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Natural Scenery of Botak Mountain in District Ransiki
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Tropical rainforest
around the capital of District Ransiki has been badly damaged
for years due to the conversion of this precious environment
into monoculture cacao plantation. Two days ago, I went to
Ransiki with a German tourist, Gertraud. We left Manokwari for
Ransiki by public transportation. It took around 2.5 hours to
reach the small town. After taking lunch at the traditional
market of Ransiki, I contacted some ojek drivers to bring us to
Gunung Botak (meaning Mount Bald). Two ojek drivers agreed to
bring us to Gunung Botak. They were young Papuan who tried to
make money after school. One studies in junior high school
whereas the other studies in high school. They were very kind to
us. Each of them would receive Rp. 150,000
for the round trip ride. We saw long rows of cacao trees on both
sides of the road. Cacao beans have been the major export
commodity of District Ransiki. Unfortunately, the plantations
suffer from insect attacks and various kinds of diseases causing
significant reduction in the number of beans which the farmers
can harvest.
One kilometer near the Gunung Botak, one of the motorcycle taxis
ran out of fuel. We had to stop and the other ojek driver had to
return to the nearest village to buy some gasoline. Waiting for
him, we sat on the road side under a tree. The surrounding area
was covered with tropical rainforest. We enjoyed the stop
because it was drizzling and we were able to hear the sounds of
birds from the trees.
Thirty minutes later, he arrived with a 5-liter can of gasoline.
We continued our trip to Gunung Botak. We stopped at a slope. I
got off the motor bike and started walking up a small slope.
From the top of this slope, I could see the beautiful scenery of
the Bald Mountain in all directions. There was a small island
called Rumberpon. Its waters was surrounded by coral reef. One
of the best marine environments in the world. The waters around
the Bald Mountain is also covered with coral reef. Because our
main intention for visiting the mountain was for sightseeing, we
didn't go snorkeling at that time.
While I was taking pictures of the beautiful sceneries of Gunung
Botak, some Papuan boys and girls were passing by us. They had
just returned from the sea catching fish. Mrs. Gertraud asked
them if she could take some pictures of them. One of the boys
was holding bow and kalawai arrow whereas the girls were
carrying some fish. They were walking back to their village when
we stopped them. I also took some photographs of them, the ojek
drivers and Mrs. Gertraud. I used my
Nikon Coolpix P500. It was a powerful telephoto digital camera
that I brought with me where ever I travel.
We went back to Ransiki by the same ojek. We arrived at night. It was a fascinating experience traveling around the southern region of Manokwari regency.
This trip to Gunung Botak was my second one. My first trip to this region was when I was riding my bicycles with some mountain bikers from Bintuni to Manokwari. We spent one night sleeping at the beach near Botak mountain before continuing our mountain biking tour to Ransiki, Oransbari, Warkapi, Maruni and finally Manokwari. We spent 3 nights along the trip before arriving in the capital of West Papua province.
As a writer and tourist guide, I enjoyed traveling around Manokwari regency very much. I have made tens of thousands of photographs and some videos. I use them for my articles in this website and Manokwari Papua and Charles Roring blogs.
I am thinking of uploading a lot of pictures of my trip in Ransiki in free stock photo website but I still have to find the time for that. Manokwari is one of the most favorite travel destinations in Indonesia. If you are thinking of spending a summer vacation next year, please consider Manokwari regency as one of the places that you will visit. I can be your guide for traveling around this area. Please contact me at charlesroring@gmail.com.
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Travel Guide Manokwari
The following articles are my recommendation, stories and experience when guiding foreign tourists who come to Manokwari of West Papua to enjoy the beauty of its natural scenery and the hospitality of the indigenous people. This website is aimed at promoting eco-tourism in the region to create jobs among the indigenous people and awareness among us about the importance of protecting and preserving tropical rainforest that is now facing extinction due to rapid deforestation.
Happy Traveling
Charles Roring (click to e-mail me)
Tourist Guide
If you want to read more stories about travel in Manokwari of West Papua, you can see my other blogs at the following addresses:
Papuan Art and Culture Stories
My personal diary on Manokwari Eco-tourism activities
