Travelling with Passenger Ships

Ave Maria Passenger Boat

Ships have been the most efficient means of travel or transportation in the world for thousands of years. After the "New World" had been found, people travelling from Europe to this New Continent with ships. Millions of people had crossed the Atlantic Ocean from and to "the New World" before the invention of airplane. And it took another twenty to fifty years before a large plane could carry some fifty to one hundred people on board crossing the Atlantic. Now people prefer to travel across the Atlantic or around the world by airplanes. For one reason, an airplane is faster than a ship.

Just because an airplane is faster than a ship, it does not mean that people have stopped travelling by ships. Until now, ships are still used as a means of transportation for goods and people. Many people like to travel by ships because they provide various activities and facilities. Inside a modern ferry, passengers can swim, watch movies, read in libraries, enjoy sunbathing and even surf on the internet. The atmosphere of relaxation is one of the reasons why passenger ships cannot completely be replaced by airplanes. Tourists in the Carribean who travel from one island to another with cruise ships have given significant economic contribution to these island countries.

KM Sinabung - a passenger ship that is owned by PELNI

The application of new propulsion systems has brought new types of ships that travel faster than their predecessors. Hydrofoil; catamaran; trimaran; and SWATH (Small Water-plane Area Twin Hull) move faster than conventional displacement ships. Although most ships are still propelled by marine screw propeller, new approach to hull designs and propulsion machinery have caused these new ship types to become the most preferable choice of short distance transportation means that connect coastal towns and cities.

In addition, the introduction of low speed diesel engine and highly skew propeller, together with the SWATH, hydrofoil and catamaran, has made travelling with ships becomes more comfortable due to low noise level and low vibration.
Cruise ships that travel around the world can stop by at remote islands and lower their boats to enable their passengers visit them. This is something that a large airplane cannot do if the island does not have airport. With around 95 percent of goods and people are still transported by ships, these marine vehicles will still play very important roles in shaping and changing human civilization for now and forever. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua. 

Also read:

• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Exploring the Natural Beauty of North Sulawesi
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi

• Sonder town
• Lake Tondano
• Birding in Minahasa

Traveling by ship-what does it mean?

Ship is a vehicle that carries goods and people across the seas, oceans, rivers or canals. Ship and boat have been used by human since ancient time. Although most of inter-continental trips have been replaced by jet planes, there as still significant number of people who like to travel by ships especially the cruise ones. Cruise ships are similar to passenger ships in many aspects but offer more pleasure activities and round-trip itinerary which most passenger ships do not provide. So, what does it mean to travel by ship?

KM Doloronda

Longer trip duration
Because ship is slower than airplane, traveling by ship to certain destination will take longer time than by airplane. For example, for reaching Numfor island in the Geelvink bay of New Guinea, a ferry boat needs around 5 hours whereas a single propelled airplane needs only 20 minutes.
More Activities
To cater for the needs of passengers during a sea voyage from one harbor to another, operators of cruise ships have to build facilities and arrange activities that passengers can enjoy on board. Passengers will not feel bored because they can watch dolphins, sea scapes in the middle of the sea and watch latest movies or even swim and drink with other passengers.
More Goods and Passengers
The capacity of a big passenger ship or cruise ship can reach up to 5000 people or even more whereas the carrying capacity of the largest airplane is around 500 people. In other words, if we travel by ship, we will see more people on board and be able to carry more luggages. The largest cruise ships in the world such as the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas can be considered as floating towns because inside the cruise ships we can find a lot of facilities that most small towns need to serve their inhabitants such as hospitals, recreational areas (cinemas, gaming, swimming pools, theatres, etc.), sport and fitness centers, shopping centers, restaurants and even libraries.
More Wastes and Threats to Marine Environment
Ships that carry large number of passengers will definitely produce more wastes both organic and inorganic. They have to be properly handled to prevent them from harming the environment especially the coral reefs that are homes to large number of marine animals. In addition to installing wastes processing machines on board cruise and passenger ships, the passengers have to be informed to not not throwing wastes into the sea. They must dispose their wastes in garbage bins that have been provided on every deck of the ships.
Safety of Life At Sea
I already said that a ship can carry thousands of people across deep sea. The weather at sea is always changing. Today's ship has been equipped with radars, GPS devices and telecommunication equipment that will help him traveling at sea to its desired destination. Big waves often cause a cruise ship to roll on tranverse direction. This makes a lot of people suffer from sea sick. To handle people with this temporary sickness, ship operator hire doctors or health works who will work in the clinic helping passengers dealing with their health problems.
Faster Ship with Better Stability
Naval architects now have been able to design ships and boats that can travel faster across the seas with improved stability. Innovations on the hull forms have led shipbuilding industry to twin hull boats called catamaran or three hulls (trimaran) or even pentamaran. Twin hull boat with small waterplane areas called swath is now seen as a great marine vehicle that can carry large number of passengers with relatively better stability than conventional monohul boat with the same passenger carrying capacity. by Charles Roring
Related articles:
Traveling by passenger ship
Traveling with passenger ships to remote islands in Indonesia

