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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 04, 2008 07:00 PM Sorong - the west end of the Papua
We arrived in the night but I obtained a permit to stay in the cabin till sunrise.
Bye, bye "Bukit Siguntang"! Welcome to the Indonesian Papua!
Once they called it Irian Jaya... Very exotic place... Palms . Little fishing boats, houses on the stilts...
Sorong is a big town (for Papua) - 130 thousand people live here. I was walking from the port along the coast to the Tanjung Hotel. No problem with the room - for 100000 INR (like 10 USD) you can have a fan room with mandi (bucket shower and ski-style toilet).
Just opposite - 100 m away is internet centre - they charge only 8000 INR per hour - I just use it. Plenty of fruit on the bazaar - bunch of 16 bananas for 1 USD or 4 big mangoes. No intercity roads on Papua. Regarding onward transport it seems I am lucky again - tomorrow another ship is arriving here to take me to Jayapura... But the mosquitos are awfull here!
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Feb 03, 2008 07:00 PM Fak- Fak - here I am...
Do you think there is internet on the 2000- pax passenger vessel... Joke! The ship was built 30 years ago and they do not care about improvements... If you are bugs-sensitive it is not a place for you. I had a nice collection of bugs. Initially I wanted to show them to the captain but he is so friendly...
Yesterday at sunset we visited Key Islands - the chain of the low, green little island famous for the long, empty beaches and good snorkeling. Tho biggest: Tual and Langgur are so close that they built the seel bridge between... Nothing interesting in the villages - so this is a place for beach and snorkel lovers.
Today I saw again the Papua - we reached Fak Fak (sorry...) - the port with the spectacular location on the slopes near the entrance to the little fjord... Nice place to wonder for the few hours... And what a unusual name!
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Feb 02, 2008 07:00 PM Bandaneira - the jewel of the South Seas
I am happy that the second engine does not work so good... According to the schedule the arrival time to Bandaneira was in the middle of the night. Thanks to the dalay we arrived at sunrise. The place is worth to remember: a group of green islands. One of them is the volcano (I saw the lava flow from 90-ties). We sail into the narrow channel to reach little Bandaneira where colonial village is located.
In the past Dutch and British were fighting for Banda Islands - the reason was nutmeg - the locals pland it in the shade of the big trees. Before in the revenge The Dutch killed almost wlohe local population (I am happy that my country never had thecolonies!).
Now it is very atmospheric place with many ciolonial residences, old canons and the nice little fortress overlooking the village. Great snorkeling around... It is one of the most interesting places in Indonesia...
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Feb 01, 2008 07:00 PM Sailing Banda Sea...
The sea is so far not so rough. I am the only white passenger on board (2000 pax capacity on the ship). I introduced myseff to the captain. Now I have free access to the bridge. Today in the late afternoon we reached Kota Ambon on the Moluccas (Maluku - they say). Till 2004 here were fights between Christians and Muslims. Now it is already peaceful... Nice, friendly people, but the knowledge of English is almost zero...
Tomorrow we will reach Bandaneira - famous Spice Island...
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Jan 31, 2008 07:00 PM Bau Bau - like Bora Bora...
The ship was 2 hours late. When I embarked they announced that they have a problem with one engine and they do not know if they will sail... Eventually we sailed at 1 am...
Today I visided first port: Bau Bau with narrow streets, fishing boats and tiny wooden houses...
I like this twin names like Bora Bora... There were more of them on my trail: Niki Niki, Puka Puka on the Pacific, Langa Langa in the Solomons.... Our ship is also sailing to (hmmm... I am ashamed... you know: F F) there willbe new interesting name to the collection...
Food on the ship in included in the price: three times a day plain rice. For breakfast you will get extra one egg and tea, for lunch extra tail of the fish and for dinner fish vith boiled vegies... But I am sailing so exciting waters...
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Jan 30, 2008 07:00 PM Lucky me: I have the ticket! But where is the ship?
In the PELNI office they sold me a ticket for today's sailing of the passenger "Bukit Siguntang". In five days it it should take me via the South Moluccas to Sorong in Papua...
I have been in the harbor - no ships there. They say that "Bukit" must come in the late afternoon. We will see! After driving Timor's bumby roads end to end I think I need a little rest aboard...
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Jan 28, 2008 07:00 PM I have my visa!
I am back in the capital of East Timor. I just got my visa to go back to the Indonesia.. OK. It will be laundry day. Can you imagine how dirty and sweaty am I?
Tommorow there will be another 12-hours drive in the minibus trough the bumpy mountain roads to the Indonesian Timor. In Kupang I hope to catch the boat going to the Moluccas and Papua... So far no idea how to get from Indonesia to the Philippines...
Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Jan 27, 2008 07:00 PM East Timor - the real outback...
In the evening truck left me on junction - on the main road to Baucau. It was like 4.20 pm... The local people in the dirty, tiny shop were courious: Mulay wants to go west! No transport at all at this time!. And of course they were right!
100 m away I found "Medicos" - the remote medical mission from Japan... They are catholics... They were so surprised to see me there... They offered to me hospitality. Even basic rice taste so good if you are surrounded by the Japaneese friends!. I was telling my travel stories - also about climbing Mt Fuji...
Then they woke me up at 4 am: the only bus to Dili is departing between 4 and 5 am! I was staying on the road from 4 till 6.15 - the bus did not arrive! So I took a microbus to the next village (two tyres broken - one by one) then the next minibus, and the bus... It was very tiring way through the outback...
But thanks so much dear Japaneese Friends for your warm hospitality!
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Jan 26, 2008 07:00 PM It is me - yours Malay!
In the different parts of the world local people called me: ferenj, yovo, khaladja... Here in East Timor - when I am passing the villages the kids call me: MALAY, MALAY!
I was staying almost 2 hours at the outskirts of Baucau waiting for the transport heading further east - to Los Palos. Fortunately there was mikrolet (thet's hoe they call here crowded, crampy public microbuses) going east. I wanted to see Los Palos - once colonial town - now destroyed with many abandoned buildings. the main attraction is catholic church with national-style roof...
Then I found NISSAN truck going to Tutuala - the village on the eastern tip of Timor Island. 32 km of bumpy road. In the villages single samples of Fataluku-style houses - the locals do not care to preserve this interesting national style.
Do you remember my stay on Tutuila-American Samoa?
Now I visited Tutuala - the village with he nice view of the Timor Sea. Little pousada offers there overnight stay for 5 USD.
The beach is 8 km down... One more very remote place...
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Jan 25, 2008 07:00 PM Colonial Timor...
Till the independence in 1999 it was the colony of Portugal. I took a public bus to Baucau - second town of East Timor. There is no terminal in Dili - just come in front of Lita Supermarket in the morning - buses depart when full - no timetable and no chance to depart in the afternoon. Crowd inside - yes- there is a/c - the windows are open... the driver is the lord - stops for talks and to buy fresh fish. 3 USD only for 3 hours drive along the coast... You will pass nice villages under palms with poor churches... Nice hills overlooking the coast - great panoramic views...
In Baucau I found the guesthouse Laro sae close to mercado municipal - 10 USD per room. No fan, no mosquito net, no shower - mandi only - but this is old, clolonial, atmospheric place. There is more comfortable "Pousada Baucau" but they charge 55 USD per night.
Baucau has colonial - partly ruined Mercado building, the church and is located 330 m above the sea. o see nice beach I was walking down 5 km and 5 km uphill back. Good exercise but is was worth!
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