West Kalimantan: Singkawang City
Singkawang, the capital of the Sambas regency, is located on the west coast, 145 kilometers from Pontianak. It is often also referred to as the Hongkong of West Kalimantan, probably because the Chinese are the majority in this town. The dominance of the Chinese cultural tradition can be seen in the various aspects of daily life in the town. There are Chinese temples everywhere. The houses are Chinese. The daily language is Chinese. Several tourist objects which can be visited in Singkawang city are:
Eria Park
Eria Park, five kilometers away from the center of city. The park is located in a cool mountain resort area with a refreshing climate and very beautiful scenery.
Pasir Panjang Beach
Pasir Panjang Beach is only 12 kilometers from the town. Cottages and various facilities for recreation are available.
Mount Poteng
There is a clear and cool natural pool on top of Mount Poteng, about 20 kilometers from Singkawang. There is also a resthouse that is open on holidays.
Batu Payung Beach
Batu Payung Beach is five kilometers away from Mount Poteng. It has boats for rent, playgrounds and cottages for spending the night.
Pemangkat
Pemangkat, 32 kilometers from Singkawang, is a busy port town at the mouth of the Sambas Besar river. The river can be navigated by boats with a weight 500 tons, as far as the town Sambas.
Sintete
Sintete is a small port town 13 kilometers from Pemangkat that is considerable economic significance to the Sambas regency. Sintete is located six miles from the mouth of the Sambas river. The opening of the Sintete harbor, has caused the villages around Pemangkat to grow, especially roads have been built linking the port with hinterland.
Tanjung Batu, Pemangkat
In Tanjung Batu, Pemangkat, is a small mountain, about a hundred meters high with monkeys and other animals living in the wild. One can also visit the Chinese temples of Bumi Raya and Tri Darma Bukit Raya on Pemangkat Hill.
Tirtayasa Recreation Park
Tirtayasa Park, 50 kilometers from Singkawang, is popular recreation park. The forest and small rivers in the surroundings add to the park's allure.
Sambas
Sambas is neat clean town divided by Sambas Kecil river onto two parts. Boats dock at the riverside to load and unload goods and passengers.
Lanting
Lanting are the houseboats that are found in Sambas and many other places where people depend on the rivers. In the past, there were no roads, and living in houses that could also serve as a means of transportation seemed a logical solution to the problems of daily life.
Beautiful Traditional handicrafts
Many beautiful traditional handicraft products can be found in Sambas. There are also some historical remains such as the palace of the Sambas kingdom, which was built by the first ruler Sultan Muhammad Syaefuddin. There is also the cemetery of the Sambas kingdom, consisting of two separated complexes. Sultan Abubakar and Sultan Muhammad Syaefuddin are buried there. Their graves are considered sacred by the local people and are much visited by people from the surrounding areas.
Lake Sebedang
Lake Sebedang is 16 kilometres from the town. Surrounded by beautiful green hills, the lake has a maximum depth of 10 meters. Lodgings and facilities for recreation are available.
Sanggau Ledo
There is also the waterfall of Sanggau Ledo, better known as the Berasap waterfall, seven meters high and quite impressive.
Tampenan Village
Stones in curious shapes are found at Tampenan village and are the subject of many legends. Among them is one in the shape of a house, with guests sitting on the floor, and all turned into stone.
Tebas
The Tebas district is known for its oranges and gardens can be seen all along the road leading to Sambas. In this region the sweet "Pontianak oranges" are grown. Dozens of hectares with several thousands of orange trees line the road from Pemangkat to Sambas.
Paloh beach
Paloh Beach is as attractive as any others in West Kalimantan. The beach lies in the Paloh district, 206 kilometers from Pontianak. It is a popular tourist resort. During low tide, the beach is about 20 meters wide. During high tide, one can touch the water with one's foot while sitting at the edge of the beach. Many turtles lay their eggs there, living along the shore. Kijang Island is one of those islands which also has a turtle beach. Kijang Island is separated from the Kalimantan mainland by the Api strait. Bengkayang is a small but strategically located town in the Bengkayang district, Sambas regency, about 20 kilometers northeast of Pontianak.
