Exploring West Papua: Biak, Japanese Cave, Wamena daymarket, Sentanie, Arfak & Raja Ampat

We have experienced that Indonesia is a great travel destination. Our trip (via Java) to Sumba and Flores in 2015 was a great success. Just like our other favorite travel destination: India, is Indonesia a special and differentiated travel destination. No island is the same. Nature and cultural differences per Island are enormous. There is a lot for us to discover and experience.
Jan-Arend always had the covert desire to visit Iran Jaya, West Papua as it is called nowadays. Now is the chance to make that wish come true.
We both love adventurous traveling to less touristy areas where we can still experience anything from the original life of that area. Well, with that in our in mind, we will be fine in West Papua.
West Papua is located on the Indonesian half of the second largest island in the world. During this particular, active and especially adventurous tour we visit as first Biak, an island on the Geelvink Bay.
We drive up to the Japanese caves (Gua Jepun). During the second world war Biak was occupied by the Japanese. The occupation lasted until June 1944. The Japanese Colonel Kuzume Naoyuki knew that the Americans would come.He had prepared the army for the moment the Americans arrived at Biak. He concealed himself with his army in the caves. The old women who first lived in the caves and offered resistance by refusing to leave the caves were beheaded in advance by Japanese.
Eventually the fight with the Americans started. The Americans were on the losing end. Only after the Americans began to bombard the caves with TNT and kerosene the Japanese were forced to surrender. With the bombardment their shelter turned into an inferno. The fight costed 400 Americans and 4,700 Japanese their life! The fallen Japanese soldiers are all ritual burned at the spot and their ashes were brought back to Japan. Each year, there is still a ceremonial commemoration held here by Japanese family members of the fallen soldiers.
Originally the cave was a large closed area. Due to the violence and the flames the roof has collapsed. The cave has become more a large open pit now. We walk down to the bottom of the cave. Impressive. There is an oppressive atmosphere. It must have been a horrible inferno here! The trees with their many whimsical roots, sometimes as wires to the bottom, are the lone witnesses from the past. Near the caves is a mini Museum with an exposition of small and rusted bombs, grenades and other military equipment
Next stop is the Baliem valley . the Baliem valley is the largest and best accessible Valley of Papua. Cause to the hidden and isolated location of the valley, the tribes that inhabit the Valley were not discovered before 1938. Many traditions have managed to survive.
In this video a report of de Wamema market. Always a great spot to meet the people and experience local taste. In a different video i will give a video repport of our hike in the valley where we are introduced to the unique culture of the Dani´s, meet very special people and attent a pig feast.
In this video the next place we visit is the sentanie lake districkt with the small villages with houses om stilts. Daily life of the people here takes place on and by the water. The laundry hangs outside to dry, children play and splashes in the water. Under the houses are fixed fishnets so they can catch fish. The Lake alone, counts more than 33 different species of fish.
Next stop: birdwatching in the jungle of the Arfak mountains. We are withness of a unique maitens dance of the male mignificent bird of paridise.
The last stage of our visit brings us to Raja Ampat. Nowhere in the world underwater life is so diverse as on the Raja Ampat Islands. Raja Ampat consists of more than 1600 islets that are almost all uninhabited. Researchers counted here as many as 550 species of coral and 1459 various fish species . The Islands are part of a large protected nature area, which in total extends an area of more then 9000 square kilometers. It costs a lot of money to maintain the nature reserve. Raja Ampat is an example of a place where tourists contribute to the conservation of nature. The license fee goes directly to community and is invested in the island group. In this way, the fragile coral and the unique underwater world can be protected from overfishing and fishing with dynamite.
Paridise on earth
For a travelogue in English see: www.travelbyphoto.nl/trPAP/trP...

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Mantap 👍

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Superb story

[@sebastiandolin2720]

Hello, very beatiful video!! Can you tell me please the names of the music or where can I find these music? Thank you very much!!

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Oi meu amor por você e sua família e amigos que não tem como objetivo principal é a melhor forma de pagamento do valor da taxa de juros de mora de parede

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