
Pontianak is the capital city of West Kalimantan. Pontianak has grown into a large trading port city. The city is much likely influenced by Chinese, following the two native inhabitants, Malay and Dayak. Being a trading port city doesn’t stop Pontianak to expose itself to attract tourists, mainly because the city is the entrance to the famous destination, Singkawang, the city of thousand temples which is popular for its Cap Go Meh Festival, moreover travelers were tempted to do border crossing to Kuching, East Malaysia. Before we’re getting to the list of things to do in Pontianak, let me tell you a bit of story.
Also Read: Photos of Equatorial Carnaval Indonesia
Legend about Pontianak
The name actually distracts me, believe or not, there’s a traditional myth about a pregnant woman who died and haunted men, women, even babies. She has a beautiful look, often illustrated wearing white long dress and lives in banana tree. If you ask any Indonesian about “Kuntilanak”, everyone will recognize that name.
Then why the city was named after that horrifying creature? Legend said, there was a man named Abdurrahman Alkadrie and his group sailed along the river to find a new home for them. Down to Kapuas River, country’s longest and largest river, they were disturbed by the ghost and haunted. Alkadrie asked his men to shoot the cannonball and the ghost vanished. Since then, he settled down, inhabited that place, and became the first Sultan/King of Pontianak, which he named it after. Well, that was a piece of story about the legend, or maybe history of the city.
Interesting Things to Do in Pontianak
1. The Equator Monument
The landmark of the city is Equator Monument, located 3 kms away from the downtown. The monument was built to mark the exact position of the equator line. The real monument was stored inside the museum. and the one you saw towering high outside was constructed again as a landmark. However, in 2005, they found a new location based on the latitude and longitude written on the monument which is 1.2 km away from the monument.
2. Kadriah Palace
The architecture of Kadriah Palace blends three cultures altogether, Malay, Dutch, and Middle East. As you can see, the palace was all touched with yellow color. Further look inside, the legacy and ornaments unfold the life of Sultan Abdurrahman Alkadrie and his family.
3. Kapuas River Cruising
4. Cathedral of St. Joseph
5. Radakng House
Have you ever been to one of them? Or any suggested places to go again? Don’t hesitate to leave comments below.
Traveled in 22-24 August 2015
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vel, you forget the important part! food and culinary :9 masak nggak masuk sih? xixixi
Hahhaa kita gak terlalu banyak coba makanan sih disana, kecuali seafoodnya sih ya
Keren Velysia,,,kapan bisa ke Lampung he he..
Pernah nyentuh Lampung tapi pas ke Krakatau doank hehe
Hhmm.. saya sudah keliling ke banyak kota, ehhh pontianak malah belum.. jadi pengen ke sana nih gara2 postingannya..
Cobain ke Pontianak sama kota2 sekitar seperti Singkawang, menarik juga hehe.
Belum pernah ke Kalimantan sama sekali, apalagi ke Pontianak ini. Mungkin kelak saya akan melakukan hal yang sama sebagai awal jika mengunjungi kota ini ๐
Hehehe..Bagus2, ditunggu ceritanya ๐
I'd suggest to stay away from the cathedral. The original dutch colonial style was demolished in favour of pseudo neo Byzantium architecture without any historical value.
For the river cruise instead of taking one, you can walk alongside the river jetty
monumen equator pasti jadi favorit wisatawan yang baru ke pontianak, saya pun penasaran mau lihat pas bayangan gak ada. ๐
Ntar klo ke Pontianak boleh nih eksplore bareng kulinernya. Banyak makanan enak yang bakalan bikin nagih.
Ntar klo ke Pontianak boleh nih eksplore bareng kulinernya. Banyak makanan enak yang bakalan bikin nagih.