THIS JOURNEY TOOK ME TO THE VERY TOP OF THE ISLAND OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA,INTO THE INDONESIAN PROVINCE OF PAPUA AND THE AREA CALLED "THE BIRD'S HEAD",DUE TO A STRIKING LAND THAT RESEMBLES A BIRD WITH BODY AND HEAD ON MAPS.THE AREA AROUND SORONG(PAPUA'S SECOND LARGEST CITY BEHIND JAYAPURA)HAS RECENTLY ATTRACTED WORLD ATTENTION FROM MARINE BIOLOGIST'S FOR IT'S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN GREAT ECO SYSTEMS IN THE WATERS AND JUNGLES,MANY SPECIES OF PREVIOUSLY UNRECORDED MARINE LIFE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.THE CENTRAL HUB IS SORONG WHICH EXPERIENCED A BOOM IN THE LATE 1930'S WHEN DUTCH SHELL DISCOVERED OIL CLOSE BY,UP UNTIL THE MID 60'S THE TOWN WAS SITUATED JUST OFF THE MAINLAND ON DUM ISLAND,THE WORD DUM IN LOCAL LANGUAGE ACTUALLY TRANSLATES TO ISLAND,THE ISLAND IS STILL A VIBRANT MIX OF LOCAL CULTURE,EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM SORONG BY LONGBOAT FERRYS,WITH THIN PATHWAYS ALL AROUND THE ISLAND IT'S A FANTASTIC HALFDAY ADVENTURE.WITH A NEW AIRPORT SORONG IS A BUSTLING CITY,BUILT ALONG THE SEASIDE IT STRETCHES FOR AROUND 5 KILOMETRES ALONG THE HARBOUR WITH INCREDIBLE SUNSETS AND SEARING AFTERNOON SUN OFF THE EQUATOR.ACCOMODATION IS BASIC WITH THE BEST VALUE HOTEL'S BEING WAIGEO AND TANJUNG ON JL JOS SURDASO,AIR CONDITIONING IS A MUST IN THE HEAT, AND ROOMS COST AROUND 225,000 RUPIAH(35 AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS)PER NIGHT.LIKE MOST OF THE LARGER INDONESIAN CITY'S,RESTAURANTS SERVE GOOD VALUE TASTY FOOD,WITH SEAFOOD HIGH ON THE LIST HERE,TOP PICK WAS THE SUNRISE CAFE ON JL JOS SURDASO RIGHT NEXT TO THE HARBOUR,GOOD SERVICE AND BINTANG BEER AVAILABLE!!THE BEST PART OF BEING HERE IS THE AVAILABILITY TO GO AND EXPLORE SOME MIND BLOWING AREAS LIKE THE "RAJA EMPAT" ISLANDS,WHICH RATE HIGHLY WITH WORLD DIVING GROUPS AS A SPECIAL PLACE,THE FOUR ISLANDS ARE "BATANTA","WAIGEO","SALAWATI"AND "MISOOL",ALL ARE SANCTUARY'S FOR BIRDS OF PARADISE WITH AN INCREDIBLE RANGE OF EXOTIC BIRD SPECIES,WITH NO TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN PLACE SO YOU WILL NEED TO USE YOUR SKILLS IN OBTAINING LIFTS TO PLACES,LONGBOAT HIRE IS AVAILABLE FROM THE HARBOUR IN SORONG,THE TRIP TO BATANTA TAKES AROUND 4 HOURS,VERY LITTLE ENGLISH IS SPOKEN HERE ,SO YOU WILL NEED TO NEGOTIATE PRICES IN BAHASA.I USED "OJEKS" (PRIVATE MOTORCYCLE HIRE)TO TAKE THE JOURNEY NORTH ALONG THE COAST,A FANTASTIC MORNING TRIP IS TO HEAD OUT OF SORONG TO CASSOWARY POINT WHICH IS ABOUT 10 KMS FROM SORONG AND USED AS A WEEKEND GETAWAY FOR LOCALS,GREAT SWIMMING WITH WHITE CORAL SAND BEACHES.FOR A FULL DAY TRIP TRY THE JOURNEY NORTH TOWARDS SAUSAPOUR,YOU WILL PASS THE INLAND LAGOON AREA CALLED MAKBON DISTRICT WITH SWEEPING VIEWS ACROSS THE OCEAN AND ALONG THE COAST,A SHORT DISTANCE LATER ASKED TO BE TAKEN INTO MALAUMKARTA VILLAGE,WHERE IF YOU ASK NICELY AND MENTION THIS ARTICLE,FOR A GOOD PRICE THE LOCAL VILLAGES WILL TAKE YOU BY BANANA BOAT OUT TO THE ISLANDS WHERE YOU CAN VIEW THE ECO SYSTEMS IN FULL SWING,THE WILDLIFE/BATS/TURTLES/SHARKS WILL ASTOUND YOU ,THE LOCALS FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW THIS SYSTEM EVOLVES AND DON'T BE SCARED TO ASK LOT'S OF QUESTIONS!!THE TRIP BACK ACROSS THE REEF TO THEIR ANCESTRY VILLAGE WILL GIVE YOU A SENSE OF PARADISE LOST.DO NOT RUSH THINGS AS MELANESIAN CULTURE IS WORTH SPENDING TIME WITH,ALSO ASK TO SEE THE GIANT CAVE OF BATS ON THE WAY BACK TO THE MAIN ROAD.FURTHER NORTH ALONG THE COAST IS THE VILLAGE OF SAUSAPAUR("THE PLACE TO COMMEMORATE THE DEAD"),THIS IS WHERE IN OLDEN TIMES THE PAPUANS LAUNCHED RAIDS INTO THE ASIAN SEAS AS PIRATES OF THE SEAS,THEY WOULD RETURN AS HEROES TO HERE.WITH SORONG HAVING A NEW AIRPORT,FLIGHTS ARRIVE AND DEPART FREQUENTLY,THE AIRPORT CODE IS SOQ,YOU CAN ALSO GET CONNECTING FLIGHTS TO SMALLER REMOTE LOCATIONS LIKE FAK FAK AND MANOKWARI.A WONDERFUL FRIENDLY WELCOME IS ON THE CARDS WHEN YOU STOP BY "THE BIRD'S HEAD".INDAH TEMPAT!!
DON FOSTER.
