which was called “Mathilda” has been commemorated by its very own monument. The date was set as Balikpapan ‘s anniversary.

Then in 1907, Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM), a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Shell oil company made the city its headquarters. This caused many skilled workers and engineers from overseas to work there, resulting in the blooming of the economy.

More roads, warehouses, offices and bungalows were built in Balikpapan during this period.

4.The Japanese targeted Balikpapan during World War II due to its oil industry.

When the Japanese planned their offence during World War II, their main focus was usually on any city which had an oil industry, such as Miri (Sarawak) and Tarakan (Indonesia).

After they captured the oilfield at Tarakan from the Allies, they found that it was already destroyed.

So the Japanese force headed to Balikpapan in the hope that the oilfields had not been destroyed.

Knowing this, the Dutch commander Lieutenant Colonel Cornelis van den Hoogenband ordered the oilfield in Balikpapan destroyed, evacuating his staff to Samarinda on Jan 18, 1942.

When the Japanese finally landed in Balikpapan four days later, they were met with about 1,100 troops of the Dutch army.

However, this number was easily defeated by the Japanese who came with 5,500 infantry and 1,100 naval infantry.

5.In 1945, Balikpapan served as the site of the last major ground operation of World War II.

From July 1-21, 1945, Allied Forces from Australia, the United States of America, Netherlands and United Kingdom started a series of heavy bombing and shelling on Balikpapan.

This battle was one of the last to occur during WWII before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which effectively ended the war.

6.CIA once air raided the city back in the 1950s

Although WWII ended in 1945, Balikpapan saw another battle in 1958. The US ran a CIA covert mission to undermine President Sukarno’s government by supporting right-wing rebels in Indonesia.

In 1958, the CIA then attacked Balikpapan and stopped oil exports in the area. This was to weaken the country’s economy.

The Balikpapan air raid subsequently caused Shell to suspend tanker services from Balikpapan.

To fight back, the Indonesian naval and air forces shot down a plane and captured its CIA pilot causing the Americans to withdraw their support of the right-wing groups.

7. The unique multi-cultural society of the city

Looking at East Kalimantan’s overall population, the most populous ethnic group in the province is the Javanese. Coming in second is the Bugis who live in coastal and urban areas. Meanwhile, the third largest ethnicity is the Banjar who live mostly in the city of Samarinda and Balikpapan.

Although the Dayak is only the fourth largest group, their cultural heritage, such as costumes and handicrafts, are widely displayed in Balikpapan in places like shopping malls and airport.

8.It is among most liveable cities in Indonesia

Thanks to its well-maintained facilities and environmental wellbeing, Balikpapan was voted the best city for living in 2013. It was also voted as the Most Loveable City for 2015.

9.The city’s mascot is the sunbear

The city is home to orangutan, sunbear, deer, proboscis monkey, gibbon, pangolin and plenty of endemic birds.

Of these animals, the sun bear was picked as Balikpapan’s mascot. Unfortunately, the population of sunbears in the area is maybe 50 or less.

10.It offers plenty of tourist attractions

Being a seaport city, Balikpapan has many beaches including Manggar Beach, Segara Beach Monument Beach and Kemala Beach.

Other tourist attractions include Wain River Protected Forest, a crocodile farm called Teritip and Bukit Bangkirai rainforest.

For Sarawakians, the city is just two flights away from Kuching. Visitors can fly from Kuching to Pontianak and then take another flight to Balikpapan.

A visit to a salt production house in Long Midang of Kalimantan

Published on April 15, 2019

Travel

When it comes to picking the most ‘health-giving’ mountain salt for your clean diet, forget about Himalayan pink salt. Here in Borneo, we have our very own salt from the central region of the island.

While on Sarawak the side of the Bornean border, salt springs are aplenty in the Kelabit Highlands, Kalimantan’s are located in the Krayan Highland.

Besides paddy planting and livestock rearing, the Lundayeh people of Krayan Highland in Kalimantan rely on salt processing from these springs to boost their income.

A visit to a salt production house in Long Midang of Kalimantan — The humble-looking salt production house in Long Midang.

