My Final Day in Sorong & Papua Barat

After a breakfast provided by the hotel (Tanjung Hotel) of rice and cap cay, I had a quick mandi and then we headed out to make the most of our last day in Sorong.
We had heard that just past the Taman Wisata Alam Sorong (see previous post) was a place where we could see crocodiles. Ichal was curious to be able to see a real crocodile, so off we rode on the motorbike along the main road, Jln A Yani. This time, for some reason, the drive to the forest took much longer! Maybe because we didn’t stop to have es pisang ijo! The most amazing thing about the forest was the huge temperature drop as we drove alongside it. Even though the forest was only on one side of the road, the cool temperatures near it was like going from hot muggy sunshine into cool shade, even though we were still in broad daylight! The temperature difference was amazing. I envied nearby residents who live in those conditions! I bet they notice it when they head into town! Driving alongside the forest also gave me the opportunity to fully appreciate its size. It certainly is a very impressive patch of forest and I really hope it remains protected.
Not far along past the forest was Jalan Pinang (Pinang St), a bumpy dirt track full of potholes which were tricky to navigate around on a motorbike and thankfully we soon came across the crocodiles which were all penned in concrete enclosures.

Can you see Ichal bravely standing close to the crocodile pen?

One of the workers came out and chatted to us which was fortunate as it gave me the opportunity to ask some questions. The owner of the complex is from Manado, North Sulawesi. All these crocodiles were brought here from Sorong and nearby islands by villagers who are paid according to the length of the crocodile. They are paid per inch! The crocodiles are then penned according to their length. We saw pens of very young crocodiles, medium sized crocodiles (photo below) and large crocodiles (photo above), however none were as big as sweetheart ! The base of the pens were all made from cement and incorporated a swimming area which in every pen was bright green.

The concrete walls were about waist high and then it was strong chicken wire stretched between timber posts, however I am sure that should one of the larger crocodiles rush at the wire, he or she would easily get through!

When there are enough crocodiles, they are crated up and shipped to Manado where they are processed for their skins which become fashion accessories.

photo source: http://www.wmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/acar_croc_01_v.jpg

Ichal was so fascinated by the crocodiles and was really thrilled to be able to see them up close. As it was early in the morning, I assured him that we could stand at the edge of the pen and reasonably safely take photos. He did join me warily by the edge of the pens but found it difficult to relax and once he had his photos, he retreated again to put some distance between him and the crocodiles. Ichal explained that for Moslems, crocodiles are like dogs and should be avoided, so no wonder he was so spooked while we were close to the pens!

We didn’t stay too long at this place because we had to be back at the hotel by 12:30 to check out ready to catch the Sinabung Ship back to Ternate, scheduled to leave at 2pm. By 2pm, the ship had yet to arrive and the harbour gates were closed. So we returned to Ichal’s Mum’s rented room and waited there for a friend who worked at the harbour to call telling us that the Sinabung had arrived. At 12pm we finally got the call!! I was really keen to get to the harbour before the boat unloaded so that we could get beds. The idea of sleeping on the floor in the passage ways or on the stairs was not an experience I was keen to try. Luckily Ichal had it all organised and by the time we got there, a porter greeted us with the news that he had found us 3 beds together and then proceeded to take us to them. However when we finally got to where he had reserved our beds, we found a family set up there! The porter was furious with them and without any hesitation told them angrily to leave! As it is so unusual in Indonesia to hear people speaking crossly in public, I was very uncomfortable however, no one else seemed to be! Here in Papua, the people are an interesting blend of Indonesian culture and traditional Papuan culture where emotions are more overtly displayed. Thankfully, the family removed themselves and their baggage before it escalated any further and we happily paid the porter Rp50,000 for his services! I was so grateful to get a bed although it soon became obvious that the Sinabung was nowhere near as nice a ship as the Labobar. The Sinabung is a very old ship that desperately needs a refurbishment or failing that, a thorough clean. day.

The decks are infested with small cockroaches and were everywhere. They climbed out from under the mattresses, they climbed the walls and ceilings and nothing was exempt from their inspection. No doubt they crawled over me too when I was sleeping! We had mice running under our beds too so I was glad we had all our baggage on our beds! The final straw for me were the toilets. Unlike the toilets on the Labobar, which worked well and did not smell at all, the toilets on the Sinabung, did not work. On stepping into the bathroom area, I stepped straight into a flood of water which I soon realised came straight from the toilet! As there was only one toilet to service all the passengers in our section of the ship, my skin crawled whenever I had to use it. The only positive about the Sinabung was that up on the top deck was a shop which sold food and cold drinks. Ichal and I sat there twice to get some fresh air and I enjoyed a freezing cold lemonade. As the ship was so dirty, lemonade was all that I could face while aboard. The filthiness also meant I didn’t think about taking too many photos unfortunately. I now wish I had taken photos of the cockroaches!! Another factor which made me wish I was on the Lababor was that the air conditioning in our cabin was negligible which Ichal said was due to the number of people smoking. So that the cigarette smoke wouldn’t circulate to the other cabin areas, the amount of air conditioning we received was far less than other areas. As we walked through them on our walks, I could really notice the difference.

