Urban Forest in Manokwari

The size of urban forest in Manokwari has been significantly reduced since five years ago when the province of West Papua was reactivated. Almost all of the clove and tropical fruit gardens in what was known as Manggoapi have now gone. In the past the area of what is now known as Bumi Marina was full of clove plantation, rambutan, and durian gardens.

Signicant deforestation is now going on in Sowi and Arfai hills. This greatly effects the air and water quality in Manokwari - the capital of West Papua province of Indonesia. Urban forests in Manokwari have to be preserved. Socially they have recreational values. People go to the nearby forest during holidays. Even until today, hundreds of people still go to Sowi hill near the DPRD office to take aerial pictures Manokwari city that stretches along the Dorey bay. Tree planting program among the communities in Manokwari should be encouraged again.
In addition to their social functions, urban forests in Manokwari intercept dust and gaseous pollutants that are released by motorcycles and cars moving in the city. Therefore tree and vegetation planting must not be ignored particularly along the roadsides of the crowded streets. Because trees and other green vegetation filter the dirty air, they automatically reduce the pollution and spread of viral and bacterial diseases.
Urban forests also give environmental benefits to us. Manokwari is located close to the equator. It receives sunlight all year round. The temperature in this city is warm. The existence of trees in this city provides shades that may reduce the air conditioning cost of houses near the trees.
As a travel writer, I often guide tourists who visit Manokwari city to Table Mountain. It is located in the north of Manokwari. Tropical rainforest that covers the mountain constantly supplies water to people living along the coastal region of Manokwari city. In this region, people get water by digging wells. Because the number of population in the city is rising, the need of clean water is also rising. To maintain the water quality in lowland region, we need to plant trees in the city. Every household must have at least one or two trees around their front or backyard.

Title: Dorey bay of Manokwari

Painter: Charles Roring

Media: Watercolor on paper

Year: May 2011

Size: A3

If we don't give special attention to the preservation of trees inside the city, the beautiful urban forest that we have right now will disappear soon and can only be enjoyed from photograph or from my new watercolor painting above. Talking about painting, it is one of my favorite hobbies. I prefer watercolor to oil color. My working condition does not allow me to paint with oil color. Today I use Pentel 18 Watercolors and Derwent 72 Watercolour Pencils. As for the paper, I like to use cold press Canson 200 gsm, acid free paper. The translucent effect of this media makes my artworks look bright and colorful. I just finished painting this landscape of Manokwari bay two days ago. If you are interested in buying it, please, contact me via my e-mail charlesroring@gmail.com. by Charles Roring
Also read: Traveling under the canopy of tropical rainforest

What you need when traveling inside rainforest

I like going into the tropical rainforest of Papua. I have been doing it since I was in elementary school. Green trees, exotic wild life, sounds of beautiful birds always attract my attention. Since the beginning of this year I began escorting tourists to rainforest of Manokwari. Most often when we are in the middle of the forest, we will need a machete to create pathway when we see that the bush a head of us is impenetrable. We also need it to cut wood for making tents and campfire. I always suggest foreign tourists to set up camps near a village. But it is not always possible. 

Trekking in rainforest of West Papua

For tourists who are in the middle of the jungle, the safest place to build a camp is the river bank. Why? Because when we stay in the forest for several days, we will need water, we need to cook some food and we need to clean our body. When we feel that our staying time in the forest is over, we need water from the river to put out the fire completely to make sure that it will not develop into big fire that can cause dangerous forest fire.

So, based on that explanation, if we stay inside the forest for several days, besides bringing some machetes, we will need a tent, some small rope, and eating and cooking utensils. Most tourists will not go deeper into the jungle but for nature lovers, biologists, or researchers, they will need to go further into the interior region of the Papuan mountains where the forest is still in its pristine condition and no hunters or villagers around. If it is the case then we need GPS equipment, or map, satellite phone, head light, torch, several sleeping bags and enough food.

From my personal experience, I always ask one or two local Papuan as forest guides who can also use their skills in making traps to catch small but edible animals that we can eat when we are running out of food in the forest. But we must always keep in mind that we must minimize any destruction when we travel inside the forest by not cutting bush if it is not necessary, by not throwing plastic garbage and by not killing animals except for food. Actually there are many foods inside the forest such as fruits, edible tubers, vegetables, and fish, so hunting wild animals such as boars, cuscus, soa-soa, tree kangaroo or deer must not be done.

