Birds of Paradise in the Rainforest of Papua

When I watched the birds of paradise performed courtship dance on the branches of a tree in a forest in District Senopi, I was speechless. I was amazed by the beauty of those birds. I also heard the sounds of cockatoo and hornbill around the area but for me what attracted me the most were the birds of paradise. They were dancing that afternoon to attract the female birds. Bird watching and deer watching are two ecotourism activities that nature lovers or tourists like to do in the tropical rainforest of District Senopi in the Tambrauw Mountains of West Papua province, Indonesia. It is not easy to reach Senopi because the distance that the car has to cover is nearly 200 kilometers with extreme road condition. But this long trip cannot stop people like me to go there. 

The tropical rainforest of Papua island has been experiencing deforestation for years. During 1970s to 1990s massive logging operations were conducted to harvest the precious timber in this greatest tropical island and to make way for housings for migrants under the national transmigration program. Tens of thousands of hectares rainforest in the flat regions near the equator along the northern coast of this island have also been cleared to make way for massive monoculture palm oil plantation.

If the deforestation of Papua rainforest is not stopped, sooner or later, the birds of paradise, rainbow lory, cockatoo, and the whole forest ecosystem will be eliminated from their native land and can never be recovered. If we really love nature, we have to behave as true nature lovers. We don't easily buy products that are produced from the palm oil plantations that have destroyed the rainforest in Papua. by Charles Roring

Also read: 

Facing Extinction - birds of paradise and crown pigeon

Palm Cockatoo in Senopi Forest

Coral Reef Preservation and Ecotourism in Kaki island

After writing about coral reef preservation in the Dorey bay of Manokwari regency, now I am going to discuss about similar marine environment in Pantura region. One of the ecotourism destinations that I am now developing for tourists is Kaki island. Here the activities which they can enjoy are swimming, snorkeling, bird watching, fishing and eating lobster. Coral reefs around Kaki island and several coral islets in the region are still in good condition. I met a local Papuan fisherman there in July 2010 and expressed my opinion about how I and the local villagers along the northern coast can preserve the precious coral reef both for sustainable fishing and ecotourism trips. I told him that it is against the law if fishermen use bomb or explosive materials to catch fish. He agreed with that.

Kaki island is located near the Nuni village and I had successfully made a short video about how a small boy took his net bag from the sea which had been filled with lobsters. We all know that the price of lobster is expensive. The boys there caught lobsters at night. They dive without using diving gear. With only some outrigger boats, they catch lobsters that live among the corals. To catch the lobsters they use flashlight. They also wear gloves to protect their skin from sharp thorns that exist skin or shell of the lobsters.  The fishermen in Nuni village usually sell their catch to fish vendor in Kwawi near the boat terminal. The vendor will export them to his customers in big cities in Java.  Coral reef is the tropical rainforest of the sea. It is home to a lot of species of fish and other marine animals. While I was snorkeling with the Labrees in Kaki island in July 2010, I saw various species of fish and corals under the surface of the sea. I also saw some  tridacna clams which the fishermen had caught and put inside their boat. When these clams were still alive, you must not touch the inside part of the shells or your fingers will be cut by them. They are delicious food for the villagers. I hope that the local people there know how to preserve these important clams through sustainable fishing practices for the future generation of Papuan people. The sea in the northern coast is still clean. The coral reef there is healthy and full of marine animals.

Tourists who want to come to Kaki island must know that the current in the area is strong. They should not enjoy snorkeling there if they are not experience enough in handling such condition. Tourists should be accompanied by at least one local fisherman who parks his motorized boat between a sand dune and the Kaki island. If they are pushed away by the water current, the fisherman can move his boat closer to them so that they can easily reach and hold the outriggers of the boat and be dragged back to the shore. I don't know the exact price for a trip to island but the boat driver may request 100 thousand to 200 rupiahs. Try to bargain with him if you consider that the initial price that he ask of you is expensive. Usually, when the boat is not used for transporting tourists, it will be used for catching fish.

Additional income which fishermen get from the ecotourism activities in Kaki island is expected to support them financially so that they will not be tempted to use destructive fishing method that will be harmful to the coral reef ecosystem and to the fishermen themselves.

The nearby forest of the Nuni village is also in good condition. This tropical rainforest is home to cockatoo, hornbills, lory and reptiles that are endemic to Papua island. Ecotourism that I am developing in the region is still in her early stage. I hope that with more tourists coming to Nuni and the whole Pantura region, local Papuan people and city dwellers in Manokwari will give more attention to their forest and the marine environment and seriously protect them from any kind of destructive activities. by Charles Roring

Also read: Coral Reef Sites in Papua

Ecotourism an alternative solution to stop deforestation

Eco-tourism is a famous word now. A lot of service providers in the tourism industry use this term a lot when promoting their businesses. But do they really understand the real meaning of eco-tourism? I have been writing about forest preservation since three years ago. The subject which I previously thought simple, in reality, becomes a very complicated issue. Forest or tropical rainforest is a complex environment. It looks strong but actually it is very vulnerable. Rainforest in West Papua or New Guinea island stand on thin top soil of the ground. When people cut the trees for agricultural or logging purposes, they don't realize that they have left the top layer of the ground exposed to erosion. This top soil can easily be swept away by heavy rain.
Besides providing food for the indigenous Papuan people living around or along the rivers in the rainforest, the forest itself is absorbing huge amount of CO2 gases which we emit every day. We might think that we live in the US or Europe which are far from the rainforest in West Papua but the CO2 gases that we emit from running our cars and industrial machineries have traveled thousands of kilometers away and end up in the rainforest region across the equator.

