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| Wondiboy Peninsula in Wondama Bay Regency |
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| Flight route to Wasior town in Wondama Regency |
There are a lot of species of doves in tropical rainforest of West Papua. I always see some of them when I guide tourists on birding tours in Sorong, Raja Ampat, Tambrauw and Manokwari.
They eat fruits and spread their seeds to all corners of the forest. Birds are seed dispersers, they are the ones who work tirelessly in planting trees and safeguard the rainforest.
I made a drawing of Beautiful Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus) using Derwent Water Colour Pencils. Using a drawing software, I erased its white background and upload it on to my tropical art shop in Redbubble. The artwork can now be ordered as prints on t-shirt, iPhone skin, hat, mug, and etc.
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| Some products with prints of Beautiful Fruit Dove |
Beautiful Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus) lives in lowland and lower montane forest of New Guinea and its satellite islands. They eat berries and can easily be watched all year round. However, the best time to watch the bird is during fruiting season.
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| Wompoo Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) |
I have also created a lot of other drawings including butterflies, flowers, baby turtle, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Red Bird of Paradise, and etc. They can be seen at my online Tropical Art Shop in Redbubble.
Please, see my other artworks as well:
Here are some pictures of fish that I created using coloured pencils and vector drawing software - Inkscape. The first one is whaleshark and a swimmer, the second drawing was manta and the third one is dophin. The sea has always been my source of art inspiration. The following drawings are now available as frame art prints in redbubble. Readers can see more artworks at this shop: Art Drawing Inspired by the Sea.
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| Swimming with Whaleshark |
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| Coloured pencil drawing of manta and a swimmer |
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| Dolphins at sea |
I used to guide tourists on snorkeling and sightseeing tour in Raja Ampat islands. We used speedboats to remote places where the coral reefs are in pristine condition. Some times at the middle of the sea, we saw dophins swimming on the surfice. They could also be seen when we stood on a jetty of bungalow while looking at the beautiful blue sea.
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| An Australian visitor was taking pictures of the Kabui bay from a hill in Waigeo island |
In addition to the above drawings, I also drew various other fish both manually using watercolour pencils and digitally using Autodesk sketchbook application. They can be seen at the following slideshow:
There is a site near Arborek island where manta likes to gather. I and a number of visitors from Europe visited it early in the morning. We swam on the surface while looking at the bottom of around 15 meters where mantas were swimming around. It was their cleaning station.
I hope that these artworks can raise our awareness about the importance of preserving our beautiful environment.
Please, have a look at my other artworks:
Abasi is the name of a beach and a village in the suburb of Manokwari city. It is a great place for swimming and snorkeling. Its coral reef is the natural habitat of anemonefish, striped surgeonfish, damselfish, moorish idol, parrotfish, wrasse, and a lot more. Abasi beach can be reached by taking ojek (motorcycle taxi) from Manokwari city for around 25 to 30 minutes. There are houses along both sides of the street.
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| Marine life in coral reef of Abasi beach |
Visitors need to bring their own snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel and swim fins) if they want to enjoy snorkeling at Abasi beach. Bringing an underwater camera will also enhance the snorkeling experience of visitors.
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| Abasi Beach in the suburb of Manokwari city |
Accommodation - Visitors can stay in one pf the many hotels in Manokwari city and go by ojek (motorcycle taxi) or stay in the villagers houses at Abasi beach. The latter option will significantly bring economic benefits to local people.
Abasi is also a great beach for wave surfing especially from October to April when the waves are big. Visitors need to bring their own surfboards. Little boys and girls learn surfing using simple handmade wooden boards which they get from their village.
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| Anemonefish in the coral reef of Manokwari |
Internet connection - Most parts of Manokwari city is covered by mobile phone network with 4G internet service provided by Telkomsel of Indonesia. Visitors can buy voucher reload for their mobile phone at ATM machines or from shops in the city.
Flights to Manokwari
Manokwari as tourist destination can easily be reached by planes from big cities in Indonesia. Sriwijaya, Batik Air and Lion Air have regular daily flights to Manokwari from such cities as Denpasar, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Manado, Sorong and Jayapura.
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| Flight route to Manokwari city |
Other tourist attractions in Manokwari
In addition to snorkeling at Abasi beach, visitors who travel to Manokwari can go hiking and wildlife watching in Arfak mountains to see Vogelkop Bowerbird, Western Parotia and Magnificent Birds of Paradise.
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| Magnificent Bird of Paradise in the forest of Manokwari |
If you are interested in visiting Manokwari and want me to arrange your trip, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp through this contact link.
