Herbal remedy for intestinal worm from Kwau village in Arfak Mountains

There are a lot of species of herbal medicine from Kwau village in the tropical rainforest of Arfak Mountains. When I visited Kwau village, Samuel Mandacan - an indigenous Papuan who has been working as a natural healer introduced a plant to me. In local language its name is Sesbou. Sesbou has a number of medicinal merit for our health. According to his explanation, the root or tuber of the plant can kill worms that live inside human intestine particulary children. 

 Before using the plant, the Sesbou has to be cleaned by rinsing it with water. After that the tuber or roots are cut and pounded or grated. Then the grated tuber is squeezed to get its juice or extract. Mix the juice with some warm water. Not all of the juice will be drunk. For children, the recommended amount is only one tea-spoon. The amount of Sesbou juice is powerful enough to kill the worms that live inside their stomach. 

Beside its use as herbal remedy to clean our stomach from intestinal worms, the leaves of Sesbou are used by the Arfak tribes to accelerate the release of pus from an abscess that they suffer from. Its application is very simple. cover the abscess or boil with a Sesbou leaf. Within a few days, the pus or the suppuration will come out and the wound it has created will dry fast.

During my trip hiking around the tropical rainforest of Kwau village in the Arfak mountains, Samuel Mandacan and Hans Mandacan - two tourist guides who study the traditional herbal medicine, introduced various kinds of medicinal herbs to me. I am amazed by their explanation and the local wisdom which they have. I hope that their knowledge could be preserved and if necesarry be promoted to the public so that we will give more appreciation to the roles of rainforest in our life.

We have known that rainforest plays very important role in absorbing carbon dioxide gases that we release to the atmosphere through our daily activites such as driving cars, cooking food and burning domestic or industrial wastes. In addition, the rainforest is the source of food for the indigenous people who live in or around it. Birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects form one ecosystem that is vital to the survivability of the rainforest itself.

Nowadays, the size of the rainforests in various parts of the world is shrinking due to irresponsible and illegal logging. The resources of the rainforest are being exploited in large scale such as timber and animals. Furthermore, palm oil companies in Indonesia expand their businesses by clearing tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares of rainforests in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua islands. We need to protect and preserve the rainforests because their important environmental roles in our life.
By introducing eco-tourism scheme in this blog, I hope that more and more people will be interested in visiting Kwau village to enjoy the natural beauty of Papuan rainforest and at the same time study the local wisdom of the indigenous people who live in harmony with the nature.
The money which you pay for the accommodation, food and guiding service to the local people is very important in supporting their economy so that these indigenous people will not be tempted to give up their rainforest to loggers and palm oil companies. 

If you are interested in visiting Kwau village in the Arfak Mountains of Manokwari regency- West Papua Province - the Republic of Indonesia, please, contact me, Charles Roring, via email: peace4wp@gmail.com. I will be happy to arrange your trip to the village.

Herbal Medicine from Kwau Village in Arfak Mountains of Manokwari

Arfak Mountains in Papua are very rich of medicinal plants. There are herbs to cure malaria and a lot of other plants that can treat various kinds of diseases. In Kwau village of Arfak Mountains of Manokwari regency, there are two "herbs men" who like to guide tourists around the forest to study the medicinal merit of plants and flowers that are usually used by the indigenous Papuan to cure their illnesses. Their names are Samuel Mandacan and Yatinus Mandacan. I write this article to promote ecotourism scheme for Kwau village that is focused on attracting tourists who are interested in herbal medicine so that they can come to the village and study the tropical medicinal herbs from Arfak Mountains. Because of their isolated location, the indigenous Papuan who live in Kwau village have to rely on the plants around them for the treatment of their health. This tradition is now exposed to the world through this blog to help the Papuan preserve their rainforest and at the same time promote their traditional medication techniques that are unique to people like us who often rely on chemical medicines throughout our life.

White Medinilla Flowers

I was in Kwau village of Arfak Mountains on 24 and 25 September 2010. I went there on the invitation of Hans Mandacan, an indigenous Papuan who is trying to develop eco-tourism for his village. I met him for the first time in late May 2010. I was speaking to Katja Zimmermann - a tourist from Germany when Hans Mandacan entered my bookstore. He was looking for a bible that is published in two languages, i.e. Bahasa Indonesia and English language. He needs the book to study English. Two days before that, Katja went to Arfak Mountains where she met Hans Mandacan. She introduced Hans to me. In our first meeting, Hans expressed his intention to develop ecotourism project for his Kwau village so that the villagers can also get the benefit which ecotourism gives for the tropical rainforest that covers the entire mountains inside the boundaries of their village territory. I didn't really pay attention to his idea because I know it is not easy to develop ecotourism for a village whose infrastructure is not adequate to receive tourists especially those who come from Europe. But Hans Mandacan kept coming to me for around seven times. At his first visits, I rejected or ignored him. He was not angry. Instead, he patiently was waiting for me while I was on a tour with Dutch tourists around the Table Mountain. Few days ago, he came again for the seventh time. This time, I thought I could not reject him anymore.

