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SURABAYA |
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Polluted, noisy and sprawling, SURABAYA is the second largest city
in Indonesia, and the major port of East Java. With time and effort the
city is comprehensible and even somewhat enjoyable, but for most
tourists Surabaya is nothing more than a transport hub. If you do want
to linger, the Chinese and Arab quarters to the north of the city centre
and the zoo and museum to the south are the most interesting sights.
The City
Surabaya's Chinese quarter hums with activity, an abundance of
traditional two-storey shophouses lining narrow streets, and minuscule
red-and-gold altars glinting in shops and houses. The area centres on
Jalan Slompretan, Jalan Bongkaran and the part of Jalan Samudra
southwest of the 300-year-old Hok Teck Hian temple on Jalan Dukuh. The
temple itself is a vibrant place with several tiny shrines spread over
two floors, and Buddhist, Confucian and Hindu effigies. Upstairs, at the
altar to Kwan Im Poosat, the "Valentine Angel", pregnant women come to
pray for the sex of their child.
The oldest and most famous mosque in Surabaya is Mesjid Ampel , located
in the Arab area, the kampung Arab or Qubah , to the north of the
Chinese quarter. The whole kampung, bounded by Jalan Nyanplungan, Jalan
KH Mas Mansur, Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda and Jalan Pabean Pasar, was
originally settled by Arab traders and sailors who arrived in Kali Mas
harbour. It's a maze of tidy, well-kept alleyways crammed with flowers,
beggars and shops selling Muslim hats, perfumes, dates and souvenirs.
Mesjid Ampel, built in 1421, is the site of the grave of Sunan Ampel,
one of the nine wali credited with bringing Islam to Java in the
sixteenth century, and as such, a site of pilgrimage and reverence. The
area isn't particularly tourist-friendly, and women will have to dress
extremely conservatively and take a scarf to cover their heads.
In the far north of the city, Kalimas harbour , a two-kilometre length
of wharves and warehouses at the eastern end of the main port, lies just
north of the Arab Quarter on Jalan Kalimas Baru; take bus C, P1 or P2 or
either PAC bus to Tanjung Perak and walk around to the east. It's
fantastically atmospheric, the traditional Sulawesi schooners loading
and unloading cargoes which are either unsuitable for containerization,
or destined for locations too remote for bigger ships. You need
permission to take photographs; ask at the police post by the harbour
entrance.
One of the best places to visit in the city, Surabaya Zoo (Kebun
Binatang Surabaya), Jl Setail 1 (daily 7am-6pm; Rp3000), lies 3km south
of the city centre; take buses C, P1, P2 or either PAC bus. Spacious,
and with over 3500 animals, it's surprisingly pleasant and, at least in
parts, less distressing for animal-lovers than many Indonesian zoos.
Highlights include the orang-utans and Komodo dragon.
A few minutes' walk from the zoo, the Museum Negiri Propinsi Jawa Timur
, MPU Tantular, Jl Taman Mayangkara 6 (Tues-Thurs 8am-2.30pm, Fri
8am-2pm, Sat 8am-12.30pm, Sun 8am-1.30pm; Rp500), is crammed with crafts
and artefacts, including a fine collection of shadow puppets and topeng
masks.
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