*     *     *     *     *

     Banjarmasin, Island of Borneo, Republic of Indonesia

     Monday, 29th November 1993

     Taking up a southwesterly course, our 737 sliced inland and paralleled Borneo’s east coast.  The rugged mountains draped in heavy jungle were utterly impressive.

     I would hate like hell being forced down in there, dear reader.  

     Our best bet would be trying for a water landing in the Makassar Strait.  I apologize for my over-active imagination.

     Ultimately I spied the south coast of Borneo, and the city of Banjarmasin nestled on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers.

     The city is served by a deep water port and is laced with flood-prone waterways, requiring many houses to be built on rafts or stilts. The waterways are also used for travel, with relatively small boats. 

     Syamsudin Noor Airport was 15.5 miles southeast of the city, with a single runway merely 6,135 feet in length, running in a southeast/northwest direction (100°/280° magnetic).  After traveling the 210 miles from Balikpapan, we touched down on Runway Two-Eight in forty-eight minutes.

                                                                    

Thanking Allah for a safe arrival.

                                                   Where the hell is my taxi?

   There were only two things of any interest regarding Banjarmasin, which remains in my grey matter.

     Firstly: Diamonds.  It serves as an outlet for yellow, black, white and pink diamonds especially famous for their exquisite brilliance.

     Twenty-three miles southeast of Banjarmasin is the "City of Diamonds," also known as Martapura, where these gems are mined.  

     In 1965 the "Trisakti" pink diamond was uncovered there; weighing in at an amazing 166.75 carats!

     Oh, yes, dear reader, a monstrous rock perhaps one could cut into an engagement ring that would be spotted from outer space!

     Secondly: The city’s icon, the long-nosed proboscis monkey, a statue of which stands in the city’s center.

     Why a monkey for an icon, dear reader?  Prompting me to glance over at my inadequate Indonesian First Officer; occurring to me, “Why not?”  As apparently one can even teach monkeys to fly.

     After scarcely an hour on the ground at Banjarmasin, we launched for Jakarta.

              *     *     *     *     *

     Jakarta, Island of Java, Republic of Indonesia

     Monday, 29th November 1993

     Upon departing Banjarmasin we banked our 737 around to a southwesterly course, passed over the Java Sea, and after flying 570 miles in an hour and a half, we executed a straight-in approach to Runway Two-Five Left at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International.

     After flying seven legs, totaling over seven and a half hours, having an Indonesian First Officer I could hardly communicate with, while carrying the full load of flying in isolation, made for another long day. 

     Tomorrow, dear reader, I’m scheduled to drag my weary aviator’s butt out of bed at 4 A.M., and repeat this same round-robin trip.  Phuket is really looking good to me right now...I’m getting homesick.

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