Children playing quietly powdering each others faces to pass the time.
By the time we arrived into Ternate, I felt like kissing the ground! Safa being there to greet us was just the icing on the cake! A friendly face leading us through the crowd to the family car. So good to be home in Ternate!
Thankfully the Sinabung was only a tiny aspect of my whole time in West Papua and in no way overshadowed the fact that my trip to West Papua was an amazing experience. A huge thanks to Ibu Esty for organising it all and to Ichal for being a wonderful tour guide. I am still so thrilled that I actually got to taste a tiny part of Raja Ampat and am already looking forward to returning one day, however it will definitely not be on the Sinabung!

Taman Wisata Alam Sorong

Before arriving back in Sorong, I googled ‘Trip Advisor Sorong’ to discover any suggestions for places to visit to fill in the 2 days we would have there before catching the ship back to Ternate. Trip Advisor claimed there were 2 things to do in Sorong!! On closer examination, it quickly became clear that neither of the ‘things to do’ are actually in Sorong! One was Raja Ampat! We even asked Ichal’s friends who also couldn’t suggest anything. So, on our first day, we rented a motorbike and headed out to explore Sorong. We drove for quite a while along the main road, stopping only briefly to enjoy a bowl of my newly discovered favourite food, es pisang ijo (hijau).

I was feeling pessimistic about discovering anything interesting in Sorong, so I decided that I would just focus this post on quirky photographs. When I saw these by the side of the road, I knew they would be a good way to start my post.

KFC home delivery bikes!

We kept driving along and laughed when we came across this fellow:

Council workers whipper snippering the edges of the road and this man was prepared for the hot sun with his umbrella permanently attached to his backpack! He happily allowed me to photograph him and posed for the effect with a huge smile and salute!

Just passed this group of workers, we came across a sign pointing up a dirt track stating ‘Taman Wisata Alam Sorong – 14km’. We decided that it was worth exploring and after checking that it was ok to enter, we followed a couple on a motorbike. The road was being upgraded with a grader so was quite muddy so we slowly and carefully rode up the tree lined road. It was noticeably cooler in the forest and we suddenly felt miles from anywhere. We followed the motorbike in front of us which turned off and went down a smaller track and came across the following sight:

After turning the bike off, we were surrounded with the sounds of birds and the distant squeals of the couple who had arrived before us and had headed off on the path to the right.

We decided to avoid them totally and found another path which began with a set of steps. However before we set off, we were mesmerised by the millions of butterflies on the ground before us.

As we walked along the path, we couldn’t believe the numbers and variety of butterflies. The concrete paths weren’t well maintained yet were wide and showed clearly where we could walk. As soon as we got to the top of the steps, the forest stretched before us

and not only could we hear unusual bird calls high up in the trees around us, but there were even more butterflies. We tried for a while to spot the birds but they were so high up in the tree tops and without binoculars, were impossible to spot, so instead we focused on the beauty that was closer. As we walked along trying our skills at photographing skittish butterflies, we then began to notice other insect life. The forest was teeming with fascinating creatures. Here are some of the butterflies we saw:

Look at these other amazing critters:

