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Traveling Around the Traditional Markets in Manokwari Papua
Tourists who come to Manokwari might think that islands, mountains and beaches are the only interesting places to visit. That's partly true but there are also other interesting places inside the town that are worth visiting. If you are a more adventurous person who wants to try new things and meet new people and see new cultures, then I must recommend the Sanggeng and Wosi traditional markets. Similar to other traditional markets around the world, what you will see there are people selling fruits, vegetables, hunted animals, fish and various basic needs of the town dwellers.
Fruiting
season in Manokwari occurs between November and February. During these
months, if you go to the markets, you will see various kinds of tropical
fruits that you can eat. Rambutan, langsat, mangoes, durians are the
most common fruits that people like to buy. In Manokwari, farmers don't
climb durian trees to pick their fruits. They only sit under a hut in
their garden waiting for the ripe fruits to fall. They often stay up the
whole night to collect the fallen durians before selling them at the
traditional markets or along the side walks of the shopping centers in
Manokwari.
If you want to eat fruits when visiting this town, I suggest that you buy from the local Papuan vendors. By buying from them, you - as a tourist have financially supported the local indigenous Papuan in keeping their jobs. Please, don't buy imported fruits when you are in Manokwari. Local fruits are organic, delicious and cheap agricultural produce. But it is not only fruits that the indigenous Papuan sell in the traditional markets. You will see some interesting produce that they sell. One that I should mention here is the Daun Gatal (meaning literally Itching Leaves). If you have traveled around the town or the forest the whole day, you will definitely feel tired. The local medicine that you can apply to your body is the daun gatal. Wipe the leaves off your body particularly your back and see what you feel after that. You will feel your back itches. You will want to scratch it but you had better not. Leave it like that and go to sleep, the next morning you will feel well and fit again.
I don't know whether Travel Guide book such as the one that is published by Lonely Planet provides such explanation about Tour to the Traditional Markets of Sanggeng and Wosi in the chapter about Manokwari Papua or not. But going to these markets is a recommended trip that I should say to any tourists who visit this town.
Manokwari is
the capital town of Papua Barat province. It is a coastal town that
stretches along the Dorey bay and is surrounded by Arfak and Table
Mountains.
There are three islands in the middle of the bay, Mansinam,
Lemon and Raimuti. Whether you are a beach lover, forest lover or even a
scuba diver, Manokwari has a lot to offer in terms of its interesting
natural places both on the ground, underground and even underwater as tourist
destinations.
As a tourist guide and travel writer, I have a lot of stories that I haven't written in this website. I will continue writing about eco-tourism activities in this web-pages although I am sure that they won't be enough to show you how beautiful this town and its surrounding is. When you plan to visit this town, don't forget to contact me, I will be happy to accompany you as a travel guide here. This is my email peace4wp@gmail.com and my mobile phone: 018332245180.
Indonesian language version: Jalan-jalan ke Pasar Tradisional di Manokwari Papua
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