Cruise Ship

Oasis of the Seas Destinations

2012-01-22T01:10:00.004+09:00

Oasis of the Seas as one of the largest cruise ships in the world sails around the Caribbean islands on 2 different routes, i.e. Eastern and Western Caribbean islands. Also as the premiere ship in marine tourism industry, the cruise vessel can accommodate 6,296 (guests) who are served by 2,165 crews.

The destinations for Eastern Caribbean are the ports of call of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For the Western Caribbean, the ports of call will be Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

One of the port of calls for Oasis of the Seas is Nassau. Nassau as the capital of the commonwealth of the Bahamas is a popular travel destination for American holiday makers due to its very close location with the United States (less than 300 km from Miami, Florida). The government of the Bahamas had to spend more than 30 million dollars to do the dredging of the seabed around the pier, and improve the facilities in the harbor where the ship would dock. Song of Norway - the first cruise ship in Royal Caribbean International's fleet also made Nassau as her first port of call. More than 60 percent of the the Bahamas GDP come from tourism. Since tourism is the lifeblood of the Bahamas such investment to safely accommodate the Oasis of the Seas is worth it. Here cruisers can enjoy shows and entertainment as well as tours around the city.
MV Oasis of the Seas are equipped with advanced navigational technology to guide her around the Caribbean seas. With such technology, we hope that the crews of the cruise ship will be able to perform their duties without experiencing any troubles both at sea and at ports. The Costa Concordia accident in Giglio island of Italy was most likely caused by human error. It is an expensive lesson for all of the cruise ship operators. Crews of cruise and passenger ships need to handle their vessels with care so that the capsizing of Costa Condordia would not repeated again - now and in the future. by Charles Roring

Cruise ships with all inclusive vacation packages

2012-01-19T18:22:00.008+09:00

Holiday makers often ask if there are all inclusive vacation packages offered by big cruise ships in the tourism market today. Honestly, I have never heard about the availability of such all inclusive packages from big cruise ships, except for some small and very specialized tours from luxurious super-yachts, because the prices will be so expensive. Every port of call that a cruise ship visits has a wide range of places to go and things to see. Most cruise ships do not include them in their cruise pricing. Usually the price of the ticket which a holiday maker pays for a cruise tour only includes shipboard accommodation, ocean transportation, most meals, some beverages, most on-board entertainment, transfer and sightseeing. Personal expenses during shore and land excursions are not included in the cruise pricing.
Trying to provide all inclusive vacation packages in large cruise liners such as the Oasis of the Seas, the Allure of the Seas or the Carnival Miracle and the Carnival Pride, will make the ticket prices to become very expensive for the holiday makers. In other words, the expensive all inclusive vacation tours will discourage people from traveling by cruise ships.

Land vacation service providers such as beach or island resorts or land excursion tour agencies can provide the all inclusive vacation packages within certain planned itineraries which they have prepared and carefully calculated the cost and profit. But these resorts will not provide excursions off their premises for free either.
Free facilities
Although most of the cruise ships do not provide all inclusive tour packages, they have a lot of on board facilities and activities (most of them are free) which passengers can enjoy while sailing with them. For example, the swimming pool, jogging track, central park (in Oasis of the Seas), lots of comfortable chairs on which to read or enjoy sunbathing. Those who like sport can try playing table tennis and going to the fitness center.
What cruisers have to pay
Massage service and spa are also available at massage rooms usually near steam sauna and salon at upper deck. Cruisers must know that massage service, beauty salon and barbershop, shore excursion and other items of personal nature are not included in the cruise rate. At nights passengers of Carnival cruise liners can watch music and dance performances at the main show lounges of the ships.
Carnival cruise lines even have developed Youth Programs that have been categorized into three main groups, i.e. Carnival Camp (for children ages 2-5, 6-8, and 9-11) where toys, arts and crafts are part of their main activities ; Circle C for young teens (ages 12-14) who prefer sports, and latest video games, and Club 02 for teens (ages 15-17) who like video games, dance and non-alcoholic drinks. These Youth Programs are supervised by staff with college degrees in related fields and have professional experience in caring children.
Most Appealing Destinations to Cruise
Today the most popular tour destination is the Caribbean islands, Alaska and the Bahamas. As the standard of living of people in Asian countries is getting better, China and Bali island of Indonesia are increasingly popular for holiday makers. In the next ten years, more families in China, Hongkong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Indonesia will buy cruise packages for tours in Asia and the Caribbean. Cruise ship operators in Europe and the Caribbean islands have to begin opening their businesses in Asia if they want to be part of the growing market. by Charles Roring

Cruise Ship the Legend of the Seas visits Port of Benoa Bali

2012-01-17T17:43:00.011+09:00

This afternoon I watched a news on MNC TV which says that the Legend of the Seas had just arrived at Port Benoa of Bali island. Bali as one of the destinations in Indonesia is usually served by cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. It is interesting to see that another cruise vessel, i.e. the Legend of the Seas operated by the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) visits Bali - famously called the island of the gods. The RCI has got 22 ships in its fleet - categorized in 6 classes including Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas - two largest cruise ships in the world sailing the Caribbean seas.