Salt production in Long Midang, Kalimantan

Located in the Krayan Highlands, Long Midang is the closest settlement across the Malaysian-Indonesian border from Ba Kelalan, Sarawak.

The salt production there has been going on for generations. Its production house is a humble building of wooden planks with zinc roof and cement floor.

There were two salt springs there, but both have been converted into concrete wells. Oddly, flowing next to the salt springs is a small freshwater stream.

According to local guide Alex Ballang, traditional custom requires that any visitors who enter the production house must wash their faces with the saltwater first. Plus, the saltwater is believed to be good for the skin.

Furthermore, visitors are also welcome to dip their fingers into the saltwater, especially those curious about whether the saltwater is really salty.

The Long Midang community comes together to run the salt production. According to Alex, each salt-maker household takes turns utilizing the salt spring for a continuous period of two weeks.

Inside the production house, there are two hearths made from stone and clay where the boiling of saltwater takes place.

Alex said, “They used metal drums cut lengthwise to use as pots. Since they are not stainless, they usually last up to only three months, tops.”

He assured though, that the drums are replaced before they get rusty.

Evaporating, drying and packaging the Krayan Highlands salt

In Long Midang, three metal containers were used for the salt evaporation process. Each metal container were at different stages of boiling the salt brine.

The farthest container from the hearth opening contained the freshly poured in brine, while the first container near the hearth contained the boiling brine. The middle container where the heat was the highest had the almost saturated brine.

Alex explained that the brine would be transferred from the farthest to the first, then to the middle container where the final crystallised salt was collected.

If the family members took turns continuously boiling the brine for 24 hours, they could produce up to 20kg of salt in a day.

After the crystallised salt is collected, they still need to put it under the sun to dry. The drying process usually takes up two hours depending on the weather.

Then came the packaging process. In Long Midang, the salt was packaged in plastic or the traditional way, which is with palm leaves.

The benefits of Krayan salt

Alex pointed out that the salt from Krayan highlands was rich in iodine, hence making it high in demand from the locals as well as neighbouring Malaysians.

Another benefit for the local community is that this salt production is a boost to their daily income.

Although the salt spring seems to never run dry, enabling the Long Midang community to produce salt all-year round, Alex shared that the community was slowly losing their source of firewood.

While there was a constant source of firewood in the past, it has been slowly depleting over the years.

“Perhaps, someone could come up a cost-effective alternative for the locals so that they can continuously boil the salt brine without using wood from the forest,” he said.

20 things to do during the Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III

Published on April 9, 2019

Travel/News & Features

For those who dream of an authentic adventure through Borneo, the Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III will take you on a truly unique adventure where you can relive history, experience culture firsthand and appreciate the stewardship of nature .

Organised by the Alliance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Highlands of Borneo or Formadat, this year the event will be happening from June 27 till July 10.

Overall, there are seven packages for participants to choose from, ranging from moderate to strenuous level.

For five days to two weeks, participants will roam the jungles of the Borneo highlands in a cross-border adventure that will take you to Long Semadoh (Sarawak), Long Pasia (Sabah), Ba Kelalan (Sarawak), Bario (Sarawak) and South Krayan (Indonesia) and Krayan Induk (Indonesia).

20 things to do during the Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III — A view of the hilly landscape and paddy farms from a plane.

The event is limited to 50 participants only. Each stage of the Eco Challenge comes with activities that take participants on a journey in the footsteps of the ancestors of the highland peoples.

During a trip organised by WWF-Indonesia to the Krayan Highlands (Apr 2-5), KajoMag and several other media practitioners from Indonesia had the opportunity to experience some of these Eco Challenge activities.

So here are 20 things to do when you join the two-week long Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III:

1.Come and appreciate the beauty of Heart of Borneo highlands’ biodiversity

Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III will take participants through the Maligan, Kelabit and Krayan Highlands.

These highlands offer unique flora and fauna as they stand about more than 760m above sea level.

Though divided by political boundaries, the Heart of Borneo Highlands share the same beautiful landscape and biodiversity.

