Pontianak Things to Do

The indigenous inhabitants of Kalimantan are the Dayak tribes, once notorious for collecting enemy heads as part of their warfare. Those times a long gone; nor do many Dayaks still live in a traditional Longhouse (Rumah Betang, some write Rumah Bentang). If you have no time to visit a real one, go see the replica in Pontianak. The totems and the stairs cut from a tree trunk are original. We saw an original and still inhabited Longouse later, near Ngabang.
With luck we met the tribal chief who lives in one of the apartments. His name is Eddy Barau, and he is still asked advice and mediation, both by his tribe people and by government officials. Mr Barau is tattooed al over his body and we learnt from him that this is a mark of status: more tattoos means a higher rank. He showed us some heirlooms, among these traditional head dresses featuring a hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) head. Don't ask to put one on your own head, that is against the adat.
We remarked that Mr Barau looked much thinner than on a photo on the wall from 2010. He was suffering of a tumor and saving money for an operation in Singapore. But: "We Dayak people do not beg". Yet he graciously accepted a contribution from us and from some other visitors. We just pray you will find mr Barau alive and well when you happen to pay a visit in the future.
More pics in the travelogue.

No need to skip the West Kalimantan Provincial Museum for the money; the entrance fee is a symbolic IDR 1,000. Maybe the fee will be raised later: when we visited in October 2014 they were in the process of upgrading the front yard.
The first displays we saw after entering were rather boring, general displays of the prehistory of the world. But the farther we followed the museum itinerary, the more specific and interesting the displays became. We were most interested in the Dayak way of life, on which there are e.g. tools for tattooing, and a replica of a kitchen in a longhouse. And being a scientist Theo could not help noticing a little handwritten booklet explaining decimal numerals in Arabic and Malay script. It was written by a Muhammad Tayyib Ya'kub Al-Bugis of Pontianak in the muslim year 1326 H (AD 1908).
Halfway our walk in the building there was a blackout. A polite attendant showed us the way out and we 'did' the backyard until the light came back on.
The back yard is a garden with some interesting items that do not fit inside the building. The main one is a miniature of the Perahu Lancang Kuning, the sultan's golden yacht. Next to it another miniature, of a ceramics baking oven looking like a snake of brick. Incidentally we later saw one like that in Singkawang still in operation.
There is much more of course, go see for yourself. And when they upgrade the museum itself let's hope they replace the European mannequins wearing traditional dress with local dummies.
More pics in the travelogue.
Hours: 8am to 3pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8am to 11am ans 1pm to 3 pm Fridays; 8am to 12m Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays; Mondays closed.

Fifty years ago crossing the equator was something special. Airlines gave you a certificate when you had travelled with them from Europe to the southern hemisphere. Who cares about that today?
As a foreign tourist visiting the equator monument, you are entitled to a free certificate issued by the mayor of Pontianak and printed in the spot. Ask for it if there is no one around to give you one.
The site of the monument was chosen by an international expedition in 1928 at 109 degrees 20 minutes eastern longitude. That must have been on a marshy river bank. Somewhat more to the west and it would have been in the middle of Kapuas river. And more to the west probably still consisted of inaccessable tropical forest.
Originally the monument stood in the open air. A faded photo in the wall showes what in looked like in 1984. But in 1990 it was enclosed in a building (with a copy of the monument on top). And a park with lookout point on the river was added. Still that does not induce most visitors to spend more time here. So now there are plans to establish a regular holiday park near the monument.
Address: Not surprisingly on Jalan Khatulistiwa (Equator Street).
Directions: After you have crossed by the ferry to the right bank of Kapuas river, the monument lies 3 km to the west. When you got as far as this, you might as well go another 3 km to the cemetery of the sultanate.

Pontianak is a cosmopolitan city populated by Dayak, Malay and Chinese. The Malay are mostly muslims, the Dayak and Chinese catholic or protestant. After the demise of Suharto's dictatorship, people can elect their mayor, and with the votes of both the Dayak and the Chinese Pontianak now has a catholic mayor.
The cathedral always has counted as a landmark, but by the mayor's order it has been rebuilt to become the largest in Indonesia. Some work was still going on when we were there, but on a Sunday we were allowed in. So here are some pics of the interior. Some of these we took from a balcony, accessable by stairs on the outside of the building.

From Jakarta Sukarno Hatta Airport to Pontianak Supadio Airport is more than one hour fly.
Enjoy the landscape of Pontianak downtown from above, you could see red color roof top of houses, the green paddy field, Kapuas river and the green of jungles and palm plantation

Pontianak is popular with TUGU KHATULISTIWA or EQUATOR MONUMENT which located at SIANTAN, some 5 KM northwards of the city center.

The original monuments was built by the Dutch Geographer in 1928, the main structure of the monument is constructed by BELIAN WOODs

When Sun kiss the earth, we can see the sunset on Kapuas river, such a nice view, while see the activity on the river, people get ready to have a bath on the river, and people going home use the traditional boat across the river....

Kapuas River is a big river 1,143 KM long, which split Pontianak city into two parts and play an important role in Pontianak economy and cultural history.

Bila anda mau makan buah-buahan, baik buah lokal maupun buah import, anda akan temukan dijual di tepi jalan besar di Pontianak.

It's West Kalimantan's Dayak totem.... where on the top is Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), The Dayak's mascot. Also the most seen bird in Kalimantan island.

On this river we can see the floating house.... they build the house not on the land but on the boat...

Not just human across this river but also snake, black cobra....mmmm. One more acitivity we can see on this river....

On the Kapuas river we can see many activity here, since morning till nite. And here is we can see the local fisherman how to catch the fish....:)

In Pontianak also famous with the juice of aloe vera....and we can find the aloe vera plantation here, it's big and we can buy also. In bahasa it's known as Lidah Buaya (crocodile tongue).

The Palace was build by Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie in 1771, when he explore west borneo, and then build the city name Pontianak.