Hiking in Arfak range

Some tourists bring anti malaria pills and first aid kit. Indigenous Papua know a number of plant species for curing malaria, and other tropical diseases, I usually ask them to explain these medicinal herbs to the tourists whom I escort with the Papuan guide when we walk in the forest. The last time when I accompanied an Indian- Norwegian student, my Papuan colleague showed her a tree whose resin has the merit of curing asthma. When he cut its bark, she tastes some of the resin hoping that it can cure the disease that she suffers from.

The last but not the least, we need to bring digital camera or video recorder to make some documentation for our trip. by Charles Roring
Also read:
Traveling to North-east Coast of Waigeo
Adventure tour in Raja Ampat
Hiking and Birdwatching in Sorong of West Papua

Russian Tourists Saw Kuskus in Manokwari Papua

Last January three Russian tourists came to Manokwari to enjoy the natural beauty of Papuan forest. They walked around the Table Mountain (Gunung Meja) hoping to see Kuskus and other beautiful birds such as White and Goliath Cockatoo and paradise birds (Cendrawasih). Unfortunately, they were not able to see paradise birds and kuskus. They could only see Goliath Cockatoo and Bats in a cave located deep in the jungle of the Table Mountain. These Russian tourists expressed their concerns over the rapidly decreasing number of Kuskus population in Table Mountain's forest where ten years ago, Kuskus could still be seen. Kuskus population in the mountain is in danger of extinction due to huntings. Although this is a protected forest and the hunting activities in the forest have been banned by the government, hunters still kill animals in the forest.

As we could not locate kuskus in its natural habitat, we had to bring these Russian tourists to the house of Mr. Teniwut which was located some two hundred meters from SDN 1 Kota (formerly known as the Dutch Klim en Daal school). There, we saw a cute Kuskus living in a cage. Mr. Teniwut said that the animal was caught in Senopi village in the mountainous region of Manokwari regency. It is an endemic animal of Papua that is rapidly decreasing in number mostly due to huntings. In the past the local Papuan hunted these animals only for their meat. Now they catch Kuskus alive to sell them to wealthy people who will buy them in high prices. When we visited the Table Mountain several days ago, we saw that the local government had built a concrete gate and constructed a wooden house at the entrance of the forest in the Anggori area. Soon, people who want to enter it have to buy tickets. It means that the forest of the Table Mountain in Manokwari will become Hutan Wisata. If this is really their goal, we hope that the local government will be more serious in protecting the forest and in restoring the population of kuskus and other animals which were onced lived in the Table Mountain.

This article was written by Charles Roring (contact email peace4wp@gmail.com) to promote eco-tourism in Papua and to support the local people in getting alternative jobs in tourism related industries so that they will not cut the forest or hunt animals in the Table Mountain of Manokwari of West Papua..

Mushrooms in the forest of Table Mountain of Manokwari Papua

One of the tourist attractions in the tropical rainforest of West Papua is mushrooms. Mushrooms in Manokwari have a lot of color combination and unique forms. They are beautiful especially in the morning when the sun has just risen. When I accompanied Mike, Inga and Dima - three Russian eco travelers, we saw some mushrooms which have forms that are similar to men's genital part.

They have white trunk with dark brown helmet like hat. I was told by Paul that there are mushrooms in this forest the emit light at night. During the day, they might look just the same as the other ordinary mushrooms that live on the decaying plant leaves and woods but at night they look like little lamps that light up the forest. I am interested in traveling the forest at night to see them. If I have time, I will walk deeper into the woods to find such exotic plants.

Some species of mushrooms are edible but others are poisonous. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, certain mushrooms are believed to have medicinal functions that can be used to cure diseases.

If you are interested in seeing tropical mushrooms in the tropical rainforest of Papua, I suggest that you go in the morning and during the rainy season. You will definitely see these tiny flowery plants that look beautiful and elegant. by Charles Roring a local tourist guide for forest or eco travelers in Manokwari. If you need my guidance for exploring the beauty of the mushrooms, you can contact my email: peace4wp@gmail.com or my cell phone: +62 81332245180

Tourist Attractions in Manokwari

In recent months, the number of foreign tourists or travelers who come to Manokwari, the capital town of West Papua province in Indonesia is increasing. They fly with domestic airlines such as Batavia Air, and Merpati from Jakarta to this town. There are various tourist attractions which they can visit when staying in Manokwari.

