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- Sarawak Map
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- Map of Southeast Asia
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- Indonesia
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- latest picture:
April 11, 2018
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1364 Easter Sunday, April 1st, 2018, 7am:
- The palm fringed coast of the 995 sq.mi.
- [2'576 km²] big Island of Biak in the Papua
- Province is approaching. There are actually
- two islands (= districts) that are separated
- near Sorendidori by a creek-like strait and
- an inlet: Biak proper (733 sq.mi.[1'898 km²])
- and Supiori "Island" 262 sq.mi.[678 km²]
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1365 A crew member of “KMP Masirei”
- (ASDP)
is unlashing our Landcruiser after
- arrival at the Island of Biak at the port of
- Mokmer (about 5½ miles [9km] east of
- Biak City)
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1366 Two men are carrying
the heavy load
- of green banana bunches on their shoulders to
- the waiting truck. “KMP Masirei” connects
- Nabire and the district of Waropen on the
- "mainland" of Papua with the Papuan islands
- of Yapen and Biak
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1367
The captain invited us for breakfast
- to the officer’s mess of the “KMP Masirei”.
- Coffee, nasi goreng with an egg and fried
- bananas with chocolate sauce is served.
- Being high tide, the angle of the ramp to
- drive out is still too steep for our
- LandCruiser
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1368
“Take me on your voyage captain!”.
- Wouldn’t Emil look good as helmsman?
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1369
Everybody is excited. Although
- the species is classified as "endangered"
- they caught illegally a big blue Napoleon
- fish (Cheilinus undulatus), also
- called humphead wrasse
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1370
It is 10am and the water level to
- disembark our LandCruiser has lowered.
- A crew member watches the action
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1371
The typical face of a Papuan
- tribal chief on an outer wall in the
- city center of Biak
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1372
Monument with a motorbike and
- an appeal not to trash his life with it; as
- well as the names of the killed persons
- during the years of 2016/17
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1373 A touch of colonial ambience:
- The manicured garden of the seaside
- Asana Hotel at Biak’s capital …..
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1374 ….. hotel staff admire our parked
- LandCruiser from their kitchen window
- und pose many questions …..
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1375 ….. thundery
atmosphere at the
- swimming pool of the Asana Hotel
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- All three pictures resp. monuments have one thing in common: An
intricately carved and painted canoe in Papuan style:
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1376 A church portal in the shape of a
- canoe of the evangelical GKI Immanuel
- Church (Gereja Kristen Injili) in Mokmer
- along Biak’s eastern coastal road to
- the ASDP ferry landing
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1377 The lovely carved canoe of an
- evangelical monument at the beach of
- Mokmer-Parai (= today's ASDP ferry
- landing), where the Dutch Christianization
- is said to have started at the end of the 19th
- century and from where on 5/27/1944 the
- 162nd Infantry Regiment of the Americans
- advanced towards the West during their retake
- of the island of Biak from the Japanese
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1378 Another memorial with
a canoe
- and a cross along the eastern coastal road,
- where on 5/27/1944 the 162nd Infantry
- Regiment of the Americans went ashore
- during their
retake of the island of Biak
- from the Japanese
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1379 The historic Second World War
- Monument for the battle of Biak in the World
- War II from Mai 27th to August 17th, 1944,
- when the Japanese lost about 10’000 men. It's
- 6 miles [10km] east of Biak City in Anggraidi,
- namely along the narrow coastal byroad
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1380 Liliana in front of the
- commemorative plaque of the
- World War II monument –
- 474 Americans lost their life on Biak
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1381 A somewhat rusty
Quonset hut of
- WW II is now functioning as home. The
- small flower garden in front and the curtain
- at the window show that it is inhabited. More
- than 150'000 were fabricated during WW II
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1382 View over the Yapen Strait to the
- 4 miles [6½km] offshore lying Padaido
- Island group in the southeast of Biak
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1383 The typical family life takes place
- under palm trees at the sea shore. Strong
- family ties are a capital issue in Indonesia
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1384 A boy is playing with
two bicycle tires
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- Simple mini houses along the southeastern coastal road in
different designs
- arouse our interest again and again. What purpose do they
probably have?
