chefmaison

Our last week in Indonesia would be spent on Raja Ampat at the Biodiversity Nature Resort on Gam island. Biodiversity sent us a mail a few days before our arrival with two videos about our stay in the resort, and explaining the diving and snorkeling procedures. Via Whatsapp they let me know that only the nature park entrances had to be paid in cash, all else could be paid using credit card to which they added 4 procent. There is free WiFi at the resort between 5 and 7:30 PM in the restaurant and bar area. If you want to be connected on other times you better have a local SIM card with a data package with national coverage. I hoped my internet connection would work well in Raja Ampat, because I received the bad news that my mother was hospitalized and I wanted my family to be able to reach me at any time in case her condition should worsen. 

The ride to the airport took around 50 minutes. We were quite early and checked in. We had hoped to do some shopping at the airport, but there aren’t many shops at the Surabaya airport. We had a light meal, and just before boarding a girl approached us with an offer for the Blue sky lounge, at the cost of 145000 rupiah, which was not a bad deal, but the lounge did not look very attractive and we had to board the plane.

We had two seats at the exit doors, so we had lots of leg space. The Garuda airplane was not full at all. One third of the plane was empty. The flight was uneventful, we received a small snack, a piece of pizza, some salted nuts and a bottle of water. 

We had 4 hours between the flight from Surabaya to Jakarta and our flight from Jakarta to Sorong. We headed to the Garuda desk to have our seats changed since we hadn’t been able to check in for the second leg of our journey, and had to take two middle seats behind each other. The very nice lady was able to unblock the access on the flight and change our seats to two aisle seats next to each other. I ended up all alone with three seats so my husband moved and we shared three seats between the two of us, which is comfortable for a night flight. The flight time between Jakarta and Sorong is 4 hours. The plane leaves Jakarta around midnight and arrives in Sorong at 6 AM, there is a two hour difference between the two cities. We got a snack (a sandwich) and a drink early during the flight, the cabin then became dark, and I was able to fall asleep. One hour later, the cabin crew put all the lights back on, and started to hand out a warm meal with drinks, between 2 and 3 AM! Many people who had fallen asleep were all awakened by the crew to ask if they wanted a meal. After that the cabin stayed illuminated. So it was hard to catch enough sleep during the flight. The flight arrived on time and our luggage arrived as well, hallelujah! ( we would later hear later that one of the tourists in the resort never received her luggage during her stay)

Jamal from Biodiversity nature resort was waiting for us at the airport and immediately got us in a car that brought us to the Swissbel hotel where we could wait until 8:30 AM when he would bring us the the pier for the ferry to Waisai. We managed to get some sleep on the comfortable sofa’s in the lobby of the hotel. We were then brought to the pier where we could board the ferry. We had chosen regular tickets (as opposed to VIP tickets, where you sit in a separate airconditioned room), and were assigned our seats on the lower inside deck which is also airconditioned. It took two hours to reach Waisai, the sea was calm and the boat ride comfortable. The boat looks quite old and worn. 

On arrival we were met by another man from Biodiversity, who walked us to a small boat that brought us to the resort in about 30 minutes. We were welcomed by Ray, got a welcome drink and a refreshing towel. We had to sign two forms agreeing to the resort regulations and the diving etiquette and procedures.

At 1 PM lunch was served; rice, pasta, fish in curry, tofu and aubergines, and a plate of fresh fruit as dessert. We went back to our room to get organized and then to the dive center to find the right BCD, wetsuit, boots and fins. We took the fins to our room and went out snorkeling at the housereef in front of our room and at the jetty. There were quite some jellyfish in the water so I went back out to put on my rash guard. There is an abundance of live coral and different fish species to be found at the housereef, quite impressive, it really was promising for what we could see the next days. 

At five they serve fresh churros as a snack, from 4 till 7:30 PM there is WIFI in the restaurant and bar area. I still had a lot of data on my Indonesian Telkomsel SIM card that allowed me to make a whatsapp call home. The national SIM card made true on its promise. At 7:30 they served dinner; rice, fried noodles, pumpkin curry, empanadas, fried fish and chocolate mousse as dessert. During lunch and dinner you get to know the other guests sitting together at two long tables. The guests were a mix of different nationalities, American, English, German, French… After dinner you order the breakfast for the next morning. Most guests go straight to bed, to get up early to go diving or snorkeling. We set our alarm clock for 6:30 the next morning. 

After breakfast you assemble at jetty at 8:45, where the staff has already brought all your gear. After putting on your wetsuit, the staff brings your bottle/bcd/weigthbelt onto the boat for you to check. Then follows the briefing. The first day we dove at Mioskun and Friwen Laut. The boat brings you to the first dive, you gear up and the whole group gets into the water via a backroll from the side of the boat. The first two dives were quite shallow dives with quite some current. They just go with the current until they reach a place where the current dies down to enjoy the environment. The visibility was reduced because of the current and because there is a lot of food and plankton in the water. On our first two dives we saw a lot of beautiful coral, lots of small and bigger fish, turtles, rays, pipefish, nudibranch…. In between the dives we had a 45 minute rest on a deserted small island (there are cats though), where we enjoyed coffee, tea, water and some cake. After the dives you get a wonderful lunch and fruit platter. 