House of Hans Mandacan

So, I went to Kwau village accompanied by Samuel Mandacan (the head of the village) and Hans Mandacan (the English speaking guide for the Kwau village). Hans arranged the car for me. I know that it's very expensive to go to Arfak Mountains and both the Arfak men showed their sacrifice to bring me there. It took one and a half hour to reach the place where the car could not go any further. We got out of the car, it was a Toyota 4WD Hilux, and began hiking along the pathway leading to Hans Mandacan's house. When we were walking along the ridge of the mountain under the canopy of the tropical trees, I could hear the sounds of streaming water far below us. On both side of the pathway, wild flowers were blooming. I don't know their names because I haven't seen them before. I took out my camera and took a lot of pictures of the flowers and various kinds of plants that looked interesting. It was drizzling when we were at around one kilometer from Hans' house. I covered my Sony digital SLR camera with plastic bags to protect it from the rain. Forty minutes later we reached the house. Hans had built a concrete house near his traditional kaki seribu house - fully made of wood. Both of them looked very contrast.  I was amazed to hear that Hans carried thousands of bags of sand from the ravine one kilometer from where the house is. I was very tired because I didn't sleep the previous night. I requested permission from Hans Mandacan that I needed to take a rest for around 1 hour before I could start to explore the surrounding area. The temperature was so cool during the day. Fog covered the house and the whole forest but then it was clear again. After eating lunch, I decided to make a small tour to the ravine.

I was accompanied by Samuel Mandacan and Apolos and two of Hans' children. Samuel showed much interest in explaining the medicinal merit of the green plants that we saw. He said that long before the modern medicine was introduced to Kwau village by health workers from the government, their ancestors had used various plants in the Arfak mountains to cure diseases. He pulled a plant. In local language, its name is Ntam. Samuel said that the flower of the plant is usually used to kill bacteria and skin fungus that cause various skin diseases. The person who suffers from a skin disease only rubs the flower of the Ntam plant on the surface of his or her skin. The treatment should be carried out every day until the skin gets well again. Within one or two weeks the skin will look healthy after being treated by the flower of Ntam. In addition to the flower, its leaves are very effective in curing people who suffer from Malaria. The extract of the leaves is used to restore the body temperature to normal level when the patient experiences high fever. For children the safe dosage is a half glass of Ntam leaf extract whereas for adults, one full glass of the extract is recommended.

Hans Mandacan and his family

Eco-tourism activities which tourist can enjoy in Kwau are many. While hiking in the forest that produces fresh air, tourists can study the medicinal merit of a lot of species of tropical plants that live in the rainforest. Samuel Mandacan as the "herbs man" and Hans Mandacan -the interpreter will guide you around to show you the herbs. You can also try the medicine with the supervision of Samuel to ensure that the herbs that you drink is safely processed and measured according to the hundreds of years of tradition of the Kwau tribe.

NATURE TOUR IN THE HIGHLAND OF MINAHASA

Minahasa highland is a region in the Province of North Sulawesi whose landscape consists of volcanoes, hills, valleys, lakes and rivers. It is a highly recommended destination for tourists who are nature lovers.

Sulawesi is an island in transitional zone between Asia and Australia. The endemism of fauna is very high.

For North Sulawesi, Sonder town is the destination for visitors who want to explore nature both its flora and fauna. Birdwatching or wildlife watching could easily be done along the roads and walking paths that go through farmlands of Sonder.

Birdwatching in Sonder town of Minahasa Highland

In Sonder town and its surrounding areas, birdwatchers could find such birds as Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Zebra Dove, Collared Kingfisher, Black-crowned White-eye, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Pale Blue Monarch, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Turquoise Flycatcher, Black-naped Oriole, Sahul Sunbird, Finch-billed Myna, Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo, Crimson Sunbird, Mountain White-eye, Black-faced Munia, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, White-breasted Woodswallow, White-browed Crake, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Barn Swallow, White-nest Swiftlet, and a lot more. 

