Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
meaning generally unpleasant sprawl. This is primarily a coal-mining town, with a rough-
and-ready aspect. From Dayak funeral rights to cockfights, you never know what you
might run into. But there are a few souvenir shops, an ATM on Jl Tendean, and an internet
cafe.
Sights around Melak include an orchid garden and some longhouses, but they require
renting a car, the road is terrible and the sights themselves underwhelming. Best to contin-
ue on when transport allows.
FLOATING HOMESTAY
Mahakam river towns often contain floating houses, and the bank opposite Melak is lined with them. These are
very basic homemade huts constructed on logs pulled from the river, logs which must be replaced every five years
or so. In this unique environment, people go about living lives that are as recognisable as they are different. Chil-
dren jump into the river to bathe before putting on their school uniforms. Their school bus is a canoe. Satellite
dishes sit on top of roofs made from cast-off lumber. A homestay in this environment is very basic, as it involves
sleeping on a mat and using the river outhouse, like everyone else. But at the same time it is a window on life that
only opens this way. Sitting outside your floating house with a cup of coffee, watching river traffic at sunset, is a
lasting memory.
Murni
( no English 0813 5042 8447; Melak; r incl dinner & breakfast per person 50,000Rp)
, a
ces
taxi
driver, offers a homestay in his floating house directly across from the harbour, with free pick up and return. Addi-
tional sightseeing trips are 200,000Rp.
Sleeping & Eating
You can find some decent seafood here, but the hotels are particularly unpleasant and very
much alike - musty concrete boxes without a drop of character that we might not other-
wise list. They are all near one another so, if you must, walk around and choose the least
painful option. A much better idea: take this opportunity for a homestay on the river. It's
roughing it in a different way, but it's cooler, prettier, cheaper, and far more educational.
Hotel Monita $
( 081 154 7316; Jl Dr Sutomo 76; r incl breakfast 150,000-330,000Rp; )
The best
concrete box in town, but about 2km from the port. Often full with mining clients so book
ahead.
HOTEL
Hotel Flamboyan $
HOTEL
