Pontianak is the capital of West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, sitting almost exactly on the equator. The Equator Monument (Tugu Khatulistiwa) a few kilometres north of the city centre marks the line, and on the equinoxes in March and September you can watch your shadow disappear entirely at noon.
The city sprawls along the confluence of the Kapuas and Landak rivers, and the waterfront is still its most interesting area. Wooden boats line the riverbanks, and the old Malay kampung houses on stilts give a sense of what the whole city once looked like. The Keraton Kadriah, the old sultan's palace, sits on the riverbank and is open to visitors — a modest wooden structure holding royal artefacts and context for Pontianak's founding in 1771. Beside it, the Jami Mosque is one of the finest examples of Malay mosque architecture in Borneo.
For most travellers, Pontianak is a transit point on the way to or from the Kalimantan interior. Boats head upriver along the Kapuas — at over 1,100 kilometres, it is the longest river in Indonesia — toward Sintang and the Dayak longhouse communities deeper in Borneo. The West Kalimantan Provincial Museum is the best place to see Dayak and Chinese cultural heritage before heading into the interior.
The food here is excellent. Pontianak is known for its Chinese-Indonesian cuisine, particularly bubur pedas and chai kwe. The night food stalls along Jalan Gajah Mada are the best place to sample the range, and the Chinatown around Jalan Diponegoro and Pasar Flamboyan rewards early-morning exploration.