"Keeweechic's Tanjung ..." a Tanjungpinang Travel Page by keeweechic

Indonesia, with over 200 million people, has the fifth largest population in the world which is made up of 336 ethnic. Because of the size of this archipelago, and the highland and jungle areas, many parts of this country have remained remote and almost like stepping back in time.

The Riau Islands are one of the oldest business trading routes in the world. There 3,000 islands of the Riau province which straddle the Straits of Malacca. For centuries the islands have provided a safe sanctuary to traders and sailors from Europe, India and China and as a result they have strong foreign historical links. Riau, which includes a large part of East Sumatra, is the heartland of the Malays and the source of Indonesia's Malay-based national language.

Tanjung Pinang is the main town on Bintan Island in the Riau Islands. The town was originally called 'Rio' and dates back about 1,000 years. It is only about a 2 hour boat ride from Singapore. I took a short trip from Singapore one weekend, over-nighting in Tanjung Pinang. There were very few tourists other than Indonesians and Singaporeans, infact at the hotel I was booked in at, there was no other european woman staying there at that time and only one European man who was also living in Singapore at the time. It is not the most popular part of Indonesia that people usually choose to visit from Singapore, most head for Batam (see my travelogue) which is closer. In Tanjung Pinang there is a blend of old and new and you can still see the traditional stilt villages hugging the river shores. There is a small but interesting Riau museum which contains collection of clothing, weapons, musical instrument and furniture that once belong to the Riau Sultans. Also off shore, about 6 kms away by boat, is Penyengat Island. There are ruins there of the Bugis govenors as well as the old rulers palace, royal tombs and mosque.