In recent years, developing countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea intensify the extraction of timber or wood from the rainforest for export purposes. They give large number of permits to logging and palm oil plantation companies that are now cutting the trees in the concession area of the rainforests. A tragic example of this is the leasing of rainforest in Manokwari of West Papua. There have been many conflicts erupted between the logging and palm oil companies versus the indigenous people who live and depend their lives on the resources taken from the rainforest. Sometimes the conflicts lead to physical clashes. Government officials and security officers tend to side on the parties who have money to pay them. This situation brings the indigenous people in dangerous situation. Their food resource is being taken from them and their sacred lands are being destroyed.

To find a solution to this crisis, a number of environmental activists or forest lovers try to offer an alternative scheme which they hope can reduce or stop the deforestation of rainforest and at the same time give income both to the government and the indigenous people who are the main stakeholder of the rainforest. From my personal experience, I have directly involved in introducing ecotourism to town dwellers living in Komplex Miss at the foot of the Table Mountain where rainforest still exists. Before offering a tour or hiking package to foreign tourists, I had some afternoon hikings with my friend, Paul Warere to take some photographs and access interesting objects in the forest which we can develop for our ecotourism project.

It only takes 3 months to bring tourists to the rainforest area of the Table Mountain. When hundreds of pictures had been taken, I wrote a lot of blog posts about them and invite people to visit the forest for doing bird watching, butterfly watching and caving as well as bat watching. Some European visitors even come to the rainforest just to sit and silently hear the sounds of nature. I call it morning meditation. One example was the one which was carried out by Katja Zimmerman in the tropical rainforest of the Table Mountain on 26 May 2010. In January 2010, three Russian tourists came. Within eight months I have traveled around the forests with tourists coming from various countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Norway. Tourists visit the Table Mountain of Manokwari every month. People who live at the foot of the Table Mountain enjoy the positive impact of our eco-tourism project. Some women who sell fruits in the small market next to my house say that they are happy when tourists come to buy their bananas, artists inform me that tourists buy their handicrafts and I and Paul are happy too because we can get money from working as field guide.

Ecotourism scheme that I promote here is not meant to bring thousands of tourists in one day to the small forest that is now covering the Table Mountain of Manokwari. Ecotourism is only one of the many alternatives that we can apply to preserve our environment. If if is run properly, it will bring positive outcome both to the operators of the tourism service and to the environment itself. Ecotourism may not always be a perfect solution, but it should be considered as a good alternative that is effective in stopping the deforestation conducted by logging and palm oil plantation companies that are now threatening the existence of all rainforests around the world particularly the ones in West Papua. by Charles Roring. Contact e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com

Also read:

• Traveling around the farmland of Minahasa
• Enjoying the natural beauty of Minahasa mountainous region
• Birding in North Sulawesi

My other Manokwari Travel blog

I have been writing travel stories about Manokwari city for several years now and they are scattered in blogs, websites throughout the virtual world which is also known as the internet. I want to promote ecotourism for this town hoping that this will help the indigenous people become actively involved in promoting their art, culture and the beauty of their natural environment. For travel stories in bahasa Indonesia language, please see my other blog Lembar-lembar Ekspresi. On the right side of your computer screen, you will see a travel brochure which I have translated into Bahasa entitled Jalan-jalan ke Gunung Meja Manokwari.

 I am now translating another travel brochure into Bahasa entitled Mengunjungi Seniman-seniman Papua which are my stories about my visits to painters, cloth weaver, and wood carvers. Well, these brochures have already been published last week in English. I will try to make them available in Bahasa in order to attract domestic tourists to visit Manokwari Papua. Inside the brochures, you will see beautiful photographs which I shot using my digital photo still camera. The photographs can reveal the beauty of Papua's nature especially the scenery of Manokwari and the artworks which are created by Papuan artists.

Well, to enable people to download the brochures faster, I have reduced the pixel number of the photos making it smaller in size. Tourism is the largest industry in the world whereas ecotourism is the fastest sector of travel and tourism industry that is growing at 15% every year. That's the rate which I got from an ecotourism website. If this is true, then we need to give special attention to this sector and put our efforts to bring as much benefits to the local people and minimize its negative impact to the environment.

