THE NATIVES OF BALIKPAPAN

Assalammu alaikum, Hi!

It takes to long that I had been abandon this beautiful pictures without stories. It's because I don't have my laptop with me and I have to much work to do. Well, now I just have a little time, but I'll try my best!

These Pictures bellow photograph by my junior high school friend, Rahmanto, or more known as Mas Manto. In Indonesian language, 'Mas' mean elder brother. In my society usually people add 'Mas' or 'Mbak' (elder sister) to put respect on somebody he just meet, or not really know, or simply because it more easy than remembering the name. :D Enough of Him! Let's talk about his pictures.

I must admit, even formally educated as Engineer and never take any formal study about photography, Rahmanto really showed a promising talent. But what do I know? I'm just a viewer. Anyway, bellow this are the record from his lense into the crowds of Festival in Balikpapan's birthday.

The real native of Balikpapan was Paser tribe. Today this tribe move further to the east, more deep inside the Borneo Island, and Balikpapan city filled by many tribes from all of Indonesia. But if talking about Borneo, we will talking about Dayak tribe in particular, the main native tribe from Borneo, which consisted by many tribes, including Paser tribe. Me, myself, had Tunjung and Bakumpai tribes in my blood. But I'm also had Sunda, Banten, Middle Java and Banjar bloods run in my vein. Including little chinese history and arabian from great great grandfather from both side, my Mom and Dad. If people asked I'm simply told them that I'm Mix or I'm real Indonesian.

Well, bellow, is the shows of Dayak's tribe heritage.


Above is picture of Dayak's lady with her precious son inside traditional crib. I'm not sure what this traditional crib made from, but it cover by beads all over the outside body. I will try to find better pictures and explaination on this later. ;)


Above is a picture of young lady inside Dayak's traditional dress. There are many tipe of Dayak's traditional dress, and this is one of it. Isn't she beautiful?


Beautiful face, nice smile and perfect gesture! Great eyes, Mr. Photographer!


Judging from her face, the lady in the right was not native girl. But it doesn't mean she cannot be fit with her dress. Than the other ladies, her dress more filled with Dayak custom. Like you see here, Dayak traditional dress usually have black as the base color, and decorated with many colorful beads in traditional design. Many yellow, red and orange, sometimes a little blue, white and green.


above is the pictures of Dayak's Elders companied by young Middle javanese man in his traditional outfit.


The children of Dayak tribe in more colorful dresses.


Do you see the ears? I'm so glad I'm not born in their time because I don't need that kind of ears. But long ears is a symbol of beauty for Dayak tribe,so usually they will put a weight big earing, one in every ear, once a year, to make it longer litle by little.I really cannot see which part is beautiful from that habit? @___@


Gather for festival! A happy tribe, happy city, I hope! :)

Well, Good bye! Wassalammu alaikum.
Rahma Azzahra

PHOTOGRAPH BY RAHMANTO

BALIKPAPAN INSIDE MY FRIEND'S EYES

Assalammu Alaikum. Wr. Wb.

These are collections of pics made by my friend, a very promising photographer, about landscape in my city.











Photograph by Rahmanto

My City Again, The Downtown

Assalammu Alaikum, Wr. Wb.