Birdwatching in Waisai – The Bird of Paradise

Another early start and our last chance to get out into the forest to go birdwatching as we were leaving on the 2pm boat to Sorong that afternoon.
This time we were better prepared! Our generous home stay family not only suggested we go bird watching in the forests surrounding their ‘kebun’ (family garden) but they also very kindly lent us the family motorbike. The plan was to head off around 4:30 however I think it was more like 5:00am when we finally did leave! The kebun was off the road to the beautiful home stay we snorkeled at yesterday but nowhere near as far thankfully! We followed a short dirt track to a clearing surrounded by forest. Here you can see the forest edge with a recently logged area in front of it.
In the clearing, there were several kebun’s, one with watermelon seedlings planted in rows and each plant with two pieces of banana trunk around the base to stop the soil drying out too quickly.
We stepped over the seedlings and entered the forest. There was just enough light for us to see where we were putting our feet, so I am glad we hadn’t arrived any earlier. There wasn’t a path, we just made our way in and then stood under the enormous trees listening to the birdcalls. The first birdcall I heard was one I recognised from caged birds in Java and it was the nicest feeling to listen to the bird in the wild. We stood quietly trying to pinpoint where the birdcalls where coming from. Suddenly a male bird of paradise flew across the sky and I could see its beautiful long tail feathers and also the long antennae hanging down over each side of his body. Such a beautiful sight.
Ega then headed off slowly and quietly towards a tree growing near a small creek. He gestured for us to join him so we gingerly made our way over to him.
The ground was covered in a virulent creeper which I have seen taking over recently logged areas. Being Australian, I wasn’t totally comfortable about plunging my feet into deep creeper growth but had my fingers crossed that it was too early and cool for snakes! When we reached Ega, I was so pleased I had suspended my worry about snakes because we were suddenly treated to the amazing sight of a male bird of paradise dancing to catch the attention of the nearby females. He was perched on a high branch with no foliage obstructing our view and we watched as he leaned forward pointing his head to the ground, opened his feathers and then danced his courtship dance. His wings shook gently and his antennae hung out clearly almost like it was circling the performance. source:National Geographic
I was transfixed watching it and couldn’t believe that we saw it so clearly. Afterwards Ega explained that the birds are usually bigger and was disappointed that the ones we could see were not the bigger species. I explained to him that I was over the moon to have seen not only a bird of paradise in the wild but to have watched it dance. While Ichal had hoped to see another horn bill, I was incredibly excited to have actually seen a candrawasih (bird of paradise). Other birds we saw included cockatoos, huge green parrots, willie wag tails and lorikeets!! Ega relaxing while we traipse around exploring.
a frog well camouflaged amongst dead leaves.
Fruit on the ground under the tree we had seen the bird of paradise. What are they?
We headed back to the homestay and soon after we arrived home, one of the teachers from the school we had visited the previous day, arrived to present me with a dress made from the school uniform batik that I had admired when there. It is a gorgeous red colour and I can’t wait to wear it to school next year.
What a perfect memento of not only my stay in Waisai, but also of being fortunate enough to see birds of paradise dancing in the wild.
Ega appeared shortly afterwards and took us to his house to meet his wife and 2 children. His daughter, 4 years old, had been pestering him ever since we arrived to meet Tante Bule (doesn’t translate well but is something like; Auntie Western or ‘my’ Australian Auntie)!!
Isn’t she gorgeous. We were then unexpectedly served with a delicious lunch of nasi, ikan teri (tiny crispy fried fish), tempeh, and kangkung. It was so delicious, I couldn’t refuse when invited to have seconds! Then Ega surprised me by presenting me with his school shirt which he had only just collected from the tailor as a memento of my time in Waisai.
What a wonderful gift and every time I wear it, I will remember his generosity and his determination that we enjoyed ourselves while in Waisai. Ega’s wife and young son

Final Day In Waisai, Waigeo, Raja Ampat, West Papua

Our last full day in Waisai began with a very early start so that we could do some bird watching. The birds here in Raja Ampat are incredible and it is so lovely listening to wild birds calling and see birds flying in the sky, a very rare sight through most of Indonesia. I woke up at 4am to have a mandi and be ready to leave by 4:30am. Ega arrived soon afterwards and suddenly Ichal realised that we would need another motorbike to take us. He & Ega immediately set off and about half an hour later turned up with a very generous friend of Ega’s. Together we headed back out to Vaast’s home stay. Even though I was on the friends bike, the trip was no more comfortable than my last trip. I hung on tightly through all the jerky gear changes and steep hills for what seemed like hours. When I finally got off the bike, I discovered that in pushing down so firmly on the pedal for so long, I had pulled a muscle in my quadricep. So when we were greeted by the owner of the home stay that we had arrived too late to go bird watching I was quite relieved. Instead I asked if I could put my head down and before i knew it I was fast asleep and slept for ages. While I was sleeping, Ichal went for a walk anyway and was delighted that he saw a hornbill.
As soon as I woke, Ichal & I went straight out onto the reef to snorkel.

There we saw an amazing variety of fish, some I have never seen before. Beautiful yellow and blue stripped fish, a yellow and black stripped fish and a black and white one were my out and out favourites. The last one because the fish had a black body but it’s white tail looked an unusual shape and I couldn’t work out if it actually was shaped that way or if some of it was transparent. One interesting thing we did see was a huge black sausage shape about 20cm wide and maybe 30cm long. No idea what it was but it was certainly impressive.
Afterwards we went for a walk along the coastline exploring. The tide was right in and so we mostly walked in the shallows enjoying the lovely warm water. Such a lovely change from being hot! It was incredibly scenic with aquamarine clear water and white sand and coconut trees growing right on the waters edge.

How lucky for families living right on the waters edge. The children seem to just run and jump in the water when ever they are hot.

We also found the fresh water spring that the owners of the homestay had told us about. Right in the ocean, the spring was gurgling fresh water out into the ocean! Apparently before the put their well in, that was where the family here used to get their water.

I found some beautiful shells along the waters edge.
and some hermit crabs with bright green shells!

After the walk, we went back in the water to snorkel again and thankfully Ichal pointed them out, otherwise I would have totally missed them; 2 cuttlefish. The first one was impressive enough in size but the second one was absolutely enormous maybe up to about 40cm long. It was a mottled brown and yellow colour and perfectly blended in with the coral is was hovering over. The frills along the side were absolutely gorgeous and amazing to watch them propelling the cuttlefish along.

photo by Dave Fleetham (Unfortunaely not my photo!)
Then to top it all off, just as we got out of the water, I looked back and discovered a pod of dolphins frolicking and feeding just where we had been snorkeling. We grabbed our cameras and the fisherman who had recently beached his boat in front of the homestay, offered to take us out closer to watch them. Thankfully he didn’t get too close. The highlight was when a couple of them swan towards us and then vanished at the last minute! A wonderful way to finish my last time snorkeling on Raja Ampat.

