Things to do in Palembang, Indonesia

Things To Do In Palembang

Besides checking out life along Sungai Musi River in Palembang, Indonesia, there’s a lot more you can do there.

Here we go:

1. Visit the Ampera Bridge.

This is the main link between the northern and southern parts of the city.

This bridge is best viewed at night when the neon lights up.  Night is best to walk on the bridge, as the activities range from watching people fish to watching people’s first dates.

2. See the massive Chinese Pagoda and ‘Tree of Love’ on Kemaro Island.

Just ask a pump boat operator near the Ampera Bridge to take you there.  The pagoda was built by the Chinese community in Palembang.

If you write your name and someone else’s name on the nearby ‘Tree of Love’, you will be happy with them for eternity.

3. Visit a Songket Factory

Songket is the south Sumatran fabric.  It takes a person 1 month, working 6 days a week, to produce a piece of Songket fabric.

Each thread is woven into a row of intricate patterns.  Prices start from about 1,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah, or about $US100.

The amount of effort that goes into each piece is astounding.  That’s patience I don’t have.

See more at Batik: From the Courts of Java and Sumatra.

4. Eat a truckload of great food

Palembang has it’s own unique cuisine, such as the previous post I wrote on the Shaved Ice with Red Beans drink.

I have been subjected to copious amounts of food thanks to the Wongkito Blogging Community.  Palembang Food is very spicy, but it’s not so hot that it detracts from the flavour (well, not for me anyway!).

Here are some of the things you can try:

Durian

Durian is either a fruit you love or hate.  It is banned from many places, such as hotel rooms and public transport, because of it’s often pungent odour.  But I don’t mind it now and then.

A hot tip is not to mix Durian with beer, otherwise you will be burping up Durian for hours.

There are Durian stalls around Palembang that you can visit for dessert!

Ikan Brengkes – Fish in a spicy Durian Sauce

The sauce is called tempoyak, which is a blend of fermented durian, shrimp paste, lime juice and chilli.  Tastes great!

Model – this is Crab balls in a soupy mix.

Pindang – a spicy , clear fish soup

Sop Buah – Fruit Soup

This is refreshing on a hot day – which are most days in Palembang.

Usually, these meals were finished off with a photo with whoever had cooked my meal.

The lady in the brown, black and white dress has a baby due soon.  She mentioned that she would like the baby to have my nose and my mouth.  I don’t know why.

I thought it was a bit late for me to have any influence!

5. Visit the local bustling markets

There’s all sorts of things for sale here.  Such as fish:

gekkos…

and crickets to feed the gekkos.

6. Walk past the biggest mosque in town, the Mesjid Agung.

7. Take a boat across the river to Kapiten Island to see village life, and traditional houses.

8. And check out the Museum Sultan Machmud Badaruddin II for a number of historical displays

If you ever get to Palembang, check these things out. I’m sure the Wongkito Blogging Community would be keen to help out!

Check out more at Footprint Sumatra Handbook: The Travel Guide.

Air Asia can get you to Indonesia and loads of other destinations.  Check out their website for some great airfares.