Discussion About Bird Watching in Manokwari

This morning I and Paul Warere (a Papuan artist) went to YAT Losmen. We went there on the invitation of Miss Grietje, a volunteer from SDSP who is working on the promotion of tourism and many other sustainable programs in Manokwari of Papua Barat region. I would meet Zeth Wonggor. Grietje asked me to mention him in my next brochure when I talk about eco-tourism activities in Arfak Mountain. It was several minutes after nine a.m. when we arrived at YAT Lomen. Grietje, Zeth Wonggor and a woman were sitting in the kitchen. I was then introduced to her. Her name was Maria Prativi and she was from Papua Bird Club. As soon as I and Paul sat, we started our discussion about ecotourism. 

First, I gave a brochure about Papuan Artists in Manokwari which was still not finished yet. I hope to finish it this week. Maria explained how, at the beginning (around 15 years ago), she and her husband started to bring tourists for bird watching in Syiobri village as a way to introduce forest conservation to the indigenous Papuan people who live in the Mokwam area. It was hard at that time because the Papuan did not understand what the terminology of conservation was, and how it was very important to them. Gradually, after they got some income from being forest guide, they later changed the terminology into a local language which is equivalent to "conservation". Their local term for the conservation is Iya Ser Hanjom which can literally be translated as "keep protect the land border."

Zeth Wonggor explained to me that he was a leading hunter in his village before being a forest guide. The first time he and a tourist entered the jungle, the tourist gave him binoculars to see birds. He said "Oh, these were good. I could use them to stone a bird easily." After locating a bird at a tree, he picked up some stones and wanted to throw them to the bird but the tourist exclaimed "No!" After watching the birds, the tourist gave him some money for his service in showing where the birds usually play in the jungle. Zeth Wonggor asked, "Mister, I did not catch a bird for you, why you gave me money?" But the tourist replied, "It's OK. You can get more money by guiding tourists in the forest and not killing birds." Since that time, Zeth stopped shooting birds and has worked as forest guide until now. 
After talking for several hours, I was impressed by how they (Maria Prativi and Zeth Wonggor) empower the local people in preserving their surrounding environment by distributing the revenue paid by tourists and how they give special attention to the education of children in Syioubri village. The PBC with their limited resources gives scholarships to a number of students. The organisation also provide free school supplies to them.
I am planning to visit Syioubri village of Mokwam area when I plan to write about Ms. Maria and Zeth Wonggor activities on ecotourism. I also hope that this morning's discussion at kitchen of YAT Losmen would be a great beginning for a closer and more intense cooperation among all of the operators of ecotourism in Manokwari of West Papua. by Charles Roring

Russian Travelers Visited the Artists in Manokwari

Manokwari has a number of artists that make good quality artworks or handicrafts which tourists should visit. Today, I accompanied Mike, Inga and Dima (three Russian eco-travelers) who like to explore the tropical rainforest of Papua) to meet some of these artists. The first one that we met in the morning was the house of Mr. Lucky Kaikatui. He is a painter specializing in oil painting. He has just moved to his new home in Kompleks Missi. When we arrived at his house, we could only see some of his paintings hanging on the walls, one of them was the Paradise bird while others were the about the natural scenery and the traditional Papuan villages. The Russian tourists could not buy them due to the sizes which are too big to be loaded into the passenger cabin of an airplane .

Then we continued our trip to see Kuskus, an endemic animal of Papua island. We took some photos of it. After that we ate lunch in the canteen of Orchid. Having finished eating the fried rice and the bakso noodle, these Russian tourists continued their trip to Raimuti island . They swam there until the sunset accompanied by Paul Warere - a drawing artist whom I have trained to be the local guide.

At night, I accompanied them again to visit Mrs. Fonataba's house. She is a master of traditional hand-made woven cloth. This cloth has beautiful ornaments which Papuan like to use as dowry. Mrs. Fonataba was very happy by our coming. She asked her grand-daughter to wear the traditional cloth to be shown to us.
Inga said that she was interested in buying the woven cloth which the little girl was wearing around her chest. Hearing the Inga's request, the mother of this little girl took off the cloth and gave it to Inga. After asking the prices of the woven clothes which Mrs. Fonatabe put on the table, Mike, Dima and Inga bought the necklace, bracelet, and the clothes worth Rp. 500,000 (or around 50 US dollars).

It was quite late when we continued walking to Mr.Asaribab's house. Here, I took some photos of them examining the wood carvings. Inga, Mike and Dima bought two wooden plates with reliefs in them and one small wooden statue. Mr. Asaribab's looked very happy to see that. They spent another 50 US dollars for these wooden carving souvenirs. When we have returned to Penginapan Kagum that belongs to my family, I suggest to Mike not to buy the skin of animals or live animals. Tourists have to be smart buyers. They should not buy such souvenirs as birds or animals, reptile skins or dead corals. They can buy souvenirs such as woven cloth, carvings and paintings that are made out of the artists creativity.

I strongly support the development of tourism in Manokwari but this kind of tourism has to be friendly with the surrounding environment. The industry that encourages the development of Papuan artist's creativity in Manokwari. If you are interested in visiting Manokwari of West Papua to enjoy the natural beauty of this region and you need a guide to accompany you, then I can be your guide. You can contact me - Charles Roring through my email: peace4wp@gmail.com or my cell phone number: +62 81 332245180.