I desperately wanted to stay at the homestay for our last few days on Raja Ampat and spend our final day out exploring and snorkeling around some of the local nearby islands, but unfortunately our money ran out and the one and only bank on Waisai only accepts bankcard not visa. A lesson to remember for next time; Visit the ATM in Sorong before heading to Raja Ampat!

Snorkeling off Waigeo

It was stinking hot again yesterday and the idea of sitting at home with sweat pouring off me didn’t appeal at all. So after checking if the closing ceremony of the Raja Ampat festival had started (it hadn’t) we went and had some lunch. I had another delicious bowl of es pisang hijau. It was slightly different to the first bowl I had but I enjoyed it just as much. This time the banana & pancake were sliced and the coconut cream on the top was much thicker and as a bonus this warung served it with tapioca.

Ichal then asked me what I wanted to do, so I told him I wanted to go snorkeling. He looked at me as if I was crazy. He couldn’t believe I wanted to go out in the water in the middle of the day. I reassured him that was exactly what I wanted to do! We asked Ega to recommend a spot to go snorkeling and he showed us a place in walking distance from our home stay. The first spot I tried was not that exciting but then we walked around the bay to the other side of a point and there I discovered my favourite spot on Waigeo so far. After clambering over rocks, I discovered water so warm it was like a hot spring and I wondered if the the water was heated thermally or if the hot humid weather over shallow water was the cause. To the right of the point was the most breathtaking coral I have ever seen. The variety, the colours and the size was just astounding and I was out there at least an hour as I totally lost track of time. The number and variety of fish was surprisingly small, but the coral more than made up for it. One that really caught my eye was an absolutely enormous green spongy looking coral that was growing down the slope towards the deeper waters. The size of it had me enthralled. There were fern like corals growing, antler shaped coral, a spreading coral that looked like a knobbly plastic mat covering whatever was in its path and soft wavy corals that looked as though there should be clown fish swimming in them. I then swam to the left of the point and there I found more fish and less coral however surprisingly there were many young healthy corals attached to rocks looking as though this side of the point has only recently suited coral growth.
I clambered out worried about getting sunburnt and discovered Ichal resting under a small tree and Ega on some tiered seating under a huge shady tree. We joined Ega and mooched in the shade enjoying the cool breezes coming straight off the water. It was so pleasant and so much nicer.

In front of us were some youngsters making a sand castle using some shells they had found along the beach. I loved listening to them talking as they were making the sandcastle. The youngest one kept asking, “Bagus Toh?” and I asked Ichal about the “Toh” to which he explained it is the Eastern Indonesian version of “kan”. In Northern Australia & Canada, we say, “aye”, in other words confirming that the statement is correct or not.

Once the midday heat had passed and after listening to me rave about the coral, we headed home for Ichal to get his bathers and snorkel and for me to take my bag home. We then walked back to the beach with nothing but our snorkeling equipment so that we were independent and could go in and not leave anything unsupervised on the shore. We decided to head in where a group of young boys were swimming and then swam around the new jetty being built. You can see it in this photo:

It was mainly seagrass here and the water was so warm. We came across lying on the bottom in the sea grass what looked at first to be a sea snake but was in fact a long skinny yellowy green eel. It was perfectly camouflaged in the seagrass. We also came across several small clumps of anemone’s with a few clown fish swimming hiding in them. If we stayed still, the clown fish would come out but not far and then would dash back in suddenly. They are very flighty and timid. The strangest thing about the anemone clumps was that they were on the bottom of the sea randomly with nothing else nearby. Appeared very vulnerable with nothing nearby to protect them, or is it intentional so that pray is attracted to the anemone because there are no other options or distractions?
We then swam over to the point where I enjoyed looking again at the amazing coral. The drift was much stronger than earlier so we swam against the current to the right of the point and then let the water take us back to where we started, zig zagging backwards and forwards over the coral and the colourful fish. I can only identify a pathetically small amount of fish; angel fish and parrot fish which hopefully after a week on Bunaken in November will improve.
Later that evening we went back again to the festival to see what was happening at the festival and found the sky irresistible!

We specifically wanted to see the traditional dancing that was due to head off the closing ceremony. We checked at the secretary’s office to be told that it would be at least another hour. Instead we investigated the loud drumming. The musician groups from the opening ceremony were parading around the festival grounds playing loudly, each making their own way through the grounds followed by enthusiastic crowds dancing using a very Papuan style of double stepping, where they barely lift their feet off the ground, while swaying to the music. Very rhythmic.
About an hour later, the traditional dancers finally appeared but there were so many people crowded around the stage that it was almost impossible to see them. They were on the ground in front of the stage and the area was in darkness. What I found interesting though was the number of tourists sitting in the VIP tent enjoying the show. After each dance they would enthusiastically clap to show their appreciation and I don’t think they realised that no one else was clapping. The previous evening when I watched a band playing, I noticed that after each song there was silence, so it obviously isn’t the culture in Papua to applaud performances. I remember years (decades!) ago witnessing this in Bali too.
We left as soon as the speeches began and enjoyed the freedom to do so. I mightn’t have enjoyed a comfortable seat in the front row but at least I didn’t have to sit through speech after speech – all in Indonesian! By the time they were finished, I was home in bed!!