Hi, how are you today? I'm not finish talking about my city yet, so let's continue. I did showed you our Beach and oil company. Now let me show you our Downtown.This is Balikpapan landscape pictures taking by the plane. Not breathtaking pictures if compared by the beach pictures from the last post, but unless I can show you my city in different point of view.Balikpapan is putting make up in it face these days by build more shopping malls, apartements, hotels and entertainment facillities, to invited more tourists from another cities or another countries, and it seem working very well, because I did noticed how the traffics on the main road and downtown at every friday night to sunday afternoon, become too busy.So many people come to Balikpapan from other cities around it and spend their weekend by shopping and entertaining themselves. At this time, the hotels will fully booked and the roads will fully loaded with vehicles. Make me always chosed to stay at home than going outside and have fun like others citizens and the tourists, because I hate trapped inside the crowds. Beside, my books always feel more interesting than the traffics, except when I feel really need to eat 'Sate', 'Soto Quin' or 'Gulai'. Hehehe... You don't know what it is? Let me tell you later, in another post!The main downtown in Balikpapan is at Sudirman street. Once again, placed by the beach, it is the most busy bussiness area. Long time ago, we cannot see the ocean from the street because behind those stores, there is Fisherman Village, where many fisherman lives with their family and their ships. But more than a decade ago fire burn down all of the house in the village along will all the stores in front of it. Suddenly the ocean came to our sight when beach no longer have houses to block it. Goverment moved the fisherman's families to another place and start to built a complex of stores, called Ruko Bandar, where in my opinion, 1 one the best restaurant at the city placed today. I'll told you about it later! :-DThere are few Shopping Malls located in different area of the city. The Plaza and Hypermart at Sudirman Street, the oldest one, but still become the famous one because it located in the best area in town. Standing by the beach, in the most busy bussiness area at Sudirman Street, this Mall not only give the best shopping experiences in our city could offer today, but also give the shoppers breathtaking view of sunset over the sea at it's parking lot.Next to it the is Pasar Baru Square which still under construction now, even in the middle of construction chaos, they already open the only Cinema in town, XXI. Still a Sudirman Street, there is Grand Sudirman, brand new apartement and hotel complex. The mall near it still under construction too. If we move little further there is Balikpapan Super Block Where the E-Walk Mall and complex of apartements and stores placed. It also brand new complex of Shopping Mall and stores so there still many stores not open yet, but they have the best donut in town which I love so much! Hehehe...There are still 2 Mall standing in the other sides of the town, Rapak Plaza and Mall Fantasy. I don't like Rapak Plaza, but Mall Fantasy which placed at suburban area is one of good choice to go if you want a little quite shopping experiences.Not too crowded inside and they have great building and wonderful neighbourhood to enjoy. I heard they had plan to change the former hospital building near my parents house into another Mall. I start to feel there already too many Shopping Mall for the City as small as Balikpapan, but what do I know! As long as build new Shopping Mall do not caused the destruction inside community, I guess it is all right to Make another one or two or three. New entertainment in town will always great for everyone, I hope so.


Bye for now.

Wassalam.
Rahma Azzahra.

My Beautiful Balikpapan

Assalammu Alaikum, Wr. Wb.Hi, my name is Rahma Azzahra. My age? I'm 13! Xixixi... Just kidding! I was born in Balikpapan, a small city in East Borneo, Indonesia. My City is so small. it size only 503.3057 Km. but it already reached International popularity and famous by the nickname The Oil City. The reason is this:Balikpapan was built around the only Oil Company in Indonesia, Pertamina. Long time ago it was only group of neighbourhood that existed to provided the need of the workers in the Company, but by the grown of oil industry around our city, where few major oil companies of the world based themselves at Balikpapan, the population had grown into small city. Balikpapan Today still listed in small City category, but I really proud saying, that Balikpapan is way different with others small cities in Indonesia.With the moves of these major international Oil Company such us Chevron and Total Indonesie to Balikpapan, working side by side with Pertamina Oil Company, based on their needs, many small supplying companies also moved and pop up in Balikpapan. It raised the popularity of oil Industry and keep inviting new company to join the crowds. These companies brought along their best employees and it increased the City achievement not just by number, but also by education. Based on City Development Indeks (CID)if compare with others small cities, Balikpapan take a lead by 97% educated people in community, which the average numbers for others are around 60-75%. Of course it also happened because our goverment really care about education.Isn't beautiful? Like you see here, we are placed near the beach. The heat sometimes really unbearable, but made playing in the beach become so much fun to do.I spent my younger time by playing around the beach alot. Usually we made a sand palace, playing in the water, searched for starfish, shellsfish or small crabs to collect, or just walking and enjoying the breeze. People also love to do jogs or Volley ball at the beach. Fresh air always good for lung, right?

Sometimes school brought us to the beach to do sport. In junior high I joint gymnastic's club and because we don't have Gym, we always practiced at the beach. We used the soft sands as our matrass and enjoyed the waves as our beat. Really great time! Unfortunately the beach today not as clean as before. The sand turned into grey because poluted by oil, also starfish and shellsfish hard to be found anymore. ;(But you can still enjoying the sunrise and sunset! Hehehe...

Enough for now. I will tell you more in my next post. Bye-bye.

Wassalam
Rahma Azzahra