A post postscript

Instead of shopping in Banda Neira I saw some beautiful postcards and bought them together with the necessary stamps. I had all that I needed to proceed. A shaky memory of addresses and a glue stick. Watch this space – will they ever reach their destinations ? London, Australia and Cyprus. The three corners of my universe.

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Amsterdam island aka Miossu

We started with the Dutch colonialists in the Spice islands so it’s a little strange that we are ending this journey with a visit to an island which still bears the name of the former Dutch capital. Its new name, in smaller print is the one which should surely replace it. The welcome to this little island, largely uninhabited was warm and friendly with dancers and a welcoming group meeting…

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Pulau Mansinam

This is one of the places where it all began. Two German missionaries landed here in 1855 and spread the Gospel to this area of Papua. Their arrival is celebrated with a big festival on the 5th of February every year. We were greeted by a group of highlanders who had come across the water. Some of us were taken arm in arm and we progressed down the path to…

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Pulau Manim

A tiny uninhabited island with white sand and a fringing reef which descends to the deep ocean below. These channels are some 200 metres deep. We spent the day snorkelling here. Beautiful clarity. A kaleidoscope of small fish, orange and black, electric blue and dusky pinks. Flashes of yellow. Two things to note today. An island covered in small yellow ants. How did they come here ? They were everywhere…

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Kwatisore

This village is situated in Cenderawasih Bay National park on the mainland. There is a road leading to nearest town several hours away. A clinic with some interesting posters for child immunisation, an ambulance and a police station. The houses are more solid and the school building is spanking new. The welcome here had a personal touching aspect to it. We stepped on paddles laid in the sand for us.Leaving…

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An invitation to Whale Sharks breakfast

And No it was not us on the menu ! We are in Cenderwasih Bay, a place that has transformed from a hunting area of marine life to community based tourism with the largest fish on earth at its centre. Bagans are fishing stations in the deep ocean. They fish on lift-net platforms. Some of the smaller fish get thrown back and there you have it, the whale sharks have…

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Roon island, Yende village

We have travelled round from Raja Ampat to West Papua over the Bird’s Head and into the bay. Our destination was Roon island for a snorkel off the coast and a visit to the village nearby. Roon comes from the Indonesian word for ironwood. Yende is one of seven small villages built literally on the coastline and most of the houses are on stilts. Ironwood perhaps? The village has a…

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A postscript on Wallace.

Alfred Russel Wallace is regarded as the father of biogeography. He was an avid collector, an environmentalist, a contemporary of Darwin’s, a slighter younger man ( he was a pallbearer at Darwin’s funeral ) he travelled through the Malay archipelago collecting an astonishing 125,660 specimens from 1854. He loved beetles and birds and introduced the west to some 5000 new species. He noticed a pattern in the distribution of animals…

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Alfred,The Passage, and Archer Fish

Alfred Russel Wallace came to this region in 1856. One of the many exploratory journeys he did was going through The Passage between Waigeo and Gam islands. I imagine he was led to this area by local guides. It’s a fascinating passage, winding, not very wide, just over a kilometre in length. What is noteworthy is that the currents flowing through this passage are not only sweeping but change direction…

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Piaynemo and Pinisis.

An area of dramatic limestone islets formed by ancient tectonic shifts and erosion they form karsts in the geological landscape here. A popular tourist hot spot for obvious reasons. Up about 250 steps to a viewing platform. We saw many sailing ships anchored here and they are special. In 2017 UNESCO designated Pinisi boatbuilding in South Sulawesi to be on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.…

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