From pitcher plants, orchids to other various vegetation forest, hiking through the highlands is definitely different from passing through hot and humid Borneo lowlands.

2.Experience the culture of indigenous people living in the Heart of Borneo Highlands

The Heart of Borneo Highlands are home to the indigenous Lun Bawang people in Sarawak, or Lundayeh as they are called in neighbouring state of Sabah and Krayan highland in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Besides them, the Kelabit and Sa’ban people have also been living in the highlands for centuries.

In the Ba Kelalan highlands for example, there is a population of around 1,030 people, with the majority being Lun Bawang.

Meanwhile located 1,110m above sea level in the Kelabit Highlands, the majority of the 1,200 people who call the place home are the Kelabit people.

Coming down to the Kalimantan side of South Krayan, there are about 2,400 people of the Lundayeh and Sa’ban with a small of group people.

Over the course of Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III, participants will have the opportunity to visit some the villages of these indigenous people.

3.Take a thing or two about the traditional knowledge of the local people

Speaking of indigenous people, the Eco Challenge will give participants the opportunities to learn more about them and their heritage.

Hence, take this chance to learn about their traditional knowledge, especially in medicine. For instance, did you know that you could make tea out of dried ants’ nest? This happens to be a particular delicacy among some of the Lundayeh people in Krayan, and it is believed that this tea can lower blood pressure and be beneficial to your heart.

4.Enjoy the local fruits and vegetables

There’s a saying: “Only lazy people go hungry in the jungle”, showing how important the jungle is as a source of food.

The Borneo Highlands are like free grocery shops that Mother Nature offers for the local people.

By 4 o’clock in the afternoon, you can see some of the women with their traditional woven baskets at their backs looking for wild ferns and vegetables to make dinner.

Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III gives participants the perfect opportunity to enjoy the local fruits such as tarap and wild ferns such as sayur pakis fresh from its source.

5.Listen to the local legends

Although the Lun Bawang/ Lundayeh people are separated by international borders, they still share the same roots, including legends.

It doesn’t matter if you are on the Malaysian side or Indonesian side, each has its own legend of Upai Semaring (spelled Yuvai Semaring in Indonesia).

Believed to be as tall as a giant, this local legendary hero has traces all over the Heart of Borneo Highlands.

The local Lun Bawang and Lundayeh people believed he was their protector defending them from their enemies, especially headhunters from other communities.

6.Visit ancestral burial grounds

Besides local legends, the Lun Bawang and Lundayeh peoples also shared similar ancestral burial rituals.

Hence, you can find ancient burial grounds in both countries. Nobody is 100% certain who some these tombs belonged to, but everyone is sure they belonged to important figures in their communities.

One of the stages of the Eco Challenge is to visit an old burial site called ‘Lengutan Anak Adi’ to see the ancient remnants of skeletons and broken jars.

This is because like most ancient communities in Borneo, jars were important as a a secondary burial tool in sending off their dead.

7.Take a look at the rock art of Heart of Borneo Highlands

Another important archaeological site included in the Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III is an ancient stone carving site by the legendary giant Upai Semaring.

Although there are similar carving sites found in the Krayan Highlands, the one included as part of this Eco Challenge itinerary is the one found in Ba Kelalan.

8.Have a taste of the local cuisine

Since participants will have the chance to stay at homestays together with the local people, it serve as a great chance for them to have a taste of local cooking.

If you had the chance, give biter (vegetable porridge) or any of their traditional cakes a try. They are definitely a new gastronomic experience!

9.Enjoy the beautiful scenery of paddy farms

While half of the beauty of Borneo Highlands landscape comes from the misty highlands, another half comes from its vast paddy farms.

This scenery is something one should experience on your own to appreciate its serene beauty.

10.Learn about how mountain salt is processed

Have you ever wondered how people living miles from the sea such as the Kelabit and Krayan Highlands get their salt from in ancient times?

All thanks to Mother Nature, these people did not rely on trade to buy salt to season their food.

There are salt springs spread out in several locations all over the highlands. The communities then came together to process them for personal consumption as well as to sell as an extra source of income.

