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Published: September 7th 2016
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We travelled from Bali to Sorong, via a connecting flight through Makassar, followed by a local ferry to Waisai, located off the West coast of Papua in the far East of Indonesia. Our final destination being the remote archipelago of Raja Ampat comprising one thousand five hundred small islands and part of the tropical coral triangle linking Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor Leste, The Solomon Islands, and The Phillipines.
With little information on the internet and having travelled such a distance we were curious about what these remote islands would reveal. Due to cost and time restrictions we picked one of the islands to visit. Based on a brief description on the internet and a few pictures, we chose the island of Kri because of its accessible coral reef. The only contact we had when booking our stay was via a muddled text message of broken English and Bhasa (Indonesian). We were met by a friendly Indonesian man at the Waisai port who led us to the tourist information centre to purchase our permit and then onto his boat, powered by an outboard motor, headed for Kri. The boat was stacked high with food and drink supplies, the wind blowing
in our hair and the spray of the sea catching us with every wave. After about an hour we began to approach the island of Kri, crossing from the dark blue into the shallow crystal clear water over the diverse coral reef. Stopping outside the homestay we jumped off the boat into the shallow bath-like sea and waded through with our rucksacks until we reached the dry white sand resembling powder.
We booked to stay at Mambetron homestay on Kri’s north shore - a hand made wooden hut with a mattress on the floor and mosquito net draping over the bed from the ceiling. The pitch comprised ten huts and a shower block with running cold salt-water showers to wash in and electricity only available between six and eleven in the evening. Although very basic the hut was situated in an idyllic location on the beach front, nestled in the shelter of a limestone cliff, shaded by coconut palms and backed by the rich jungles of Kri.
There were four huts that were occupied during our stay at Mambetron. We ate together for breakfast, lunch and dinner with food cooked by the homestay owner’s
mother. She would mainly cook freshly caught tuna with vegetables and rice - the typical meal choice of the islanders.
Overnight, the tide goes out leaving a band of shallow water between Kri and its neighbouring island, Mansuar. At six in the morning, as the sun was rising, we crossed the exposed sandbanks linking the two islands. We walked through the small village of Yenbubathrough, passing many inquisitive locals along the way. We reached a jetty and the inviting turquoise water glistened in the morning sun with schools of fish swarming the wooden pillars. We didn't realise how quickly the tide was coming in and before we knew it the water was too deep to walk back in. Luckily, one of the group had a waterproof bag so we stored our cameras away and swam back to Kri.
After dinner one night, our homestay owner called us out onto the beach. Using a torch, he led us into the shallow waters to see a fascinating walking shark crawling between the boats moored on the sand. Our second on-land animal encounter was with a curious wild parrot. He flew out of the trees and landed
on Will's shoulder (as he was brushing his teeth!) The parrot accidentally caught a claw in his string necklace and after lots of feather flapping to the face we managed to untangle the disgruntled bird and release him back into the air.
The reef just outside the homestay was abundant with marine life. We found the best thing to do was enter from the jetty further up the beach and drift gently with the current back to the homestay, tracking Kri's coral wall along the way. We snorkelled in and amongst the brightly coloured coral and its vast array of tropical fish. An angry, black moray eel slithered out from behind a rock, reef sharks glided beneath us and turtles gracefully swam past us.
One morning, at the end of the jetty, the homestay owner gathered us to feed the leftover fish to the reef sharks. Within seconds of the food hitting the water, five sharks appeared and began circling. Suddenly, the wooden struts of the jetty's stairs collapsed, disintegrating into the water, taking one of the guys we were staying with into the area where the sharks were fighting for the chunks of
fish. Panicking and splashing, we hauled him from the water before one of the sharks mistook him for bait!
On our penultimate day we climbed to the top of the hill in the middle of the island. We traipsed uphill, through the thick flora in our flip-flops; footwear being an afterthought at the time. At times, with no set path to follow we had to push our way through to create a clearing. As we reached the highest point we were met with the spectacular panoramic lookout over Pulau Mansuar. From the vantage point over Raja Ampat, feeling incredibly liberated, it was hard to comprehend just how far away from home we were.
The tropical waters of the barely touched and isolated islands of Raja Ampat are beyond beautiful. I am eager to return and see what other wonders the reefs have to offer.
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