Jajanan khas kota minyak (Balikpapan)

Jajanan khas kalimantan timur yang biasa dibawa untuk oleh2 :

1. Amplang adalah camilan khas Kalimantan Timur, yang terbuat dari campuran ikan segar, tepung tapioka, telor, bumbu2. Amplang juga biasa disebut dengan Kuku Macan karena bentuknya yang memang mirip dengan kukunya macan. Jajanan ini memiliki ukuran seujung jari kelingking yang meruncing dan terbuat dari campuran ikan tenggiri atau pipih, tepung serta bumbu rempah yang khas.

2. Kepiting, ada tiga rumah makan kepiting yang terkenal di balikpapan yaitu Dinandito, Kenari dan Tambora. Kepiting bisa kita bawa pulang naik pesawat tanpa takut bau karena dikemas dalam plastik yang kedap udara, jadi rasanya terjamin. Masakannya ada beberapa macam, rasa lada hitam, saus manis, saus tiram. Seporsi kepiting dihargai 125 ribu rupiah.

Kepiting Kenari/ Kepiting Kelapa

Kepiting Kenari/ Kelapa ?

Nih kepiting sempet buat temen2-ku yang pertama kali menginjakkan kaki di borneo/ kalimantan tepatnya di handil (daerah penghasil minyak) jadi serem, waktu itu nih kepiting lagi di kerubutin ayam di bawah pohon kelapa. Kepiting bukan, udang juga bukan tapi punya bentuk kombinasi antara udang ma kepiting. Akhirnya dittinggalin aja dech, padahal selain bentuknya aneh nih kepiting juga enak kalo dimasak. Kepiting Kenari/ Kelapa kabarnya hanya ada di Maluku atau di Sulawesi tapi ternyata ada juga lho di Kalimantan. Karena jumlahnya yang sudah mulai langka kepiting ini sudah dilindungi oleh pemerintah. Sesuai dengan namanya, kepiting kenari/ kelapa mang hidup dengan memakan buah kelapa, kepiting ini bisa memanjat pohon kelapa untuk memetik buahnya.
Nih foto2 yang q ambil dari beberapa sumber di internet .

Blood Shell in Handil Menu

Blood shell or todai (people in east Kalimantan said) is one of seafood that have a good nutritious. Usually cooking and serve as broil, but cooking with some seasoning only (garlic, shallot, salt, chili) is delicious enough. Very cheap than fish or chicken, only Rp.10.000,- for 1-kg blood shell (big size) but for a little size you can buy Rp.7.500,- for 1-kg. Serve with sauce & vegetable…hummm…..yummi

A little crab inside Blood Shell

The flavour like prawns but more elastic. Cholesterol contains not to much than other seafood. When we open the shell some time we find a little crab (the crab size only like a little finger) because blood shell also eat this little crab. This little crab also we can eat because the crab skin is not hard like the big crab, additional protein inside of blood shell.

All About Handil, Muara Jawa - East Kalimantan

Handil is located about +/- 80 km from balikpapan, we can received handil by land transportation in +/- 2 hours. From sepinggan airport we can use airport taxi with rate +/-Rp.300.000,- or by illegal rent car at airport (usually xenia) with rate +/- Rp.250.000,- include fuel or if want use public transportation you can walk outside of airport to roadway (front of airport) to transport by mitsubishi L-300 (people called taxi handil) you just pay Rp.30.000,-, more expensive if we compare with transportation in java, for same distance maybe in java only pay Rp.12.000,-.

Main income of handil is from coal mine, palm oil plantation & oil-gas exploration. Handil base is named by Total E&P Indonesie when they first come to this area to explore oil & gas. Handil maybe like village name if we compare in java. Consist of handil 1 until 8, this area include in muara jawa district (kecamatan). Living by various tribe such as java (central/ east java), bugis/ tator (sulawesi), banjar (central Kalimantan), Padang (Sumatra). For bugis tribe they are famous as sailor that very appropriate with handil who passing by mahakam river.