Another day in Steamy Paradise (Raja Ampat)

After mooching around feeling hot and bothered, Ichal and I decided to go and see what was happening at the festival. As it was the middle of the day, I asked Ibu if I could borrow her umbrella again and the look on Ichal’s face when I headed out with my democrat umbrella was priceless.

All he could say was thank goodness I hadn’t used it at the opening ceremony as that was definitely a GOLKAR sponsored event! I definitely got a few funny looks and Ichal obviously had to deal with some subtle teasing but it made such a difference being able to walk in the shade.
The park was deserted, even the stalls were closed. It was bizarre! The program said that the morning events were held at Ibadah house but have no idea where that was. Instead we stumbled across a government stall

which was promoting recycling and educating the locals here on what products can be recycled and the amount of money collectors of each type can expect. A rubbish program here in Raja Ampat is vital for the environment to be protected. If not, it will very quickly deteriorate and that would be absolutely criminal.

On display were a few examples of products made here from ‘rubbish’.

We then headed out of the park to get some lunch at our usual warung. The owner greeted us and invited me to sit down next to her as she too was eating lunch. For lunch today I had kangkung and also a eggplant and snake bean dish in coconut milk but it was nowhere near as delicious as the previous days.
With nothing better to do, we returned back to our home stay and mooched around for a couple more hours which gave me time to blog some more and rest.
Then at 3pm, in an effort to distract ourselves from the heat and humidity we returned to the festival to see the dancing competition. The first dance competition was to be joget which did not thrilled Ichal at all maybe because it is danced to Dangdut music which is nowhere near as popular in Eastern Indonesia as it is in Java, Kalimantan & Sumatra. (Ichal does not agree with the claim in Wikipedia that Maluku is an exception to this). However to our surprise instead of a dance competition, we discovered a modeling competition.

The 5 girls seemed to age from 7 – 14 years and were dressed in adult style clothing wearing insanely high heeled shoes. It all looked totally inappropriate and then the strut and poses they did for the judge was the final straw for me. Thankfully Ichal was as unimpressed as I was, so we headed off to do some exploring.
We followed the coastline until we came to a river, which we followed until we discovered a market. There were stalls still selling fish and vegetables, then on the other side of the road was a gambling tent! Mainly men of all ages were playing a game similar to roulette where they put a chip on a number and if the number is selected then they won a prize. Prizes seemed to be mainly cartons of cigarettes! The next place we came across was the most interesting. A tent in which 2 kaki lima had set up. One selling bakso and one selling es campur. We each ordered es campur and it was incredibly delicious.

In this es campur were agar agar (jelly) shapes, roasted peanuts and cubes of bread. The bread I couldn’t eat, but otherwise it was one of the nicest I have ever had. The crunchy peanuts were a really lovely addition. Reminded me of the ronde I had in Jogya.
We continued on our walk and came across some concreted paths through a field. There we just mooched taking photos of interesting things and enjoying the cool breezes under the huge shady trees.

Ichal then decided that we should head home via a roundabout at the entrance to Waisai township. While it was a fair walk, it was well worth it.

On the way, Ichal realsied that we were walking over lumps of coal! He is constantly amazed at how wealthy the environment is here. I found a lovely small piece which I hope I can bring home and show everyone. At the top of the hill, we took photos from the roundabout of the beautiful sun set over the bay and then headed home via a warung for dinner. There I had a very filling and delicious meal of nasi with a freshly fired egg and freshly made kangkung. So delicious.

This fellow kept us company while eating dinner!
After dinner we decided we should see what was happening at the festival. A dance competition was just finishing and then luckily a traditional Papuan music ensemble took the stage. They only played 2 songs unfortunately but what I loved most was that all their instrument were natural or made from local materials. The best instrument was the ‘triton’ a conch shell! 4 men stood to the front blowing through them the whole time.

Following them was a local singing dandut, so we headed home!! I wonder how many others went home too!!
Needless to say I slept very well that night after all that walking!

Life in Waisai

The power is out again. Apparently this is a common occurrence here in Waisai which Ichal puts down to their diesel powered electricity plant. My first night here was really tricky. My iPad ran out of battery and my camera was almost ready to be recharged however there is only one powerpoint in my room. My power board was too bulky and so was left behind in Ternate, so that night I had to choose between having the fan on or charging my iPad. It was such a tough decision and the winner was the fan. Facing the night with no air movement just wasn’t an option! Thankfully the following morning Ichal showed me where there was a spare power point in the tv room and I have been using that now to keep the iPad charged. Now it is just a matter of as soon as one of us notices that the power is on again, we quickly plug everything in to take maximize the unreliable electricity availability.
Our home stay family despair over the constant power interruptions as it totally destroys over time electrical appliances. Fridges, rice cookers etc don’t cope well with the constant power surges. Here when the power is out, the fridge is unplugged and then replugged when it comes back on. While this helps protect it against surges, it means that food is constantly freezing and thawing and also must put stress on the engine having to cope with constant fluctuating temperatures.
I have just done my washing and it is hanging on the line. In this heat it should dry in no time. something positive about this incredible heat.

