Saturday 14 September 2013 Sorong, Waisai & Kordiris Homestay
After 4 flights ( two Qantas & 2 Sriwijaya Air) we arrived in Sorong. The ferry wasn't until the afternoon so we adjourned across the road to the JE Meridien Hotel, for refreshments and the tourist office where we needed to buy our marine park tags.
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| Sorong Ferry terminal |
After a 2 hour journey, the ferry arrived in Waisai, and we found our boat for Yenkoranu Homestay hadn't arrived - they had expected confirmation that morning by phone and despite Kayak4Conservation confirming on our behalf, not having heard from us they didn't come out. Another homestay boat was full but another going to Kordiris Homestay on Gam Island had room and they offered us a bed for the night.
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| Travelling to Gam Island with Enzo of Kordiris Homestay |
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| Friwin village jetty - fuel stop |
Enzo and Maria manage the homestay - Enzo is the dive manager and Maria also runs the kitchen. We had a tasty dinner of fish (from Friwin), rice and local greens (cassava & tara) from the gardens. The snorkelling is superb with a reef right in front of the homestay.
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| Kordiris Homestay bungalow |
Sunday 15 September 2013 Kordiris Homestay, Gam Island & Yenkoranu Homestay, Kri Island
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| View from Kordiris |
As it was Sunday there were no boats available to take us over to Kri and our attempts to sort out our accommodation were only partly successful, we were now a day behind and as there wasn't much more that could be done, we surrendered to island time. The Kordiris boat was out going to church on Friwin but there was no fuel left available and they ran out on the way back to Kordiris.
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| Mangrove & jungle walk |
Papua Dive would collect us in the afternoon so we would get the kayaks, but we would stay at Yenkoranu that night, but couldn't get in touch with Methu's where we were supposed to be due to a wrong number.
A leisurely breakfast of savoury cake was followed by a stroll in the jungle with Enzo. It is a viney forest rather similar to Far North Queensland. We ended up at a mangrove creek with very sharp limestone karst underfoot.
After another swim and lunch of rice, noodles, bamboo shoots and coconut hearts in coconut sauce (with peanut chunks - I avoided those) we were collected by Papua Dive and taken to Sorido Bay Resort, where Kayak4Conservation is located. Tertius fitted us out with Kaskasi kayaks & gear, water containers, a stove, lunchboxes for our packed lunches and introduced our guide, Haja.
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| Tertius at Kayak4Conservation |
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| Yenkoranu Homestay jetty |
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| Sorido Bay Resort jetty |
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| Yenkoranu Homestay bungalow |
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| Pesky lorikeet |
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| Sunset at Yenkoranu |
Monday 16 September 2013 Yenkoranu Homestay, Kri Island - Methu's Homestay, Gam Island
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| Paddling the reef edge |
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| Sea star |
We had our packed lunch early at a beach along the way - lots of little hermit crabs, and arrived at Methu's Homestay at around noon. The tide was low and we had to edge around chunks of corals in the shallows - interesting big sea stars in this area.
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| Sawringrai Village - note the satellite dish! |
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| Bungalow at Methu's |
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| Sawingrai villagers |
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| Methu's Homestay - dining hut and bungalow |
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| Local longboat at sunset |
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| Sunset at Methu's |
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| Sunset at Methu's |
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| Dinner - fish & greens & a really big container of rice |
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| Dinner |
After breakfast of fried banana chips we set off for a morning trip around into Besar Bay - a large bay to the west of the homestay.
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| Breakfast -fried & sugared banana chips |
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| Fishing camp at entrance to Besar Bay |
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| Rock stacks, Besar Bay |
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| Besar Bay reflections |
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| Stone Archway, top of Besar Bay |
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| Bat Cave |
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| Sea urchins in bat cave entrance |
The other hazard apparently in this bay is a crocodile - which we never saw but apparently lives up the top of the bay - Methu instructed us not to swim there. The land in this bay rises straight out of the water, so I don't know where the croc goes when it wants to haul out.
