Accomodations in Bagansiapiapi.

Moving around the small town of Bagansiapiapi was very easy as the main commercial activity area is around Jalan Perdagangan and Jalan Sumatra area.

There were many 'becak'(motorized trishaws) and some 'ojek'(motor taxi) readily available..To most backpackers,it will be just on foot exploring every corners of the street.

The Drum Band(DB) Gita Spansa Group from SMP Negeri 1 Bangko school welcoming some dignitaries attending the Barge Burning Ritual Event.

The building in the background is Dekranasda(Dewan Kerajinan Nasional)or National Handicraft Center along Jalan Gedung Nasional displaying locally made handicrafts,silks,'songket' and many unique crafts which were also for sale.

The local municipality secretariat beside the Bupati (regent)office along Jalan Gedung Nasional.

Bagansiapiapi is the capital of Kabupaten(regency) Rokan Hilir in Kecamatan(district) of Bangko and part of the Riau Province.

The executive of the province is a governor who will be elected by the electorate every five years term.







Banner welcoming the new governor(standing left) of Riau province to the Ritual Bakar Tongkang.
Standing beside is the Regent of Rokan Hilir.







Trilingual road sign  having Bahasa Indonesia,Bahasa Arab and Bahasa Tionghoa.
Very exclusive and helpful for foreign tourists.











Hotel Bagan
24,Jalan Sentosa
Tel:0767-21888
Rates:200,000 - 500,00Rp
Located in town center.










 Hotel Kades Bagan
39-B,Jalan Sentosa
Tel:0767-23139
Rates:250,00 -  400,000Rupiah
Directly opposite Hotel Bagan.









Pasar Pelita along Jalan Perdagangan.
Morning market while there were many individual stalls selling garments,daily necessities and many others within the complex.

Bagansiapiapi is the third largest fish producer in the world in the early twentieth century as it has a seabed within the Sunda Platform.Unfortunately a dwindling sea harvest with the restriction on trawlers activities has affected her ranking.

The population consensus  based on year 2010 figures stood at 82,500.Most have migrated to bigger cities across the archipelago in search of greener pastures.



Wisma Dragon building along Jalan Perdagangan,Chinatown area.
This is also a hotel which I initially thought was a Chinese restaurant.

For the Wisma category,room rates were normally 150,000 Rupiah onwards.

Almost all hotel rooms in town including those of Wisma were fully booked six months ahead of any Chinese festivals,so it would be advisable to check it out while in Dumai before getting here.











Hotel Horison along Jalan Perdagangan.
Tel:0767-21001
Rates from 200,000 Rupiah







Most of the residential houses were single storey made of wooden planks supported on concrete stilts.The nature of land mostly of peat soil.

Since Bagansiapiapi in near the Rokan River bank,the chances of flooding  from an overflowing river might occur.








Hotel Mulia,
Jalan Perdagangan.
Among the new high rise building in town,wonder whether it's an affiliate of Hotel Mulia in Sendayan,Jakarta.









Visitors to Bagansiapapi will notice that most of the buildings have upper level extensions which served as swiflets houses.The chirping sound of swiflet birds can be heard all over the town.

Swiflet farming has now become the economic contributor and Indonesia is the largest producer of swiflet nests.

Swiflet Farming is a multi million business throughout SoutheastAsia mostly found near the costal plains.
Hon Yen(Bird's Nest Island) near Nha Trang in Vietnam, Mekong Delta region right till Khanh Hoa in the north with many limestone hills and coastal islands is the second major producer.

The 'yen-wo' (bird's nest soup) is a Chinese herbal delicacy believed to have the capability of  enhancing body metabolism and immune system.



Wisma Srivijaya off Jalan Sumatra.
1,Jalan Sedar
Tel:0767-21613, 0823-81125119
Rates from 150,000Rupiah
The upper level of this building is the swallow nest farming house as seen in above photo.








Wisma Paradise
13C,Jalan Perwira
Tel:0767-21917
Rates:from 150,000 Rupiah
Near the Soh Clansmen Ancestral Temple.











