Various fruits such as oranges, markisa, bananas, young mangoes, and various snacks such as banana chips and peanut crackers appeared to fill her jukung, a traditional wooden rowboat.
After performing Subuh prayer at her modest house on the riverbank, Acil Muna began to paddle her rowboat.
Her house is about six kilometers from the center of the floating market in Lok Baintan Village, Sungai Tabuk Sub-district, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan.
The brighter the sun rises, the more traders appeared to fill the Lok Baintan floating market on Martapura River.
There were more that a hundred rowboats with various products to sell. There were fruits, various cakes and snacks, typical Banjar food such as Soto Banjar or a chicken soup and yellow rice with snakehead fish to craft souvenirs such as bags made of sedge grass, a favorite sourvenir for tourists.
Visitors are not only local people, they are also from outside Kalimantan such as Java and Sulawesi. Foreign tourists also often visit this popular destination. They feel the sensation of shopping, eating and enjoying nature tourism on the river.
Tourist will definitely experience something different when the ship they are on is invaded by rowboat traders.
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The majority of traders are female who are often called acil-acil in Banjar language, which means auntie.
They often rhyme to greet visitors to entertain theim while offering their groceries to be purchased.
Some visitors shop not because they need the goods, they buy but to help acil-acil's merchandise sell.
If she is lucky, Acil Muna said she can obtain Rp500,000 or more. However, when it is not selling well, she is still grateful for getting around Rp200,000.
"We sell every day, but visitors crowded only on Saturday and Sunday or when there is a certain event such as haul Guru Sekumpul which is busy for a whole week," she said.
Here on this traditional market on the river, barter system still applies between traders. They exchange goods according to agreement.
Acil Muna said she was very grateful for the routine at floating market. She hopes that the market will always busy, at least on Saturday and Sunday.
Her income can help support the family's economy, in addition to her husband's work as farmer.
Not only about income of people living on the riverbank, but the floating market which is the cultural heritage of the community since the Banjar Sultanate in 18th century must be preserved in order to maintain the tradition of river culture in Bumi Lambung Mangkurat (nickname of South Kalimantan).
Natural floating market
Lok Baintan floating market activities begin at 06.00 a.m. local time and will end at about 09.00 a.m. when the sun starts to get hot.
Traders return home when visitors leave the market. In fact, they are ready to serve buyers even until noon when there are still visitors or tourists.
A trip for tourists to Lok Baintan is also an exciting experience. To reach the floating market, tourists take a river cruise from Banjarmasin City using small motorboat called kelotok.
A number of tour packages offering Lok Baintan floating market can be selected at a number of kelotok piers in Banjarmasin, such as at Siring Menara Pandang or Tugu Nol Kilometer (Zero Kilometer Monument).
It takes about an hour to reach floating market by kelotok, while enjoying activities of riverbank and watching the beautiful sunrise.
You can also travel overland from Banjarmasin go through Sungai Lulut Urban village, the border point of Banjarmasin and Banjar District, to Lok Baintan floating market pier, about 9 kilometers away.
Muhammad Zavier, a visitor who was met at Lok Baintan, said he was happy to be able to again enjoy the river cruise.
He and his family from Surabaya, East Java, always take the time to visit the floating market when they go to SouthKalimantan.
According to him, Lok Baintan is the only natural floating market in Indonesia, even in the world.
"Now many floating market tours have emerged in a number of regions, but they are not natural. Lok Baintan is different. That's what special here," said the man who works in one of ministries.
Zavier only hopes that they ways traders interact to offer their items to visitors can be more polite to avoid the impression of being pushy. Don't make tourist feel uncomfortable.
Not all tourists come to the floating market with the intention of shopping. There are some who only enjoy the atmosphere on the river, taking picturess of the unique natural floating market activities that only exist in South Kalimantan.
On the other hand, many tourists understand that buying goods means helping to improve the welfare of traders who ultimately contribute to preserving the tradition of river culture to remain sustainable.
Related news: South Kalimantan to hold two international agendas in Meratus Global Geopark
Global geotourism
Lok Baintan floating market on Martapura River is part of Meratus Geopark site which has been designated as UNESCO Global Geopark in April 2025.
The plan is that on June 2, the Governor of South Kalimantan H Muhidin will go to Paris to receive a certificate from UNESCO for the recognition of Meratus Geoapark as a geological heritage of international value.
With the recognition of Meratus Geopark, Indonesia now has 12 geoparks included in the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Meratus Geopark is the first geopark on the island of Kalimantan to receive global recognition.
Lok Baintan floating market is the beginning of the western route of the geopark with the theme “The Charm of Banjar People River Cruise” which means the hustle and bustle of floating market greet the morning.
The western route is approximately 85 kilometers long and has nine sites.
Martapura River is a tributary of Barito River, its formation was a geological event influenced by the uplift process of Meratus Mountains in South Kalimantan.
Head of South Kalimantan Communication and Informatics Office Muhamad Muslim invited all parties to suport the preservation of floating market which is part of Meratus Geopark.
He emphasized that the preservation of floating market must be in line with the spirit of UNESCO for the utilization of Geoheritage based on sustainable development with the foundation on aspects of conservation, education, and the growth of local economic value to improve people's welfare.
The local government has the responsibility to guide the floating market traders on how to deal with buyers who are now mostly tourists. Everyone must feel comfortable when interacting at the floating market, without worrying less commendable attitude of unscrupulous traders.
With this various efforts, river culture which includes jukung transportation and tradition of barter trading of agricultural products in the floating market will remain sustainable and not eroded by time.