We also looked for moon jellyfish but didn't see any. One of the rock stacks had a ladder accessing the top of the stack - we climbed up to a lovely view of sparkling turquoise waters.
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| An abundance of rock stacks |
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| 'Anchoring' at Manta Point |
We snorkelled around under the jetty for a while - wonderful fish and encrusting corals. Some of the village children were jumping in the water - some as young as toddlers leaping off the jetty into deep water and swimming back.
We were back in time for dinner but the clouds were building up...
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| Arborek jetty |
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| Neil snorkelling at Arborek |
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| Arborek village |
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| Children swimming at Arborek |
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| Encrusting corals on the jetty pylons |
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| Contrasting boats |
Wednesday 18 September 2013 Korbekwan Homestay, Gam Island
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| The path to the shore |
The day started with a rain shower, which delayed not only our departure but also the lunchbox - we got going at 1100, but it was only a short paddle - it had looked longer on the map but the homestay was a bit closer than it looked on the map - only about 8km.
We arrived at lunchtime at low tide - there is a deep water entry with a sloping ladder off the end of the jetty we were directed to but I could see the possibility of gear being dropped in the water so we picked our way through the corals and unloaded in shallow water. This was our first over water bungalow - 2 bedrooms and a sitting area. The owners have a separate bungalow and cooking shelter. The bathroom hut is an interesting stroll along a narrow plank walkway to the shore. A horde of spooky looking white jelly fish lay upside down on the sea floor amongst the mangroves, waiting for a meal to float past.
After lunch we snorkelled and relaxed. The ladder off the jetty end provided an ideal entry right onto the reef. Soft corals abounded and there were several very large clams (up to 1m) right next to the jetty.
We arrived at lunchtime at low tide - there is a deep water entry with a sloping ladder off the end of the jetty we were directed to but I could see the possibility of gear being dropped in the water so we picked our way through the corals and unloaded in shallow water. This was our first over water bungalow - 2 bedrooms and a sitting area. The owners have a separate bungalow and cooking shelter. The bathroom hut is an interesting stroll along a narrow plank walkway to the shore. A horde of spooky looking white jelly fish lay upside down on the sea floor amongst the mangroves, waiting for a meal to float past.
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| Korbekwan Homestay |
We had met the owner, Daniel Mambraser at Methu's and he is from the same village, so they were expecting us and lunch appeared immediately so we had two lunches including the lunchbox. Fortunately fishfeeding with leftover rice is a regular occurence here as we could never get through the generous container of steamed rice.
After lunch we snorkelled and relaxed. The ladder off the jetty end provided an ideal entry right onto the reef. Soft corals abounded and there were several very large clams (up to 1m) right next to the jetty.
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| Ladder to the reef |
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| Soft & hard coral |
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| Angel fish |
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| Giant Clam |
Thursday 19 September 2013 Beach camp, western side Gam Island
The day began with a fairly strong squall - the strongest winds of the trip that raised waves of just over 1/2m breaking over the reef and coming up alarmingly close to the floor of the bungalow. We waited it out, helped by the appearance of second breakfast / first lunch at 0930. Once the wind dropped our lunchboxes arrived (2nd lunch) and we departed at around 1100.
This was to be our longest paddle and we were heading for a beach on the other side of the island, about 24km. Not a long paddle but in the steamy heat it is harder than in temperate climates.
Within a short while the skies cleared completely and the sun beat down. We passed between the western end of Gam and a small island, pulling in at a fishing camp for lunch and a swim amongst the soft corals.
We then paddled across a broad bay to the channel between Pef and Gam, passing a large fishing vessel. There is a large mangrove bay here but we didn't enter it as Methu warned us there were crocodiles there. As we approached this bay, Haja asked if we were tired and if we would like to stop for a rest. We said we weren't tired but were happy to stop - thinking it was odd as we were nearly to where I thought we were heading to camp, but then we saw that three Papua Dive boats pull up - Haja's friends the dive guides and were serving lunch - so we had lunch number three - fresh fruit and chicken a welcome meal.
