The Martapura River runs through the heart of Banjarmasin and is the city's spine — stilt houses, warehouses, mosques, and small boat workshops crowd the banks for kilometres. The Siring promenade on the south bank, opposite the Sabilal Muhtadin mosque, is the place to take it in: a wide concrete walkway with food stalls, a small handicraft market, and a large statue of a bekantan monkey looking out over the water.
The promenade is busiest in the late afternoon and early evening when the air cools. From here you can hire a klotok for a slow loop through the canals of the old town, the simplest way to understand how a city built on water actually works. Try the soto banjar — a fragrant chicken-and-noodle broth that is the local breakfast — at one of the stalls along the walkway.