I was surprised to be issued breakfast vouchers (but realised they were given by mistake and there would be none for subsequent days). It was a simple buffet of rice, chilli fish, veges and a few other things.
Despite Ramadhan, I did see some Muslims eating. It appears that Indonesia is more relaxed than Malaysia (where people can get fined) for eating in public; here the eateries just put curtains up so diners are no longer “in public”!
After breakfast I took an angkot (shared minivan) to the Museum Balaputra Dewa (aka South Sumatra Provincial Museum). The angkot driver looked 15 years old! I chatted to an old lady seated next to me. As usual, Indonesians are friendly and chatty. She paid for my ride as she hopped off. Very kind.
Entry fee to the museum was a measly IDR2000! I was their first visitor bright and early as they opened at 0830.
The first display I stumbled on was an exhibit room from the state government of Melaka in Malaysia. I guess the two regions are connected historically as Melaka’s founder Parameswara hailed from here but was the ruler of Singapore before fleeing.
Next up were exhibits from the Sriwijaya period (650AD to 1377AD). There were Buddha statues and stone inscriptions written in the Pallava script. In Indonesia, the people’s pre-Islamic past is not taboo, eg. the airline is still called Garuda and some Muslims have Hindu names!
In the next building was more contemporary arts and crafts like weaving, songket, lacquer that is similar to that in Peninsular Malaysia. Palembang natives are Malay (as opposed to Minang, Bugis, Javanese etc).
Lastly I visited the Rumah Limas which is a large wooden house built in traditional South Sumatra style. I ran into the caretaker/guide who offered to take me for small tip. He took out a IDR10K note to show me and I thought that was the asking price but I realised later that the house was depicted on the back of the note!
Inside, it reminded me of the palace in Pontianak and of old Malay homes. The thrones were still in place, as were a few bedrooms. The guide told me the house was brought over piece-by-piece from its original site and reassembled.
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- The angkot (also called bemo in some towns) is a minibus which operates along fixed routes.
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- At the museum, there are remnants of the Srivijaya Empire (650AD to 1377AD) on display. This inscribed stone is written in Old Malay using the the Pallava script. Transcribed into Latin script I could hardly understand anything as the language has evolved over the last 1000 or so years.
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- At the museum, there are remnants of the Srivijaya Empire (650AD to 1377AD) on display. This one of several Buddha statues at the museum. For Indonesians, their pre-Islamic past is not taboo. You only have to look at how their national airline Garuda is still named after a Hindu character.
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- Rumah Limas. A traditional style South Sumatran house. A Nandi bull sits on the front, reminding us of the Buddhist/Hindu history of the region which Indonesia does not shy away from.
From the museum I continued by angkot to the waterfront area. Bad luck for the driver as there were a few angkots in front. Despite stopping to let the other vehicles go ahead, I ended up being the only passenger all the way to my destination in the market area before Ampera Bridge.
I explored the market area, the eateries on the waterfront by the bridge and then walked to the River Side restaurant. The market and the local food stalls were very colourful with street performers, boats, street vendors etc. It was chaotic too.
I tried getting a local SIM card but it was surprisingly hard. They used to be everywhere! There has been a new regulation requiring registration and foreigners have to do it at the telco office. I managed to buy a SIM only to realise I had to activate and register it at the same time; I had hoped to activate it today and register it tomorrow.
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- Street market in Palembang.
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- Palembang’s Ampera bridge is rather iconic of the city. It straddles the Music River into which Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Silkair MI185 was alleged crashed by its suicidal captain.
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- Ampera Bridge now has a little sibling which houses the LRT (light rail track). It goes all the way to the airport as well. Auckland … are you taking notes?
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- Many boats line up under the Ampera bridge to take people to communities up and down the river.
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- Many boats line up under the Ampera bridge to take people to communities up and down the river.
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- Awesome angklung music. Normally each instrument plays one note and is held by one player. But he’s mounted them on a rack to be played all by himself.
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- Motorised rickshaws.
I took an angkot back to my hotel area and tried different varieties of Pempek for lunch. Pempek is essentially fishball/fishcake that has been adulterated with sago flour to make it longer-lasting and cheaper.
They can be boiled, fried or grilled. They come in various shapes, eg. ball, filled dumpling, noodle, roll etc. I also got some variants, namely otak-otak (in leaves) and lenggang (with egg). All-in-all, it became a pricey lunch by Indonesian standards.
Despite the price, I’ve now realised I’m not a big Pempek fan. I’d rather have pure fishball.
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- Pempek is a fishcake/fishball (from ikan belida) that has been mixed with sago flour to make it less perishable and cheaper. Boiled version.
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- Pempek is a fishcake/fishball (from ikan belida) that has been mixed with sago flour to make it less perishable and cheaper. Boiled version.
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- Pempek is a fishcake/fishball (from ikan belida) that has been mixed with sago flour to make it less perishable and cheaper. As an otak on the left; grilled and filled on the right.
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- Pempek is a fishcake/fishball (from ikan belida) that has been mixed with sago flour to make it less perishable and cheaper. With egg, it is called lenggang.
After a rest in the afternoon, I returned to the waterfront area for a walk and dinner at the River Side restaurant. I ordered the other Palembang specialty, Brengkes Ikan Patin Tempoyak. It is fish baked in banana leaf with a fermented durian sauce.
As Durian is pongy, one would expect fermented durian to the stuff that you’d use for exorcism. But surprisingly, the sauce was mild even with the chilli mixed into it.
After dinner, I walked along the waterfront, absorbed a little of the evening atmosphere before taking another angkot back to the hotel.
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- Brengkes Ikan Patin Tempoyak.
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- Ampera Bridge by night.
