The Lost Paradise

At The Lost Paradise

For many Indonesian people, Raja Ampat is definitely their dream destination. It is the place that everyone talks about but not everyone could visit it. Why? Well simply because it is expensive to travel to.  Raja Ampat became a popular place to visit in the last five years. Thanks to Instagram and other social media that shows photo of Wayag island scenery, which was really breathtaking. 

As a travel addict, this is obviously my ultimate goal and I have to go there. So when my boss called me and said I will go there for work, I was so excited. I could not believe it, finally, my dream came true. I came with my co-workers. There are 13 of us and twenty others from other media companies.  We were there for seven days trip to do news coverage about the annual event of the Raja Ampat Festival. 

The journey to the east was quite tiring and exceeding difficult. We took a direct flight from Jakarta to Sorong the West Papuan mainland at 1 AM, then arrived at Eduard Osok Airport at 6 AM local time. The trip took four hours flight. Then we continued with the public express ferry from Sorong Harbour to Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat regency. The trip only took two hours but it was exhausting. Honestly, I think my trip to Raja Ampat was full of struggle. Well, since we went there in a big group we had lots of belongings. Not to mention we did not have enough sleep on the plane before, then we had to wait for the ferry for five hours and it was full of passengers. The temperature in Papua was quite high and we can feel the heat. 

The Temperature Rising Inside Public Express Ferry

Tons of Our Belongings

We stayed at Acropora Cottage near Waisai Torang Cinta Beach or WTC. One cottage fits four to five-person, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. It was not really good but comfortable enough to have a good night's sleep. There are six cottages and it was all full of media crew. 
 

Raja Ampat Festival is the biggest event in the regency and is held from 18 – 21 October every year. It aims to introduce marine beauty and culture. Also, they held a variety of marine competitions such as boat decoration, volleyball, etc. They were also cultural performances by the people of Raja Ampat and residents from another regency. 

The most exciting part for me was actually a hop-on-island trip. I had an opportunity to visit a variety of islands that are known as the most bio-diverse marine habitats on earth. On our second day, we went to Mayalibit Bay and Blue River. It took two hours to ride by speed boat. The Blue River is a bit interesting because the water is clear blue so we can see the depth of the river and the water is really cold, also if you get the right angle to photograph it will be very beautiful. 

The next day I went to Piaynemo or Painemo Island. It was definitely a mind-blowing view. I have to pinch myself just to make sure I am really in that place. The view from the top is really amazing. You have to see it yourself from the picture below to understand it. 

My Dream Came True

I took every single breath calmly while enjoying the view. For several minutes I just stand there and stare at it. Then I took a lot of pictures and did news coverage. At that moment I was talking to myself about how lucky I am to be there. Later I uploaded one of the pictures to my Instagram and put the capture “My Dream Came True”. Another place that I love is Teluk Kabui or Kabui Bay. I felt like were in a labyrinth of giant karst stones. One of the most iconic is Batu Pensil, a huge stone that looks like a pencil. 

Dancing In The Rain at Teluk Kabui

Raja Ampat became very famous for its underwater natural beauty. It has 43.000 km2 and has four major islands; Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool. Raja Ampat has the biggest concentration of hard and soft coral in the world. It lies in the coral triangle that has the most bio-diverse marine habitat. Well, all of that fact means it is the best snorkeling and diving place on earth. 

When almost everybody is dying to go to Raja Ampat for diving or just snorkeling, I don’t have any temptation to do that. For me to be able to enjoy the view is more than enough. I love to spend my time on the beach, relaxing, enjoying the sunset, or just hearing the waves, but somehow I don’t really like doing any activities in the water. I don’t like swimming in the ocean, snorkeling, or diving. 

So when the boat stops in the snorkeling area near Piaynemo Island, everybody asked me to jump in with them and enjoy the beautiful underwater view. But I resist, It is enough just to sit on the boat and enjoy the time. But then they said it was a shame, how come I don’t want to do snorkeling in underwater paradise?

Soon I was tempted to try it, even just for a moment. I was a little bit scared the first time. I can swim but I don’t have the guts to swim in the ocean. I think it is because I can’t see the bottom and many sea animals. After several minutes of learning how to use a fin and snorkel, I gathered all my courage and swim to the snorkeling spot. And wow… the view was incredible. It was like in a lively giant aquarium but better. I don’t know the right words to describe it, since it was my first snorkeling experience. 

Thank You For All The Great Experienced

Seven days have passed my journey to the lost paradise is over. Like Nelly Furtado's song all good things have come to an end. I never thought my journey to Raja Ampat will be this amazing. It was better than I expected it. I met a lot of people and explored nature, and the culture, I even experienced an absurd moment but totally unforgettable. 

Raja Ampat, I’m in love with you and all the stories behind it.