Coral reef in Manem islet

I went to Manem islet on 28 October 2010. I was with the Schepers (three Dutch tourists from the Netherlands). It took around one hour from Numfor island to Manem by boat. The coral reef that I saw when snorkeling was very beautiful. As I am not a marine biologist, I couldn't identify each coral reef fish species. Some dolphins were playing near me while I was taking pictures of the ornamental fish that live among the corals. When I was talking with the boat driver, I asked him, "Do people still catch fish using explosives?" He answered, "No, not anymore, people are now afraid of the police. Catching fish using bombs will destroy the coral reef."

I hope that people will not destroy the pristine coral reef in Manem islet through destructive fishing practices. The best time to snorkel in Manem islet is during the low tide. According to the local fisherman, the coral fish will gather in corals that are still below the sea surface. They will not move away. Coral reefs are their homes that provide food and protection from being the prey of big fish. 

From my reference book, The Coral Reef written by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood, I know that these "rocks" are actually animals. They play very important role in absorbing CO2 gases during the photosynthesis.
Manem islet and Numfor island are not famous among scuba divers not because there are no coral reefs but mainly because this region is lack of promotion. When I was traveling around the islands I could easily conclude that they are very potential destination for scuba divers. In addition, the tropical rainforest the covers the islands have high density of birds species. 

 

To make underwater pictures, you need to use camera that is protected by a water case. But you can also buy waterproof cameras that are now available on the market such as the Nikon Coolpix AW100 which powered by CMOS image sensor and is able to withstand water pressure of up to  10 meters. Another underwater camera that I recommend is Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3. Both cameras have built in GPS that are useful to record position information while shooting.
If you are interested in visiting the island, you can contact me, Charles Roring, via my e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com. I would be happy to be your guide. If your budget is tight, I suggest that you bring bicycle so that you can save a lot of money while traveling around. Recommended beaches in the Numfor island that you should visit are Samido and Asaibori.

Also read:
Coral reef preservation and eco-tourism in Kaki island
Coral reef preservation in Dorey bay of Manokwari
Underwater photographs of coral reef in Mansinam island
Snorkeling trip to Manem islet

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.

Eco Tourism and Souvenir Business in Manokwari

Here are the name of the artists and the kind of artworks which they make. I suggest that you buy souvenirs direclty from them instead of buying from shops. By buying directly from the artists, you can get cheaper products, give comments and encourage them to improve the quality of their artworks.
Xavier Bookstore - Selling Postcard and Watercolor Paintings
The artworks are made by Charles Roring and some Papuan artists
Address: Brawijaya Street next to SD Padma 1 Kompleks Missi Manokwari. Charles Roring and some of his Papuan friends can provide tour guide service for traveling to various tourist attractions in  and around Manokwari. He can be contacted through his cell phone: 081332245180 or email: peace4wp@gmail.com

Mrs. Marice Fatie-Fonataba
This widow is a master in cloth weaving. She lives in Komplex Missi behind Catholic Church St. Agustinus, Manokwari. Her woven cloth and pandanus bags are beautiful souvenirs which you can buy for your loved ones.

