Lobster from Manokwari of West Papua

I like guiding tourists around the Northern Coast of Manokwari where tourists can enjoy the beautiful sandy beaches and eat lobster freshly caught from the sea. The following is the video which I recorded last Sunday, 11 July 2010, as a way to promote eco-tourism in Manokwari and part of my project in empowering the local Papuan people develop their economy more sustainably.

When I was at Pantura beach, I remembered some Russian tourists who came to Manokwari in January 2010. They also visited the Pantura region to enjoy the beautiful beaches in Manokwari especially in Yonsoribo area. Yesterday, I tried to upload the above video whose size was 119 MB, through a dial-up connection, to my account in Youtube. It was a nerve wracking experience. It took around five and a half hours uploading the file and I still failed. Now, it is Thursday 15 July 2010, 2.51 A.M. I am happy because I have just successfully uploaded this file to Youtube.com. I had to cut some scenes from my videos to reduce the size of the above lobster video into 106 MB.

I used Windows Movie Maker to edit and combine my videos recorded from Pantura area of Manokwari into a 4:13 minute video that you can watch above or at Youtube. I hope that you can enjoy the beautiful paradise of the tropical island of Papua (formerly known as the Netherlands New Guinea) and become interested in visiting Manokwari. If you want to visit Manokwari and need more information about this city and its surrounding eco-tourism attractions, please, contact me - Manokwari Tourist Guide: Charles Roring by email to peace4wp@gmail.com. 

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My Visit to Pantura region of Manokwari

Traveling around Lake Kabori and Maruni Beach of Manokwari

Yesterday (25  June 2010) I went to Lake Kabori and Maruni beach with a friend of mine Paul Gasper. We visited the lake as part of my survey to assess whether the site is still potential as a tourist attraction or not. It is not far from Manokwari - the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia. It took around 25 minutes by motorcycle from the city to Lake Kabori and Maruni beach.
I have known this lake since I was a child. I have never swum in the lake because people say that there were crocodiles in there.
We arrived at the bank of the lake near a bridge where water was flowing under it to the sea. It was in low tide. The water level near the edge of the lake was less than 50 centimeters.

Without fearing the existence of crocodiles, I jumped onto the sandy bank of the lake and walked slowly across the water to a small sand dune in the middle of the lake. It was quite safe traveling around Lake Kabori, exploring the flora and fauna that inhabit the lake and its surroundings.

While I and Paul were walking around the sand dune in the middle of the lake, we saw a boat rowed by some Papuan mothers and their children. They were catching fish. Paul called them. They heard our call and turned their boat. We had to walk deeper into the water to be able to talk with with. The hard soil gradually changed to muddy ground in the higher water level. We waited for them to row their boat closer to us. When the distance was close enough for us to communicate, I greeted the mothers and the children. We asked whether there were still crocodiles in this lake and whether we could hire their boats to bring tourists around the lake. The mothers said that the local people had killed all the crocodiles so we would not be able to see any. With more housings were being constructed along the lake, animals that lived in the lake were now intensively hunted for their meat. They also said that tourists could hire their canoes to paddle around the lake. 

Lake Kabori during low tide

Lake Kabori in Manokwari

Besides Lake Kabori and Maruni beach, there were other interesting places around the city of Manokwari. They included Mansinam, Lemon and Raimuti islands. All of them were located in the Dorey bay. Around these islands, visitors could enjoy swimming, snorkeling or even scuba diving. 

Maruni beach

If you are an adventurous person, and want to visit West Papua with me as your tour organizer or guide, pease contact me via email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180

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Manokwari bay in the afternoon

Manokwari bay in the morning