Singkawang is known as the city of a thousand temples or the city of Amoy. Why? that’s because the number of Chinese people living in this area brought their culture here and built many temples here.
Singkawang is only 150 km or 2-3 hours from Pontianak. This city has become part of the “satellite” of Pontianak city, because of the local income and economic activities, the city is more advanced and modern than other cities in the entire province and the provincial capital itself. Singkawang which has about 300 thousand inhabitants has developed the city and is more advanced in various fields. This heterogeneous city has a heterogeneous variety of people from all walks of life but has a high tolerance for each other. Of course there are many other factors in the economic revival of Singkawang.
If you go to Singkawang, you should visit a recommended tourist attraction, such as visiting a temple on Mount Passi, which is located in Sejangkung, South Singkawang. One of the oldest temples here is the Tri Dharma Bumi Raya temple, founded in 1878 dedicated to the god of the forest, or Toa Peh Kong.
Usually Singkawang is a quiet town, but Singkawang comes alive every Chinese New Year to celebrate Cap Goh Meh or the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year. For this event, Chinese from all over the region, including those from Java and Sumatra but also from Singapore and Malaysia flocked to Singkawang to celebrate the event with family and friends. But not only Chinese, non-Chinese were also busy celebrating.
During this celebration the Tatung or Chinese will perform their supernatural prowess to the thousands of people gathered along the way. However, before taking the action, they first prayed for blessings at Toa Peh Kong Temple. Tatung are people endowed with supernatural powers who perform during the Cap Go Meh Festival in Singkawang, the ‘city of a thousand temples’ in West Kalimantan.
Besides being famous for the City of Thousand Temples and its Cap Go Meh celebration, Singkawang is also famous for many tourist attractions, such as Pasir Panjang Beach, Tanjung Bajau, Sinka Zoo, Mimi Land, Rindu Alam and many more.
Singkawang has many types of vegetarian restaurants, bistros and coffee shops. Usually vegetarian restaurants serve Indonesian food menus, while bistros can serve various types of dishes depending on the type of food itself, such as Chinese Food, Malay Food, etc. Traditional food vendors can also be found still selling food in a simple way using a cart. such as “porridge scissors” and “Mi Tiaw” vendors. At night traditional food vendors can be found at the Hongkong Market along the shop entrances in Singkawang, the shops comprising old buildings in the city center. There are three main types of food in Singkawang, namely Chinese Food (non-halal), Malay Food and Vegetarian Food.
Foods that must be tasted if you go to Singkawang are Bakso 68, Singkawang Tofu, ChaiKue, Rujak Thai Pu Ji, and Sotong Kangkung. This Sotong Kangkung is a unique food, as only SIngkawang has it, a mixture of hot corn flour with leafy vegetables and squid slices.
How, exciting right? Interested in coming to Singkawang? Come on, plan your vacation visit so that you have a fun and interesting moment.
Source : umkmkalbar