I am sitting at the kitchen table almost in front of an open door looking out onto the washing and the street in front of the house. I can see whoever passes by but more importantly get every gasp of breeze that reaches us from the beach.

Off this room is a bedroom, the bathroom and the enormous kitchen recently built to cope with visitors coming for their son’s circumcision ceremony early this year. They would have had hundreds of friends and family invited, so a large kitchen area to prepare and cook the mountain of food they would have served would have been very useful.

Across the road from us is a tiny warung owned and operated by one of the neighbours. It is very similar to Bu Arfa’s warung as they sell all things that you find in a corner shop like soap, sugar, lollies, coffee packets etc. Small packets to keep you going when you run out and you can’t be bothered running to the supermarket. I bought some shampoo and some washing powder there yesterday. Whereas in the rest of Indonesia, these tiny warungs are totally enclosed by walls and doors, here the front is covered in a strong chicken wire. I have been told it is for a combination of security and for air flow. The one we visited last night to buy some water had a hole cut in the chicken wire so that the front door didn’t need to be opened if the shop keeper didn’t feel safe!

Across from us, a neighbour is building a house. It has been interesting watching the trucks arriving with rubble and soil to fill in the foundation walls made from concrete and rocks. I commented to Ichal that Australian foundations are 100% concrete and he explained that the soil/rock foundation will be topped with concrete and this gives the house more flexibility during earthquakes. A 100% concrete foundation would not have any give in it. An added factor has to be the difference in cost too. Stones and soil would be considerably cheaper than cement!

A truck has arrived most evenings with a couple of loads and then a couple of men spread out the filling using cangkuls. Can you see the ramp that the tuck reverses up? The driver reverses right back over the filled sections and then tips the next load into an empty section. It must be very hard work so it is no wonder only a few loads are delivered each day!

Time to charge my iPad because the electricity is finally back on and my iPad is down to 4%!

Waisai, Raja Ampat, West Papua – Day 2

Another stinking hot day in paradise! The days start off beautifully cool but by 7:30am, my palms are damp and sweat is pouring off me. It is usually about now I have the first of many mandi’s!
Yesterday we headed off about 9am to the local high school (SMP). The Bapak at my homestay works there and was really happy for Ichal and I to go and spend some time in the English Classroom. Once all the students had been rounded up, we began our impromptu lesson. Ichal introduced me and then handed over to me, with the familiar phrase, “The time is yours!” Is it a direct translation from Indonesian? I must ask Ichal! I talked briefly about topics that have interested students in other schools as when I asked if there were any questions, there was deathly silence!

As you can see the rooms were very bare with just desks and chairs. Topics I spoke about included learning Indonesian in Australia (compulsory for primary and secondary students to learn a foreign language in Australia until year 9 ), the weather, counting to twenty, pronunciation and body parts. For pronunciation, we revised the numbers 12 & 15, which are 2 numbers commonly mispronounced in Indonesia however the students in this class largely had no problems. However they did have problems saying ‘three’ correctly. I explained that ‘tree’ is a ‘pohon’ and has a totally different meaning to ‘3’. I also reinforced how to correctly mouth the ‘th’ sound which is a totally foreign sound blend for Indonesians. I made them put their tongue between their teeth which as always has students laughing their heads off with the ridiculousness of this blend! I also explained the difference between ‘then’ and ‘den’ which is how Indonesians tend to enunciate ‘then’. We next revised body parts (bagian tubuh) and then played simon says twice with the winners each getting a koala keyring (Thanks Marg!)

One of the winners with Ichal.
Ichal then entertained us with firstly some funny stories. He impressed on the students how important it is to practice speaking English with native speakers and to not worry about making mistakes! He told us all how when he was first learning Indonesian, he would say,”I speak English a little little.” I have heard Indonesians say this quite a bit now, so Ichal is certainly not the only one to make this direct translation. A ‘tiny little bit’ in Indonesian is ‘sedikit sedikit’!

I think we all have funny stories to tell and it was great of Ichal to share some of his. He also revised pronouciation and discussed the difference between ‘very’ and ‘ferry’. “v” & “f” are often interchangeable in Indonesian however in English, there is a huge difference between ‘very’ and ‘ferry’! He then put the following sentence on the board and offered Rp5,000 to the first student who could correctly translate it: She can can the fish. Most thought it meant she can catch fish, so they almost got it! No one went home Rp5,000 richer!