Cheap Hotel in Manokwari

First, before I explain about the interesting places which you can see, I have to recommend a cheap hotel which is an affordable accommodation with good facilities. The name of the hotel is Penginapan Kagum. The cost per room is around 18 US dollars per night. It is located on Brawijaya Street behind Xavier bookstore. If you are one of the tourists who wants to come to Manokwari, when you have arrived at Rendani airport, ask the taxi driver to bring you to the hotel. The manager's name is Miss Ivanna Roring. Her mobile phone number is 081 28307331. You had better call or send an SMS to her to arrange for a room and the duration of your stay in this town. After you have put or bags in Penginapan Kagum, you will begin to explore the town and its surrounding places. If you want to visit the following places, as a guide I can accompany you. My cell phone number is Charles Roring: 081332245180. Here are the places which I recommend:

Table Mountain of Manokwari
This is the place near the town where there is a well protected tropical rainforest. Inside the forest a lot of species of trees grow. The trees are big and tall, many with diameters of more than 1 meter. Various species of orchids and tropical flowers can also be found thriving on the branches of the trees and on the ground. When we walk deeper into the forest, we will be able to see birds such as Kakatoe, Hornbill, KumKum and Lory playing and singing. If we are lucky, we will be able to see Kuskus, Soa Soa and Snakes. The beauty of the forest is not only seen at the tree but also on the ground. Various tropical mushrooms with beautiful colors and forms live in this jungle. The journey into this forest is not complete if you have not visited the caves.

The Caves of of Table Mountain

The caves in Manokwari are devided into two types, the man-made ones (which were built during the World War II) and the natural caves. There are four natural caves in this mountain. I can guide you to find them and explore the interior. Inside the caves you can see bats, lizards and various colour of crystal stones. The caves in the table mountain is wet and slippery so, when we go in there, we will need lamps. P

Bats Hanging on Trees

Some tourists like to explore the forest of Table Mountain at night because they will have a chance to see more animals, one of the types is bat. Bats in tropical region live in caves and in trees. The small bats live in caves whereas the bigger ones live hanging on brances of trees. To take photos of the bats you will need digital photo camera or video recorder that is equipped with flash lights or infra red light.

Islands in the Dorey Bay and off the northern coast

Mansinam and Lemon islands are visited by most of the tourists who come to Manokwari of West Papua Indonesia. But I will guide or accompany you to other islands such as Raimuti island and Kaki island. This Raimuti island provides interesting underwater coral reef environment with colorful fish which you can see when snorkling around it. Kaki island is the place where Turtles like to come up to the beach to lay their eggs there. You will need special watertight digital camera if you want to snorkle and take photos of its beautiful coral reef.

Manokwari artists

Inside the Manokwari town, there are a number of artists which you can visit. I can accompany you to see artists who make beautiful paintings of Papua's nature and animals such as the paradise birds and the Kasuari. Or if you are interested more in wood carvings, then the house of Mr. Awom or Mr. Yenno should be visited. An old woman Ms. Fonataba is my recommendation for you if you want to see beautiful hand made woven clothes.

There are still many other interesting places which I can guide you to visit. I will write more about them later. If you want to contact me, this is my email: peace4wp@gmail.com and my cell phone number: 081332245180. Manokwari is a beautiful place worthy of your visit.

Cave Exploration inside the Rainforest of Manokwari Papua.

Finally we arrived at one of the caves in Table Mountain of Manokwari West Papua. I was not sure whether it was safe to explore the interior of the cave as we had just experienced an earthquake several days ago. If there was an earthquake again while we were still inside it, the cave might collapse and we might be buried alive. No, that's not how my story goes in this post. Yes, we eagerly entered it trying to explore anything that we wanted to know. It was very dark, wet and slippery. Besides the floor was not flat. I fell several times while trying to walk deeper into the cave.

Mike, Inga, and Dima - the three Russian eco travelers, accompanied by Paul Warere and I (as local guides) spent around 30 minutes inside the cave. There were lizards, small bats and millions of mosquitoes buzzing around our ears. I regretted not carrying two big LED lamps from home. If I had brought them here our exploration inside this cave would have been easier. Next time, I would bring at least one LED lamp that could light up our surroundings for around 18 hours. I bought the LED lamps from a friend of mine for Rp. 200,000 each. At first, I thought that I would only use them when we experience black out in my bookstore but now I realize that such lamps are also important when I want to travel along this pristine tropical rainforest of West Papua.