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

Foot Massage in French Polynesia of Bora bora A Right Choice for a right Traveler

by Charles Roring in Manokwari West Papua

French Polynesia is a must see destination for real travelers. It has many resorts that provide professional services from water sport to body and mind relaxation. Resort spa has been a favorite place for relaxation. In Bora Bora there is a resort that offers unique foot massage. The weight of the masseur's body add more pressure to yours that have been lubricated with palm oil. The pressure given by the masseur's feet can create an exotic sensation as well as improve the blood circulation. Traveling to Bora Bora is now an exclusive journey yet an affordable trip for every body.

Bora-bora is one of the beautiful islands in French Polynesia. It has been a favorite tourist travel destination for years. When travelers arrived in Bora bora whether by air or sea, they will be greeted with the colorful coral reef dotted with emerald islets encircling the main island. The island of Bora Bora is one of the most renowned island in Polynesia.

There is a beautiful resort that is located in a secluded lagoon of the island. Cottages lie in rows above the sea water. Their design is unique and adapted to Polynesian indigenous homes. The roof is made of palm leaves that are arranged together to provide natural shelter for the guests of the resort.

From the resort, divers can hire a boat to go diving in pristine coral reefs around Bora Bora. Travelers may also enjoy sunbathing along the white sandy beach of the island across from the resort. Contact your nearest tour and travel operator in town to see if they provide travel deals to the Polynesian island of Bora Bora.Technorati : bora bora, massage, polynesia, resort spa, travel Del.icio.us : bora bora, massage, polynesia, resort spa, travel Zooomr : bora bora, massage, polynesia, resort spa, travel Flickr : bora bora, massage, polynesia, resort spa, travel

Travel security the concern of every tourist

by Charles Roring

Tour and travel industry have become a significant contributor many countries around the world. People travel for various reasons such as pleasure or tourism, business purposes, medical treatment or just visiting families.

Going abroad is not a luxurious journey anymore. A lot of tour operators offer travel deals to various countries in affordable price. Unfortunately, the increasing number of global conflicts is still seen the main obstacle for the development of tourism in certain parts of the world. In addition to that, the war of terror doesn't seem to have successfully reduced terror attacks in the contrary it creates more.

Travelers are now reluctant to travel to certain regions where the number of terror attacks is increasing, particularly in India, the Middle East and some parts in Southern Thailand.It is important to note that travelers where ever they go must take some preparations before leaving for certain countries. They may possibly choose countries that are relatively free from terror attacks or they might buy travel insurance to cover them during their trip abroad.

But travel security is not only about going around the world that is free from terrorism. The airplane condition, the weather, the underwater current in a diving site and the traffic condition in certain countries also have to be taken into account. More tourists die because of drowning at sea, hit by car, infected by viral disease or plane crash rather than becoming the victims of a terror attack.

Therefore, the travel security is not only a matter of national stability of a country but professional services of the whole tourism industry. Airliners must ensure that the planes they operate are safe and well maintained. In addition, the sanitation facilities in tourist destinations have to be well cleaned to prevent the spread of deadly bird flu virus and cholera bacteria or malaria. The safety standards must also be applied to the foods that are offered to tourists eating out in restaurants.If all stakeholders of tourism industry have seriously involved in improving travel security, the number of tourists traveling around the world will increase.

Interesting travel destination in mountainous region of Yatsugatake Japan.

by Charles Roring

In recent days tour agencies around the world have increasingly offered various travel deals to Japan especially to its beautiful mountainous regions. Japan is famous for its mountain. Travelers who have visited Japan can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mount Fuji.

Another travel destination that is unique and attractive is the mountainous region of Yatsugatake. If you are are interested in visiting this place, you can go there by train. It takes two hours from Tokyo to Kobuchisawa station. Then you can continue their trip to Yatsugatake by bus. In Yatsugatake, you walk along the trails and enjoy the fresh air from various green trees and colorful flowers. Deeper into the mountain, the slope is rising sharply.

Inside the forest, you will come across a hanging bridge that spans to the other side of the cliff. After crossing the bridge and walking along a narrow path, you will arrive in a beautiful waterfall with a pool at the bottom of the limestone cliff. The water looks green. It is also cool and fresh. You can swim in the pool before continuing your travel to family run inn which the Japanese usually call pension. There are many pensions in Yatsugatake with affordable price.

One pension is very unique. It has a planetarium or star observatory station. The owner of the pension built the planetarium to enjoy the beautiful scenery of planets and stars. It is built separately from the pension. The mountainous region of Yatsugatake has clean air which enables astronomers from all around Japan to observe planets from telescope radio or planetarium that are constructed in the region.

At night you can ask the pension owner to open the planetarium so that you can see the moon, planet Jupiter, the great nebula in Orion or even Andromeda galaxi. Sometimes if you are lucky enough can see comet traveling across this vast universe.

So, the tour around Yatsugatake mountain will provide you not only travel experience about trees, flowers, and the beautiful scenery of the hills and valleys but also the beautiful view of airspace.

