All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy...and makes Ruthie old!
Of course, part of the program is the excursion. And what better way to do it than see all the tourist spots in the area.
On our first Sunday, we went to the floating market - this is what Banjarmasin is famous for. Please check the video of our shenanigans there in my gallery. ;)
On the Chinese New Year Celebration, we were taken to Martapura, a city about 40km southeast of Banjarmasin. The city is named as the diamond city - diamond is one of the main industries. I wish we could afford the diamonds there. Unfortunately we could only buy sasirangans, batiks, accesories made from stones, and a few other souvenir items in the market where one cold find these. Mind you, the market is a heaven for shoppers. The items were relatively cheap and with so many choices. My eyes were feasting on the sight of colours. It was like a candy shop for adults! haha! I can have a behaviour of a toddler sometimes.
Can you imagine how even ref magnets, keychains, pen holders made from beads and bags made from strings can bring so much joy? I grabbed some items to give to my family and friends back in the Philippines, and also to keep for myself :D.
After exhausting my wallet buying all the goods I wanted, we went straight to Amanah Borneo Park, an outdoor park with activities for kids and adults to enjoy. I did not know what was inside until I got inside and man, I felt like I was 6 years old again! Have I mentioned I am a kid at heart?
There was a kids' swimming pool with slides, an inverted house, a maze, a rabbit feeding station, a zipline, bikes on a line, walking on a line, even buggy rides! Sadly, it was raining so we did not get to enjoy most of adrenaline-pumping thrills as the wetness made them dangerous to play with. Those activities that were indoors cost at least 20,000rupiah. As mentioned, I spent all my money at the market. No more fun for me!
Another place I frequently went to is the Duta Mall. It has almost everything that I wanted! Coffee shops, clothes of all sorts, shoes, sports section, groceries (I love grocery shopping!), restaurants (I love to eat anything!), and....dig this....
..a GoKart! Who would have thought a gokart racing field would be put up inside a mall?
There was also an arcade where I spent so much $$$$ on in just one night. I enjoyed that night so much that I could not remember how much I spent. Shame!
I am planning to go back to the arcades before going home. Hopefully, I would still have enough time.