Though there are several villages had its own salt processing house, the participants will visit the one in Long Midang near Indonesia-Malaysia border.

11.Watch how the local people make soap

Again, have you wondered how the olden communities washed themselves? During this Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III, participants will have a chance to make a quick stop at a local soap production site.

There, the locals use Tenem tree essential oil extracts to make natural soap.

12.Pick up an indigenous musical instrument or two

A visit to the Krayan Highland during this Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III would not be complete without a visit to the Cultural Field School, Terang Baru.

It is a space for cultural celebrations and to learn traditional music and dances.

From string instruments to traditional percussion, the school gives its visitors a rare opportunity to learn the musical heritage of Lundayeh people.

13.Say a prayer at Prayer Mountain

While taking a tour around Bario Valley, visitors will have the opportunity to trek to the top of Prayer Mountain.

During Bario Valley stage, visitors will also have a chance to visit the oldest longhouse settlement in Bario as well as the biggest green energy farm in Sarawak.

14.Learn a thing or two about World War II history in the area

Unknown to most people, both Kelabit and Krayan highlands played an important role during the Second World War against the Japanese.

Talk to the local guides or villagers, some might still have stories which part of the highlands were used as helipads for allied forces and how Tom Harrisson and several Z Special Unit operatives parachuted onto the plateau.

15.Enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset from different angle everyday on the highlands

For this, it does not matter if you sign up for the five-day or the two-week challenge. Since the participants are moving from one stage to another, you can enjoy the beauty of the sunrise and sunset from different angles everyday through out the event.

While sunrise is usually difficult to see because of the thick morning mist at the highlands, one could still enjoy the scenery on how the mist is slowly lifted revealing gorgeous view of the highlands.

Plus if the weather is good, each view sunset is just unique and breathtaking on its own.

16.Pick up a set of binoculars and do some bird watching

It doesn’t matter if you are an amateur birdwatcher or not, these Borneo highlands are the perfect place to do some birdwatching, so don’t miss out on that.

There have been sightings of rare and endemic Dulit frogmouth (Batrachostomus harterti) as well as the Black Oriole (Oriolus hosii) in the area. Perhaps you might be the lucky one to spot them during this
Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III.

17.Come and take a stroll on the rocky beach of Borneo

From the mountain to the sea, Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III has it all!

One of the final stops of the challenge is a trip to Tusan Beach in Miri. The beach is famous for its horse-like rock formation and the blue tears phenomenon.

18.Visit one of the oldest human settlements in Borneo

While in Miri, the participants will also make a short visit Niah National Park.

The star attractions here are the Painted Cave featuring prehistoric drawings and site where remains of human skeleton from 40,000 years ago were found.

19.Come and watch the Milky Way without the light pollution

Calling all stargazers out there! Imagine having to gaze on the Milky Way without any light pollution.

From KajoMag’s first-hand experience, one can look up at the sky and just stare at it for hours from the Borneo highlands.

It is a breathtaking sight that you can never get from the city. To enhance your experience even more, download a star chart app on your smartphone before you go and see how many constellations you can spot during the event.

20. Join to unwind and let the nature of Heart of Borneo highlands heal you

There are plenty of scientific studies out there that have proven being outdoor in the nature is one of the best medicine to improve your mental health.

It lowers your chances of getting depressed as well as the risk of having mental illness.

Furthermore, making trips to the forest can actually improve your immunity. So, what are you waiting for? It is time to sign up for Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III!

For more information, download this brochure.

Looking back at Lubok Antu-Nanga Badau border during Brooke time

Published on January 9, 2019

Culture

In March 1824, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands signed a treaty called the Anglo-Dutch treaty.

The treaty divided the strait of Melaka and assign each side of strait to the Dutch and British respectively.

While in the southern part of Borneo, the Dutch then slowly and surely insert their influence in Kalimantan. And when British adventurer James Brooke arrived in Sarawak in 1841, the Dutch realised that they needed to have a clear border of their territory ASAP.

