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July 2002, West Papua (formerly
Irian Jaya), Indonesia
 On
the way to Indonesia, we had an overnight stop in Narita
City, Japan. We walked around the city and enjoyed some
delicious ramen at a popular noodle joint.
 After
a long travel, we arrived at Jefman Airport, located on a tiny
island off Sorong, West Papua. The gravitational pull of the
coming full moon stirred the sea so much that day and forced
us to spend a night at a hotel in Sorong. We took a boat ride
to Kri island the next morning, but the sea continued to be
rough. After being on the boat for some time, we came upon our
destination.
 Our
resort was an absolute paradise in the middle of nowhere! Tucked
between a lush green mountain and the sparkling blue sea, the
eco houses on stilts provided a complete getaway from the normal
hustle and bustle of life more familiar to us. Fresh water had
to be hauled by boat from the next village, a hop-to-the-next-island
away. The only communication to the main island was through
a radio. Fortunately, a generator provided enough electricity
at night for us to charge batteries and keep away from falling
off the pier. There were many wild birds flying around, including
parrots and cockatoos. Some of these exotic birds were kept
as free-flying pets at the resort. Meanwhile, in the shallow
water baby sharks can be seen chasing after prey.
 Diving
amongst the islands of Raja Ampat proved to be spectacular.
There was such an abundance of fish and other marine creatures,
both large and small. The most populated dive sites seemed to
be around Kri island. We encountered schools of bumphead parrotfish,
large barracudas, and spanish mackerels. There were octopus,
cuttlefish, numerous batfish, and all sorts of puffers. One
of our favorites was the wobbegong sharks, which have nice sandpaper-like
skin. The cute painted frogfish we found were just as unforgettable.
We saw several species new to science, like the cousin of the
epaulet shark we tend to see at night, crawling along with the
lobsters that seem to infest rocky underwater structures.
 A
few times we muck dove. One special night, a round orange moon
rose from the sea horizon right before we entered the water.
That night dive was only feet off an island and we barely submerged
ourselves to do the dive. The grassy water revealed a variety
of muck creatures so wonderfully weird. Another memorable muck
dive was at an area that appeared more like a river, rather
than a sea. Because it was fairly shallow, we dove continuously
for almost two hours at a time! We found many pretty nudibranchs
scatterred about and colorful sea fans at merely 5' deep. Then
at the end of the day, we had a boat ride around the sprouts
of islands nearby, visited ancient burial sites, and ventured
into a bat cave.
  In
between our dives, we often would rest at a nearby island to
enjoy the pristine beauty of the surroundings while munching
on snacks. If we go far enough, we'd bring our lunch along.
At times when we threaded the water to get to a beach, we'd
find nudibranchs and cone shells (yikes!) under a mere foot
of water. On Saturdays, we spent time visiting villages, watching
the mating of birds of paradise, snorkelling, being lazy and
drinking coconut water. Life was a true pleasure while we were
there.
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