Favorite Place : Palembang, Indonesia (Tugas Soft Skill Bulan Ke-3)

Palembang, Indonesia

This time, i want to share some information and some story about one of my favorite place. Actually the are so many places i love but Palembang has a special place in my heart, why? because I go there almost once a year, because Palembang is my dad's hometown. I believe that people think Palembang don't have that many place to visit. To be honest at first i think that Palembang is such a boring town, but that was wrong. Eventhough Palembang might be not as popular as Bali, not as beautiful as Lombok, but Palembang worth to visit as well. You can add Palembang to your place-to-visit-in-holiday list. I believe you won't regret it!

As a warm up, let me tell you some basic information and some history about Palembang.

Palembang (Jawi: ڤلامبڠ‎) is the second-largest city in Sumatra Island after Medan and the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. It is one of the oldest city in the Malay Archipelago and Southeast Asia. Palembang is located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra with land area of 374.03 square kilometres and a population of 1,742,186 people (2013 estimate).^[1] Palembang is the seventh-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Semarang, and Makassar. The city hosted the 26th edition of Southeast Asian Games from 11 to 22 November 2011 along with Jakarta.

The city was once the capital of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya, which controlled a large part of what is now Indonesia, Malaysia and Southern Thailand. In 1025, it was conquered by the Chola Empire (In the period of Emperor Rajendra Chola I) of southern India. Srivijaya's capital eventually moved northward to Jambi. Palembang is also the origin of Parameswara, founder of the Malacca Sultanate.
The architectural legacy of Dutch colonisation is still visible in the city. Deep-water port facilities which flow through the city have been built along the Musi River.
The naval Battle of Palembang was fought near the city during the Second World War between 13 and 15 February 1942.

To Get There

To get to Palembang you can either fly by plane or you can get there by car. If you choose to get there by plane, all you have to do is book the flight ticket. The average airfare from Jakarta to Palembang is start from Rp. 600.000,-. You don't need to transit if you are going from Jakarta. Beside, if you plan to get there by car, you have to cross the Sunda Strait, Sunda Strait separated Java Island and Sumatra Island so that's why you have to cross the Sunda Strait first by ferry. The fare is around Rp.250.000,- per car and Rp.25.000,- per person.

Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport, Palembang

Merak Harbour

To Do In Palembang

Musi River Night

Musi River

When visiting Palembang, do not miss the Musi river cruise.  It’s simply a ‘must try’.  After passing a number of houseboats and passing under the Ampera bridge you will reach the floating market known as Pasar 16 Ilir, where activities peak around 11 am. Further down on the left are Palembang’s main harbour, the Boom Baru, and the massive Pusri Fertilizer Plant. 

Kemaro Island

Then visit the Kemaro Island that sits in the middle of the Musi river, where stands a large Buddhist temple and the grave of a Chinese princess, who was destined to wed a Srivijaya king. The island is today the center of the Cap Go Meh celebrations. During Cap Go Meh, Chinese communities from around the city squeeze into this small piece of land, together with those coming from Hongkong, Singapore and China. They arrive here on local transport called ketek, - which are small boats with noisy engines - , on ferries, speed boats, and decorated dragon boats alighting from the Intirub factory or from Kuto Besak Fort.

Begin your city tour of Palembang at the Museum Sultan Machmud Badaruddin II which faces the Musi river.  This buiding was built by the Dutch in 1823 on what was formerly the Sultan’s palace. The Museum has an open-air theater offering traditional dances. No remains are left of the original palace since Dutch colonialists attacked and burned it down in 1821 AD.

Behind the Museum is the Art Market, where you can see artisans work on the delicate gold and silver songket sarongs, and the red-and-balck lacquer ware for which Palembang is famous. Here are also sea-shells souvenirs, woven mats and more.

Benteng Kuto Besak

A distance from the Museum is the  Kuta Besak Fort. Built in 1780 by Sultan Muhammad Badaruddin (father of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II), the fort is the only one in Indonesia with an Indonesian name, with no Dutch or British name attached. This is because its entire construction was done by locals. Today this is used by the army, and is closed to the public.

The New Museum of South Sumatra is located 5 km. north of Palembang and has a collection of megalithic statues found at Pasemah, on the western plains of South Sumatra.  Here is also a beautifully carved 150 years old limas house - traditional Palembang-style house of the aristocracy, displaying rich ceremonial costumes, farming and fishing implements and traditional coffee preparations. 

The Chinese population has a significant share in the development and growth of Palembang. One of the Chinese cultural heritage is the Cheng Ho Mosque. Cheng Ho was a Chinese Muslim admiral sent by the Emperor, who in the 15th century traveled to South East Asia with his fleet of 62 ships and 27,800 seafarers. In Palembang, he sojourned and visited his Moslem acquaintances. Today we can visit the mosque built in memory of Admiral Cheng Ho, which is located at Jakabaring Palembang.