Mr. Lucky Kaikatui
He is an oil painting artist. He paints birds of paradise, the beautiful beaches of Papua, village life and forest. Mr. Kaikatui lives behind SMP Katolik (Catholic Junior High School) in Komplex Missi Manokwari

Mr. Awom - a wood carving artist

Address: Merdeka Street, next to Suri Bakery Shop

Mr. Awom makes small number but high quality wooden carvings. H

Mr. Asaribab - a school teacher who is also a wood carving and painter

Address: Anggrem

Carving and painting have been an integral part of Mr. Asaribab's family for generations.

Mr. Tony Mansiraken Krey

A Multi Talented Artist (a Papuan intellectual, a writer)

Address: Ketapang Boat Station, Kwawi, Manokwari

His friends like to call him Tonci Krey. This artist is considered as a brilliant artist. Most of the public statues in Manokwari were made by him. Art lovers who come to Manokwari must meet him if they want to know more about Papuan art and culture. You can buy paintings, carvings, and get various information about Papuan people, their stories and culture.

As a travel guide who frequently accompany tourists around this town and its surrounding forest, beaches and islands, I see that most of the visitors, after going around, will ask me whether there are souvenir shops in this small town Manokwari. Of course, there are. I know two souvenir shops in this town that sell various items ranging from string bags to Wamena's penis gourd. I also know several Papuan artists in this town that constantly make handicrafts both for domestic and foreign tourists. Although this is not their main source of income, their love of art continues to encourage them making artworks from time to time. For example, Mrs. Marice Fonataba who lives behind the Catholic church St. Agustinus in Kota area of Manokwari town. Her home is not located on a strategic street where tourists can easily find it. But she continues to manually weave traditional Papuan cloth as her past time activities. When I visited her home last week, I was surprised to see that she had made many artworks worth of millions of rupiahs.

There is also another artist whose home is on Jalan Merdeka next to Suri Bakery. He is a wood carving artist who has made high quality carvings. I brought three Russian eco-travelers to his home one night to buy some of his artworks. These Russians were amazed by the quality of the carvings and they were even surprised when he sold it for only Rp. 20,000 rupiahs each which is considered very-very cheap according to local standard. I immediately told them that they should give him better price as their appreciation for his hard works. They did. They paid 300,000 rupiahs for three carvings which they bought from him. He looked happy and smiled at us. It was drizzling that night but the Russians were satisfied with the wooden carvings which they had just bought.
Souvenirs that tourists must not buy
There are no rules but please, follow my suggestions as voluntary guidelines. When you go to a souvenir shop and you find handicrafts that are made of corals, please don't buy them. Coral reef is one of the most important species for marine environment. Due to global warming and the increased dumping of wastes at sea, these fragile species are dying. As tourists we must not buy souvenirs made of sea corals to discourage the destruction of coral reef around the world which is the home to thousands of species of fish and other marine creatures.
This also applies to Kuskus fur - an endemic animal from West Papua, to preserved skin and feather of bird of paradise and to other threatened animals in Papua island. By not buying such souvenirs we have practiced responsible eco-tourism principles in our life. 

Manokwari the perfect place for beach lovers

You might think that I have over promoted this post title. I am just telling you what I see. If you are a beach lover, you will see that white sandy beach in Manokwari is one of the best in the world? Why? Because it is the place where you can enjoy sun bathing, swimming, wind surfing and especially for nature lovers watching turtles laying their eggs. If you are serious in watching is precious moment than you need to set up a camp by the beach in a secluded beach area far from villagers home where turtles are usually come up to the beach. Isn't it wonderful? So, when you go to a beach in Manokwari, you can also do other activities such as bird watching around the coconut and ketapang, and mangrove trees that usually grow around the coastal region of Papua or you can hike into the tropical rainforest that is located in the near the beach.