Back to the story of the cave exploration, while InGa was holding the small flash light and directing its light to the walls of the cave, Dima caught a lizard. He brought it closer to us and gave it to Inga. I and Mike took some pictures of this exotic animal. Inga asked whether she could hold a bat that was hanging on the wall. Paul (the local forest guide) in Manokwari said that she had to be careful with its teeth which might contain bacteria. So, InGa did not catch the bat. But she looked happy after holding the lizard. Then she placed it back on a stone to let it go. Mike also looked happy because he could take a lot of pictures from this cave exploration. We wanted to go deeper but Paul warned us that the amount of oxygen inside the cave was getting less in the deeper region.

When we came out of the cave, we realized that it was nearly dark. We had to walk fast if if wanted to arrive at the Penginapan Kagum (a hostel in Manokwari which is behind Xavier bookstore in Komplex Missi region of Brawijaya street) before sunset. This long journey to the cave inside the tropical rainforest of Table Mountain (Gunung Meja) of Manokwari is worthy of our visitation. It was a new experience for the Russian travelers as well as for me.

There is another cave that is bigger than the one which we had just visited. Paul said it is located some one hundred meters from this cave but he had not been able to locate it again. Next time when he has re-found it, we will visit it and conduct another exploration with better equipment. Today these Russian eco-travelers had gone to Nuni that is located in the northern coastal area of Manokwari regency to conduct another exploration inside the vast and pristine tropical rainforest of Papua. by Charles Roring - contact email: lroring@yahoo.com and this is my cell phone number: +62 81 332245180.
Also read: Caving in the Table Mountain with Grietje

Satan Leaves in the Table Mountain of Manokwari

Still about the exploration of the rainforest in the Table Mountain of Manokwari which was done yesterday (16 January 2010), while I was walking in the middle of the jungle with three Russian eco-travelers, I came across with a unique plant as shown in the following picture. The Papuan people call it Daun Setan (or Satan Leaves). Its leaves look narrow with slightly rounded tip. The leaves are green. In the Tambrauw region, the local people grow this plant in front of their houses believing that they can expell wicked or bad spirits from entering their houses. Although most of the indigenous Papuan people are now Christians, they still practice certain traditional beliefs such as growing such plants to protect the family members from the satanic spirits.

Mike, one of the Russian biologists, who was carrying a tele-lense digital camera also took some pictures of this green plant. While talking with him, I said that I was interested in buying such camera to take photos of various plants, mushrooms, insects, birds and other ground animals in this jungle of table mountain and write about them in my blog. He told me that it was expensive. So, I have to collect some money before being able to buy this electronic device. Mike used it to shoot King Kakatoe bird which was sitting on a branch of a tall tree. I could not take such picture as my digital camera was not equipped with long distance lenses.
While we were walking to a natural cave located deep in the forest of Table Mountain (Gunung Meja) of Manokwari, we arrived at a place where there was an eucalyptus tree. It was not an endemic plant species of Papua. It had been planted by the Dutch who were working as forest guard between 1950s and 1960s. Paul (the local forest guide) said that his uncle used to live in a house which was built in that place to protect the forest. We could not see that house anymore.
Inga, one of the Russian eco travelers, walked to that eucalyptus tree. Mike and Dima took some pictures of her. I also took some photos of her. Unfortunately, the setting which I made on my digital camera was for short distance photo shoot. I forgot to change it to automatic settings as a result the photo of Inga standing by the eucalytus tree was blurred. But it was OK. These Russians - Mike, Dima and InGa will be staying in Manokwari from 14 to 26 of January 2010. They stay in Penginapan KAGUM - a cheap hotel in Manokwari which is located on Brawijaya Street, behind Xavier Bookstore.

The journey to the cave was still long and we had to continue walking again. Before going, I pulled out one sanseviera. I wanted to plant it in front of my bookstore.