Living cost in handil is more expensive if we compare with live in around Jakarta (pamulang-depok-bekasi,etc) maybe in jakarta. Not only about food, leasing house also more expensive than jabodetabek. As comparation, for leasing house at pamulang/ tangerang we can find standard house with 2 bedroom with price Rp.7,5 million in one years, but if we rent in handil with the same house condition maybe we will charge rp.1 million in one month or 12 million in one years.

To accommodate public requirement for daily essentials, every night local government organize night market in different place around handil that I said handil expo, same like other night market in Kalimantan. This market provide various daily essentials like vegetable, kitchen equipment, clothes, food & other accessories.

Fresh fish, prawn & crab you can find in tanggul/ traditional market, near of bus station/ harbour. For 1-kg crab the price amount Rp.30.000,-, if want to bring with plane, crab must be pack at sterefoam box.

Some place that recommended for your holiday if stay at handil such as :
1. Tanjung beach : located at senipah that can receive in +/- 45 minutes from handil
2. Manggar beach : located at manggar near balikpapan, +/- 1 hour 30 minute from handil.

3. Natural hot water bath : located at handil-samarinda road, just 5 minutes from handil

4. Bukit Bengkirai : natural forest recreation with drawbridge, +/- 1 hour 30 minutes from handil

5. Samarinda : capital of east Kalimantan, you can enjoying view of mahakam river with one of biggest mosque in Indonesia at roadside. Just 1 hour with road transportation. You also can find turtle egg with price Rp.6.000 ~ 10.000,- for 1 pcs, special menu at samarinda is ayam penyet (chicken).
6. Tenggarong : this is regency of kutai kartanegara, handil (muara jawa) also include in this regency. 2 hours from handil via samarinda. Kumala island is like small dunia-fantasi at Jakarta for Kalimantan people. Kutai Kertanegara bridge also one of recommended place if you recreation to tenggarong, this bridge like San Francisco bridge if I said. For souvenir you can find behind mulawarman museum, many kind traditional accessories you can buy here.

Rate for car rent (Xenia) for 1 day (12 hour) :
- Rp. 250.000,- : car only
- Rp. 500.000,- : car, driver & fuel

Ulin Honey

This honey I’m get during consorting my family for shopping at museum tenggarong – kutai kertanegara, that time my family present shoping for their friend.

Honey is one of drink containing a lot of nutritious that recommended. As per named, the ulin honey is from bee that sipping ulin wood. That make me interesting to buy this honey. Ulin honey color is like grape extract (brown).  

The price is Rp.75000,- just different Rp.5000 with the other honey that usually sale Rp.70000,-. Normally if we at java 1 bottle honey is price Rp.30.000,-, but this is east Kalimantan so the price is different of course.

Breakfast Menu in Handil

Foot Chicken Soup

Not many choice for breakfast when you life in handil because just several booth is open, same like in the other place except in Jakarta that have many choice for breakfast.

Menu for breakfast in handil that you can buy along roadside is yellow rice, pecel, lontong sayur & sup ceker ayam. Various kind of cake also you can find near football field simpang-3 handil.

Yellow rice (nasi kuning) : this food is same like other rice but when cooking added turmeric (kunyit) that make this colour of rice is yellow, yellow rice usually added onion fry, fish (tongkol, kembung, laying fish), beef or braise egg with special flavor.

Pecel : pecel is Javanese food, rice with added string bean, sprout, kangkung leaf and of course bean flavor, rempeyek is additional that must be there.

Lontong sayur : this food is normally we can see in Jakarta, ‘lontong’ with coconut mink and additional small tempe or vegetable with braise egg.

Sup ceker ayam (foot chicken soup) : this sup is introducing by my wife after 3 years life in handil. Like chicken mush (bubur ayam) but the mush composition is only a little, that cause this food is said sup. As per named, this food added chicken foot maybe 5 or 6 pcs. I think this is the best for breakfast at morning, not many hard food for breakfast. Small cassava & carrot also added in this food that make your breakfast nutritious.