The importance of a boundary

Reed L. Wadley wrote in Trouble on the Frontier: Dutch-Brooke Relations and Iban Rebellion in the West Borneo Borderlands (1841-1886) these boundaries came to impose different symbols of formal status on people from the same ethnic groups.

He stated, “From the colonial perspective, boundaries were designed to function negatively, to restrict what was deemed illegal such as smuggling and migration, and positively, to promote legitimate activities like taxation and road construction. The usual colonial attitude was that borders should be precisely defined, clearly demarcated, jealously guarded, and exclusive.”

However, the Ibans people living at this borderline particularly at Lubok Antu-Nanga Badau area were not affected by this artificial borderline.

They continued their socio-economic relations with their families and friends across the border.

As for the Dutch, according to Michael Eilenberg in At the Edges of States, salt and firearms were among the illegal trade items of their most concern.

Eilenberg wrote, “Trade in firearms was a military threat, while the salt trade was an economic threat as it reduced local Dutch tax revenue. These two trade items could be purchased considerably more cheaply in Sarawak than through Dutch trade channels.”

The Dutch also claimed that the Brooke government has lax attitude its citizens. They were uneasy with the fact that Brooke officials often ignored that the Sarawak traders breaching the boundary line into what the Dutch claimed as part of the Netherlands East Indies territory.

Above all, they concerned over Brooke’s moral influence and authority over the border population living in Dutch territory.

The cross-border conflicts between Lubok Antu and Badau area

Along these borderline between the Dutch and Brooke territories, perhaps the most problematic area was at the upper Batang Ai, Batang Lupar and Kapuas Hulu regions.

Here, the two territories shared one common problem; Iban raiding parties. They attacked local communities in both side of Dutch and Brooke areas.

And these two administrations responded to these attacks the same way. They started to attack the rebellious Ibans.

They organised punitive expeditions against them by burning down longhouses and destroyed farms.

Meanwhile the Ibans took opportunity of the loose boundary. When the Brooke officials led a punitive expedition against them, they fled to the Dutch side. The same thing happened when the Dutch tried to pacify them and they retreated to Brooke’s territory.

In a monthly report by a Dutch resident on December 1872 stated that “Raiding (headhunting) was the order of the day. Although Iban on the Dutch side were active in raiding, the main Dutch frustration was a result of the more frequent raids conducted by the Sarawak Ibans.”

In addition to that, the Ibans on both side were also using the borderline to escape tax from both administrations.

Looking back at Lubok Antu-Nanga Badau border during Brooke time — The official border post of Badau, Kalimantan Indonesia.

The cross-border raid at Badaua started from a half-blind boy

In Wild People: Travels with Borneo’s Head Hunters, Andro Linklater shared a story of some of these Iban feuds built up from small beginnings.

Linklater recorded a story of how a half-blind man started a tribal war between Ibans at Badau border of the Dutch Indies and Batang Ai of Sarawak.

A half-blind boy from Batang Ai was sent to collect a basket from Badau.

While he was there, some girls started to tease him for his lack of sight. One girl even went overboard pulling her skirt up in front of the boy.

Meanwhile, the boy did not see anything. He did not even know what happened until he asked around why everybody was laughing.

Then, a group of youths bullied the boy over the incident. In frustration and confusion, the boy admitted he did saw the girl’s underpart.

This angered the youths who thought it was a mockery to their longhouse. They beat him up and challenged him to bring his father to fight.

So the poor boy went back to Batang Ai to inform his father and the longhouse’s elders.

They had a meeting and immediately decided to launch a headhunting raid against the longhouse in Badau.

The result? The longhouse in Badau was left with slaughtered livestock and destroyed farms.

To stop the attack, the Ibans of Badau offered peace offerings of two Chinese jars and two gongs as well as $50 from every family.

The birth of Nanga Badau’s border post

This is just one of the many conflicts occurred at this border. Finally around 1880, the Dutch set up a military border post at Nanga Badau border.

Eilenberg recorded that the post consisted of one first lieutenant as commander, one second lieutenant, one European Fourier, two European sergeants, two native sergeants, one European corporal, two native corporals, ten European fusiliers, 40 native fusiliers, and one European corpsman.