Ichal finished up with outlining several exciting opportunities which are available to those who learn English. Hopefully if nothing else, they are motivated by the international student exchange programs and the opportunity to make friends from all over the world.
After class photos and thanking the teachers for lending us their class, we headed off to get some lunch. We first stopped at a warung for something cold because it was midday and so, so, so hot even though I was using an umbrella, feeling like a colonialist! Ichal suggested ‘es pisang hijau’ and all I heard was the word ‘es’ so I jumped at the idea. However once she started preparing it, I wondered what on earth I had agreed to. Here it is:

It is a green pancake but instead of a sugar/coconut filling, it was a very starchy banana. This was topped with coconut cream and red syrup (I passed on the red syrup) and ice! I was amazed to discover that it was absolutely delicious! Very filling and very refreshing. We then headed off to our usual warung for lunch and I struggled to finish my nasi and delcious grated papaya and tempeh in coconut milk!

We headed home afterwards for a nap, but instead I finished a book I am reading on my kindle!! About 3pm we headed out again with bathers and snorkling gear to investigate the home stay Vaas has been telling us about. We walked through the festival grounds to see what was happening and there were several groups kitted up for a dance competition. I would have loved to have stayed and watched but I was also really keen to try some snorkeling and knew that if we stayed to watch, it could have taken hours before they actually got up on the stage (jam karet/ rubber time), so I took a few photos hoping that I would get a chance later in the festival to see the winners perfrom!

We then met Ega & Vaas at the Pangkalan Ojek (motorbike taxi area) where they had both parked their bikes. The ride to the homestay was much longer than I thought it would be. It was about 14 km away and on the back of a motorbike, it felt like 114km! The road was thankfully largely sealed but it was up and down steep hills, following the coastline. I would have liked to have been able to appreciate the scenery but I was holding on for dear life with all the corners and steep hills. It was with great relief we reached the homestay and I could stretch my back and legs again! We all quickly changed into our bathers and rushed into the water. Unfortunately the tide was high with a slight swell so the visibility while good, wasn’t crystal clear. The water temperature though was absolutely gorgeous and it was so lovely to get out wet and feel cold again. I fell in love with the homestay as did Ichal so we are hoping we can go out and stay a night after the festival has finished.

It costs Rp300,000 a night and that includes 3 meals!

The view from the waters edge. Here is the dining room which would be perfect for blogging!

As Vaas had to return his motorbike, I got a lift back to town early with him to save Ega doing multiple trips out to the homestay and back which turned out to be a blessing because on the final leg with Ichal, the bike broke down and had to be pushed up the steep hills! I walked into our home stay to discover that the whole family was outside chatting enjoying kelapa mudah. I was invited to join them but I discovered that not only did they put milk in it, but there also looked to be what suspiciously looked like grated cheese in it. Being lactose intolerant, I regretfully declined so Bapak kindly opened another coconut for me and I enjoyed it just the way I love it best; straight out of the shell. Once I had finished the liquid, it was opened and I enjoyed the meat as well. A beautiful snack before my mandi and then collapsing exhausted into bed!

Waisai, Raja Ampat, West Papua – Day 1

The entire time Ichal and I sat on the boat bringing us to Raja Ampat we kept pinching ourselves to check that we weren’t dreaming.

This is a dream come true for us both. Neither of us can believe we are actually here. To share our delight, Ichal constantly rang friends enjoying their envy and I posted several times to Facebook. We just couldn’t help ourselves!
We are currently on the island of Waigeo in the town of Waisai. Ichal’s brother (adik angkat) met us at the dock and took us to a home stay he had found. As the Raja Ampat Cultural Festival

was to begin that night, finding accommodation in Waisai was tricky. Ega found for us a family who was happy to rent out 2 of their bedrooms to us! The family who we are staying with are lovely. They have 2 children although only one lives at home at the moment. They have an enormous house. It is one story with 3 bedrooms, a formal sitting room, a tv room, a large dining area, a large bathroom and a newly built cooking area out the back. Ibu explained that this new kitchen area which has a concreted floor and wooden planks for walls & a tin roof was built to keep cooking smells outside! The bathroom is my favourite place. The weather here is so incredibly hot that as soon as I have had one mandi, I want another! Even the locals are complaining about the heat, so I know it isn’t just me feeling it. October is known to be the hottest month of the year in the lead up to the rains which as a Territorian, sounds very familiar! I had to ask if the mango season has started yet because in the NT, October is associated with the very beginning of the mango season, however the mango season here won’t start till January. Here, it seems, October is the only month of the year where nothing fruits! Double whammy!
On our first day here, we headed over to the festival to see what was happening. The festival is being held in an enormous park by the beach. It is a riot of colour at the moment. All the trees have been painted and Chinese lanterns have been hung through the main areas.

Ega dropped in to a friend’s shop in the park selling Papuan ‘Art’ which looked more like artifacts.

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We were then drawn to the major entrance where we could hear music. There we found many school groups and music groups lining the road practicing their welcome for the VIP guests due to arrive for the official opening ceremony. It was stinking hot and yet the musicians and dancers practiced their routine repeatedly with only a few rests in the shade to rest and rehydrate.

During the rest, one of the young girls sitting near me in the shade told me that two of the women wanted their photo taken with me, so I happily did so.