Next stop was a pearl farm, to sign the register and get a permit to camp in the area, before we paddled around the next headland to our beach camp. After Haja had pruned the site with his big knife, we set up our tarp camp and net, and helped Haja with the unfamiliar tent. Dinner was a bit challenging as the MSR stove pump we hired was not working and the service kit incomplete. Haja made a fire from coconut husks and twigs, which put a thick layer of resinous soot on the pots. The BackCountry meal (Honey Soy Chicken) was not a success after the fresh fish we had been eating at the homestays and was a poor substitute for our home-dried meals we use when kayak camping in Australia. We had bought some fresh food but it was already spoiling in the heat. Good thing we had already had 3 lunches but we felt sorry for Haja being subjected to this meal!
We went to bed early. Haja had visitors who boated in and stayed for an hour. I awoke at 0430 to bright moonlight as the moon set.
Friday 20 September 2013 Teluk Kaboie Homestay, The Passage, Gam Island
This was to be our longest paddle and we were heading for a beach on the other side of the island, about 24km. Not a long paddle but in the steamy heat it is harder than in temperate climates.
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| Blue skies after the rain |
We then paddled across a broad bay to the channel between Pef and Gam, passing a large fishing vessel. There is a large mangrove bay here but we didn't enter it as Methu warned us there were crocodiles there. As we approached this bay, Haja asked if we were tired and if we would like to stop for a rest. We said we weren't tired but were happy to stop - thinking it was odd as we were nearly to where I thought we were heading to camp, but then we saw that three Papua Dive boats pull up - Haja's friends the dive guides and were serving lunch - so we had lunch number three - fresh fruit and chicken a welcome meal.
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| Dive boats and another lunch |
Next stop was a pearl farm, to sign the register and get a permit to camp in the area, before we paddled around the next headland to our beach camp. After Haja had pruned the site with his big knife, we set up our tarp camp and net, and helped Haja with the unfamiliar tent. Dinner was a bit challenging as the MSR stove pump we hired was not working and the service kit incomplete. Haja made a fire from coconut husks and twigs, which put a thick layer of resinous soot on the pots. The BackCountry meal (Honey Soy Chicken) was not a success after the fresh fish we had been eating at the homestays and was a poor substitute for our home-dried meals we use when kayak camping in Australia. We had bought some fresh food but it was already spoiling in the heat. Good thing we had already had 3 lunches but we felt sorry for Haja being subjected to this meal!
We went to bed early. Haja had visitors who boated in and stayed for an hour. I awoke at 0430 to bright moonlight as the moon set.
Friday 20 September 2013 Teluk Kaboie Homestay, The Passage, Gam Island
We rose at 0630 and breakfasted on noodles and tinned tuna (not a patch on fresh fish!), and an orange. By this time Haja had informed us there were crocs at the northern end of Kaboie Bay and he was not comfortable with us camping up there, so we agreed to spend an extra couple of days at the homestay just inside the Passage between Waigeo and Gam. Not a hard choice given the much better quality of food in the homestays.
We explored a large bay with a difficult to spot entrance - the well named Hidden Bay. It is a narrow channel with good tidal flow opening up to a small tranquil bay with karst tower island rising up. There is the beginning of a homestay being built that seems to have stalled, but when it is finished it will close the gap and provide the completion of the homestay network all within easy day's paddling around Gam.
As we crossed the bay towards the passage, Haja diverted to the village to let the family know their homestay was booked - there is no phone coverage here so they didn't know of our booking. Our path was crossed by a large pod of dolphins, which dived just as they neared us and reappeared out of photo range!
Haja rejoined us at the start of the passage and we paddled through this narrow channel, exploring some of the caves that could be paddled into. The Passage then opened out into a large, karst tower island filled bay and we turned along the Gam coastline to the homestay, tucked away in a small bay behind some islands.
