Taluk Kuantan
From Pekanbaru we travel some 170 km south to Taluk Kuantan, crossing the equator just after Lipat Kain. Before reaching Taluk Kuantan, the road crosses the Logas region, once a gold mining area. During the second world war, the japanese established here a camp where many Dutch people were imprisoned and exploited by forcing them to work in the mines.

Right: Equator crossing at Lipat Kain
Below: Indragiri river in Taluk Kuantan
Taluk Kuantan lies at the upsteam part (Hilir) of the Indragiri river. In the early years, this river was used to carry the gold, which was mined in West Sumatra, to the east coast of Sumatra.
Taluk Kuantan is the centre of the Pacu Jalur, a traditional boat race held every year in rememberance of Hari Merdeka, Indonesia's independance day on the 17th of August. The race is joined by more than 100 teams from all over the provice of Riau. Each team rows their Jalur, a long and slender boat which carries 50 to 60 people, along a track set-out on the Indragiri river. The races start on Wednesday in the third or fourth week of August. The boats gather upstreams and race to eachother two by two. The winner makes the next round. The final is held on Sunday.



Teams preparing for the race
The Pacu Jalur is full with mystic and tradition, which already starts with picking out a tree with a circumference of 4 to 5 metres for the Jalur, up to the moment the Jalur is launched into the water.

See also: Gallery > Pacu Jalur
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