We bought a t-shirt and a dry bag at the resort. Around the restaurant there are some spotted cuscus that reside in the trees, it is a marsupial native to Northern Australia and Papoea New Guinea. In another tree we spotted a black cockatoo.

My husband had a spectacular sighting of a rare Dugong (lady of the sea), a kind of Manatee and a threatened specie with a baby on its back, during snorkeling that afternoon. They are closely related to elephants. At five we enjoyed a snack in the restaurant area, and again had a wonderful dinner and desert at 7:30 PM. We went to bed before 10 PM since we again had to get up early the next day. 

Our third and fourth dive was at Yenbuba, and Ransuar close to the village of Yenbuba, where we made a stop in between on the jetty of the village. Again the dives were shallow, with lots of different coral, we saw a crocodile fish, a manta shrimp, and a Bluefin Travella. On the second dive we spotted 7 turtles, two giant clams and a clown triggerfish. Again two nice dives. Just after lunch there was a huge downpour, which we waited out, and had a siesta before going out to snorkel. We snorkeled 1,5 hour, saw several turtles, bat fish, clams, a black tipped reef shark in between the beautiful coral reef. We tried to see the Gudong again just before it became dark and during high tide, but we mainly saw turtles who surfaced.

Our fifth and sixth dive were at Cape Kri and Chicken reef. Both had strong currents. At Kri we followed the current and ended the dive at a nice coral garden. At Chicken reef we started at a nice coral garden teeming with schools of all kinds of fish, where we hooked up (although it was not strictly necessary) and watched the many kinds of fish whirl by. We then continued along the wall following the current. On the second dive we saw lots of fish, schools of Barracuda, a black tipped shark, shrimp, giant clams, and ended quite shallow where the water was exceptionally  warm, almost too warm. I got stung by a jellyfish on the first dive. The dive guide put some vinegar on it what really helped to sooth it. We snorkeled the house reef again in the afternoon.

And in the morning there is always some kind of cake for breakfast, next to fresh fruits, cereals and granola, milk, tea, coffee, and a choice of different freshly made dishes, eggs, French toast, pancakes, banana pancakes, fried rice or noodles and noodle soup. 

On the fourth day we made a dive at Friwen garden and Franciscos peak, both are just a ten minute boat ride away from the resort, and have little current, which was good since my husband got a cold and had trouble clearing. The resort had given him decongestant medication and he also bought some eardorps, which seemed to have done the job, because he could immediately clear  his ears on the first dive, and with some more effort also on the second dive. Both dives are around 20 m maximum depth and have beautiful coral reefs. This time we spotted a devil fish, some pygmee seahorse and pipefish, a scorpion fish and a beautiful wobbegong shark next to lots of colorful coral and sea fans. Between dives you make a stop at Friwen island at a small fishermen’s village. 

In the afternoon the cooks cleaned the delivered fish on the pontoon and throwing the remains into the sea. This attracted lots and lots of fish and four or five large black tipped reef sharks who all frantically tried to get a piece of fish. We hung under the pontoon enjoying this wonderful spectacle. The fish weren’t too shy since their focus was on the food at hand. Under the pontoon we also spotted a large octopus, changing color every few minutes, adapting to its environment. Het was completely white one minute and changed into a rock the next.

For the night dive at Batu Lima (five rocks) in front of the resort that evening we assembled at the pontoon at 6:15 PM. You each get a torch. It is a beautiful dive, we saw sooo much, three walking sharks, also known as epaulette sharks, a wobbegong shark, several huge crabs, lobsters, shrimp, a blue ringed octopus, lionfish, a tawny nurse shark hidden under a rock, a morray eel on the hunt, a spot back coral crab and a porcupine fish. The dive is quite shallow, the deepest point was 7 meters. I had done a night dive once before, but this was a whole different experience and highly recommended when staying here. 

The next day was a full day outing to Fam islands, pictured on every tourist pamflet of Raja Ampat. On the way to our first dive site we met a school of about 50 dolphins surfacing. It took about 1,5 hour to reach the first dive site near Fam, Melissa’s garden. A really beautiful dive site with extended gardens of all sort of big size coral, in all colors with big size fishes. Again a Wobbegong shark, groupers and Napoleons, huge porcupine fish, black tipped reef sharks, … A real delight worthy of its name. The second dive after a stop on a beach where we saw some monitor lizards and unfortunately also piles of plastic and other waste, was at Fam Slope, a drift dive, where we saw hawksbill turtles, scorpion fish and large parrotfish in different colors. We then went to the view point over Fam Islands. You have to climb 300 steps to be rewarded with a beautiful view of karst rocks with blue lagoon water in between. At the dive sites and the viewpoint we, five divers, were all alone. We ate our lunch at the base of the stairs where you can also drink fresh coconut water. After lunch we returned with the boat to the resort, and somewhere halfway we stopped the boat for several Manta rays, reef and oceanic manta rays that were surfacing. They kept circling around the boat, a wonderful sight, their wings and mouth regularly coming above water. It was a wonderful but rather tiring day, and I got a bit of a sunburn, that led to a headache at night. 