Technorati : japan, travel Del.icio.us : japan, travel Zooomr : japan, travel Flickr : japan, travel

Exotic Thailand A Must See Destination to Travel

What is Raja Ampat?

Raja Ampat Archipelago Region

Snorkeling in Raja Ampat

Travel industry is growing rapidly in Thailand. Every year millions of tourists visit the country. Thailand government, together with airliners, hotel owners and tour agencies, have been promoting their tourism attractions for years. The number of foreigners who travel to Thailand is increasing every year.

Before Thailand is an agriculture country. To accelerate the development in the region, Thailand government and stakeholders of tourism industry diversify their development strategy by promoting tourism. It seems that they have been successful in their efforts. More tourists come from all around the world. People will not only recognize Thailand for its white elephant but also for its beautiful scenery, friendly people and many exotic attractions. Thailand is still famous for its elephants. Kissing the head of an elephant is considered bringing luck. As a result, many travelers like to kiss elephant.

Phuket is one of tour destinations in Thailand that attracts tourists. It is located in southern region overlooking Andaman sea. It has many interesting places to visit. At night there are many events along the beach ranging from dancing, music concert up to traditional play.

Local people take advantage of the booming tourism industry in their region. They work in as staff in beach hotels, as boat operators, and as divers for diving resorts. Many sell souvenirs to tourists.

There are many beautiful islands in Thailand. One of them is James Bond island. Move producers from the United Kingdom used to make James Bond movie in the island. It has caves that are located near the beach.

There is also a place where tourists can see turtles. It is called Turtle Conservation Project. Turtles have been facing extinction. This project is important to restore turtle population.

Next time, if you intend to travel abroad, choose Thailand as your destination. You can find more information about tourism in Thailand if you search it on the internet. There are many travel deals offered by tour and travel agencies in Thailand at affordable cost. by Charles Roring

Also read:

Raja Ampat Snorkeling Tours

Where is Raja Ampat?

Raja Ampat Guided Snorkeling Tours

Beach Travel versus Marine Ecotourism

by Charles Roring
Many travel deals offered by tour operators invite tourists to have vacations at the beach. The tour package includes usually one week staying in a nice beach hotel overlooking the blue ocean, snorkeling, diving and wind surfing activities. Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philipines are favorite destination for the beach travelers. Tourism has been a booming industry for years.

a crowded beach

Tour and travel agency aggressively promote travel deals in many developed countries to buy attractive tour packages. Beach hotel, and many other facilities are being constructed along white sandy beaches to accommodate the increasing number of tourists.
On one side the increasing number of travelers going to the beach area will give significant economic contribution to the host countries but on the other side, beach tourism has put increasing pressures to marine environment. If not properly managed, the coral reefs ecosystem will face severe destructions from the development of tourism industry at the beach area.
Therefore it is very important for all stakeholders of marine tourism industry to develop awareness on the marine conservation so that the destruction of marine ecosystem can be minimized to its lowest point.
Marine ecosystem can bring positive impact to the beach and marine environment if it can educate beach travelers about the importance of marine ecosystem to global environment. This includes improvements in the practices of servicing the tourists. In addition, tourists must also be informed about how to behave properly at the beach and underwater.
Travel agency can make special brochure which explains safe diving practices that will not harm the fish, corals reef habitat.
Beach travel will give significant contribution to the marine environment if the stakeholders in the marine tourism industry can encourage the travelers to participate in beach clean-up activities, turtle conservation and in reducing the number of debris thrown to the sea.
Technorati : beach hotel, diving, marine, travel Del.icio.us : beach hotel, diving, marine, travel Zooomr : beach hotel, diving, marine, travel Flickr : beach hotel, diving, marine, travel

When traveling in Tokyo don't forget to try Soba noodle

by Charles Roring

Ask your travel agency about interesting places to visit in Japan. They might suggest that you visit the shopping centers, underground farming and even entertainment centers whose workers are mostly you men.

But it is not what I want to tell you here. An interesting feature which is good for traveler to see is Japanese foods. One of them is Soba noodle. It is made of Soba grains. It is also delicious. Japanese restaurants offer unique experience for travelers who want to enjoy not only various kinds of cuisines of Soba noodles but also the process of making them.

After eating a bowl of Soba noodle you can ask the restaurant owner if they also have or offer a special course on noodle making for travelers or tourists like you. If he does not have one, he might tell you where to go. Making Soba noodles is a laborious job especially for tourist. You have registered in a Soba noodle making course, you can begin practicing how to make it. First the noodle master will ask you to wash Soba grains. Then you will need to dry them. After that you have to grind them using milling stone. It is quite heavy. From it you will get Soba flour. Then you will need to mix it with some water. The next step is kneading the dough. It is similar to making bread. Then you have to flatten the dough using roller. The last process is cutting the flattened dough into noodles. When the noodles are ready, you can use them to cook any kind of dish that you like.

So, when you travel to Japan, don't forget to have Soba noodle for your lunch or attend Soba noodle making course.

