Dayak Festival and Adventures in Tanjung Isuy

Road Trip to Tanjung Isuy

Word was out, a festival underway, by the Dayaks, drawing me on road trip to the Kalimantan interiors along with my newfound friends from Samarinda. Name of village Tanjung isuy, right on Borneo’s biggest lakes and a famed home to the native people of Borneo, referred to as the Dayaks.

Six hours of nonstop motorcycle riding on horrendous roads, was needed to get there. Potholes killing vehicles coming in its vicinity, didn’t deter my female travel companions however. Not in the slightest. These Kalimantan women were tougher than nails and more fearless than men. Indeed, they were racing these roads like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow.

I learned that day what utterly crushed glutes feel like.

Later, I also learn it’s possible to access these villages using river transport. Tt would have made for a more comfortable experience, but what’s adventure without discomfort?

Besides, bikes gave the flexibility to do our own day trips.

Festival Budaya in Tanjung Isuyv

The festival itself had attracted many a local as well as visitors from the neighboring population centers, such as Samarinda. As foreigners are concerned, I was the only one there. Unsurprisingly, becoming quite an attraction myself. Indeed, I was informed, my mere presence had added to the festival’s overall glamor and credibility. Me, adding to an event’s success? What a joke. But such becomes the privilege of fair skin and non-black hair in these parts of the world. There is an inexplicable reverence for it.

The festival, it showcased the cultural elements I’d come for in the first place. Folk costumes, dances, and artwork on display. The onstage performances was a little loud for my liking and could need some improvements for next year. Most importantly, to inform these people they need to be more mindful of their ears. Louder is not better and tinnitus is not cool.

Exploring surrounding villages, Tanjung Jan and Pulau Lanting

In addition to attending the festival, we opted to go on side adventures and explore the surrounding areas. The lake complex is home to numerous villages, most of whom are inaccessible by roads and require some kind of water transport. Not yet having found someone to take us on the lake, we explore the existing roads on motorbikes, checking out the villages that were connected.

It was nice to walk in the surroundings and for the most part, the added attention my skin brings is amusing and tolerable, but after a while it risks becoming exhausting. I get the celebrity experience, without being an actual celebrity.

Tanjung Jone

The next day, my resourceful travel companions succeeded in finding a boat that could take us on to the lake. A fisherman is willing to take us to Tanjung Jone, a village, as we learn, inhabited by people from the island Sulawesi. An island quite a stretch away from here. I’m told they settled down in this remote place about three generations ago and had survived by the opportunities granted to them by the river and the lake.

Walking through the village, we come across a woman sitting by her still-to-be erected home. She estimates it will be another 4 years until completion, her husband earning 50 000 rupiah a day fishing. A little less than $4. The villagers help in the construction of her home, but material costs will still need to be accounted for. She explains one-hundred-million rupiah, or about $7000, is needed. For now she resides in a home that’s about to fall apart.