One week ago, three Russian eco-travelers (Mike, Inga and Dima) went to Yonsoribo beach which is still under the Manokwari regency. It's only a two-hour ride by car to the beach. It is located on the northern coast of this town. The beach is not crowded by foreign tourists and it is still in pristine condition. They took some photos during their two days camping there. They built a tent by the road near the beach that is overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was Eastern Monsoon (November to March) where strong wind created big waves along the northern coast line of Papua island. So, it might be dangerous for inexperienced swimmers but it was the perfect moment for surfers to prctice their skills and agility playing on the wave crests with their surf-boards.

Where is Manokwari, how can I get there?

If you read the title of the blog, you will see that I have changed it into the Diary of a Manokwari Tourist Guide. Yes, I am now working on promoting eco-tourism or responsible tourism in this small town which is now the capital of Papua Barat Province. And I have written articles related to traveling inside the rainforest of the Table Mountain as my main emphasis on this blog. I also have uploaded many photos related to foreign tourist activities in this town. As a travel writer, what I want to convey in this blog is the tourism activities that bring positive impacts to local people, the main stakeholders of the tourism industry in this town. They should be the ones who play important roles in the development of alternative tourism in this region.

You might have read some of my stories here or at my other web pages the Manokwari Travel Guide. I hope you will be interested in coming to this small yet very beautiful coastal town that is located not far from the equator. Also, there are several other stories about traveling in Manokwari which you can click and read at the end part of the article. There are still many things that I have not written and yet many places which I haven't explored. I prefer to use the term explore rather than visit. Why? Because the word "explore" means going to new places, finding new things, learning new culture, meeting new people, appreciating new world. Sometimes, when we go to Papua, we will see that this huge island has got many new mysteries which are waiting for us to explore. So, what are you waiting for?

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

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.

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.

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

Is traveling with cruise ship still an attractive adventure?

by Charles Roring

Traveling with ships is still attractive for people who are not busy or racing against time. In my previous article about traveling with cruise ship or yacht, I said that yacht is more flexible for those who like to experience sea voyages that are not in accordance with regular shipping route. Whether you travel with large ship or boat, the speed of these floating structures is much slower than airplanes. So, traveling with ship won't be attractive for those who want to attend an urgent business meeting in Tokyo while he lives in New York. The best thing to do is of course going there by airplane.

People will choose ships because of several reasons. One of them is the enjoyment which they can get when they are on board of a luxurious cruise ships. Passengers of airplanes cannot move around whereas passengers of cruise ships can spend the long voyage time by dancing, singing, sunbathing, gambling, or just standing along the port and starboard sides of the passenger ships to enjoy the mysterious beauty of the blue ocean.

In developing countries such as Indonesia and the Philipines that consist of thousands of islands, traveling with ships is still the most affordable mode of transportation. Ships are vital transport vehicles for people particularly when they want to go to other islands.

Some experts might say that with the improvement in economic condition, people will prefer to travel by planes even in island countries such as Indonesia and the Philipines. Yes, they can be true, but the habit of living in unity with sea water has been the habit of millions of people in both countries for centuries. Remember Indonesia and the Philipines, and to some extent the Carribean are maritime countries. So, I see that there are many wealthy Indonesian who still travel by passenger ships although they can afford for the first class tickets of airplanes. Why they are reluctant to go by airplanes? Because the sea has been part of their daily live. And this has been going on for generations.

Even though there are now a lot of airline companies operating in Indonesia, millions of people still travel with passenger ships. The recent frequent plane crash shown on TV news is also one of the reasons. I don't say that PELNI, as the largest passenger ship line in Indonesia, is now in safe position. With growing competition with other shipping companies and the rapid growth of airlines especially for long distance trips, passenger ship line such as PELNI must improve her professionalism to better serve her customers. Ships have to be maintained in spotless condition so that passengers will feel comfortable and the crews must show respect and provide better service to their passengers. I believe that the market of passenger ships in Indonesia is still large and growing.

