women selling from their bicycles on the main board walk of Muara Muntai

women selling from their bicycles on the main board walk of Muara Muntai

Quintessential Mahakam River village, with board walks and houses on stilts

the wooden houses, colourful, are connected to the board walk system

the wooden houses, colourful, are connected to the board walk system

motorbikes parked in front of the local school complex

motorbikes parked in front of the local school complex

 

There are no streets in Muara Muntai. The village is built over frequently inundating flats bordering the river, all the houses are on stilts, and in between the houses a network of board walks has been constructed. Over which one can walk, but which are equally suitable for mountain bikes, and the ever-present motorbikes. Especially the sound of passing motorbikes is noticeable, as if a tank comes along.

 

 

 

another view of the main dual carriage board walk

the main dual carriage board walk

a window

a window

local chicken stall

local chicken stall

and the fish grill – note the fan, high-tech solution to keep the charcoal going

and the fish grill – note the fan, high-tech solution to keep the charcoal going

In the centre of the village, which is surprisingly big, the board walk is even double carriage way, although the concept, of separate directions of traffic, proves totally alien. Shops border the ‘street’, bicycle-based stalls are placed in the middle. Individual entrepreneurs sell a fabulous form of cup cakes, others provide grilled fish, and the market has a wide variety of ingredients. Well supplied, for a rather remote settlement.

Of some concern to us – but obviously not to the villagers – is the habit of throwing all the rubbish off the board walk, into the water. I suspect that the sewerage system of individual houses works similarly simple, based on the assumption that the river will take care of it. Which is doesn’t, or at least not now, with a fairly high water level. Everything is floating around, yet nobody seems to be worried; children happily play in the shallow water.

Muara Muntai is the perfect introduction to Mahakam River villages, and a great base for exploring the surrounding lake district, starting with Danau Jempang, the next stop on the Virtual Tour. (Great place to arrange local transport, too, by the way, much better than in the villages away from the main river, like Tanjung Issuy or Mancong.)

at the fringes of the village, birds

at the fringes of the village, birds

Tagged with →  

One Response to Muara Muntai

  1. Elizabeth says:

    I have been there and yes it is lovely. It only takes an hour to walk once around. There is an interesting boat yard.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *