Banjarmasin canal cruise

Banjarmasin, the self proclaimed Venice of the East. This city was our first contact with Borneo on our trip to this amazing island. We arrived late in the evening and went for a short walk around the city. First impression was not really nice – the traffic is chaotic, nobody speaks English and nobody knows anything.

Luckily we met a very special guy who happens to be a tourist guide as well. His name is Tailah (on the photo above) . After a short chat we agreed that he would take us to the canal trip and to the floating market on Barito river.

We took a longboat and cruised along the numerous canals. It was late afternoon and people were already home. Afternoon is a time to get together, to wash the clothes, take a bath…

Children were thrilled to see foreigners and they started to jump into the water as soon as they’ve seen us.

The river is the life – literally. Locals use it for everything, even brushing their teeth. You can only imagine what else they do into the river!

Trading hi-fives with children is a highlight of the canal tour.

The children are lovely, I still wonder who was a bigger attraction – us or them? It doesn’t matter anyway – we all had a great time!

Some of them got carried away – this boy climbed a boat at full speed!

Tailah, our guide was acting like a child too:) It is obvious that he loves his job and the people. I can only recommend him as a guide. He is honest, resourceful and friendly. He is also recommended by a Lonely Planet. Here is his mobile number (085821035791), in case if you want to contact him. If you are already in Banjarmasin, he will probably find you first:)

The canal trip was a great experience and from a boat you can see Banjarmasin from a totally different perspective – a better one!

And here is some literature we read during our trip:

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