So, my answer for the above question is definitely yes. You will find it more adventurous if you bring with you digital camera or handy cam which you can use to take some beautiful pictures or videos of your sea voyage and enjoy them later after you arrive in your next destination. Also read: The interior of passenger ship and cruise ship and Cruise ship and passenger ship

Cruise ship and passenger ship

Cruise and passenger ships are ships that transport people from one port to another. Although these ships look similar, they have different purposes. Cruise ships usually emphasize their services on cruising experience for passengers aboard with various facilities such as restaurants, movies, sun-deck, swimming pool, sport centers, message and spa rooms. Cruise ships, to some extent are the same as hotels. In other words, cruise ships are floating hotels for sea or ocean travelers. Therefore, many cruise ships sell round-trip tickets and have voyages that are longer than passenger ships.

Between 1800s and early 1900s, passenger ships are transport oriented ocean liners that bring passengers and goods from European ports to American ports. Millions of migrants moved from Europe to America using passenger ships. One of them is the unfortunate RMS Titanic. During that time, the faster the voyage the better the service of the ships and the higher would be the profits they could get due to the reduced operational cost for every trip.

Indonesia's state owned shipping line, PELNI, operate dozens of German made passenger ships to serve the ever growing Indonesian passengers. Indonesia has more than 17,000 island which makes it as the largest archipelago in the world.

With the advent of large passenger airplanes in 1960s, travelers switched from ships to airplanes. For transatlantic service, the passenger ships ceased their operation in 1986 whereas in many other parts of the world such as in Mediteranean Sea, the Indonesian islands, the Philipine islands, and the Pacific islands, passenger ships still play very significant role in transporting people and goods. Indonesian government, through its state owned passenger liner - PELNI, has even bought more passenger ships from Germany to meet the increasing number of people moving from one island to another. For smaller islands where the number of population is small, PELNI operates smaller passenger ships which are constructed by local shipbuilders such as PT PAL. It is the largest state-owned shipbuilding company operating from Indonesian Naval Base in Surabaya city.

Passengers and porters in Manokwari of Papua were waiting for the just arrived Indonesia's PELNI's passenger ship, MV Nggapulu. The ship can carry 3,000 passengers. The ship was built in Germany.

As the largest archipelago in the world with tens of thousands of big and small islandss, Indonesia will constantly need a lot of ships and boats to support the mobility of its people and economic activities of the country. It is not surprising to see that every new year more passenger ships are needed in this country to serve the increasing number of population. The potential market for passenger ships and RORO or ferries in Indonesia is huge compared to cruise ships due to the purchasing power parity of the people. The same situation may also be seen in the Philipines where people need more passenger ships than cruise ships. Yet both countries have potential market for cruise ships operation especially for middle to upper class citizens.

While the market for cruise ship in Asia is still small, the market for North America and Europe is still growing but with high competition. Cruise ships operators such as Holland America lines, Royal Carribean International, and Carnival Cruise Lines are launching new ships to meet the increasing number of tourists who prefer to spend their precious time on various recreational activities both on board of these luxurious floating hotels or on exotic resorts in private islands of the Carribean sea.

With the improving economic growth in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philipines and other ASEAN countries, the potential market for cruise ships in this region will attract cruise line operators to invest billions of US dollars and Euros in building new cruise ships. It is now a matter of time for us to see hundreds of luxurious passenger liners and cruise ships operating along the seas of South East Asia. To realize this economic and business potentials, Governments of ASEAN countries need to be approached by investors to open their market for the development of ocean tourism and traveling industry through a number of deregulation in tourism sectors of the region. by Charles Roring Also read: Stability of Cruise Ship and The effect of turbulence on propeller and safety of cruise ship

Traveling with ship

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua Indonesia

Traveling with ships or boats has been a good choice for people living near the sea for hundreds of years. Ships help people traveling from one island to another.

When passenger airplanes were introduced some one hundred years ago, the number of people traveling by ships began to decrease. In recent years, the increasing number of airplane crash makes people worried about their safety. We can see that many airline companies release reports which say that they are facing bankruptcy. The real reason for the decreasing number of passengers, which they say, is the economic downturn. However, honestly we cannot ignore the psychological effects the news about plane crash brings to TV audiences. Although most of the accidents are caused by bad weather, some people who have watched such bad news are now considering of traveling by other mode of transportations.