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1385
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1386
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1387
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- The sea along the southeastern coastal road has different faces:
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1388 Drained, dry and dead coral
- reef at low tide
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1389 The sea sparkles in all blue shades
- between the blue sky and the white sand
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1390 It is low tide – time
for locals
- to look for remaining crustaceans
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1391
Towards the end of the 25 miles
- [41km] long southeastern coastal road
- mangrove swamps come into view. Its
- pungent rotting smell fills the air
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1392
Our LandCruiser moves in the
- rain through a forest road that becomes
- constantly narrower. In the background
- a single remaining giant tree –
- forgotten to saw down?
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1393
Dead woodland that will
- be replaced slowly by mangroves
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1394 A photo stop near Kakur before
- the eastern tip of the island of Biak
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1395 An islet with a tomb at the eastern
- end of the 25 miles [41km] long coastal road
- that ends at a military base at Barari Beach
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1396 The big cross in
front of the neat
- traditional house shows that its inhabitants
- are proud Christians in predominantly
- Muslim Indonesia
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1397 A small sandbar at Wari Beach
- near Waromi on our tour in the East of
- the Island of Biak to Cape Praisbari
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1398 Always ready for a picture:
- Two lovely girls at Biak’s East coast
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1399 Encounter with
locals: A father and
- seven kids from an eastern village are
- happily posing for a picture.
- Wondering if there are more?
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1400 The policeman on his motorbike stops
- and shakes hands with Emil with the words:
- “I have seen you on the internet!”
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1401 The Pacific Ocean presents
- itself in a rather stormy mood
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1402 A Monument of an
evangelical
- Gospel mission at the Pacific coast
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- Idyllic settings for fishermen at sandbars of jungle rivers along
the forested west coast road
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1403 South of Mardori-Swaipak
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1404 8 miles [13km] more southerly near Kanaan
1405
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1406
An especially lush specimen of the
- rainforest’s “New Guinea creeper”
- (Mucuna bennettii). Its deep red color
- sticks out from the jungle green from afar
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1407
Trapped in lush “jungle sea”:
- Our LandCruiser drives through thick
- jungle in the ‘Biak Utara Nature Reserve’
- in the North of the island
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1408
Rain drops sparkle at the delicate
- pink blossom and its buds – presumably
- a kind of Impatiens (Impatiens)
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1409 Big laundry day: A woman is rinsing
- clothes in the murky brown river water
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1410 Portrait of a typical Papuan
- face in the North of the island of Biak
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1411 A lonely canoe glides
in the calm
- waters of the west coast of Biak
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1412 Fog clouds are drifting over the
- forest of the 2'277 ft. [694m] high
- central ridge after a heavy tropical rain
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1413 Emil is circling our LandCruiser around
- the pyramidal roundabout in Sorendidori,
- 50 miles [80km] north of Biak City. The two
- middle "floors" with the cross indicate that the
- islands is predominantly evangelical. On the top
- is the coat of arm of the district of Supiori
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1414 Youngsters on a
bridge in
- Supiori smile into our camera and then
- jump down into the refreshing water
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1415 At a small street
market of Sorendidori
- vegetables of every kind are on display …..
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1416 ….. a vendor is replacing a plate
- with tomatoes, onions and chili …..
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1417 ….. the range of
offered
- vegetables leaves nothing to be desired
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1418 Open air museum of rusty remnants of
- the Biak battle fought during WWII between
- the Japanese and United States Army at the
- Binsari Cave, 3 miles [5km] northeast of
- Kota Biak (Coord. -1.17779
136.10513) …..
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1419 ….. Liliana and a
- Papuan lady at the Museum …..