Bengkayang
Bengkayang connects various small cities in the Sambas regency with the West Kalimantan hinterland. And the route into Sarawak, East Malaysia begins in Bengkayang. Bengkayang's proximity to Singkawang, only about 70 kilometers away, has caused Bengkawang to grow rather rapidly in the past years.
To travel to the border between West Kalimantan and Sarawak, one usually starts from Singkawang, then proceeds towards Bengkayang over a distance of 70 kilometers. The trip continues towards the north, to the small town of Ledo, at a distance of the 40 kilometers. Then the trip continues again to Sanggauledo 20 kilometers away, and to Seluas. The distance between Sanggauledo and Seluas is 31 kilometers. Entekong is the last stop on the Indonesian side of the border. There is an immigration post here. From Entekong, walk for another 20 minutes before entering Malaysian territory. People have crossed the border for many generations over this road, despite the absence of legal provisions. The local people are given a special passport by the provincial government of West Kalimantan, to enter Sarawak and to trade on a small scale and buy their daily needs. After walking for about 20 minutes from Entekong, one comes to the first check point in the Malaysian territory. There is a terminal for taxis that can take the traveler to Kuching and other place in Serawak.
Meeting the Bekati in Bengkayang From Bengkayang, one can travel into the hinterland and meet the Bekati people, one of the Dayak sub-tribes living in West Kalimantan.
Sepogot And Sekaruh
At one point, one must leave the main road and walk for about one kilometer to Sepogot and Sekaruh, where about 600 Bekati people live. The Bekati live in the mountains, around the Teriak river. Linguistically, they belong to the Kendayan Dayaks, but they dislike being called Kendayans. The Bekati chiefs consider themselves as having come from the region around Sambas, finally to settle around Bengkayang as they moved from place to place, practicing shifting agriculture. The Bekati live in comparative isolation. Besides tilling dry fields, they also tap rubber. They are also known as depth hunters.
Eria Park
Eria Park, five kilometers away from the center of city. The park is located in a cool mountain resort area with a refreshing climate and very beautiful scenery.
Pasir Panjang Beach
Pasir Panjang Beach is only 12 kilometers from the town. Cottages and various facilities for recreation are available.
Mount Poteng
There is a clear and cool natural pool on top of Mount Poteng, about 20 kilometers from Singkawang. There is also a resthouse that is open on holidays.
Batu Payung Beach
Batu Payung Beach is five kilometers away from Mount Poteng. It has boats for rent, playgrounds and cottages for spending the night.
Pemangkat
Pemangkat, 32 kilometers from Singkawang, is a busy port town at the mouth of the Sambas Besar river. The river can be navigated by boats with a weight 500 tons, as far as the town Sambas.
Sintete
Sintete is a small port town 13 kilometers from Pemangkat that is considerable economic significance to the Sambas regency. Sintete is located six miles from the mouth of the Sambas river. The opening of the Sintete harbor, has caused the villages around Pemangkat to grow, especially roads have been built linking the port with hinterland.
Tanjung Batu, Pemangkat
In Tanjung Batu, Pemangkat, is a small mountain, about a hundred meters high with monkeys and other animals living in the wild. One can also visit the Chinese temples of Bumi Raya and Tri Darma Bukit Raya on Pemangkat Hill.
Tirtayasa Recreation Park
Tirtayasa Park, 50 kilometers from Singkawang, is popular recreation park. The forest and small rivers in the surroundings add to the park's allure.
Sambas
Sambas is neat clean town divided by Sambas Kecil river onto two parts. Boats dock at the riverside to load and unload goods and passengers.
