Enjoying Hot Spring Waterfall in Semolon, Malinau

March 19, 2015

 

Rare experience happened again when I had a chance to go to Malinau for one of my job here to assisted some people from Jakarta to survey about the flood happened here last January. This trip was unprepared and really sudden.

 

Malinau Regent Office

 

Ulin wood (with a real skull hanged on top) and Alligator Sculpture

Landmark of Malinau Regency

I went here for 3 days and I got a chance to visit Semolon just because the last day, my plane was postponed for 6 hours and the crew noticed me on 8 o'clock and I just could not imagine how I spent all day long in this city without being so bored. I decided to call the driver I knew here and asked him whether I can go to some exciting places near the city before I went back to Tanjung, and he gave me a good suggestion, "why don't we go to Semolon, miss? there is a hot spring and waterfall there, only 2 hours to go there, I can guarantee you to go back here without getting late for the flight schedule" he suggested, and I gave him a big YES. hahahaha. 

So there we went, although the mountain road very tortuous, and the road is still not paved but I enjoyed all of it because this is my first time to go there alone without my friend with me. It was really excited! I managed to see Dayak community (one of the tribes in Kalimantan who are still living in the jungle and mountains), they used to live in a cave but lately some tribe get a relocation houses because the last flood took many casualties of their kind. The driver said that every weekend, many people go to Semolon and will pass this teritorry, so at those times, all the Dayak tribe will wear their traditional clothes and dance in front of their house to get all the attention of the visitor.

 

find another Alligator which is owned by private property

you need to get permission to take a picture here, the owner was an ex-village thug

 Dayak relocation houses entrance area

 

the government even built school for Dayak children

standard houses for Dayak Tribe

Around 15 minutes from Dayak relocation houses, I finally arrived to the final destination, hot spring and waterfall, yeayy. The scenery can only be explained by pictures , I guess. So here they are:

 

 

we need to cross this bridge to get to the waterfall

 

 me and the driver

 

exciting me haha :p

 

I really happy and thankful to God that I can visit this place and enjoyed the warm water of the waterfall. I didn't go to the hot spring because it took 30 minutes more to walk up there and I am afraid I cannot catch up my flight. 

So if you guys have a chance to visit Malinau, you should try to visit this place. It is only 2 hours from the city compare to the other places which can take 6 to 8 hours. So why not try this destination, isn't it?