After about an hour and a half, the dignitaries finally appeared. After several false alarms, the crowd were a little skeptical, but then we heard a police siren and suddenly a police motorbike arrived with a convoy following behind it of about 12 cars. They drove in and parked in the car park and as the dignitaries were walking over, an official asked all the musicians & dancers to move to the edge of the road so that the VIP’s could walk down the middle. So after hours and hours of practice, their entire routine was at the last minute hobbled. None the less, the women did as they were asked and did the best they could.

Here is the ‘minister’ who arrived specially from Jakarta for the opening ceremony representing the Department of Tourism and Creative Economics. He was treated like royalty and his attendance was greatly appreciated.
Another visitor to the opening ceremony, entirely unexpected and yet much more popular than the minister, was a film crew from a very popular Indonesian tv show called My Trip, My Adventure. They travel Indonesia looking for unusual and wacky events to participate in and promote. The 2 hosts were young men, one of whom had short bleached hair largely hidden under a cap. They behaved like true film stars, turning their charm off and on and were particularly over the top in front of the cameras, hamming it up ridiculously. Soon after arriving, the blond headed man picked a/stick up off the ground and pretended to play an imaginary drum! He looked so silly yet the crowd just loved it! He then grabbed one of the drums from a musician and bashed it very unmusically with no rhythm or skill at all. Needless to say, he returned the drum quickly and moved along. The owner of the drum was incredibly proud and grinned delightedly for ages afterwards with his jealous friends.
Once the minister was seated, the official opening ceremony began with speech after speech. The minister and his entourage were given large comfortable lounge chairs right up the front facing the stage and I felt sorry for the people in the plastic chairs behind him as I doubt they saw anything.
After dinner, we returned to see what the evening entertainment was like and it was a shame I was so tired because it was very good. A local group were singing reggae songs which are very popular in this part of Indonesia. The 2 lead singers had fantastic voices and I particularly enjoyed the way they got the young children involved. In one song he made a congo line and in another he got them all together to sing the chorus!

Sorong, West Papua

In Sorong, I felt like I was in a foreign country where strangely enough, all the locals spoke Indonesian. It was the weirdest feeling. I can’t pinpoint what it was that makes West Papua feel so different to the rest of Indonesia and what makes this feeling even more difficult to identify is that there are the familiar sights that I have seen throughout Indonesia such as kaki lima (food barrows) selling Javanese food, shops selling pulsa (phone credit) and the strangest thing of all was listening to a local answer his phone with ‘Asalamualaikum’ (Peace be with you). The local people (orang asli) here are very different physically to the rest of Indonesia’s people and resemble more our Australian Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders. So can you imagine how weird it was listening to a man answering his phone with an Islamic greeting? Maybe this is because I am Australian who grew up in the Top End (NT).

My first overall impression of the township of Sorong is that it reminds me of Pangkalan Bun (Kalimantan Tengah) when out on the street. The roads are flanked by wide stretches of dirt and once out of the main township, the shops and buildings are set back off the street, maybe to put as much distance between them and the dust as possible?

We went to the night market (pasar malam) for dinner that night and caught up with Vaast (the Belgium from the Labobor) again. While from the street, the pasar malam looked just like any other pasar malam throughout Indonesia with the kaki lima’s under huge canvas awnings and the benches and tables set up underneath, shielded from the road by long rectangular material signs promoting the food available, the one thing that set it apart for me was that in front of each was a brazier filled with red hot coals and then behind it, a silver topped slanted table covered with a selection of partly grilled fish and squid.

The idea is that you choose which fish/squid you want and then it is immediately returned to the brazier to be cooked for you.

Vaast ordered one of the squid, Ichal some chicken and I had cha kangkung (water spinach). We chose to sit in the open area at chairs and tables behind the kaki lima selling drinks where we could see the night lights of the township over the bay in which Sorong is located. The food was beautiful and more than enough considering I hadn’t eaten since lunch at 11:30am! Afterwards we chatted briefly swapping information that we each had picked up about getting to Raja Ampat and what to do there.

I briefly left them to it for a while to stretch my legs and have another look around the market. I was curious to explore the stalls at the other end of the market and see if anyone sold anything different. I was particularly looking for es campur!! However from one end to the other, almost every stalls sold only grilled fish or variations on cha Kangkung (eg. cha sawi).
Set up right in the side of the road near the parking lot, I found one small stall which differed from all the others. It was a small table set up with pinang, sirih pods and tiny packets of chalk.

The seller was doing a steady trade. It has been a long time since I have seen so many people chewing on betel nut. People who are eating betel nut look like they have a huge wad of bubble gum in their mouth. It used to be more obvious because their mouth and lips were red however now, it’s not always the case! Eating betelnut here in West Papua appears to be very popular amongst all ages.
We had less than a day altogether in Sorong, We caught the first boat out the following morning to Raja Ampat, so all in all we were only there for 18 hours. However as Sorong was my first entry into West Papua, those initial impressions of puzzlement always come to mind whenever I think about Sorong, West Papua.