First Day in Papua

First Day in Papua

Although it's true, we'd been in Sorong a couple of days prior, the following is a story from what I feel I can really call my first day in Papua.

I should preface this little tale with some context: We arrived in Sorong, W. Papua for our 1st site visit in the middle of a very busy and very exciting time. The areas in which we will be working with Conservation International (CI) are in the process of becoming Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The region has long been identified as extrememly rich in biological diversity and a target for protection... however only now is it receiving official designation. We were invited, as part of the CI team, on the inaugural celebratory tour of this achievement.


At 11:30 pm the siren sounded and we lumbered out of port.

As small groups played raucous games of dominoes, a couple of guys strummed their guitars and belted out tunes ranging from english classic rock (including Tiffany! and of course Brian Adams) to traditional Papuan songs. At this point the whole ship came alive with voice - gorgeous harmonies sprang from various groups from bow to stern and our tour came to life.

As we chugged along, things settled down and most people tried to find a quiet corner in which to curl up and hunker down for the night.

Our vessel, called the KLM (not the Dutch airline, but instead Kapal Layar Motor (motorized sailing ship)) Nur Alif is, or was, a 30 m fishing boat, charted by CI for this most special event. The official crew are a group of about 6 swarthy young seamen, and everything one would expect them to be. The unofficial compliment are ~40 CI staff, other NGO staff, reporters, politicians and us, 2 lone CUSO cooperants, set for the adventure of a lifetime. Most of our cohorts haven't even ever been to some of these remote areas on the agenda, so our tour of Raja Ampat is truly feeling more and more special.



The decks are scattered with ropes of various thicknesses, the chains all rusted and the wooden planks of the deck are set apart at varying widths and in various states of disrepair... the captain with his yellowing eyes couldn't be a more fitting character to pilot this ship.

This first night aboard was nothing if not eventful.

As we trundled along through the blackness of night at sea, my lullaby became the chugging and sputtering of the engine and the waves slapping against the hull as we sliced through it. I was almost asleep in my cramped berth (tastefully decorated with posters of cheap women) when there were alarmed shouts, a grinding, popping and BOOM! I, of course, wonder if we've hit one of the numerous small rocky islands which may or may not be on the map. Did the lookout fall asleep?; Are we going to sink? How far away is help?... "Martin, que paso?", I asked... figuring he is the ocean guy, he should know. He ineffectively tries to reassure me and goes to investigate. Well, it turns out that in an effort not to hit a smaller boat, the captain veered hard and in doing so, broke the steering mechanism! Clink, clank, hammer, bang.... no, I'm pretty sure I didn't get much sleep after that! After repairs were complete, we were back on course... but it was getting really hot inside and to make matters worse, I had to pee!

So, my trip to the WC is a story in and of itself! I finally decided there was no holding off until dawn and made the perilous journey... Martin and I were sharing a very tight berth and it happened to be an upper one, and I was on the inside! I carefully tried not to disturb him as I crawled over him in the 1 ft of head space above our wooden nest, I spidered down from the top bunk, also taking care not to step on the sleeping figure below. As I go out the portal I realize this is to be the greatest challenge: not to step, or fall, on people as the boat rocks and sways! Luckily there is only one body on the narrow walkway to the back of the boat. In the open area there are more, many more... on sleeping mats on the floor and on benches (not comfy enough to sit on!). Tangles of limbs loll from hammocks and I try to avoid all of this as I clamber down rickety steps to the bowels of the ship.

When I finally find the bathroom... it's a hole in one of the wooden floor planks. Below, looking into it, you can see the beautiful aquamarine water in the daytime... this 1st experience though, was just accompanied by darkness, the sound of water rushing by and cockroaches crawling from the cracks.

I ran the gauntlet of bodies and limbs back to the captains bridge, and just before ducking back into our closet, a shimmer in the water caught my eye. This is one of my absolutely favourite phenomenon; I was put into a trance by the dancing lights of what looks like millions of fireflies underwater, but is in fact phosphorescent plankton. Not 30 seconds later I was brought out of my trance by a dolphin leaping at the bow of the ship... then another. As they play in the bow wake, they stir up the phosphorescent plankton and leave trails of light in the water -- absolutely mesmorizing! To heighten my dreamlike state, I see that this glow in the water below is mirrored by the brilliance of a night sky saturated with stars.

We awake in a whole new world. The sun rises slowly and gently, matching our pace, both of waking and cruising. As the sun bathes the surrounding islands, I begin to really underatnd the term remote: We are surrounded by lush, tropical jungle... green dripping from the shoreline. There is not a sound of civilization; no busses, trucks, horns, crowds... no "Hey Mister"!

We enter a channel only three times the width of our boat and wind our way along white coral fossil cliffs. Eventually they open up to become a huge bay, the ecology of which is incredibly unique due to it's formation which is more of a saltwater lake. It's the only place in Raja Ampat where white dolphins are found, among other interesting critters. We don't happen upond any of them this time, but we do watch flying fish skip along the water, the sun shining off their long slender bodies... we also see birds swooping and skimming the water's surface.

The pace of the day picked up from this lazy, surreal existence when a longboat bearing a musical welcoming committee motored into sight. They were a stunning sight: dressed in traditional outfits, their black skin contrasted with their dried grass skirts, they played guitars and drums, belting out rhythmic Papuan songs.



This was merely the beginning of what turned out to be an incredible celebration. We were greeted at the docks by another welcoming party -- more music and dance and a ceremonial blessing... a few of us had wreaths of intricately-woven exotic flowers and plants put over our heads and were guided arm in arm in a lively dancing procession to the main area of the village. There were speeches and signings, the symbolic exchange of beetlenut, and then a delicious seafood feast. It couldn't have been a more fabulous day... and the rest of the tour was just as fabulous - a great start to what promises to be an incredible adventure.