Pale Blue Monarch

As a birdwatching guide, I often organize tour for birding visitors. I bring binoculars, spotting scope and laser pointer as well as portable loudspeaker to enhance the birding experience of the visitors. 

For field guide book, I use Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea by James Eaton et al.

To enjoy birdwatching and nature tour holiday in Minahasa highland, visitors need to fly from their country to Indonesia. Transit point can be Singapore where the next flight could be done by Scoot Air to Manado city or major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar. There are daily flights to Manado city provided by Lion Air, Batik Air, Garuda and Trans Nusa to Manado city. I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip to Manado city. 

Flying routes to Manado city

Besides watching birds, visitors could see Minahasan farmers work in their farmlands. Or visit Mount Mahawu, Love Hill to see the magnificent landscape of Minahasa highland. 

Nature Trip in North Silawesi

The highland of Minahasa is the habitat of a lot of species of butterflies such as Blanchard's Tree Nymph Butterfly, Blanchard's Wood Nymph butterfly, Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly, The Sulawesi Clipper Butterfly, Helena's Birdwing Butterfly and etc. 

Wood Nymph Butterfly in the forest of Sonder town of Minahasa Highland

If you are interested in taking a nature tour, you could contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180, I will be happy to arrange your trip to this region. by Charles Roring.

Also read:

• Traveling to Sausapor town
• Birdwatching and Wildlife Watching in Sausapor and Klabili of Tambrauw regency
• Walking and sightseeing tour in Sorong city
• Tourist attractions in Sorong city

Massage in Sorong

Deers of Kamundan river

We just came out of Aiwatar hill after hiking around the area where we saw various species of birds of New Guinea.  The sun had just set on the west. We were very exhausted. Still we had to walk for more than four hours back to Senopi village, a district in Manokwari regency of West Papua. OMG, I forgot to bring my flash light. So, we would walk through the tropical jungle in the dark.  Hope that no white snake waiting for us along the footpath. Walking along one of the tributaries of Kamundan river, I could hear the sound of the sulphur-crested cockatoo breaking the quiet sky of the rainforest on both sides of the Kamundan river. All that we were hearing now was the sound of water flowing rapidly down the river. 

We were walking on the slippery stones beneath the river bed now. At the junction between a small tributary and the mother river of Kamundan, there was a "small island" covered with bush plants. After passing by this "island" we would cross the Kamundan whose current was stronger. We were all tired and didn't expect to see interesting wildlife anymore. Well we were wrong, something amazing was waiting ahead of us. When we just arrived at the tip of the island suddenly we were surprised by the view of around thirty deers drinking on the other side of the tip. They were brown deers (cervus timorensis). They were terrified when they saw us too. A loud sound like a truck horn from one of the deers broke the atmosphere. And without counting one-two-three these mammals ran hurriedly away from us. I was amazed by them so, I forgot to take my digital camera a Sony cybershot out of my pocket. Fortunately, Wim Boyden remembered to take his long lens Canon Eos camera out of his bag. He was late and could only shoot some photos of those deers. These pictures were blurry but they were good treat for our exhausted mind and body. by Charles Roring

Also read: Watching how a deer was caught by hunters' dogs in Kamundan river of District Senopi West Papua

North Coast of Manokwari

A few days ago someone from Australia asked me whether the north coast of Manokwari is good for surfing. Well, it is difficult for me to answer his question because I am not a surfer. What I know is that the waves there between October and February are usually big. Last January 2010, three Russian tourists went to Yonsoribo beach. They stayed there for two day and they took a lot of nice photographs about the area.The view of the beach, the surrounding panorama of where the tropical rainforest of Papua meets the waters of the Pacific ocean is really beautiful.

I visited the north coast of Manokwari several times. If you are a person a likes snorkeling then my recommendation will be the Nuni village. Don't forget to apply anti insect lotion on your skin to protect you from tiny stinging insects that thrive in the area. I takes around 45 minutes to reach this village. Here, you can ask the local fisherman to bring you to Kaki island where you can swim and enjoy snorkeling around coral reef that is reach of a lot of species of coral fish. You can build a camp in Kaki island and stay there for several nights.

Local people will be happy to sell fish and lobster which they have just caught from the sea.

