INDONESIA – BANGKA AND BELITUNG ISLANDS (Pangkal Pinang)
BANGKA ISLAND
Bangka lies east of Sumatra, the 9th largest island in Indonesia with a population of 1,146,581. Most is lower plains, swamps, small hills, and beaches. It has white pepper fields, many palm trees, rubber trees, and tin mines.
Around 1710, tin was discovered on the island, atracting migrants especially Chinese immigrants, still form a large portion of modern Bangka’s inhabitants.
Japan occupied the island from February 1942 to August 1945 during World War II. The Japanese military perpetrated the Bangka Island massacre against Australian nurses and British and Australian servicemen and civilians. Recently, tin mining has declined notedly, although it is still a major part of the island’s economy.
Since circa 1710, Bangka has been one of the world’s main tin-producing centers. There is a tin smelter at Muntok. Indonesia is the second-largest tin producer and exporter in the world, most produced on Bangka. Heavy tin exploitation caused environmental damage and much of the land suffers from infertility and nothing grow near the mines.. The watery mines peppering the island often become home to saltwater crocodiles that have been displaced from their natural mangrove habitat,
White pepper is also produced on the island.
The majority of the inhabitants are Malays and Chinese, mostly Hakkas. The population is split between those work on the tin mines, palm oil plantations, rubber plantations, fisherman and those who work on pepper farms.
PANGKALPINANG
Day 4 Sat Dec 13
Flight. Lion Air. Jakarta to Pangkalpingang @10:15-11:30.
I basically took the day off to read and planned to go out the next day to see some of the city while I waited for my late afternoon flight.
ON Victory Inn Hotel. A good price at US$15. No elevator and room on third floor. Oddly, no sink in the room.
Day 5 Sun Dec 14.
I took a Grab mototaxi downtown and walked around this uninspiring town.
Bangka Tin Museum. Has 3-D topography, dredging technology, and many dioramas. Free
Flight Lion Air, PGK to CGK @17:10-18:30. CGK to Ternate @01:15-10:30 +1
GO TO MAKULU
Airports: Pangkal Pinang (PGK), Tanjung Pandan (TJQ)|
Science, Technology and all Industry and Mining Museums:
Lakes: Bangka: Kaolin Lake
Lighthouses: Lengkuas island: Lighthouse
BELITUNG ISLAND
World of Nature: Belitung Geopark
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I decided not to go to Batam (just to get another NM region). Flights were expensive, and there was nothing to see.
INDONESIA – RIAU AND ANAMBAS ISLANDS (Batam, Bintan)
DARE
Indonesia – Tudjuh Archipelago
Airports: Batam (BTH), Tanjung Pinang (TNJ
BATAM
Botanical Gardens: Batam Botanical Garden
TARJUNGPINANG
Well-being: Eco-Experience: Bawah Reserve