Also read:
Wasior is a small town in Cendrawasih Bay. It is the economic hub of Wondama regency. There are a lot of attactions around Wasior which visitors can see if they want to take their holiday there. Some of them are described below.
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| Tourist attractions around Wasior town |
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| Rowi stream in Rasiei area of Wondama |
There is an unused road that crosses this stream. It is a good site for birdwatching and insect watching. Birds such as Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Black Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Grey Crow, Coconut Lorikeet are common in this forest.
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| Butterflies in Wasior town |
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| Orchid garden in Wondama |
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| Tropical Beach and Coral Reef in Wasior |
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| Mangrove forest in Ramiki village of Wondama bay during low tide |
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| Mangrove forest |
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| Baked Sago from Wasior town of Wondama regency |
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| Kowi Viewpoint in Wasior |
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| Typical ingredients of local food |
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| Karumatiri Guesthouse at Ketapang Lima Beach of Wasior Town |
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| Flight route to Wasior (Rasiei) in Wondama Bay regency |
There are a lot of tropical islands inside Cendrawasih Bay. Most of them are surrounded by beautiful coral reefs that are teeming with abundant marine flora and fauna. They become important attraction for visitors who like swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving.
Around 500 hard corals can be seen in Cendrawasih Bay. They are the natural habitat of a lot of reef fish including Burgess's butterflyfish, Cendrawasih Bay Walking Shark (Hemiscyllium galei), Walton's flasher wrasse (Paracheilinus walton), Papuan Convict Goby (Priolepsis sp.), and etc.
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| Coral Reef in Cendrawasih Bay |
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| Rowor beach in the suburb of Wasior town of Wondama regency |
Most foreign visitors travel around the islands of the bay by liveaboard diving boats. It is a comfortable but quite an expensive trip. Now the visits to Cendrawasih bay can be organized in a group of 4 to 6 participants in more affordable cost.
Local guides use speedboat to carry tour participants around the Cendrawasih bay in an island hopping tour style. Visitors can enjoy swimming and snorkeling in remote islands. At night they will go to a village and stay in homestays. It is also interesting for visitors to see local people in their daily life.
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To enjoy snorkeling in Cendrawasih Bay, visitors need to go to Manokwari city. It is the capital of West Papua province of Indonesia.
Foreign visitors can take international flights from their country to Jakarta, Surabaya, or Denpasar city of Indonesia. They can also fly to Singapore and then continue their trip to Manado city by Scoot Tigerair.
Flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, and Manado as well as other major cities in Indonesia to Manokwari city are available every day and are served by Batik Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Lion Air.
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| Rendani Airport of Manokwari with Arfak mountains at the background |
Arriving in Manokwari city, visitors can stay for 1 night in one of the hotels in the city. The next day, they can go to Wasior town by a small passenger plane Cessna Caravan 208B in Rendani airport or by passenger vessels: KM. Margareth or KM. Express Bahari 9E at Anggrem harbor of Manokwari.
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| Flight route to Wasior town in Wondama regency |
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| A traditional market in Wasior town |
Wasior is a small town. It is an economic, and transportational hub for visitors who want to explore islands in Cendrawasih Bay. Visitors can buy food, mineral water and other logistical material in Wasior town. There are small hotels, gueshouses, shops, and restaurants in Wasior town.
Visitor attractions that can be seen around Wasior town include Aitumieri hill, Siewandamuni harbor, Sobey Sandbank (locally called Pasir Timbul), Wandamui hill, Wandamui beach and waterfall, Dusner waterfall, and Rowi river.
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| Wasior town in Teluk Wondama regency |
However, visitors need to bring snorkeling equipment from their own country. Buy snorkeling gear in Indonesia may not fit on the face of a snorkeler.
In addition to swimming and snorkeling, visitors can also do other activities such as fishing, birdwatching or visiting the villages in the bay.
If you are interested in taking a snorkeling tour in Cendrawasih Bay and want local guides to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
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| The National Park of Cendrawasih Bay |
Most of the National Park of Cendrawasih Bay is located inside Wondama regency. It is a great destination for visitors who are interested in swimming, snorkeling, and sightseeing. There are a lot of places and islands in the bay which visitors can see. Some of them are described below:
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| a traditional market in Wasior town |
Wasior - This little town should be your first destination if you plan to travel around the islands in the national park. The capital of Wondama regency is Rasiei. It is an integral part of Wasior. The first place which tourists can visit in Wasior town is Batu Inspirasi (The Rock of Inspiration). It is located in Aitumieri Hill and can be reached by hiking up the steep slopes of the hill for around one hour. Sitting on this rock, visitors can see the beautiful Wondama bay with its blue sea and green forest. Butterflies, and birds can be seen in this forest. It was the place where Izaac Samuel Kijne liked to visit when he was writing hymnal songs. They have now been compiled in a book called Mazmur & Nyanyian Rohani. The hymnal book is still used by GKI church of Papua Land and other churches in Indonesia.