Most often, you will see big ships in the middle of the sea. These ships play an important role in supporting the economy of most of the cities and towns a long the northern coast of Papua island. They visit ports of Sorong, Manokwari, Biak, Serui, Nabire, Wasior, and Jayapura. Bird watching can be done too. Just walk from the estuaries of many small rivers along the northern coast up to the mountains. Along the way, you will see various species of birds from the ones that eat small fish to big birds such as hornbill and sulphur crested cockatoo that eat nutmegs and disperse the seeds throughout rainforest. As seed disperser, birds play an important role in the survivability of the rainforest. When you do bird watching along the north coast, you know that birds have given significant contribution to the expansion of forest and you have to appreciate them as well. by Charles Roring

Bird Watching in Aiwatar Hill of District Senopi

If you are somebody who likes bird watching then you have come to a webpage about birding in Manokwari regency of West Papua province. I visited Senopi, a small district, in Tambrauw mountains last August 2010. I went there as a tourist guide who accompanied Wim and Vicky Boyden. They were tourists from Belgium. This was their second visit to the region. We were there for one week. Senopi village is famous for its birding hill called Aiwatar. To reach the hill, we have to wake up early in the morning - when it is still dark and walk for around 4 to 6 hours. Please, read my other article Birding Center in Aiwatar hill of District Senopi - Manokwari regency - West Papua province, the Republic of Indonesia.

We woke up early but our local birdman was sick so we returned to the guest house again. At around 8 a.m. the local guide came to pick us up. So, we took our bag, digital camera and some food and began our long walk to the hill. We crossed several small rivers, gardens where the local Papuan grow caladium (taro), sweet potatoes and vegetables. Up in the trees, black capped and rainbow lories were singing to welcome the bright morning. We stopped for a while and Vicky took their long lens Canon Eos SLR camera to shoot those birds.

They looked beautiful and didn't seem to be annoyed by our presence. After taking pictures of these birds, we continued walking again. We had been trekking along the bank of Kamundan river for one and a half hours when we suddenly heard the barking sound of a dog. It was barking at a big deer. It was far from us, around 300 meters. Wim took out their camera again trying to shoot them. The deer was moving away. The result was a blurry photograph. On our right was a creek and on our left was the big Kamundan river. It was not long after we saw the deer when suddenly again we heard a group of wild ducks fluttering their wings and flying away. Perhaps they thought that we were hunters who wanted to shoot them.

The footpath between Senopi village and the Aiwatar hill was flat. Endurance was all that we needed to accomplish our long journey. Finally we arrived at a place that was located across from the hill. This time we had to cross the Kamundan river. The surface of the round granite stones was slippery. Maker our local birding guide cut some plants to make them as canes for Wim and Vicky. Maker was not alone. He guided us with his daughter and sister. They held the hands of these two European tourists while they were crossing the river so that they would not fall down tripped by the slippery stones. I decided to walk ahead of them so that I could take some pictures of them. We walked slowly to safely arrive on the other side of the river. While standing in the middle of the river, I took some pictures of the Aiwatar hill. It was amazing. We were in the middle of nowhere far from the coastal region of Papua island but what I saw was a hill that was covered by coastal plants. It's weird, isn't it? Right in the middle of the hill was the drinking ground of various species of birds.

We still had to climb the hill to see the birds. Thirty minutes later we managed to climb the hill. I was tired and took a rest for awhile. While I, Vicky, and Maker's sister and daughter were taking a rest, Maker took Wim Boyden for a small tour near the edge of the hill. Wim managed to shoot some birds there. He showed them to us but we could not identify them. It took one month before I could know the names of the birds. I copied these bird photographs from Wim's laptop and sent them via email to Bert Harris. He has the Birds of New Guinea by Beehler. That afternoon although I was feeling hungry, I was eager to see as many birds as possible. We walked under the trees to avoid from being seen by the birds. And yes, we could see many of them eating fruits. Some other species were taking a rest. During our tour to the hill, we saw slender-billed cuckoo-dove, crown pigeon, pinon imperial pigeon (ducula pinon), fruit dove, and northern fantail (Rhipdura rufiventris). Actually we could see more species there if we spent one night there at the foot of the hill by the bank of Kamundan river and woke up early in the morning to climb the hill again before dawn.
We left Aiwater before 6 and arrived in Senopi village at night. The trip to Aiwatar hill was a tiring journey but it was worth visiting. I heard that a geologist engineer visited the area around Aiwatar hill a few weeks before we arrived. He did some survey for finding gold deposit. I am afraid that this natural wonders of the world will be destroyed by Papuan people themselves because of the "possible" gold deposit that lies beneath hill.

Oh, I forgot something, one the way back to the village we met a group of deers drinking water in a tributary of Kamundan. It's a fleeting moment. The sun had set in the west. We were surprised and they were too. They ran away and we were late in shooting them. by Charles Roring
Also read:
Birdwatching picture from Arfak mountains in Manokwari
Birdwatching picture Collared Kingfisher from Manokwari bay