Traveling in Japan can be fascinating if you try something different from the usual travel destinations offered in travel deals by tour agencies. If you have just arrived in Narita international airport or are about to leave for your home country try to walk around an amusement park located near the airport. It is similar to Disneyland where travelers can see traditional Japanese village built and operated according to the Edo period where electricity does not exist. You can try anything that they offer.

During this financial crisis, Japanese government is trying to promote its tourism industry. Many travel deals are promoted by tour and travel company in affordable cost. So, when you plan to travel abroad this year, Japan can be your next choice.
Technorati : food, tokyo, travel Del.icio.us : food, tokyo, travel Zooomr : food, tokyo, travel Flickr : food, tokyo, travel

You need travel insurance if you want to dive in remote islands

by Charles Roring

Traveling to remote islands and diving around pristine coral reef can be a fascinating experience. It can also be a dangerous one. When you decide to travel to Pacific islands, or to South East Moluccan islands or Mapia island of West Papua, you will find that the logistic support for tourism is not sufficient. In those places, you cannot find beach hotel equipped with diving centers. Travelers will carry their diving equipment. They will also need to buy travel insurance.

Travel insurance is important for people who often go on a trip to far away places whether for business, or pleasure. It must cover anything that is related to traveling risks. Traveler might get sick during his or her tour. Accident might happen when the traveler dives in coral reefs that have strong currents. In fewer cases, traveler might get trapped in a civil war in a country.

Diving is a very good sport but it is a very dangerous too. Divers need to buy travel insurance that cover not only the risk of accidents but also the safety of their equipment. Most diving sites in remote region have not been developed as tourist destination centers. It means there might not be hospital or health clinics available in those areas. If accident happens, the victim has to be transported by helicopter to hospital in a city. You have to consider this thing if you want to travel to remote places. When they travel to diving sites that are not listed in famous tourist destination, the travel insurance which they buy should also cover air travel failures. The flight back home might be canceled by the airline company for certain unclear reasons and your work schedule at home will have to be jeopardized.

Another important thing which you need to have when traveling to remote region is communication equipment. You may need to buy satellite cell phone with solar battery charger so that you can recharge the batteries using the abundant sunlight of tropical region. The last thing which I want to tell you before you decide to travel to remote diving sites is traveling with friends. It is better to travel with some divers so that besides you can share the cost you will also be able to help one another if an accident happens.

Traveling to Bukit Kasih

by Charles Roring

Travelers like to visit Bukit Kasih when they are in Minahasa. Many tours and travel agencies in Indonesia provide tour package to this region. Bukit Kasih literally means Hill of Love. Local government built the Bukit Kasih as a tourist destination to promote peace and religious tolerance in the regency. It is actually a small but active volcano. Hot steam and hotspring accompanied with sulfurous gas come out of the ground. Food vendors boil eggs, corn directly from the hot water. At the foot of the hill, traveler can see a tall monument erected in the middle of the parking lot. It is not difficult to climb the hill to the top as the government has constructed concrete stairs for the travelers.

Bukit Kasih (Hill of Love) in Minahasa, North Sulawesi. Photograph Charles Roring

On certain heights of the hills there are houses of worships for Christians, Moslems, Hindus and Budhists. Along the way to the top, there are stations of the way of the cross for the Catholics. Travelers like to walk to these houses of prayer. Here they can take a rest for a while before continuing their travel to the top of the hill. There a giant cross stands overlooking the beautiful scenery of Minahasan mountainous region. It takes twenty to thirty minutes walking from the foot to the top of the hill. So, don't forget to bring some snacks when you want to travel to the Bukit Kasih. Standing on the top of the hill, I can see Tondano lake, the nearby village and two or three Minahasan volcanoes slightly covered with fog in a distant. I was very exhausted after reaching the top but the magnificent view and the fresh air that I inhaled swept away all the tiredness.

Minahasan villages viewed from the top of Bukit Kasih (Love Hill) Photograph Charles Roring

Not far from the Bukit Kasih, there is a place called Watu Pinabetengan. Hundreds of years ago, Minahasan tribal chiefs met in this place to settle problems and differences among them. There are inscriptions that no one has ever known their meanings. Travelers can go there after going down from the hill. Along the way to the Watu Pinabetengan, travelers can enjoy the beautiful scenery of vegetables and rice fields as well as horses. The farmland are producing crops that are important for the economy of the Minahasan people.

The cost of traveling to Bukit Kasih and Watu Pinabetengan is not expensive. It can be ten to fifteen US dollars/ person from Manado, the capital city of the province of North Sulawesi. You should travel in a group of five to eight so that you can share to cost of rent a car.

When I was there I took a picture of birds resting on telephone cable. They were not aware of the human crowds walking under them climbing the hill. Some of them flew down to eat leftovers thrown by the tourists or travelers. You may not see them while you travel to Bukit Kasih because of the weather or disturbances caused by tourists. If you are able to visit the love hill and see birds resting on electrical or telephone wire like the above one, please don't try to get closer to them or they might fly away. The best and the safest way to capture this kind of picture is to use zooming feature in your digital camera or video recorder.