In recent years, travelers are now considering ships as safe mode of transportation compared to airplanes. Traveling with passenger ships can be a boring voyage especially if the journey takes more than one day.

Therefore, ship designers or naval architects must design passenger ships as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Modern passenger ships now are identical with luxurious hotels. They have such facilities as swimming pools, sun-deck, restaurants, movies, library, fitness centers, internet café, gambling hall, shops and even conference rooms. These facilities are provided to help the passengers feel relax so that they will be able to enjoy the trip rather than feel bored or anxious when looking at the dark color of the deep sea.

Besides, providing various facilities similar to luxurious hotels, passenger ships have to be designed with the highest safety standard stipulated by classification societies such as LR, GL, NK, ABS, and DNV, to prevent accidents. Modern navigational equipment as well as inflatable rafts and boats are installed in passenger ships to protect the passengers in case if an accident happens.

Today's modern technology helps naval architects and shipyard owners to design and build ships that are fully safe for sea transportation. It is important to note that the number of ship accidents is quite low compared to plane crash in recent years.

We will see that with improved speed, and better safety measures, passenger ship will be a good alternative for traveling in short distances which only takes one or two days to reach a destination. Also read: Propeller Rake and Blade Thickness Diameter Ratio; Controllable Pitch Propellers; Material and Strength of Marine Screw Propeller

Traveling around the farmland of Minahasa

My travel story today is about going around the farmland of Minahasa. After arriving at Sam Ratulangie international airport and staying for one day in one of the hotels in Manado city, the next day, you will want to begin your tour around Minahasa highland. What place will you visit first? I will suggest that you go to Tomohon. It is not far from Manado, the capital of the Province of North Sulawesi.

Tomohon municipality is a small town located around 45 minutes drive from Manado. It is also called as Kota Pelajar or Town of Students. There are a lot of schools in this town. Here, tourists can enjoy the fresh cool air of the town and visit the traditional gardens the local farmers are working on. They grow vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, onion, cauliflower, and read beans. Many farmers also grow flowers. After taking pictures and talking with the farmers, you might become hungry. There are many restaurants along the Jalan Raya Tomohon serving local, Chinese and Western cuisines. Or you might want to go to all you can eat restaurants in Kasuang. It is not far from Tomohon. If you take bendi, you need around fifteen to twenty minutes to reach Kasuang. The price of food per one package of lunch is around 25,000 rupiahs. While you eat, local singers will sing songs. Sometimes they ask you to sing with together. For the drinks, there is a palm sap called saguer. When drunk cool, you will not only need one glass but at least three glasses.

Farmland in the slope of Mount Mahawu

After having lunch in Kasuang, you will have many options of places to visit. You can continue your trip to Tondano or travel to Sonder. In Tondano, you will be welcomed with vast area of paddy field scattered along the bank of Tondano lake. If you go to Sonder, you will be able to visit fish ponds along the river heading to Tincep village. Sonder is famous for its Terapung restaurant. The local farmers there grow clove, the raw material for Indonesian kretek cigarette. The clove blooms every one or two years depending on the occurrence of long dry season. Different from Tondano which is mostly of flat plain, Sonder lies on hilly region. There is a small inn in Sonder which you can stay for one or two nights before continuing your travel to other villages of Minahasa.

My recommendation to you will be Kawangkoan. It is located further south of Minahasa. Farmers here grow peanuts, corn and coffee. At the entrance gate of the village, you will be welcomed with a large statue of peanut.

If you continue your trip to Langowan, you will see farmers plowing their farmland with cow or buffalo. Many Langowanese migrate to the US. So, don't be surprised if you see American flag decorating many big houses there. Well, I think I should stop my story right now. I will continue it next time. 

Also read: North Sulawesi Tour Package

My travel story about Minahasa

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Minahasa is one of the most potential tourist destinations in Indonesia. It is one of the regencies in the province of North Sulawesi - Indonesia. People from around the world like to travel to this region to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountainous region as well as the pristine coral reef of Bunaken national park. There are many travel deals offered by travel agencies in Europe, North America and some countries in Asia.