Just after we arrived a dilapidated liveaboard arrived with a French family on board - they pretty much took over the place, including the owners' bungalow. They had planned on sleeping there and if we hadn't got there first we wouldn't have got a bed. This is really the place where the booking system falls down a bit due to lack of comms. The other drawback is the lack of bathroom hut (this has since been rectified).Washing is accomplished in the open on the jetty using water siphoned off the waterfall, but the lack of toilet was an issue as there really wasn't anywhere to get away from all the people there that evening. Some improvements to the situation were made later in our stay with the addition of some screens...
There is deep water swimming here, but for good snorkelling you need to travel away from the homestay as the nutrient load in the area has damaged the corals and caused algae growth. The best snorkelling is in the Passage where you can drift with the tide along the underwater cliff - lots of encrusting corals and siphonid type animals.
Saturday 21 - Sunday 22 September 2013 Teluk Kaboie Homestay, The Passage, Gam Island
The liveaboard departed after breakfast and the real tranquility of this isolated spot could now be fully appreciated. It was a wet morning, but still, so after an early lunch (1030) we paddled back into the passage and went snorkelling through the caves and along the wall. We then paddled up the Waigeo side of the bay, through a thicket of low karst islands, then back to the homestay for another swim and an afternoon snack of fritters.
We relaxed on the deck, archer fish circling underneath, shooting us with water in some misguided hunting behaviour.
The homestay owner arrived back in the evening with some nice sized fish for dinner - salmon and trevalley possibly. The lighting at this stage was a kerosene lamp - very nice and quiet after the generators of previous homestays, but by this time I appreciated that with the narrow decks it is necessary to have lights all night for safety and also because the family does a lot of their work in the cool of night. Squid were attracted to the light and our hosts caught a few on the squid-jig.
Next day was sunday and Haja declared it a day of rest. I think this meant he wanted us to rest - he and our host put in time getting electrical light set up and very proudly fired up the generator that night. As at Methus' the wiring consisted of short lengths twisted together - we tried not to look too closely at it.
We spent the day relaxing, reading, swimming and doing some washing. Haja didn't want us paddling off by ourselves so we went along with that though it meant we didn't get up to the top of the bay. Not a bad thing to have some down-time as it is a holiday after all.
Monday 23 September 2013 Jenbesar Paradise Homestay, Gam Island
We left around high tide - waiting for the water to float the kayaks high enough against the jetty to load. This was around 0900, after first breakfast - fritters / donuts and second breakfast of fish & rice (might have been first lunch as our lunchboxes contained the same).
We paddled along the coast of Gam past mangroves, limestone cliffs and karst islands. Rounding the nothern point of gam we encountered a slight headwind but enough little headlands to find lee. There was a good view northwards into Kaboie Bay, but it was another misty morning and it faded into the distance. A Makassan fishing village emerged from the mist - Haja explained that the people come over from Sulawesi - initially it looked deserted then more bungalows appeared around a corner to reveal quite a busy place.
At a sandy beach just west of the homestay we stopped for a swim and a snack - Haja climbed a small coconut tree and brought down 3 coconuts, which he opened up with his machete and we had refreshing coconut milk and soft coconut meat.
Arriving at the homestay late morning, all was quiet as our change of plan had resulted in being a day early. Haja paddled off to the village to find the host family and returned after a few hours under tow behind the family's motor canoe. Fortunately it wasn't going too fast!
We explored a large bay with a difficult to spot entrance - the well named Hidden Bay. It is a narrow channel with good tidal flow opening up to a small tranquil bay with karst tower island rising up. There is the beginning of a homestay being built that seems to have stalled, but when it is finished it will close the gap and provide the completion of the homestay network all within easy day's paddling around Gam.
As we crossed the bay towards the passage, Haja diverted to the village to let the family know their homestay was booked - there is no phone coverage here so they didn't know of our booking. Our path was crossed by a large pod of dolphins, which dived just as they neared us and reappeared out of photo range!
