The Majestic Raja Ampat
“Very fulfilling to see beautiful Piaynemo islands and its star-shaped
lake. It’s like heaven on earth”
>> Zano Maylendo, Implementor
A
t first glance, Raja Ampat might look
like a vast ocean surrounded by small
islands. It’s a beautiful look alright,
but then you will have to take a dive into its
impossibly blue water to discover the inner
beauty of this archipelago.
Corals, thousands kinds of fish, and other
sea creatures reside under Raja Ampat. Its
biodiversity makes it popular towards divers
and tourists, and it also proves that the sea is
more than just mere blue color.
It’s strategically placed between Indian and
Pacific oceans, making it home to all kinds
of marine organisms. The place is heavily
guarded and free
from contamination,
which makes every
single thing so clear
to look at. It’s almost
like you’re dipping
into a whole new world.
The area itself is vast,
encompassing more than 40.000
km of combined land and sea. Cendrawasih
Bay, another national park, is located here,
further placing Raja Ampat as one of the most
precious conservation in Indonesia.
Raja Ampat, which translates roughly as Four
Kings, got its name
from a legend. A
woman was said to
have found seven
eggs, four of which
became kings (which
became the names of
the four biggest islands in
Raja Ampat), and the other
three turned into a woman, a
ghost, and a stone. The peaceful harmony in
the area extends from the diversity underwater
to the people on Raja Ampat. The natives in
Raja Ampat itself are friendly to the tourists
and surprisingly very flexible in terms of
lifestyle and religion.•••
Indonesian Archipelago
I
ndonesia may very well be one of the
most beautiful country in the world. It
is rich with culture, having more than
300 tribes, and it is also rich in all kinds of
landscapes and creatures. Straddling between
the equator and surrounded by the ocean,
Indonesia is a magical place to visit.
to deal with a lot of cultural differences.
Language is another obstacle to tackle,
not to mention differences in behaviour
and mindset. The beauty and diversity of
Indonesia is a challenge on its own, but it
was worth it to sweep over Indonesia right to
its nooks and crooks. The experiences of the
people, the landscapes, and in some cases,
the beasts, makes the whole project special.•••
photo courtesy of Zano Maylendo
The situation of Indonesia in unlike many
other countries in the world. The whole
country is huge and spread wide apart from
one another. Thousands of little island make
one incredible archipelago, and while it might
pose as a challenge for many-many travellers
from around the world, it’s also barrier for us
to implement our system in Indonesia as a
whole.
and we would need to take various roads just
to get there. Busses, motorcycles, jeeps, and
even ferries all contributed as our means of
transportation. One way to a single city in
Indonesia might take one plane trip, one bus
trip, and several motorcycle trips due to its
location.
The amount of tribes present in Indonesia
means that the whole team would need
Transportation become the first issue, as
some of the places we needed to visit don’t
have airports. A single trip does not suffice,
the colors of pratesis / I / JULY 2016 #
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