Palembang Day 6 - One More Exploration before We Go Back

After a day of good rest and recovery I was eager to ride again and wanted to see more of Palembang. Together with Andrew we went off early in the morning for another adventure.

By now we were familiar with the local LRT operating procedure and again we will stop at Cinde Station.

The mascots of Asian Games 2018, the bird of paradise “Bhin Bhin”, single-horned rhinoceros “Kaka” and Bawean deer “Atung”.

Still craving for Aloi's Bakmie where we went for one more round before we return to Kuala Lumpur. You will never find a Bakmie of this kind in KL.

My Bakmie with extras added in my serving.

We went back to Jalan Sayangan area to see more of it, the old traditional trading ground with many pull carts and in deed very human intensive way of working.

A man slaughtering chicken at the road side single handedly.

And this man selling live ducks kept in rattan cages.

Still lofting at Seberang Ilir of Palembang observing more activities by the river bank and overlooking the iconic Ampera Bridge.

There were several touts soliciting boat ride to Kemaro Island and the bigger boats are eatery restaurants serving local cuisine.

 Getting closer to Ampera Bridge as we need to ascend the bridge and cross Musi River to Seberang Ulu for Kampung Arab.

We stumbled into this Kuan Yin Temple by accident, as we went to the river bank of Ulu Side of Palembang.

Locally it's known as Soet Goat Kiang 水月宮 or Chandra Nadi. One of the attractions of this temple is the old tomb of Ju Sin Kong a.k.a Apek Tulong, he was a Chinese Muslim and a special altar for him as he was regarded as the Guardian of Palembang.

This oldest Chinese temple has attracted many devotees from local and abroad like Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Located at Jalan Benteng, 10 Seberang Ulu GPS : -2.992694, 104.766487, you can visit the temple by boat from the opposite of the river bank besides the land transport. 

Still on the river bank of Seberang Ulu we headed towards Kampung Arab seeing many houses on silts as well as the pathways.

We missed a few turnings but we know Kampung Arab is just nearby our position.

There you are, we found Kampung Arab Al-Munawar. The village is manned by the local authority and an entrance fee of 5,000 rupiah per person was levied with a local guide showing us the place. Located at Lorong Almunawar, Seberang 13 Ulu GPS : -2.988238, 104.773349

 The first Arab immigrants to Palembang came from the Middle East to spread the religion of Islam. Only bringing with them the Holy Quran and a tombstone, the Holy Quran was brought to spread the teaching of Islam, while the tombstone was brought to mark their burial site if they were to die in a foreign land.

The Islamic school is operated according to the Arabic practice where Friday is their rest day and Sunday is a school day.

According to their culture, a woman of Arab heritage can not marry a man of non Arab heritage. However, an Arab man can freely be married to a non Arab woman.

 A marriage between an Arab woman and a non Arab man will be considered as a disgrace by their society, as according to their belief, it is only the male who can carry the bloodline of Rasulullah and not the women. Therefore, if an Arab woman marries outside of their race, the bloodlines of Rasulullah will be stopped at these women.

Kampung Arab is good location for film making depicting old communal settlement with interesting and narrow alley.

Our young and friendly guide giving a good commentary of Kampung Arab.

Riding along Jalan KH Azhari cutting through the busy marketing spot as we headed for Kampung Kapitan as our next target in line.

My faithful Oregon showing me the way and orientation of our ride.

Jalan KH Azhari goes straight and underneath of Ampera Bridge.

We found Kampung Kapitan located at 7 Seberang Ulu and it was the first Chinese settlement in Palembang during the Dutch colonial era in 1644. There were 3 officers staying in this settlement and that was why it was called Kampung Kapitan. This is also another cultural heritage site to ensure it is well kept and preserved.

The Kapitan's house consisting of 3 houses, 2 for the family's usage and 1 for social purposes such as function or meeting with village people. 

The house is elevated with architectural influences from the Dutch, Chinese and local Palembang.

Moving back to Seberang Ilir and taking Ampera Bridge to cross over Musi River we headed west bound for more discovery. We reached a place called Sekanak Kerihin with a small bridge over seeing a colourful river and this place became the latest attraction for people visiting Palembang.

Further down Jalan Ki Gede Ing Suro we saw another colourful mural known as Kampung Mural of Goedang Beontjit. Just like Sekanak Kerihin, it is another attraction to boost tourism in Palembang. This was the first mural with partial exposed brickwall as a result of fallen wall plaster that made us stopped to probe further for more mural. 

One by one, the artwork took us to the inside of a run down warehouse sited near the river bank.

The exploration went deeper towards the bank of Musi River.

Some of the murals seen in the interior part of Goedang Boentjit where we met a group of children having fun at the playground.

Time to wrap up our indulgence here and proceed to the next.

Til we meet again Goedang Boentjit Kampung Mural.

Little did we know Sriwijaya Kingdom Archaeological Park is the same place we stopped for a water pitstop during the Jamselinas9 Ride a few days before. We took a rest and a drink at Warung Manan in front of this Kapal Cheng Ho GPS : -3.016830, 104.734956 . Admiral Cheng Ho visited Palembang 4 times out of his 7 voyages to the west with his 63 fleets and 28,560 crewmen. 

After Sriwijaya Kingdom Archaeological Park, we took back Jalan Kadir Tkr and a turning at Jalan Sultan Moh. Mansyur to Bukit Siguntang at GPS : -2.995865, 104.725922. In 1920s, a Buddha statue was discovered in this hill. It was discovered in pieces, the head part was discovered first, several months later the body parts were discovered, however the leg part is still missing.
Today it is displayed in Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum, near Kuto Besak fort.

A pond with a golden feature seen at the park with poor maintenance, this park needs a revamp in order to be able to attract more tourists into this spot.

It is believed that some tombs belong to 7 figures of Malay-Srivijayan royalties and heroes who were Raja Sigentar Alam, Pangeran Raja Batu Api, Putri Kembang Dadar, Putri Rambut Selako, Panglima Tuan Junjungan, Panglima Bagus Kuning and Panglima Bagus Karang.

According to Malay Annals manuscript, Bukit Seguntang is believed to be the place where a demi-god hero being named Sang Sapurba descended to earth. He later become the ancestor of Malay kings that ruled kingdoms in Sumatra, Western Borneo, and Malay Peninsula. Bukit Seguntang was revered as the part of Mahameru sacred mountain in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. It is considered sacred because it was believed as the homeland of Malay people. The kings that ruled Malacca Sultanate was said to be the descendants of Sang Sapurba.

It's another 5km we should be back to the hotel, love cycling along this water canal without any railing to protect motorists / cyclists.

Lorok Pakjo GPS : -2.981670, 104.730845

It was a good ride discovering more places of interest before we go back to Kuala Lumpur covering a distance of 30km for the day.

We left Palembang the next day in the early morning and it was surely a wonderful experience visiting this historical place in South Sumatra. I hope to come back again. Bye !