Hotel Kesuma
owner Mr Tong Hok(0812-9060724)
22b,Jalan Manggis
Tel:0767-21111/fax:0767-21999
h/p:0812-75669938

 Wisma Cahaya Baru.('Xin Guang')
A new hotel just started a few months old,owned by one Teo family.
Off Jalan Perdagangan access through a small lane
Lacks publicity and vacant rooms available.
Room rates a bit exorbitant,quoted by the motor taxi man(agent).No receptionist at counter.
Rates:450,000Rupiah.

Most of the dwelling houses in Jalan Pedagangan have near similar design with a bridge road leading to main entrance.
This must be a belief of 'Chi',Chinese feng-shui energy of flow.A welcoming strength nourished by fresh,clear and freely flowing strength.
A cheerful looking house indeed.






New coat of pain and sprucing up for the festival.
Wording inscription on red paper cut out,each placed parallel  beside the main door is a very common sight among most Chinese houses maintaining the old tradition.
Inscriptions such as peace,harmony,good fortune or health are the usual headings.

Old shoplots similar to those ideas imported from Tong Ann in Fujian Province.
There's limited nightlife activity after dark and the locals normally hangout around coffeeshops and food stalls .
Other places to stay:

Wisma Mawar,Tel:0767-22346 (near junction of Jln Perdagangan/Jln Gedung Nasional)

Hotel Mahera:17,Jln Utama Tel:0767-21819

 Nearby Places of Interest:
1) Sinaboi -55km,an upcoming port city.

2) Pedamaran-17km,a new cable bridge linking mainland to Berkey Island.

3) Kubu-23km,Pulau Halang part of this district,get there by boat and watch the beautiful sunset.

4) Panipahan-60km,go there by boat,another place with Chinese community,some hotels available.


Pulau Jemur(日姆尔岛),45km,an island in the middle of Malacca Straits.
Green leatherback turtle landing spot,Old World War II Japanese fort,Chinese Temple,beautiful sandy beaches and great snorkeling.It's an uninhabited island and the local government is inviting foreigners to develop the island as a tourist destination.Rent a speedboat for day trip,two hours from Bagansiapiapi or One hour journey from Panipahan.

Bagansiapiapi,Indonesia's little MinNan Village

Bagansiapiapi is a small little town about 150km to the north of Dumai city in Central Sumatra under the administration of  the Rokan Hilir Regency,Riau Province.

Located at the mouth of the Rokan River that flows into the Straits of Malacca,this town has its historical origin dated back to the Dutch  East Indies colonial era during the early 18th century.

What drew my interest to visit this town is the annual Barge Burning festival(Hokkien:'sio-ong-chun') which usually falls on the Chinese calender month of May 16th(Hokkian dialect:GocapLak[五月十六])

The only mode of transportation to get here is the shared eight seater Toyota Kijang Innova taxi van which I booked direct from this PSM company at No:424,Jln Jend Sudirman in Dumai.Contact No:(0765)33492.
They do provide pickup as well and can book through the phone.Fare :70,000Rupiah.
Departure at about 10:30am and arrived in Bagansiapiapi at about 12:30noon.
Local mini buses only operate in the morning,non air-conditioned and expect to take three half hours with many stops along the route.


Old library archives photo of early Chinese immigrants to Bagansiapiapi taken in front of the oldest Ing Hok Kiong Chinese temple beside the Rokan River.

Such scene has its similarity to the riverside quay in old Malacca and the boat quay in Singapore.

The early Chinese immigrants were mostly coolies,rickshaw pullers,traders and rice dealers who brought along their cultures and Hokkien language when they emigrated from Amoy (now known as Xiamen.) during the Anglo-Chinese War (1839-42) and later the longest civil war to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

The Anglo-Chinese war started at the Pearl River in Canton,followed by an attack on Amoy and then Dinghai port near Hangzhou.

Xiamen was the main port of China during the 18th century and was opened to foreign traders.
The weakening of the Qing government and a country torn into rebellious anarchy forced many mainland southern Chinese to migrate across other Southeast Asian port cities.

This is the reason for the first waves of China's southern emigrants set sailing in large wooden Chinese junks from their homeland as most were poor peasants compared to those of the northern Han Chinese.

Whereas in Thailand,Ayutthaya was the early focal point where many settlers were mainland Chinese from the Chaozhou prefecture of eastern Guangdong Province who spoke the Teochew dialect as till today.

Surprisingly,the three governing states of British Straits Settlements of Malaya have ethnic Chinese of whom majority of them spoke the Hokkien dialect tracing their roots to the Fujian Province of China.

Bagansiapiapi's close proximity to Malacca is midway between Penang Island and Singapore.
Having a physical landscape similar to that of Xiamen Island ,Gulangyu and Kinmen with many sheltered islets and rich marine resources,Bagansiapiapi seemed ideal to the early Chinese settlers due to her strategic advantage.

Initially there were three wooden sailing junks that set sail from Amoy and  only one fleet managed to discover the shores of Bagansiapiapi.The sailors offered prayers to two deities namely Tai Sun and Kie Ong Ya  throughout the difficult journey which  provided them the perserverance.

Majority of the pioneers that landed in Bagansiapiapi had the surname 'Ang' and as today there are about twenty eight different clansmen ancestral temple spread across the new found homeland.
For the best seafood cuisines around town there were two of these Ang family restaurants that were operating for generations.




On this very day of the sixteenth Chinese lunar month of May back in 1826,a temple's thanksgiving celebration was held to pay tribute to the two deities and the wooden sailing junks(tongkang) was put on flames as a goodwill gesture of sending the spiritual King Ship(Hokkien:'Ong Cun') back to sea and the underworld.





This practice has now become an annual tradition with thousands of visitors and devotees congregating in Bagansiapiapi specially for this event.
It has now been declared a National Event of Indonesia known as Bakar Tongkang




Jalan Pahlawan,the narrow main road leading into town.
At the fourth kilometer is the minibus stand to Dumai leaves at 09:30 & 10:00am which is opposite a Malay owned guesthouse,Penginapan Ulung Ujang.Rates 100,000Rupiah.(fan shared bathroom).
Local outstation sales people normally use this as base.
Caution:owner tend to charge day and night occupancy instead of rates per night adding to confusion,advisable to pay day to day and get the receipt.


Due to hotels around town being fully booked,the 'supir'(van driver) dropped me here.Though it's a hot stuffy wooden shack,getting settled  and scout around town for better accomodation is a priority.
Beside the minibus stand is a 'lotex' short name for lowongan taxi or taxi van booking outlet. Fares to Dumai is 70,000 Rupiah.There were many taxi van booking agents around town as well but some were unreliable.



Hotel Lion,Bagansiapiapi at the end of Jalan Pahlawan along Jalan Mawar.(less than a km from Klenteng Ing Hok Kiong)
A three star modern five storey hotel,opened in early 2008 with one level for vehicles parking.
Rates from 350,000 Rupiah.
Contact:(0767)25551/2/3
Email:info@lionhotel.co.id



SMP Bintang Laut near Hotel Lion along Jalan Mawar,a famous junior high school in town.
This school name 'Bintang Laut' is quite synonymous throughout Indonesia as it belongs to the Yayasan Prayoga or Catholic Foundation.
Students whom I met have interesting names such as Valentino Yoga,Gregorius Joso,Feby Cherolina,Gina Fabiola and Vanessa Huang.







Beside the secondary school is the Sekolah Dasar (SD) Bintang Laut primary school.







Taman Kanak-kanak (TK) Bintang Laut,kindergarten for preschoolers is just opposite the primary school.


Wikimapia

Exploring Riau Province in Central Sumatra

Riau Province lies towards the east coast of Central Sumatra in Indonesia.
Comprising of ten Regencies and two autonomous cities with the main capital at Pekan Baru which is Sumatra's third largest municipality after Medan and Palembang.
Other major cities in Riau Province include Dumai,Selat Panjang,Bagansiapiapi,Bengkalis,Bakinang,Rengat and Siak Sri Indrapura.