Haja rejoined us at the start of the passage and we paddled through this narrow channel, exploring some of the caves that could be paddled into. The Passage then opened out into a large, karst tower island filled bay and we turned along the Gam coastline to the homestay, tucked away in a small bay behind some islands.
There is deep water swimming here, but for good snorkelling you need to travel away from the homestay as the nutrient load in the area has damaged the corals and caused algae growth. The best snorkelling is in the Passage where you can drift with the tide along the underwater cliff - lots of encrusting corals and siphonid type animals.
Saturday 21 - Sunday 22 September 2013 Teluk Kaboie Homestay, The Passage, Gam Island
The liveaboard departed after breakfast and the real tranquility of this isolated spot could now be fully appreciated. It was a wet morning, but still, so after an early lunch (1030) we paddled back into the passage and went snorkelling through the caves and along the wall. We then paddled up the Waigeo side of the bay, through a thicket of low karst islands, then back to the homestay for another swim and an afternoon snack of fritters.
We relaxed on the deck, archer fish circling underneath, shooting us with water in some misguided hunting behaviour.
The homestay owner arrived back in the evening with some nice sized fish for dinner - salmon and trevalley possibly. The lighting at this stage was a kerosene lamp - very nice and quiet after the generators of previous homestays, but by this time I appreciated that with the narrow decks it is necessary to have lights all night for safety and also because the family does a lot of their work in the cool of night. Squid were attracted to the light and our hosts caught a few on the squid-jig.
Next day was sunday and Haja declared it a day of rest. I think this meant he wanted us to rest - he and our host put in time getting electrical light set up and very proudly fired up the generator that night. As at Methus' the wiring consisted of short lengths twisted together - we tried not to look too closely at it.
We spent the day relaxing, reading, swimming and doing some washing. Haja didn't want us paddling off by ourselves so we went along with that though it meant we didn't get up to the top of the bay. Not a bad thing to have some down-time as it is a holiday after all.
Monday 23 September 2013 Jenbesar Paradise Homestay, Gam Island
We left around high tide - waiting for the water to float the kayaks high enough against the jetty to load. This was around 0900, after first breakfast - fritters / donuts and second breakfast of fish & rice (might have been first lunch as our lunchboxes contained the same).
We paddled along the coast of Gam past mangroves, limestone cliffs and karst islands. Rounding the nothern point of gam we encountered a slight headwind but enough little headlands to find lee. There was a good view northwards into Kaboie Bay, but it was another misty morning and it faded into the distance. A Makassan fishing village emerged from the mist - Haja explained that the people come over from Sulawesi - initially it looked deserted then more bungalows appeared around a corner to reveal quite a busy place.
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| Makassan fishing village |
Arriving at the homestay late morning, all was quiet as our change of plan had resulted in being a day early. Haja paddled off to the village to find the host family and returned after a few hours under tow behind the family's motor canoe. Fortunately it wasn't going too fast!
Once we were settled in we went for a swim from the deck. In every place the coral gardens are different. Here they featured big corals and angel fish that circled underneath the jetty. A freshwater layer from a hidden stream made the view hazy unless you ducked down.
Haja organised with our host to do a bird of paradise tour in the morning - 0500 at the boat. we had an early night - very comfy futons on the floor and as this homestay had solar power, no noisy generator.
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| Momestay solar power and our PowerMonkeys |
Tuesday 24 September 2013 Jenbesar Paradise Homestay, Gam Island
Before we went to bed, our host replaced the dim light on the porch with a bright LED so that the place was lit up like daylight. At 1am I awoke to find one reason for this - the family were squidding and caught at least two.
We arose at 0430 for our tour - we motored for about 10 minutes, then a 40-50 minute walk up hill along a well defined track through the jungle. A bird hide of logs and [palm leaves had been constructed facing a clearing in the rainforest. As it became lighter the Birds of Paradise appeared- singly and in pairs. The males have two long curling tail feathers and dark orange/red wings - backlit in the dawn though they were hard to photograph. We watched the birds for about an hour, slightly disturbed by some late-arriving noisy tourists. Eventually white cockatoos arrived and scared the Birds of Paradise away, so we returned to the boat, harvesting greens along the way.