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Travel Story from Rambunan Village

by Charles Roring

My tour in Sonder villages was considered complete if I had traveled to Rambunan village. Many travel agency haven't provided tour package to this region. It is around one hour traveling by car from Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. After two days staying in Sonder, I continued my trip to that village. It is a special village that produce sugar from palm trees. Palm sugar is an important ingredients in South East Asian cuisines. Palm sugar is made by heating the sweet sap that has been taken from Aren palm trees usually in early the morning and at around 5.00 p.m. in the afternoon.

Aren palm tree (pohon seho) in Rambunan village of Minahasa

If you plan to travel Rambunan village, ask your tour and travel agency to arrange for a special trip to that village. The best time to visit it is during full moon period. At the time the Aren trees produce a lot of sap. The sap is sometimes fermented and distilled by farmers to make CapTikus. Cap Tikus or Sopi contains high percentage of alcohol. So, if you travel by riding motorcycle or driving a rented car, don't drink too much or you won't be able to return to your hotel.

Palm sugar from Rambunan is sold to local traditional markets in Minahasan towns such as Sonder, Kawangkoan and Tomohon. Some inter-island traders export it to West Papua, Maluku and even Eas Kalimantan. The quality of palm sugar from Rambunan village is the best in the world. The Minahasan people living in Rambunan have been making palm sugar from generations to generations. Although the process is done manually, the sugar they produce is always consistent with it taste. In addition, palm sugar from Rambunan village contains pure brown crystal. I recommend any travelers to buy some so that they use it later when drinking coffee or tea with dodol cake whose main ingredients are rice and palm sugar.

Dodol cake from Sonder Minahasa. Photo by Charles Roring

Similar to many other Minahasan villages, Rambunan village depends on agricultural commodities such as rice, clove, fruits, vanilla and corn. I like traveling to the villagers gardens and have parties with them there. Budget travelers can even arrange two or three days staying in such village to experience more about the village life and customs of the local people.

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Traveling Across the Sonder villages in Minahasa Highland

by Charles Roring

I traveled to Minahasa highland several years ago. You can contact a nearest travel agency in your city to locate where Minahasa is. It is a regency located in the northern part of Sulawesi island of Indonesia. I spent two weeks there staying in a Minahasan family. I traveled most by public transportation and car. Most of the towns are beautiful. Because they are located in the mountainous region they follow the contour of hills, valleys and slopes of the highland.

Sonder town in Minahasa regency, the Province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia

People grow beautiful flowers in front of their houses. So, if you travel from one village to another, you will see colorful flowers and enjoy fresh air. In towns like Tomohon, Kawangkoan and Langowan, travelers can go around the towns by hiring Bendi. Horse drawn cart. The price for one hour is around twenty to fifty thousand rupiahs (around 2 - 5 US dollars).

In Kawangkoan, travelers can stop at kiosks that sell roasted peanuts. There are two or three inns there. You can stay there for one night. The next day if you travel to Sonder, you can ask the driver to stop by for lunch at Terapung Resto - it is a floating restaurant where you can eat fried or grilled Nila fish. Its taste is delicious. Another village that is located some fifteen minutes driving from Sonder is Tincep. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of rice fields arranged like steps on moderate slopes between Sonder and Tincep. Travelers can enjoy various kinds of flowers sold by the villagers. Tincep is the larges flower market in the region. There are two or three waterfalls in that village. I recommend that you stay in Tincep for one or two days before continuing your travel to other towns. In addition to flower market, rice fields and waterfalls, travelers can enjoy white water rafting in Timbukar village. Don't forget to wear life jacket when you get into the boat.

Minahasan people are full of smile and laughs. They like singing folk songs, playing music as well as drinking saguer. For this drink, many tourists who travel to this region say that the refined one is strong enough to make you hang over the next day before continuing your trip. When saguer has been fermented and distilled, the end product is called Cap Tikus. Its alcohol content is probably higher than whiskey. So, don't drink too much if you plant to leave the village early in the morning. If you still have time, you can take a short trip to Leilem to see how the local craftsmen make furniture. Next time I will tell you my travel experience in another village or town.

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Sustainable Tourism Criteria

Around the world there are hundreds of certification systems and best practices that define sustainable tourism. Consumer interest is growing. Travel industry leaders are coming to the forefront. And governments are paving the way.

STC Sustainable Tourism CriteriaBut what does sustainable tourism really mean? How can it be measured and credibly demonstrated to build consumer confidence, promote efficiency, and fight greenwashing?

The Sustainable Tourism Criteria Initiative has been designed as a way to bring together -- for the first time -- a globally relevant set of sustainability criteria for the hotel and tour operator sectors. Through this common understanding of what sustainable tourism really means, the travel industry, media, governments, and consumers will be better positioned to differentiate, recognize, and support sustainable tourism.

Whether you represent the travel industry or other stakeholders in sustainable tourism, your involvement is critical to ensure that the criteria are usable and relevant to the industry, that they address industry needs and customer interests, and forge a path towards greater sustainability.