You can fly to Manado the capital province of North Sulawesi from major cities in Indonesia. There is a direct flight from Singapore too. Contact your airline company to check whether they have flight heading to Manado city.

During high season, hotels and inns in Minahasa offer special package to tour groups who book or order rooms several weeks in advance. The hotel fare per room can range from 10 US/night to 100 US/night. In addition, for scuba divers who are interested in traveling around the waters of North Sulawesi, diving operators provide diving boats and full accommodation in affordable price.

Minahasan cuisine is full of spice. Tourists can try all you can eat package along the restaurants in Kasuang or Tinoor. While enjoying the delicious food, travelers can see the beautiful view of Manado city or the panoramic view of Minahasan highland.

When traveling to Bukit Kasih (love hill) in Kanonang, tourists can ride bendi, a traditional horse driven cart which is able to bring you through the farmlands of Minahasa. My recommendation for you is that after enjoying the beautiful coral of Bunaken, you should carry on your trip to towns in the highland of Minahasa to meet the people and experience the unique their culture.

There is one thing that I have to remind you through this writing. If you are offered to drink Cap Tikus, an alcoholic drink, don't drink too much or you will not be able to control yourself. Cap tikus contains high percentage of alcohol. Tourists like to drink it at their hotel rooms to prevent having problems with the locals in case if they get drunk.

Minahasan are friendly people. They always welcome people from foreign countries with smiles.

I personally like to visit the waterfalls of Tincep and enjoy food in Sonder village. These places are so romantic and rich of natural environment. Here, the air is fresh. People like Tincep because it is the center of flower market. Although you don't go there to buy flowers, you can still visit that village to take pictures of the beautiful flowers there.

Traveling during this dry season is good because you will not have to cancel many of your trips in the interior region just because of the rain. The word interior here does not mean that the area is underdeveloped. Interior in this term means that the area is a further from the sea. Actually, there are still a lot of things which I should write here about the beauty of Minahasa region but it will not be enough to cover them all in one piece of article. It is better for you to travel by yourself to this region to experience it. Also read: Travelling with Passenger Ships; Travelling with Passenger Ships; Traveling around the traditional market of Manokwari

Traveling across the tropical region

If you plan to travel across the tropical region this year, this is the best time for you. Why travelers should go now? Many travel agencies now offer various travel deals to South East Asia and the Pacific islands where the economical development is growing rapidly. Hotels, air and sea fares are affordable to any tourists who are interested to come.

Tropical region is located along the equator. It stretches from the islands of Indonesia, the beautiful coral reef of the Pacific islands, the exotic tropical rainforest of Amazon in Brazil, to Congo - a rich country in Africa. Tropical region is now entering dry season offering full sun shine, and richness of biodiversity.

Travelers from Europe and the USA will be interested in enjoying the beautiful nature of rainforest in Papua and Brazil as well as the pristine the underwater coral reef of the Palau islands.

If you have decided that you want to travel this season, you'll need to make some preparations. What you should bring when you want to travel around the coastal region. After you have arrived at your hotel, you might want to take sun-bathing. During the dry season, the temperature is very high. Tourists or travelers are recommended to apply lotion to protect their skin from burning. This is important because it can prevent you from suffering from skin cancer. The lotion is also needed to protect your skin from insects' bites that mostly thrive along the beach.

If you plan to dive around the coral reef, be sure that you bring diving equipment. Check it from any damages or defects before diving. Don't forget to fill out forms provided by the diving operator in case of any accidents happened to you so that they will be able to contact your relatives or close friends.

Traveling without recording the happy moment will be one the most stupid decision you've ever made. So, don't miss the precious moment when you are visiting certain places. Most tourists bring digital camera or video recorder. But don't forget to also bring rechargeable batteries and their charging equipment. Sometimes, when you take a vacation in remote region you will not find shops that sell them.

Suppose that you like hiking and traveling through the forest of Papua to enjoy bird watching and orchid observation will be your choice this season. If that's your travel plan then don't forget to bring portable tent for camping. In addition, you will need some medicine such as mosquito repellent lotion and anti-malaria pills.