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1420 ….. War relicts
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1421
Entry to the Binsari Cave – the
- “Japanese Cave”. It was used as a base and
- hideout in WWII by thousands of Japanese
- soldiers. By 6/22/1944, an estimated 3'000
- Japanese have lost their lives during the
- American bombardments, including
- Colonel Kuzume Naoyuki, who committed
- hara-kiri at the end
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1422
Solders from the Philippines and
- Malaysia, who served/had to serve
under
- the Japanese flag; in the picture the war flag
- (Rising Sun Flag)
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1423
General Douglas MacArthur as
- Commander of the Southwest
Pacific
- Area orders the American invasion in
- Biak from Jayapura – west of Papua
- New Guinea – after the allies
expelled
- the Japanese from Dutch New Guinea.
- Left the monument in Jayapura in honor
- of him, the Americans and their allies
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1424
A small little “garden” with different
- plants shines in lush green and gives nowadays
- the cave a special touch. How might it have
- looked after the assault on June 22, 1944?
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1425
Emil is admiring the
- massive tree roots clinging to the
- walls of the Binsari cave …..
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1426
….. the view from above into the
- Binsari cave with its many aerial roots is
- especially attractive
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1427 Market day 3 miles [6km] outside
- Biak City: Vendors are displaying their
- goods on a cloth on the ground …..
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1428 ….. more or less all offer
- the same: Fresh vegetable …..
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1429 ….. the bigger the
choice
- the harder it is to choose!
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1430 April 11, 2018: Departure day from
- Mokmer near Biak. Emil drives our Land
- Cruiser into the “KMP Kasuari Pasifik IV”
- that connects the Papuan island of Biak
- with Manokwari on the eastern Bird's Head
- Peninsula in West Papua
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1431 Happy girls on the ferry selling
- floor mats to the passengers for the
- night’s journey. We buy two of them
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1432 Locals are waving at
us. They
- already made themselves comfortable
- on their own (hard) sleeping mats
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1433 The hull of “KMP
Kasuari Pasifik IV”
- fills up more and more with passengers.
- Soon we will not be able to open the
- doors of our LandCruiser anymore
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1434 There is an incredible hustle and bustle
- on the ferry – passengers, friends, companions,
- porters, vendors of food, drinks, fruits etc. are
- increasing steadily
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1435 Our LandCruiser
remains the
- only car on the ferry. Hopefully the
- crush of people does not make it
- suffer from any claustrophobia!
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1436 Makeshift stands are selling food and
- drinks already at the ferry entrance. There is
- also always a kiosk on board selling some
- snacks, soups, drinks, coffee etc.
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1437 The
white billowing cloud and the front
- carrying showers in the back spread a special
- mood at the port of Mokmer outside of Biak
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1438 The sunset glow is in
full swing
- when our “KMP Kasuari Pasifik IV” puts
- out to sea towards Manokwari in West
- Papua: 150 miles [240km] = 13½ hours
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More websites from the
"Borneo-Sulawesi-Moluccas-Papua" trip:
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Part 1: Pictures from Sarawak-Kalimantan-North Sulawesi – Miri/Malaysia
via
Kuching and Balikpapan to
North Sulawesi from August to October 2017
- Part 2: Pictures
from the second part of North Sulawesi
– Tomohon and surroundings, Tangkoko NP
in October 2017
- Part 3: Pictures
from the North Moluccas Part 1 – Ternate and Tidore in
November/December 2017
- Part 4: Pictures
from the North Moluccas Part 2 – Halmahera in November/December
2017
- Part 5: Pictures
from West Papua Part 1 (Irian Jaya) – Sorong and westerly ‘Trans Papua Road’
in December 2017-February 2018
- Part 6: Pictures from
the Moluccas Part 1 (Central) – Seram in February 2018
- Part 7: Pictures from
the Moluccas Part 2 (Central) – Ambon in February/March 2018
- Part 8: Pictures from
Papua Part 1 – Yapen in March 2018
- Part 10: Pictures
from West Papua Part 2 (Irian
Jaya) – Manokwari and easterly ‘Trans Papua Road’
in April 2018
- Part 11: Pictures from South Sulawesi-Kalimantan-Sarawak
Part 2 –
South Sulawesi via Kalimantan to Kuching and Miri/Malaysia from May to
July 2018
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- More websites from Indonesia and
Timor-Leste:
More websites from East Malaysia und
Brunei:
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