Breakfast was a very decent plate-sized snapper, crispy pan-fried - delicious, followed by an early lunch (at 1115) - two fish, rice and the greens.
In the afternoon we paddling further along to Five Rocks for snorkeling - some of the best coral gardens and fish in shallow water in the area. Haja showed us the amount of plastic litter washed up in drifts on the beach - most of it off boats / live-aboards he explained. The evening was very humid - maybe building up to more rain.
Wednesday 25 - Thursday 26 September 2013 Yendababo Homestay, Gam Island
We departed at 0845 after breakfast (fried banana) and second breakfast (fish and rice), paddling back past the areas where we had birded and snorkeled the previous day. We headed across to Friwin Island where Haja would visit the village and let them know we were a day early. We passed the village and stopped at the south end of the island for a snorkel while Haja visited the village - no snorkeling near the pier as that is where they fish.
A dive boat arrived - I had to swim out of the way but fortunately they did have a lookout and the tourists were taking photos of me. Children arrived from the village and played on a rope swing. The guides tried to teach the tourists to snorkel but they looked like they didn't get to swim very often, so they harvested some coconuts for a refreshing drink, sharing with Neil and I.
We paddled back to Gam and up the mangrove channel - a fairly wide waterway with corals and seagrass. At the other end we stopped at Kordiris to eat our lunch - Enzo wasn't there but there was a lot of building going on.
We arrived at Yendababo Homestay - building happening here too, with new bungalows being added. we were the only guests so we relaxed on the balcony of our bungalow. Dinner was a very substantial fish with rice, greens, eggs and noodles.
The next day was a rest day - we've slowed down now the trip is nearly over. We slept in until 0715 - the breakfast fish had already been served - Mrs Mayor had been up since 0430 sweeping the deck and raking the yard.
Around mid-morning Neil gave Haja some rolling lessons - not entirely successful as the kayaks have big cockpits and he couldn't get much contact with the boat while upside down. While this was happening I snorkeled the blue hole - some very nice corals and fish. Neil joined me there after lunch (the lunch fish was even bigger). Relaxing the rest of the day, with another impressive fish for dinner. we watched the little bats flitting amongst the trees until the lights came on.
Friday 27 September 2013 Yenkoranu Homestay, Kri Island
Our last day of paddling was one of the windiest - crossing the channel between Gam and Kri with waves up to half a meter. Rain was falling further west and made it a dull day. We stopped at Yenkoranu to check in and deposit our gear before returning to Sorido bay and Kayak4Conservation to bid farewell to Haja and the kayaks.
We strolled back through the resorts and reflected on our journey. We could have done it in a few less days - perhaps a day at the resort would have been good at the end too for a bit of luxury.
Saturday 28 September 2013 Return to Sorong & flights home (29-30 September)
Next morning the Yenkoranu staff boated us and some others back into Waisai, in time to catch the ferry, which was leaving around midday. We shared a taxi with another couple from California - they were headed for the Meridian, while we were headed further into town to the Luxio Hotel.
The rooms were very comfortable with a big western-style bathroom!
An odd soign - no trumpets allowed!
Next morning we were transferred back to the airport for the second flight our - on arriving at Makasser we found the Californian couple who had taken the early flight - still waiting for their connection when we were called for the Jakarta flight - communications for boarding were a bit hit and miss - hopefully they hadn't missed it. The flights to Sydney and Melbourne were uneventful.
Thank you Tertius, Haja and Kayak4Conservation, StayRajaAmpat and all the local people who are part of the homestay network.
Before we went to bed, our host replaced the dim light on the porch with a bright LED so that the place was lit up like daylight. At 1am I awoke to find one reason for this - the family were squidding and caught at least two.