Tourists or travelers who want to explore the tropical rainforest of West Papua and Amazon in Brazil must be accompanied with local guides with them. Also it is recommended that tourists or travelers do not bring flammable material such as kerosene, or matches with them into the forest. This is good to avoid forest fires. Bring canned food or biscuits so you don't have to cook in the forest. If your stay inside the forest is long and you'll have to cook, then you have to water the wood ember to completely extinguish it.

These are some of my suggestions to you if you plan to travel to tropical region this season. If you have finished traveling, don't forget to write me and tell some of your travel stories. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia Also read: Travelling with Passenger Ships;

Traveling with passenger ships to remote islands in Indonesia

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Travelling from one to another island in Indonesia is mostly done by passenger ships. There are around 18,000 islands in Indonesia. Therefore, ships play very important role as a means of sea transportation carrying millions of passengers and cargoes every year. In addition, besides having high demand in passenger and cargo ships, with high number of population, Indonesian also need a lot of fishing boats.

For short distances small passenger ferries operated by both state and private owned companies offer affordable transportation service. For travelling in long distance, the government has provided many passenger ships which are operated by PELNI, a state owned shipping company.

Most of these passenger ships are constructed in Germany. Each can carry between 2,500 to 3,000 passengers. The interior of the ships has been designed to look more like a floating hotel than just a mere transport vehicle.

Foreign travelers who are interested in visiting exotic islands such as the Moluccan islands, after arriving in Ambon city - the capital of the province, can continue their trip by taking some fast boats. These high speed marine vehicles can travel with a speed of up to 30 knots. Depending on the type of the boats that you take, the time they need to arrive in such islands as Haruku, Seram and Saparua can range between 1 to 3 hours.

With high demand in ships, Indonesian ministry of education has opened the study program of naval architecture and marine engineering in four state owned universities. They are Pattimura University, Hasanuddin University, Surabaya Institute of Technology, and Diponegoro University. In addition, some private universities also have such study programs.

For the convenience, and safety of sea travel, people who work in the passenger ships must be the competent ones who have got certificates from maritime colleges. Also read: Travelling with Passenger Ships; Pilatus Porter, a suitable aircraft for travelling across mountainous region

Taking pictures of people and giving the print outs to them

I like going around my neighborhood walking. I usually bring with me my Sony Cyber-shot digital camera. It is a compact device which I like to carry around while traveling. Whether I visit an old friend of mine or flying to other island, I like to take pictures and the surrounding scenery.

What will I do with those pictures? I use them most for my blogs. I write travel stories in insert these photos in the posts. The latest ones are the photos of local Papuan people who live some 100 meters behind my house. They were preparing a tent for Saturday night party. These local West Papua look happy when I shot them with this digital camera. I told them to pick up the print out the next day. Then I continued walking into the tropical jungle. You can read the story of what I did in the jungle at my previous post

Surveying the spring water in Table Mountain for Local Community

My travel story today is about a short journey to the jungle several hundred meters behind my house. I just returned from Table Mountain of Manokwari. I went there with Oom Cornelis to survey the spring water there. The purpose of this "expedition" is to construct a reservoir which will supply the local community of Kompleks Missi with clean water.

Clean water has been a serious matter for local people here although there are many spring-waters at the foot of the Table Mountain. It took fifteen minutes walking from my house to the spring water. I took some pictures a long the way to the spring water. It is located in a cave. The entrance of the cave is very small. One has to squat to enter the cave.

It was very dark inside the cave and I did not bring any flashlight. Fortunately, my mobile phone has the flash light, enough to guide me and Oom Cornelis to enter the cave.

There is a piping installation inside the cave from the spring water to the house of Catholic sisters of Manokwari. The distance between the spring water to the place where the local community live is 700 meters.

After surveying the spring water and taking some pictures, I have to compose a proposal which I have to send to the office of social agency for requesting the construction fund. It will take around one week to make the proposal. The office is a local government's body which handles things that are related to social welfare of the people. I hope that the local government will give positive response to the request of this local people. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua Indonesia