Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tenggarong is an important destination, but also a heartbreaker. Once the capital of the
mighty Kutai sultanate, it made a recent attempt to recreate that past grandeur, and failed
mightily. Several years ago the local regent and his cohorts, flush with mining profits,
made a massive investment in the city's infrastructure. The development focused on turn-
ing Pulau Kumala, the city's river island, into a huge tourist attraction, with a hotel, res-
taurants, amusement park and sky tower. It also included the construction of a large sus-
pension bridge across the Mahakam, dubbed 'Indonesia's Golden Gate'. Today Pulau Ku-
mala lies unfinished and bankrupt, its history plagued by a massive corruption scandal.
Far worse, in 2011 the bridge suddenly collapsed into the river, killing 36 people. The res-
ult is a setting worthy of Greek drama. The waterfront is framed by a massive statue of a
lembuswana
, a mythical winged horse with an elephant's trunk, which perches at the end
of Pulau Kumala; and by the enormous, twisted remains of the collapsed bridge, its fallen
roadway spearing the Mahakam.
Sights
MUSEUM
Keraton/Mulawarman Museum
(Jl Diponegoro; admission 5000Rp; 9am-4pm, closed Mon & Fri)
The former sultan's
palace
(keraton)
is known for its excellent museum, which ranges widely across culture,
natural history and industry, and has English signage. However, it is the building itself that
is the star attraction. The sparkling white exterior, with its strong parallel lines, is a futur-
ist vision worthy of Shangri-La, and reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright. Built by the
Dutch in 1937, this is a significant work of architecture that has fallen off the world's
radar screen; further information is difficult to come by. Nearby you'll find the sultan's
cemetery, a souvenir market and an ATM.
Pulau Kumala
While the future of this island amusement park is uncertain, a boat trip and stroll to the
huge
lembuswana
at the tip is a worthwhile outing. Boats (per person 20,000Rp) leave
100m from Keraton.
ISLAND
Festivals & Events
Erau Festival
CULTURAL