We arose at 0430 for our tour - we motored for about 10 minutes, then a 40-50 minute walk up hill along a well defined track through the jungle. A bird hide of logs and [palm leaves had been constructed facing a clearing in the rainforest. As it became lighter the Birds of Paradise appeared- singly and in pairs. The males have two long curling tail feathers and dark orange/red wings - backlit in the dawn though they were hard to photograph. We watched the birds for about an hour, slightly disturbed by some late-arriving noisy tourists. Eventually white cockatoos arrived and scared the Birds of Paradise away, so we returned to the boat, harvesting greens along the way.
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| Bird of Paradise |
Breakfast was a very decent plate-sized snapper, crispy pan-fried - delicious, followed by an early lunch (at 1115) - two fish, rice and the greens.
In the afternoon we paddling further along to Five Rocks for snorkeling - some of the best coral gardens and fish in shallow water in the area. Haja showed us the amount of plastic litter washed up in drifts on the beach - most of it off boats / live-aboards he explained. The evening was very humid - maybe building up to more rain.
Wednesday 25 - Thursday 26 September 2013 Yendababo Homestay, Gam Island
We departed at 0845 after breakfast (fried banana) and second breakfast (fish and rice), paddling back past the areas where we had birded and snorkeled the previous day. We headed across to Friwin Island where Haja would visit the village and let them know we were a day early. We passed the village and stopped at the south end of the island for a snorkel while Haja visited the village - no snorkeling near the pier as that is where they fish.
A dive boat arrived - I had to swim out of the way but fortunately they did have a lookout and the tourists were taking photos of me. Children arrived from the village and played on a rope swing. The guides tried to teach the tourists to snorkel but they looked like they didn't get to swim very often, so they harvested some coconuts for a refreshing drink, sharing with Neil and I.
We paddled back to Gam and up the mangrove channel - a fairly wide waterway with corals and seagrass. At the other end we stopped at Kordiris to eat our lunch - Enzo wasn't there but there was a lot of building going on.
We arrived at Yendababo Homestay - building happening here too, with new bungalows being added. we were the only guests so we relaxed on the balcony of our bungalow. Dinner was a very substantial fish with rice, greens, eggs and noodles.
The next day was a rest day - we've slowed down now the trip is nearly over. We slept in until 0715 - the breakfast fish had already been served - Mrs Mayor had been up since 0430 sweeping the deck and raking the yard.
Around mid-morning Neil gave Haja some rolling lessons - not entirely successful as the kayaks have big cockpits and he couldn't get much contact with the boat while upside down. While this was happening I snorkeled the blue hole - some very nice corals and fish. Neil joined me there after lunch (the lunch fish was even bigger). Relaxing the rest of the day, with another impressive fish for dinner. we watched the little bats flitting amongst the trees until the lights came on.
Friday 27 September 2013 Yenkoranu Homestay, Kri Island
Our last day of paddling was one of the windiest - crossing the channel between Gam and Kri with waves up to half a meter. Rain was falling further west and made it a dull day. We stopped at Yenkoranu to check in and deposit our gear before returning to Sorido bay and Kayak4Conservation to bid farewell to Haja and the kayaks.We strolled back through the resorts and reflected on our journey. We could have done it in a few less days - perhaps a day at the resort would have been good at the end too for a bit of luxury.
Saturday 28 September 2013 Return to Sorong & flights home (29-30 September)
Next morning the Yenkoranu staff boated us and some others back into Waisai, in time to catch the ferry, which was leaving around midday. We shared a taxi with another couple from California - they were headed for the Meridian, while we were headed further into town to the Luxio Hotel.
The rooms were very comfortable with a big western-style bathroom!
An odd soign - no trumpets allowed!
Next morning we were transferred back to the airport for the second flight our - on arriving at Makasser we found the Californian couple who had taken the early flight - still waiting for their connection when we were called for the Jakarta flight - communications for boarding were a bit hit and miss - hopefully they hadn't missed it. The flights to Sydney and Melbourne were uneventful.
Thank you Tertius, Haja and Kayak4Conservation, StayRajaAmpat and all the local people who are part of the homestay network.
