Pontianak

The equator monument, Kadriyah Palace and a Kapuas sunset in two days

Two days in Pontianak cover the equator and the river. Start with coffee and toast on Jalan Gajah Mada before 7am, cross the Kapuas to the Tugu Khatulistiwa equator monument in Siantan, visit the Kadriyah Palace of the Pontianak sultans, and watch the sunset from the Kapuas waterfront.

Then head north across the Kapuas to the Tugu Khatulistiwa in Siantan, about 11 km from the centre. The original obelisk sits inside a larger protective dome, and the small displays explain how the line was measured. Back in the centre, the West Kalimantan Museum on Jalan Ahmad Yani covers Malay and Dayak life, with concrete reliefs on the façade.

After lunch, visit Rumah Radakng in Sungai Bangkong, a reconstruction of a Dayak Kanayatn longhouse long enough to house a whole village. Toward 5pm, walk to the river waterfront and hire a boat for a sunset ride along the Kapuas, watching riverside families bathe and wash at the water's edge.

Day two belongs to the founders. Cross by sampan to the east bank and visit the Kadriyah Palace, the yellow wooden residence of the Pontianak sultans built from 1771, open from 10am. A short walk away stands the Masjid Jami Sultan Syarif Abdurrahman, the city's oldest mosque, built of ironwood on the river's edge. Spend the afternoon in the Chinese shophouse streets near the waterfront, then end with dinner on Gajah Mada.

Kwe kia theng, choi pan and the Gajah Mada coffee shops

Food is why many Indonesians visit Pontianak, and the Teochew kitchen leads. Order kwe kia theng, flat rice noodles in dark soy broth with pork and offal, kari peng curry rice and choi pan dumplings, and start the day in the coffee shops of Jalan Gajah Mada, which open before dawn.

Food is the main thing domestic travellers come to Pontianak for, and the Teochew kitchen leads. Kari peng is Teochew curry rice, and koi peng, literally chicken rice, comes with pork and cucumber as well. Beef noodle shops serve kwetiau and bihun in soup, fried or dry.

Choi pan, thin translucent dumplings filled with jicama, chives or taro and topped with fried garlic, are a breakfast and snack staple sold from small shops across the Chinese quarter.

Malay cooking holds its own. Bubur pedas, a dark rice porridge packed with vegetables, herbs and peanuts from the Sambas coast, appears everywhere during Ramadan, along with sotong pangkong, dried squid grilled and pounded flat, eaten with a spicy dipping sauce on the riverbanks at night.

Coffee is a ritual. The shops on Jalan Gajah Mada and around the old town fill before sunrise and stay busy until late, serving strong coffee with condensed milk and kaya toast. The city's own drink is es lidah buaya, iced aloe vera from plantations around the city, sold at drink stalls and cafés.

Singkawang's temples, Gawai Dayak and the road to Kuching

Singkawang, three to four hours north, is the classic side trip from Pontianak, a Hakka city of temples that stages one of Indonesia's largest Cap Go Meh festivals. The Dayak harvest festival Gawai Dayak comes in May, and buses run overland from Pontianak to Kuching in Malaysian Borneo.

A majority Hakka city with hundreds of small temples, it stages one of Indonesia's largest Cap Go Meh festivals on the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year, when tatung, entranced spirit mediums, parade through the streets with blades and skewers through their cheeks. Rooms book out well ahead for that week. DAMRI runs buses there directly from Supadio airport.

Inland, the Dayak communities of West Kalimantan celebrate Gawai Dayak after the rice harvest, and the province's main week-long Pekan Gawai Dayak takes over Rumah Radakng in the city each May, with traditional dress, dance and food.

For travellers heading to Malaysia, buses run daily to Kuching via the Entikong border post, a trip of at least eight hours on improved Trans-Kalimantan roads. Check the latest border rules before setting off.

Weather barely changes in temperature, with highs of 31-32C all year, but the rain pattern matters: aim for June to September, when monthly totals drop to 160-200 mm, against more than 300 mm from October to December. If you can, catch the equinox culmination at the Equator Monument in March or September.