The local government of Manokwari, the Papua Barat province of Indonesia, intends to develop the Table Mountain as forest for tourism (Hutan Wisata). They have widened the road leading to the forest and built a gate with a small wooden house near it. I see that the local government invest a lot of money for building such infrastructure. In my opinion, what they should do is cleaning the forest from garbage dumped by the town dwellers of Manokwari. That's the most important priority which they must do if they want the forest of Gunung Meja to be a tourist attraction. In addition, they must punish those who throw garbage in the area as a shock therapy for anybody who does not respect or appreciate the existance of this important rainforest. by Charles Roring

Traveling Inside the Tropical Rainforest of the Table Mountain of Manokwari

Traveling inside tropical rainforest is a great way to appreciate the natural beauty of Table Mountain in Manokwari of West Papua Indonesia. Today I and my friend Paul accompanied three Russian tourists visiting the Table Mountain that is located several hundred meters from Penginapan Kagum. It is a cheap hotel for tourists who come to this town. In Indonesian language the mountain is called Gunung Meja. It is a protected forest that is located near Manokwari city. Their names are Inga (the girl), Mike and Dima (the young men).

We walked inside this forest from 02.00 p.m and to 6.30 p.m. We saw various kinds of plants, mushrooms, insects and birds and lizards. We also went to Japanese War Memorial which has been badly damaged due to the poor maintenance. We didn't stay there for quite long because we had to continue our trip to a natural cave that is located several kilometers away. The journey to the cave was very interesting because we could take a lot of pictures. There were unique mushrooms, various green plants that are used by the indigenous people to cure malaria. When we were near the cave we saw an owl on the ground. Perhaps, one of its wings was hurt. The bird could not fly. It was sleeping when we took some pictures of the owl. It was raining and all its feather is wet.

Inga showed her interest in insects while Dima was keen to find cave bats. Mike brought a digital camera equipped with long distance lenses. These young Russian eco-travelers who were walking with us did not complain about the mud or the mosquitoes. They just enjoy walking inside this jungle.

It was 05.00 p.m when we arrived at the mouth of the cave. It was a natural one that was covered with trees. Big corals hampered our way into the cave. Slowly we climbed them and crawled into the cave. It was very dark. I forgot to bring the flash light. We had to use the view finder red light from our digital camera to guide us through the chambers of the cave.

Dima was happy because he could find the small bats that were hanging on the walls. There were striped lizards. Inga held one of them and let us take some pictures of it. This time it was Mike who was very busy taking pictures of the bats and the lizards. For me, I was more interested in taking pictures of these Russian tourists who were happy to explore the natural beauty of the tropical rainforest in the Table Mountain or Gunung Meja Manokwari.

After finishing our exploration in this cave, we decided to go back to the Penginapan Kagum because it was getting dark. When we had reached the asphalt road leading to Sarinah, a "taxi" (a minibus that the locals use as public transportation) passed. Paul asked the driver to stop. The "taxi took five of us to the inn. Inga paid Rp. 10,000 for the ride from Table Mountain to Toko Buku Xavier. Mike said that they would continue exploring the jungles of Papua in the Nuni area tomorrow. by Charles Roring

Bark Bag from Manokwari of West Papua

Tropical rainforest of West Papua has been the source of food for the indigenous people for thousands of years. It still plays an important role for the whole earth's inhabitants by converting CO2 emissions into fresh air that we breath everyday together with forests in Brazil, Borneo and other parts of the world.

In recent days, this forest is facing rapid illegal logging. Businessmen come to this island and convert the forest into large palm plantations that only give little benefits to the local people. When an area of the tropical rainforest has been cleared, various species of plants, mammals, birds and insects lose their habitat.

Last week, I and my friend went to the Table Mountain to take some bark for making traditional bags. We had to climb up several steep hills before we could find the tree that we need for making the bark bag. More than a century ago, tree barks were used by the indigenous Papuan people as textiles. They had not known how to make cotton thread and for making clothes. It was 4 p.m. when we took the bark from a small tree that would regenerate again after its trunk had been cut.

Then we decended from the Table Mountain of Manokwari. While we were in the middle of our way home we found a burnt land in the middle of this protected tropical rainforest which has just been cleared for vegetable patch by a local farmer. The indigenous people usually cut trees and burn them to clear the land of the forest to make it as their farmland. We could not do anything because we were not the forest authority.

Back to the story of bark bag. Arriving at Paul's house, I was given a seat to watch him pounding the bark to spread its fiber and make it tender. He needs three days to process such raw bark into a traditional bag.

As I don't have enough time to wait for that process, Paul asked his daughter to take the already made bark bag. Yes, it looks just a simple bag which the locals don't use anymore in their daily activities. Modern leather bags have replaced the existance of this bark bags which frequently are decorated with attractive ornaments related to local culture.

Writing the profile of Papuan artists who live in Manokwari is one of my ways to promote eco-tourism that is expected to improve their living quality the local people thus discouraging deforestation.