INDONESIA
 |
 |
The first stop of our trip to Indonesia is Jayapura, the capital of West Papua (at the time
of our trip and until 2002 the official name was still Irian Jaya). Jayapura is a compulsory stop
to reach Wamena and the Baliem Valley.
In the picture some residual war equipment from WWII on the beach near Jayapura. |
BALIEM VALLEY
The Baliem Valley is found in the central part of Irian Jaya (West Papua) and it has been discovered
by the Westerners in 1938. It is populated by three different tribes with different cultural roots:
the Danis that live in the proximities of Wamena, the Lani in the West and the Yalis in the Southeast.
Traditionally the men of the local tribes don't wear any cloths but just a penis sheath and to defend
themselves from the cold they smear their bodies with mud.
The best way to recognize the men of the different tribes is the penis sheath. The Danis wear a penic
sleeve long and thin, the Lanis have a bigger one and the Yalis wear the biggest around.
In Wamena there is (or at least there was) a single road long just a few kilometers, so to visit the
nearby villages it is necessary to walk. So we hired a local guide and some carriers that helped us
with the backpacks. |
 |
Wamena is the gateway of the Baliem Valley where the Danis live. At the time of
our trip around 30% of the population in Wamena still dressed in the traditional way.
In the picture the market in Wamena. |
 |
This village is just a few hours walk from Wamena.
In Suroba we have participated to a pig banquet. The Danis had killed a few pigs with bow and
arrows to cook them on a bed of hot stones.
The diet of the Danis is mainly based on potatoes and vegetables, pig meat is exclusively reserved for men.
|
|
Sumpaima is just half hour walk from Suroba. Here we visited a family
that showed us the mummy of one of their ancestors. |
 |
In the picture we are trekking to the salt pools where the Dani women, from Yiwika and the
nearby villages, come to collect the salt. |
 |
About two hours walk from Jiwika there are a series of magnificent caves.
The place is called Goa but it is known as Bat Caves. |
| Inside the caves we found not just the bats, but also magnificent stalactites and stalagmites. |
|
Ambon is the capital of the province of the Moluccas. At the time of Dutch colonization it was the
centre of spice trade controlled by the East Indian Company.
The city was called, at the time the East Indian Company was at his peck, "Queen of the east".
Unfortunately the city was completely destroyed during the Second World War and all the colonial
buildings were levelled to the ground.
The Islands of the Moluccas are a perfect destination in wintertime as the dry season goes from
September through March. The islands of the archipelago offer marvellous backdrops for scuba and skin diving. |
 |
|
The Banda Islands are nine small volcanic islands located in the southern part of the
archipelago of the Moluccas. Bandaneira is the largest island and is the only one to have
enough flat ground for the installation of a small town.
In Bandaneira we spent a few days visiting some of the other Banda Islands, scuba diving
and we also climbed the active volcano Gunang Api.
The Banda Islands are among the largest world producers of nutmeg. In Bandaneira we had the
pleasure to taste an ice cream nutmeg flavoured! |
Jakarta is a big city congested by the traffic. Coming
from the quiter rhythm of West Papua and the Moluccas Islands, we decide to visit the
commercial port to seek some quite place. |
|
|
Indonesia 