The next day was our last diving day, and we opted for the dive site Manta Sandy, since the place where we had seen the manta’s the previous day was in the neighborhood of the cleaning station, Manta Sandy. It took an hour to reach our first dive site, Manta Sandy, where they had booked the 9 AM time slot for us. The site has to be booked since the number of divers allowed at the site is limited. You have to enter from a certain point with the boat, and swim around the cleaning station to get to a sandy area, where we as divers can lay down in the sand behind a row of rocks that form a kind of demarcation line you cannot cross. The first ten minutes nothing happened, and we feared that maybe we were not there at the right time, when suddenly out of the murky water, the first white reef manta appeared. Het swam around and suddenly a second one joined it, a big black one. They swam back and forth around the rock that doubles as a cleaning station. Many small fish hang onto the manta’s while they swam around. They disappeared, when a couple of large Giant Bumphead Parrotfish came to entertain us. And after that another white manta ray came for his daily cleaning session, and then another black one, we stayed there between 30 and 45 minutes. On our return to the boat we met a Wobbegong shark under a rock. The boat docked at the Manta Ray point, where we had some coffee, tea, water and cake and a rest between dives. It is never guaranteed you see a Manta here, especially since a week earlier some snorkelers had touched and held onto a the mantas here after which the site was closed of for some days.

For the second dive the boat had to go around the back of Mansuar Island, at the Wasandarek jetty and village, where there is a site famous for its huge turtles. We first dived to about 27 m depth, to see the yellow snappers hover in schools above a large field of coral, also spotting another beautiful large Wobbegong shark. We then slowly made our way upon the slope to spot about 5 large hawksbill turtles sleeping. They take their retreat here away from the current, so this is also a dive without current. The turtles are huge, about one meter wide and two meters long. Never seen such large turtles. They must be a sight when swimming! We also saw two cuttlefish. A last diving day with a bang!

The variety of the food at the resort is amazing, it was the best food we had in Indonesia. And the energy and friendliness of the staff is also exceptional. It creates a vibrant, feel good atmosphere. You get to know all other guests in a relaxing and informal way. No one claims a certain seat at one of the two long tables, so you often sit together with different people every meal, or you choose a specific person or couple to continue a previous interesting conversation. 

On our last morning we walked around the resort, trying to spot some birds, and walked the path up the hill they use in the morning to go see the Birds of Paradise that are endemic to Raja Ampat. We did not see the Birds of Paradise and actually did not see many birds at all. We came back after 1,5 hour really sweaty, packed up and took a shower to clear the room by 11 AM. We relaxed in the restaurant area and left for Waisai around 12:30 PM. We took the 2 PM ferry to Sorong where we had booked one night at the Swissbel hotel since our flight to Jakarta left the next day at 8:15 AM.

The foreigners always seem to get the front seats with extra leg room and enough place to store their suitcases. I guess the resorts book these spots long enough in advance to get these seats. Biodiversity asks to fill out a guest registration form a month in advance of your arrival and thus knows when you will take the ferry and probably buys the tickets well in advance to get the best seats on the ferry. 

We were on the ferry one hour before departure which is quite long. The ferry slowly started to fill up, and was obviously more than fully booked. There is some kind of airconditioning on the boat but it id not work very well, and the heat and humidity were stifling. By the time the boat left it felt like there was almost no more oxygen available in the compartiment. Luckily one of the passengers opened the emergency exit door to the front of the boat, so that air could come in and you could go and stand outside on the front of the boat. We sat outside a bit until the sun came out and it became too hot. Unfortunately the sea became choppy and for the rest of the journey (another 1,5 to 2 hours) I had to fight of seasickness. I hadn’t taken any medication against seasickness since the sea had been calm until then… If you arrive by flight to Sorong take a sickness bag with you from the airplane, just in case the sea is choppy and maybe take some seasickness medication just in case. 

Someone from Biodiversity brought us by car to the Swissbel hotel, just a few minutes away from the ferry. The hotel has ok rooms with very large comfortable beds. There is also a swimming pool and gym we did not check out since I was too tired and needed to catch up on some sleep after the horrendous ferry ride. We had dinner at the hotel which was OK, and also the breakfast is OK, but boy did I miss the wonderful food at Biodiversity! We asked the hotel for a cab to bring us to the airport the next morning. It costs 100.000 rupiah for a 10 minute drive max, which is a lot compared to what we paid the Grab drivers on Java! The Sorong airport is really small and there is nothing to do there but to sit and wait for your flight. The Garuda plane had really cramped seats, they do serve a warm meal which was acceptable and drinks, and give you a sandwich after your meal, strange…