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| Batu Inspirasi (the Rock of Inspiration) |
At the foothill, there are some buildings which were built by Dutch missionaries in early 1900s as the first teachers' training school for the indigenous Papuan people.
There are a number of beaches and coral reef areas in Wasior. The nearest one is Ketapang Lima Beach. This is the place where visitors can enjoy snorkeling and swimming. A lot of tropical fish can be seen here. They include various kinds of butterflyfish, surgeonfish, rabbitfish, anemonefish, snapper, trevally, grouper, parrotfish, wrasse, cardinalfish, goby and lionfish. Snorkeling can also be done in coral reef areas of Rowor beach.
Visitors who like fishing can go to Sewandaimuni harbor near Rasiei area. They can also go to Wandamui beach which is located in the suburb of Wasior town. Wandamui hill is the place where town dwellers like to visit to see the beautiful scenery of Wondama bay and make selfie pictures. There is a waterfall with a big pool at the corner of the beach where visitors can enjoy swimming.
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| Waterfall in the forest of Dusner village |
On the other side of Wondama Bay, there is a waterfall located in the territory of Dusner village. It is the place where visitors go to soak their bodies in the cool water of the waterfall and breath the fresh air from the forest while enjoying the sounds of birds in the surrounding trees.
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| A Hut in the Jungle of Naikere - Teluk Wondama regency |
For visitors who like to see wildlife, Naikere is the recommended place to go. Huge tropical rainforest covers this area. There are a lot of species of birds such as Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Red Myzomela, Lowland Peltop, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Blyth's Hornbill, Western-crowned Pigeon, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Lowland Peltop, Golden Myna, Yellow-faced Myna, Black-capped Lory, and a lot more. Cuscus possum, deer, wild pigs, wallaby can be found there too.
The Marine Tour
There are a lot of islands in Cendrawasih Bay that are worth visiting. Auri, Purup, Mioswar, Rumberpon, Yoop, and Roon are groups of islands that can be visited by tourists. The starting point should be Wasior town. Local guides will prepare speedboat to bring visitors to interesting sites where coral reefs are in pristine condition with abundant marine life. Food materials, fuel and other logistical needs can be bought in Wasior town. Tourists should bring their own snorkeling devices (masks, snorkels and swim fins).
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| Coral reef in National Park of Cendrawasih Bay |
Local guides will go to Yende, Menarbu or Niap to inform local villagers about the tour in Roon island before continuing the snorkeling trips to Rariyau island or Matas island.
For traveling around Purup, visitors will be brought to Yomakan village to inform local people there about the trip. Homestay can also be prepared for visitors if they want to stay in the village.
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| Hot stream in Roswar island of Cendrawasih Bay |
There is hot stream that flows to the sea in Roswar island of Cendrawasih Bay. Visitors can visit the place too. Since the stream is very hot, it will be dangerous for visitors to swim directly in the stream.
How to get there?
Traveling to the National Park of Cendrawasih Bay is easy. Visitors can take international flights from their country to Jakarta or Denpasar Bali. After that, they need to take a domestic flight to Manokwari city which is the capital of Papua Barat province. Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air, Batik Air have got regular flights between Manokwari and major cities in Indonesia. So, daily flight to Manokwari is available. There are hotels, restaurants and shops in Manokwari city for visitors who want to take a rest for at least one day in the city.
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| Wasior town |
The trip to Wasior town can be carried out by passenger boat from Anggrem harbor of Manokwari or by a small passenger aircraft - Cessna Caravan 208 at Rendani airport of Manokwari. Tickets can be bought at the harbor and at the airport in affordable prices. Here is the flight route to Wondama regency.
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| Flight route to Wasior town in Wondama regency |
If you need more info about traveling to Wondama regency, please, contact me by whatsapp through this contact link or by email to peace4wp@gmail.com.
This is written by Charles Roring
Indonesia has got one of the largest coral reefs in the world. This tropical forest of the ocean is the source of food, study of science, tourist attractions and a very important element of marine environment.
The rapid growth of population in this country has raised the demand for seafood. Fishermen catch fish, shrimp, crabs to meet this demand. Unfortunately, there are those who still use destructive methods to harvest these marine resources. They use bottom trawling net, explosives, and chemicals that are harmful to marine ecosystem.
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| Coral Reef in Manokwari |
On land, rapid growth of coastal cities and towns in this country has given more pressures to marine environment.