Lanting
Lanting are the houseboats that are found in Sambas and many other places where people depend on the rivers. In the past, there were no roads, and living in houses that could also serve as a means of transportation seemed a logical solution to the problems of daily life.
Beautiful Traditional handicrafts
Many beautiful traditional handicraft products can be found in Sambas. There are also some historical remains such as the palace of the Sambas kingdom, which was built by the first ruler Sultan Muhammad Syaefuddin. There is also the cemetery of the Sambas kingdom, consisting of two separated complexes. Sultan Abubakar and Sultan Muhammad Syaefuddin are buried there. Their graves are considered sacred by the local people and are much visited by people from the surrounding areas.
Lake Sebedang
Lake Sebedang is 16 kilometres from the town. Surrounded by beautiful green hills, the lake has a maximum depth of 10 meters. Lodgings and facilities for recreation are available.
Sanggau Ledo
There is also the waterfall of Sanggau Ledo, better known as the Berasap waterfall, seven meters high and quite impressive.
Tampenan Village
Stones in curious shapes are found at Tampenan village and are the subject of many legends. Among them is one in the shape of a house, with guests sitting on the floor, and all turned into stone.
Tebas
The Tebas district is known for its oranges and gardens can be seen all along the road leading to Sambas. In this region the sweet "Pontianak oranges" are grown. Dozens of hectares with several thousands of orange trees line the road from Pemangkat to Sambas.
Paloh beach
Paloh Beach is as attractive as any others in West Kalimantan. The beach lies in the Paloh district, 206 kilometers from Pontianak. It is a popular tourist resort. During low tide, the beach is about 20 meters wide. During high tide, one can touch the water with one's foot while sitting at the edge of the beach. Many turtles lay their eggs there, living along the shore. Kijang Island is one of those islands which also has a turtle beach. Kijang Island is separated from the Kalimantan mainland by the Api strait. Bengkayang is a small but strategically located town in the Bengkayang district, Sambas regency, about 20 kilometers northeast of Pontianak.
Bengkayang
Bengkayang connects various small cities in the Sambas regency with the West Kalimantan hinterland. And the route into Sarawak, East Malaysia begins in Bengkayang. Bengkayang's proximity to Singkawang, only about 70 kilometers away, has caused Bengkawang to grow rather rapidly in the past years.
To travel to the border between West Kalimantan and Sarawak, one usually starts from Singkawang, then proceeds towards Bengkayang over a distance of 70 kilometers. The trip continues towards the north, to the small town of Ledo, at a distance of the 40 kilometers. Then the trip continues again to Sanggauledo 20 kilometers away, and to Seluas. The distance between Sanggauledo and Seluas is 31 kilometers. Entekong is the last stop on the Indonesian side of the border. There is an immigration post here. From Entekong, walk for another 20 minutes before entering Malaysian territory. People have crossed the border for many generations over this road, despite the absence of legal provisions. The local people are given a special passport by the provincial government of West Kalimantan, to enter Sarawak and to trade on a small scale and buy their daily needs. After walking for about 20 minutes from Entekong, one comes to the first check point in the Malaysian territory. There is a terminal for taxis that can take the traveler to Kuching and other place in Serawak.
Meeting the Bekati in Bengkayang From Bengkayang, one can travel into the hinterland and meet the Bekati people, one of the Dayak sub-tribes living in West Kalimantan.
Sepogot And Sekaruh
At one point, one must leave the main road and walk for about one kilometer to Sepogot and Sekaruh, where about 600 Bekati people live. The Bekati live in the mountains, around the Teriak river. Linguistically, they belong to the Kendayan Dayaks, but they dislike being called Kendayans. The Bekati chiefs consider themselves as having come from the region around Sambas, finally to settle around Bengkayang as they moved from place to place, practicing shifting agriculture. The Bekati live in comparative isolation. Besides tilling dry fields, they also tap rubber. They are also known as depth hunters.
Source:geocities.com/degigant/Singkawang.html
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