Cheng Ho Mosque

To Stay

There are numerous places to stay while you are in Palembang. For hotels which own websites, that you can contact and make your bookings directly. You can choose hotel base on your budget. Palembang has numerous and  variety hotel from the low until the seven-star hotel. Here are some hotel i suggest :

• King's
  Jl. Kol. Atmo Nomor 623 Plg
  Telp. (0711) 363633-362323
• Lembang
  Jl. Kol. Atmo No. 623 Plg
  Telp. (0711) 363333
• Princess
  Jl. Letkol Iskandar Komplek Ilir Barat Permai Palembang
  Telp. (0711)313137-312801
  Lee Paradise   

Get Around Palembang

The City bus in Palembang is one of the most convenient in the country. The name of the bus is TRANS MUSI. There are two types of buses – the green and the blue one - with different routes.

The green TRANS MUSI’s route goes:
Terminal Sako Perumnas – Jl. Celentang – Jl. Residen Abdul Rozak – Simpang Empat Patal – Jl. Basuki Rahmat – Jl. Demang Lebar Daun – Simpang Taman Bukit – UNSRI Bukit Besar – Jl. Jaksa Suprapto – Simpang Kedaung – Jl. Letkol Iskandar – Simpang Hero – PIM, and backtrack all the bus stops.


The blue TRANS MUSI’s route goes:
Terminal Alang-alang lebar – Jl. Kol. H. Burlian – Jl. Jenderal Sudirman – Pasar 16 Ilir (Jl. Tengkuruk Permai) – Underpass Ampera  Bridge – Jl. Masjid Agung – Jl. Jenderal Sudirman – backtrack to Alang-alang lebar.

If you prefer to take a more airy local transport, take becak or ojek instead. The fare is quite reasonable and worth the excitement.

Palembang's Food

Pempek or empek-empek is almost an icon when it comes to culinary specialities in Palembang. You have to have a strong stomach to sample it. Most pempek is made of tengiri or Spanish mackerel fried fish cake, and put into a sweet vinegar soup with noodle inside or diced cucumber. It’s actually a fresh delicacy but becomes very hot when chili paste is added..

Try to mingle with the locals, where pempek is best served.  Pempek Wak Ayah Lemak at Kebon Sirih is a local recommendation. Pempek Sekojo is also locally recommended, found at the cross road of Palembang Trade Center. Pempek is also found at the Pasar Kuto close to the traffic lights. If you are close to Kol. Atmo Street, go to Tamrin to find grilled pempek, which is also available at Merdeka street, called SAGA grilled pempek . Pempek Pak Raden is at Radial. Pempek Dempo and Pempek EK are around Dempo.  These are the places worth hunting as you cruise the town on a multi-route becak.

Just by looking at the picture makes my mouth watering!

Martabak India or Martabak HAR is one of the local munchies you may want to try. It is available at the Pasar Kuto. Almost all Indian food involves curry and this is no different. However, its taste will take you back to the time when Indian merchants began to inhabit the city. Close to Kebon Sirih, there is also seller of Martabak India.

Model Gandum and Burgo are probably the other munchies to sample. Model can be found at Simpang Empat, near Jembatan Karang, or Model Dowa at Simpang Lima or Bukit Baru.  Kwe Tiau is available on Kebon Sirih Street. Pangsit is at the Kavaleri. Bakso Gepeng is close to Pasar Kuto right before Telkomsel.

Pindang can be bought at Pindang Meranjat or Pindang Pegagan at Demang Lebar. Pindang can also be found in Sudirman Street close to IGM. It is also found at Kol. Burlian Street close to Soekarno-Hatta.

Tekwan is also culinary specialties in Palembang. It's really tasty, once you try it, you can't stop eating it. The distinctive taste of tekwan makes you ask for more.


Gift

detail songket

Songket is definitely a souvenir to buy. It’s a beautifully hand-woven sarong that you can use anywhere, anytime, especially when it is required to wear one like entering a mosque or a temple. Indonesia embraces Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism where proper attire is usually compulsory when entering places of worship. The gold and silver songkets are more expensive and are usually worn for weddings or other ceremonial occasions.

The best place to see what you can bring in the backpack or in the suitcase is the mall, like the Palembang Square. It is a huge mall selling a variety of items you can imagine. It’s a feast for the eyes and a good way to kill the time. All prices are mostly fixed. No bargain necessary.

Prefer a more traditional market? Go to Pasar 16 Ilir (Pasar Enambelas Ilir) if you like to practice your bargaining skills. This multi-storied bazaar is near the Grand Mosque, Mesjid Agung. Songket is found here in various forms, ranging from sarongs, purses, shoes, fans, clothes, and more.

Tips For You

The Annual Bidar Race is well worth including in your plans if you visit Palembang around Independence Day, August 17th. The Annual Bidar Race takes place at River Musi. The 24 meters long boat and 75 cm wide, powered by 50 oarsmen. Sriwijaya Festival every July perform cultural attractions and ornamental boat race

Boat festival competition at Musi river usually hold for celebrate lunar new year, so if you plan to enjoy this festival, you have to set date to visit Palembang in Lunar New Year.

Palembang is such a big city, eventhough tourist destination in Palembang not as much as in other city, but Palembang is such a beautiful city too. So, come visit Palembang sometime, you won't ever regret, I promise. Palembang will always be there to welcome you whenever. Explore Palembang yourself! No need to think twice to come and visit Palembang, because it is really worth it.