I have seen the increasing number of wastes that flows to the sea during rainy days. The transparent plastic wastes are eaten by turtles. They consider them as jellyfish. Many of them end up in coral reef areas. They block sunlight from reaching the surface of the corals. Sunlight is needed by coral reef to carry out photosynthesis. Coral reef needs crystal clear water to function properly. When soil sediment, and plastic wastes cover coral reef areas, they will kill them. This, as a whole, threaten the existence of other marine animals that depend of coral reef as their source of food and as their homes.
Filter marine creatures such as bivalves, sea cucumber, and various kinds of small fish have been excessively exploited from coral reef. This weakens the ability of coral reef to clean and restore itself from all the above wastes.
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| Marine Life in Raja Ampat |
Damages in food chains and food web will bring catastrophic effect not only on the marine environment but also on human life. Fishermen cannot catch fish in the nearby waters. They need to go further in order to find fish. This means that they need to spend more fuel and build bigger boat without any assurance that they will be able to harvest more fish in distant seas.
There are a lot of things that we need to do to preserve coral reef.
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| Marine Life in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat |
Because all the marine organisms are inter-connected, they way we manage our marine resources determine our future. If we can sustainably manage and protect our marine enviroment, we can harvest fish for ever. If we ignore the importance of preserving our marine environment, we may lose it forever. by Charles Roring
Also read:
I like to create art drawings that are inspired from plants and animals in tropical forest. I can use manual tools such as pencil and watercolor on paper or digital ones such as vector drawing software - Freehand and Inkscape - in a deskstop computer.
Today, my favorite tools are Baseus Stylus and Android Phone which I use with Autodesk Sketchbook drawing application.
Birds, flowers and butterflies that I see while trekking in the forest have become the main subjects of my drawing projects. For instance, the Red Bird of Paradise (locally called Cendrawasih Merah) below was created after I guided some visitors on a 2-week adventure tour in Waigeo island, Sorong regency and Arfak mountains. I saw the bird in Raja Ampat.
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| Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) |
I also created several other versions of the Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) using Android based drawing application.
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| A male Red Bird of Paradise |
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| A Couple of Red Bird of Paradise |
Birds of paradise as well as other tropical birds of West Papua can be watched in several birding sites such as Waigeo island, lowland forest of Sorong regency, Arfak mountains, Manokwari and Teluk Wondama regency. Birdwatching tourism attracts hundreds of visitors to West Papua province of Indonesia every year. This helps local villagers generate income while preserving their tropical forest.
Villagers work as porters who carry bags of visitors, cooks, and wildlife watching guides in the forest. When they can earn some money from tours in the forest, they will see positive benefits of the preservation of the environment.
Here is the pictures of typical forest tours that I run in West Papua.
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| Rainforest tour in West Papua province of Indonesia |
Please, support this blog by buying some products such as t-shirts, mugs, stickers, cell phone cases and etc. that are printed with the above drawings at my artshop in Redbubble: Forest and Coral Reef Art
Tropical forest in West Papua is the natural habitat of thousands of species of plants and animals. They have become important natural resource for indigenous people who have lived in the region for generations. They obtain food, medicines, and materials for the construction of their houses, hunting equipment and tools from the forest.
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| Birdwatching in the forest of West Papua |
Unfortunately, the rainforest in West Papua in now being cut by big companies to take its timber, and clear the land for palm oil plantation. Rural areas around big towns and cities of West Papua are being expanded for massive monoculture plantations, and human settlements. There are areas in the forest where trees are cut for road constructions and mining concession.
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| Australian Tourists were walking along a ridge to see the beauty of West Papua's forest |
Preservation of rainforest in West Papua is now an urgent matter if we still want to see this precious environment in next decades. One of the ways to preserve the forest is by empowering the indigenous people to be united, and smart in economically and sustainably exploiting their natural resource from the forest for their prosperity.
Villagers already have got local wisdom on how to collect honey, catch fish, do hunting and make medicine. However, they need to learn how to make essential oils from various kinds of flowers in the forest or how to run a guesthouse for tourists who want to enjoy a 3-day walking tour in the forest to watch birds and other wild animals.
In other words, the empowerment of the indigenous people is a must to enable them to have economical capacity and will to protect their forest.
West Papua is a very rich land. The mountains and hills have got huge deposits minerals including of copper, nickel, gold, zinc, uranium, and etc. There are coal, gas, and oil too. However the indigenous people are lack of know how to sustainably exploit them.
Environmentally friendly agriculture, alternative tourism, and education will enable local people to develop their land well.
to be continued ...
by Charles Roring