Please take a moment to review the criteria and complete the our online survey (http://tinyurl.com/CriteriaFeedback ). Note that your participation in the survey does not imply endorsement of the global baseline criteria, but will help shape the direction of sustainable tourism for the industry.

http://www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org/

Ship Wreck Diving in Dore Bay of Manokwari West Papua

Dore bay is one of scuba diving destinations in West Papua (formerly known as Dutch New Guinea). It is where Manokwari town is located. As the capital of the newly formed West Papua province, the town stretches along the shore of Dore bay.

View of Dore bay seen from Mansinam island, Manokwari - West Papua

During the Pacific War (World War II), Japanese troops made it as one of their bases putting cargo and warships in the bay. This is a beautiful deep water bay which is also a natural harbour surrounded by Arfak mountain range. When allied forces led by General Mc Arthur attacked Dutch New Guinea, they sunk some of Japanese ships sailing or anchoring in this bay. There are more than twenty wrecks in this bay but only six that can be dived on. There are two islands in the middle of the bay, Mansinam and Lemon island. Coral reefs can be found around these islands.

Town of Manokwari, West Papua

One of the best ship wreck worth of diving is Shinwa Maru. It was a cargo ship with five holds. Its length is around 120 meters and lies on its port side. The ship was bombed. Divers can see big holes, bottles, cables, batteries and other equipments.

Scuba divers like to do night diving because the ship wreck attracks fish and various marine creatures. Beside Shinwa Maru wreck, there are other wrecks such as Pasir Putih wreck (navy coastal patrol boat), Pillbox wreck, Cross wreck, Mupi Wreck, and Australian plane wreck (P-40 Kitty Hawk fighter plane).

Read also:

• An affordable lodging in Manokwari: http://charlesroring.blogspot.com/2008/07/affordable-inn-for-eco-travellers-in.html
• New diving sites in North Sulawesi: http://charlesroring.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-diving-sites-should-be-introduced.html
• Sail bunaken 2009: http://charlesroring.blogspot.com/2008/07/bunaken-national-marine-park-to-host.html
• Cleaning up Bunaken Marine Park: http://charlesroring.blogspot.com/2008/07/cleaning-up-bunaken-diving-site.html

New Diving Sites should be introduced to visitors to reduce pressures on Bunaken Marine Park

by Charles Roring

The conservation of Bunaken Marine National Park has been the main objective of all stakeholders to create a sustainable eco tourism industry. This effort can only be done if there is a profesional management system doing the job with adequate logistical supports such as money, community development and participation, facilities, and specific laws and regulations.
Most Marine Protected Areas generate significant funding from the entrance fee levied from visitors (both domestic and international). The money is then used to finance activities intended to protect the park. Such activities are marine patrol against destructive fishing practices, deliberate littering of the park and ilegal fishing in the No Take Zone. Villagers living in the Bunaken Park territory have to be involved in the protection or conservation works and also be supported to generate income through sustainable business schemes.
So far, the number of bombings, poisoning of fish conducted by fishermen in Bunaken diving sites has been reduced to near zero. I can also see that some businessmen in North Sulawesi have entered such sustainable aqua culture production as sea grass cultivation, pearl farming and shrimp ponds. These businesses can absorb more workers and generate significant income for them.
In the beginning, the implementation of marine patrol was intended to protect the park from being destroyed by irresponsible people who had been practicing ilegal fishing techniques. It has to be the principle duty of the marine patrol and it should not become a secondary objective. Another additional task of marine patrol in Bunaken park is the supervision on visitors diving or snorkeling in the park on whether they have purchased the entrance tickets.
As a matter of fact, solid waste from the Manado city, flowing out from the rivers or drifting to the park, is the real threat to the coral reefs underwater environment. Therefore, local government must allocate large amount of provincial budget to process them. The money obtained from the entrance tickets is not enough to finance the project. But it can be used to launch public awareness campaign in the city telling the citizens not to throw garbages to the rivers. Public notice boards and advertisements placed in the newspapers and magazines will also inform the citizen about the negative impacts of marine pollution to the underwater environment of Bunaken coral reefs.
Certain dive sites around Bunaken islands receive more divers during high season period i.e. May - September. This raises concern over the reef carrying capacity. For the diving sites whose capacity have been exceeded, the disturbances from divers on the habitat will reduce the number of fish population, and influence the growth of the reefs. The management of Bunaken Marine National Park must implement and distribute diving quota to operators in order to lower pressures on certain coral reefs that have exceeded their carrying capacity. To minimize diver impacts, new diving sites such as Lembeh strait, Bentenan, and Bangka island should be introduced. Bentenan is located in the sourthern part of the province of North Sulawesi. Bentenan islets have coral reefs that are potential to be developed as another tourist destination in the province. Unfortunately, the roads connecting the Bentenan village to the city are still in poor condition. If the government are serious in developing these diving sites, good facilities have to be constructed in the Bentenan similar to what have seen in Bunaken National Marine Park.
Through the distribution of fair naumber diving quota to operators, and the development and introduction of new diving sites, the sustainable eco tourism industry in North Sulawesi will bring more benefits to local people as well as maintain the quality of underwater environment in its best condition.