Samarinda trip

I am trying to save my documents into a new portable hard disk since we are not that busy with teaching this week..Got the hard disk a while back but have yet to use it ...so, me being guilty of misplacing documents after documents recently, decided to copy all my files and folders into the hard disk for safe keeping ...for precaution ...and while doing so, I came across a folder of photographs from my maiden trip to Kalimantan Timur ....Samarinda to be exact ....brings back memories of the visit!

Went there for a conference and to present a paper back in 2008 ...my first oversea conference ...and my first conference attendance since joining the uni in 2007 ....went there with a couple of colleagues ..mind you, I was the only female lecturer from my uni to go there ...went there will a bunch of guys ..but one of my colleagues brought along his wife ...so, we just sort of stick together ...the trip was long and tiring ...Imagine we had to take a plane from Kuching to Jakarta, which arrived just after midnight at Jakarta ...then waited for a few hours for our connecting flight to Balikpapan ...and another 1-2 hour taxi ride to Samarinda ....by the time we reached the hotel, i can't really function all that well ...too tired!

in the early hours of the morning @ Jakarta Airport, waiting for the counter to be opened! Too tired but no place to sleep ....

Samarinda is actually the capital of East Kalimantan ..one of the richest provinces, according to the statistics, because of its timber and petroleum resources ...the most prominent landmark is the Mahakam River ...unfortunately I did not have a single photo of the said river LOL too tired throughout my short stay there ...

while waiting for the bus to bring us to Universitas Mulawarman, Samarinda where the conference took place

The schedule was a bit packed but we also have time to wander around at our own pace...we had a welcoming dinner hosted by the University ...which was fun with dance shows and food and karaoke ...you cant beat an Indonesian when it comes to singing ...seems like they can sing really beautifully!


Here, I spend a day wondering round the town with Neilson and his wife...they advised me not to venture out on my own after finding out that I went out to a nearby mall all by myself on the first night we were there ...it was a bit scary, especially walking back to the hotel - all alone on the sidewalk! I never did that again after that first day ...always went out with either Neilson & wife, or with my friend Naz ...went to a big market known as Citra Niaga selling clothing, telekung, batik and what nots ...very similar to Pasar Baru in Bandung ...not really my cup of tea ...but I got a few batiks for my mom and aunties here, plus some tees for my neice and nephews ....

Pasar Citra Niaga

and went to a few malls around town ...the most memorable is the Lembuswana mall ...one of the newer malls in the town ...with a huge water sculpture welcoming you at the entrance ...went here with Naz after my paper presentation. We took an angkutan kota here (a type of paratransit) which cost very little and pick us up in front of the uni ....the mall was ok ...lots of shops inside with familiar brand name ...and suffice to say, I did a little bit more shopping that i intended here ...as a result, it was very dark outside by the time we emerged from the mall ...and took a taxi back to the hotel ...

angkutan kota - a paratransit that is very much visible in Samarinda ...cheap and frequent, but the condition inside the angkutan is a bit off-putting to me ....and the driver looked fierce!!! If it weren't for Naz, I would not have gone inside one of these! But, an experience nonetheless ...

To me, Samarinda is a place that I would not have picked as a holiday destination ...i have not realised it existed before till it was announced in the conference booklet ...but I was glad that I went ...it was an adventure ...being a minority in a group dominated by men ...presenting in an environment which is familiar and yet different (the way the participants asked questions and the way it was organised is different from what I am used to!) ...and a long, tiring journey to a place which is on the same island as me ....definitely a great experience ...but going there again for holiday? perhaps not ...