Arrived in Banjarmasin yesterday Borneos largest city after a one hour flight from Java. The city rests over a labyrinth of canals and the people who make their homes along the canals and rivers live in houses perched on stilts or floating on logs.
This morning I got up at 5am and with my guide Tailah we got a boat along the canal and out into the main port to the Floating Market.
Farmers come from the inland rivers to Banjarmasin to sell their fruit, vegetables and fish. Some of the farmers take up to 10hours to reach the market and most make the journey twice per week.
The locals come out in their canoes to purchase goods to take to the markets and shops. Most of the customers are women and after they have made all their purchases about 3-4 of the canoes get a tow from a faster boat to take them back upstream and through the city.
After spending an hour squeezing through all the canoes and boats we head back towards the city but not before stopping for breakfast.
We pull our boat up alongside a Canoe Cafe for breakfast. To choose what you want you use a stick with a nail on the end and spike your choice. Tea and coffee are also available so I spike a doughnut and some other traditional pastry before chatting with the owner of the Canoe Cafe.
In the afternoon we head away from the city in our boat to an Island just of the coast to spot some Longnose Monkeys. http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=long+nose+monkey&meta=
If I had a nose like these guys I reckon I would be hiding on an Island too :-) The Island is too marshy for us to walk on so we have to spot the monkeys from the safety of the boat. There is a lot of activity in the bushes and the trees but it is difficult to spot the monkeys. After an hour or so and a few rare glimpses we head back to the city and through the canals where it's the locals bathtime and they hop into the river for a wash.
After Borneo I go back to Java to catch my flight to Singapore and then off to Sydney where I will relax with my cousins for a few days before the Marathon on the 21st.
Take care for now and will be in touch soon.
Paul
