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Norwegian Girls in Manokwari Papua
Papuan tropical rainforest is not only interesting for tourists but also for researchers. Two Norwegian girls Linda and Tan are in Manokwari town now. They are university students who have been doing some field research on the possibilities of the implementation of UN-REDD program to communities living in or around the tropical rainforest as a way to fight deforestation and global warming and to eradicate poverty.
Last week I accompanied Linda visiting some Papuan artists who make souvenirs. She bought a piece of traditional woven cloth made by Mrs. Marice Fonataba and a photo frame made by a carving artist Mr. Awom. Linda focuses most of her works on interviewing town dwellers, and academician in the town whereas Tan prefers to go to villages in remote areas and even travel around the jungle that is still full of malaria mosquitoes to collect data. Although she experienced hardships and problems during her last field work in Mokwam region, Tan still loves working in the forest. Tomorrow She, Dewi, Paul and I are going to the forest deep in Table Mountain to see bats, and lizards that are thriving in a natural cave. Before climbing the steep slope of Table Mountain that is full of large trees and green vegetation, we plan to visit an oil painting artist Mr. Lucky Kaikatui. He lives at the foot of the mountain. He has some beautiful paintings depicting birds of paradise and a landscape of Papuan village. Tan might not buy the painting due to its large size but she is going to take some photos of the paintings and the painter.
Badly prepared, I and Paul accompanied three Russian nature lovers last January walking inside the forest of the Table Mountain. While we were in the cave we could not explore it well due to the lack of lighting. Only Dima, one of the Russian tourists that brought a small flash light to navigate us through the stalactite and stalagmite of the natural cave. Tomorrow morning we will be bringing more rechargeable lamps to lighten the interior of the cave.
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 these 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 version story: Gadis-gadis Norwegia di Manokwari Papua Barat
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