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.
Your Tip for Surabaya
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Surabaya - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Surabaya - visit the main Surabaya forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Surabaya webguide section below! Thanks.
|