With abundant natural resources such as petroleum,natural gas,rubber,palm oil and fiber plantations,the Riau Province  is one of the biggest contributor of Indonesia's economy.

The society is ethnically heterogeneous comprising of Minangkabau,Jawa,Batak,Bugis,Banjar,Tionghoa and many others .With rich cultural diversity,the Riau Province is one great place to explore.

The word Riau originates from the Portuguese version 'Rio'
In 1511,the Malacca Sultanate falls into the hand of the Portuguese conquerors and Sultan Mahmud Shah escaped to River Siak area in Sumatra being pursued by the Portuguese armada who then named the place as Rio.

The old capital of Riau Province was Tanjung Pinang until 1959.Today it is the capital city of the Riau Archipelago or Kepulauan Riau (acronym,Kepri)
After the fall of Malacca,the Riau Islands became the centre of politcal power of the mighty Sultanate of Johor challenging the Sultan Siak Sri Inderapura who also seek control.

Batam is the main core island,other populated islands are Bintan and Karimun.Smaller islands are Bulan and Kundur

Places of interests and festivals  in Riau Province:

1) Pulau Jemur
Located about 45miles from Bagansiapiapi town and only about 45miles to Malacca.
Other clusters of islands within vicinity are pulau Tekong Emas,pulau Tekong Seimbang,pulau Labuhan Bilik and smaller islands good for snorkelling or scuba diving.
During the north east monsoon,the island is a main shelter for the fishermen.
Remains of Japanese Occupation artifacts are still being preserved.

2) Taman Nasional Bukit Tiga Puluh national Park
A lowland Tropical Rain Forest rich in flora and fauna.Covers part of the Bukit Barisan Mountain Range with many undiscovered wildlife santuaries.
Tribes still in existence in the mountain range includes Talang Mamak,Anak Rimba and Melayu Tua.

 3) Pantai Rupat Utara, Tanjung Medang
The easy to reach Rupat Island from Dumai with many seaside resorts.Teluk Phu and Tanjung Punak with nice beaches.

4) Air Terjun Aek Martua
Located in district Bangun Purba near Barisan Mountains, a waterfall with a thousand stairs.

5) Strange waves at Bono Beach
Located at Desa Teluk Meranti(Meranti Bay) along Sungai Kampar and Sungai Rokan.
Bono is a natural phenomena of sudden  rise in sea waves at times as high as 4-6 meter near the river mouth that occurs almost daily.


6) Marine Tourism in Kabupaten Siak.

A huge lake at Desa Zamrud in Kecamatan Siak Sri Inderapura comprising of Lake Naga at Sungai Apit.
Natural rain forests surrounded the lake with fishes such as the arwana,pinang merah and balido can be found in the area.

7) Barge Burning Ritual or Ritual Bakar Tongkang 
 An annual event in Bagansiapiapi,a town in  Kabupaten Rokan Hilir  which has a large Chinese community.
The event is held around the month of mid-June.

8)  Chinese New Year at Selatpanjang,Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti
Grand fireworks display.Another place in Indonesia with many Chinese temples.

9) Pekan Baru National Mosque (Masjid Raya) in Kecamatan Senapelan
 An eighteenth century built mosque during Siak Sri Inderapura Sultanate by Sultan Abdul Jalil Muazza Syah and Sultan Muhammad Ali Abdul Jalil Muazzam Syah.

10) Siak Sri Indrapura Royal Palace built in 1889
Historical relics of the old Malay kingdom being displayed at this royal palace museum.

11) Candi Muara Tikus
Archeological site of  ancient Buddhist temple complex and relics at Desa Muara Tikus in Kampar District about 135km from Pekan Baru.

12) Klenteng Hoo An Kiong/Vihara Sejahtera Sakti Selatpanjang
Oldest Chinese temple in whole of Riau Province also called Tua Pek Kong Bio(Hokkian dialect)
Built during Dutch colonial rule.

13) Seven Layer Fortress or Benteng Tujuh Lapis
Located at Dalu Dalu in the district of Tambusai,Rokan Hilir Regency built by Dalu-Dalu people to defend against Dutch invaders.