The main aims of this border patrol were to provide protection to the Dutch resident on his expeditions among the Batang Lupar, to force the submission of hostile Batang Lupars, and to retrieve severed heads.

At the other side of the border, the Brooke administration was not entirely pleased with the border post.

The second White Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Brooke wrote several letters to the Dutch. He complained about the ineffectiveness of such a military post.

Brooke stated that such a heavily armed border patrol might also be considered as somewhat a menace to Sarawak.

Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBN) Nanga Badau

Despite the complaints, the Nanga Badau military post continued to stay to guard the Dutch’s territory.

Even after, the Dutch East Indies was liberated from its colonial rule and became what we know now as Indonesia, the Nanga Badau border post is still exists (though the original building is no longer exists).

Now, it stands as Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBN) Nanga Badau of West Kalimantan regency.

Lubok Antu- Nanga Badau serves as one of the three official land border crossings between Sarawak and West Kalimantan. The other two cross border crossings are Tebedu (Malaysia)-Entikong (Indonesia) and Biawak (Malaysia)-Aruk (Indonesia).

Suggestions

Kalimantan - Page 5

Passing through the Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border for basic necessities

Crossing Ba Kelalan-Long Midang border for source of income

Improving the livelihood of the Krayan people

You might be interested in

Perupun in Pa Rupai village

Building a perupun

The perupun in Terang Baru village

You might be interested in

Crocodile mounds as a symbol of bravery

A headhunting after-party on the crocodile mounds

You might be interested in

My first nasi gudeg at Coffee Malabar Tarakan

Sampling the different coffee beans from all over Indonesia at Coffee Malabar Tarakan

You might be interested in

Paddy farming in Krayan Highlands

The nutritional value of adan rice

Cooking adan rice

You might be interested in

Making a pit stop at Tarakan’s Pantai Amal (or Amal Beach)

What’s to eat at Pantai Amal?

You might be interested in

If you want to know more about this city, here are ten things to know about Balikpapan, especially on its unique history:

1.The various stories behind its unique name

2. The city was part of an old kingdom called Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate

3.The booming oil industry in Balikpapan under Dutch Rule.

4.The Japanese targeted Balikpapan during World War II due to its oil industry.

5.In 1945, Balikpapan served as the site of the last major ground operation of World War II.

6.CIA once air raided the city back in the 1950s

7. The unique multi-cultural society of the city

8.It is among most liveable cities in Indonesia

9.The city’s mascot is the sunbear

10.It offers plenty of tourist attractions

You might be interested in

Salt production in Long Midang, Kalimantan

Evaporating, drying and packaging the Krayan Highlands salt

The benefits of Krayan salt

You might be interested in

So here are 20 things to do when you join the two-week long Heart Of Borneo Highlands Eco Challenge III:

1.Come and appreciate the beauty of Heart of Borneo highlands’ biodiversity

2.Experience the culture of indigenous people living in the Heart of Borneo Highlands

3.Take a thing or two about the traditional knowledge of the local people

4.Enjoy the local fruits and vegetables

5.Listen to the local legends

6.Visit ancestral burial grounds

7.Take a look at the rock art of Heart of Borneo Highlands

8.Have a taste of the local cuisine

9.Enjoy the beautiful scenery of paddy farms

10.Learn about how mountain salt is processed

11.Watch how the local people make soap

12.Pick up an indigenous musical instrument or two

13.Say a prayer at Prayer Mountain

14.Learn a thing or two about World War II history in the area

15.Enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset from different angle everyday on the highlands

16.Pick up a set of binoculars and do some bird watching

17.Come and take a stroll on the rocky beach of Borneo

18.Visit one of the oldest human settlements in Borneo

19.Come and watch the Milky Way without the light pollution

20. Join to unwind and let the nature of Heart of Borneo highlands heal you

You might be interested in

The importance of a boundary

The cross-border conflicts between Lubok Antu and Badau area

The cross-border raid at Badaua started from a half-blind boy

The birth of Nanga Badau’s border post

Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBN) Nanga Badau

You might be interested in