Bali is the most popular tourist hub in Indonesia. In 2010, around 2.5 million international tourists from around the world came to Bali. The number of travelers going to Bali is increasing significantly after the launch of Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) - a novel written by Elizabeth Gilbert in 2006 and later in the form of film in 2010 with the same title starred by Julia Roberts. The novel and the film depict Gilbert's spiritual or personal journey for self discovery in Ubud - a small town in Bali which has been the center of art and culture.
The recent cruise ship accident in Italy where cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground a reef near the island of Giglio, nearly 100 years after the sinking of Titanic, has not discouraged holiday makers from traveling by marine vessels. Titanic hit an iceberg in the Atlantic ocean whereas the Costa Concordia hit a rock in the Mediterranean sea. These marine accidents have raised questions to how safe cruise vessels should be designed and constructed and whether the current IMO or SOLAS regulations need more improvements to avoid similar accidents in the future.
With improved security condition in Bali and other tour destinations in Indonesia, the government have optimistically increase their target to 8.5 million foreign tourists in 2012. The arrival of the Legend of the Seas in Bali has been regarded as a positive development to marine tourism industry in Indonesia.
Raja Ampat and Manokwari - two other potential destinations for cruise ships
All of the cruise liners that sail the Indonesian waters have not put Raja Ampat islands, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia in 2011, in their itinerary because the regency has not developed adequate infrastructure for them. Raja Ampat has been claimed by international marine biologists as the global epicenter for marine biodiversity. Raja Ampat islands are home to more than 1600 fish species and three-fourths of the world's known corals. The nearby mountain range of Arfak in Manokwari regency is a world class hiking destination for travelers who want to watch birds of paradise, cuscus and blyth's hornbills. The Doreri bay of Manokwari is the best destination for shipwreck diving in Indonesia. by Charles Roring
Related articles:

Where is Bali?
Cruise ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas

Cruise ship stability concerns after Costa Concordia accident

2012-01-17T04:05:00.008+09:00

The recent cruise ship accident in Italy where Costa Concordia ran aground a reef raises concerns among vacationers whether it is safe to travel by a cruise ship or not. The Costa Concordia deviated too far from her usual route and hit the reef of the island of Giglio. Shortly after running aground the rock, her hull suffered from severe damage that allowed massive amount of sea water to enter the ship. She capsized rapidly forcing the passengers and the crews of the cruise ship to abandon her for safety. Until now the rescue works are still going on to search for the survivors trapped inside the sunken hull and superstructure of the ship.

Costa Concordia was an Italian style cruise liner sailing the West Mediterranean Sea usually on a 7 night cruise visiting ports of Civitavecchia, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma De Mallorca, Cagliari, and Pallermo.
Cruise ship and passenger ship have been designed by naval architects to have positive stability with the metacentric point (M) is above the center of gravity (G). If the point of metacenter is at the same height or below the center of gravity, the ship is said to be in neutral or negative stability. Naval architects who design ships know this initial stability criteria. They will always design ships including the cruise ship Costa Concordia and Oasis of the Seas with positive metacentric height even when they sail with full passengers on board and through rough seas.
Watertight bulkheads
The case will be different when the hull plating of a cruise ship suffers from severe structural damages that cause all or significant percentage of her watertight enclosures or compartments to loose their ability to keep the vessel remain afloat in upright position. Watertight enclosures or bulkheads have been constructed in merchant ships to protect them from drowning. When one of the compartments of a ship is flooded with water, crews will shut the hydraulic doors that connect the compartment with other watertight enclosures to prevent water from flowing into the whole area of ship's hull thus preventing the ship from sinking.
Balancing technique
It is also possible to flood one or more compartments of a damaged cruise ship to restore her to upright position when huge amount of seawater entering a certain proportion of the ship's hull and threatens to capsize her. For example, if a ship collides with a rock at her hull causing sea water to enter the front compartment, another compartment at the stern area of the ship can also be flooded with water to balance her position.
Advanced Navigational Equipment
Today, modern cruise ships such as Costa Concordia from the Italian cruise line company - Costa Cruise, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas - operated by Royal Caribbean International, have been equipped with advanced navigational equipment that are guided by satellites and radars. The captain of Costa Concordia cruise liner and her crews have more than enough technology to sail their vessel safely even through uncharted waters.
Judging from the nature of the accident where Costa Concordia deviated too far from her usual route in calm weather, the most possible causal factors of this accident would be the failure of the navigational instruments at the bridge of the ship or the mistakes done by the captain and the other crews of the ship - or both. by Charles Roring
related articles: Stability of cruise ship; Cruise Ship and Passenger Ship

Cruise ships The Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas

2012-01-07T19:46:00.004+09:00

Two cruise ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, are operated and owned by the Royal Caribbean International. Both of them are now holding world record as the largest cuise ships in the world. However, according to shipgaz magazine on No. 6 December 10, 2010 edition, the Allure of the Seas is 5 centimeters longer than her sister. The LOA (Length Overall) of the ships is 361 meters. If we compare these modern cruise ships to Titanic - the most famous Trans-Atlantic passenger ship, her LOA was only 269 meters. Cruise ship Allure of the Seas is served by 2,384 crews whereas the Oasis of the Seas by 2,394 crews.

For February 2012, Allure of the Seas offers a 3 night trip to the Bahamas with rates starting from 499 US dollars for interior staterooms to 999 USD for suite/deluxe rooms. She will bring her guests to CocoCay, a private island in the Bahamas that belongs to Royal Caribbean International where they can enjoy swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling. Another interesting attraction of the Bahamas itinerary is feeding the stingray at Blackbeard Cay. Both the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas sail the Caribbean seas.
Lovers of coffee based bavarages can now enjoy coffee latte served by trained baristas from the first floating Starbucks cafe on boad cruise ship M.S. the Allure of the Seas on her Royal Promenade deck. The pricing for the coffees will be similar to the ones which customers usually pay at on land Starbucks.
Evironmentalists have expressed their concerns on the impacts which giant cruise ships cause to marine environments particulary on the coral reefs that thrive at or near the ports in the Caribbean islands where the ships regularly visit.
Costa Concordia accident and possible cause of her rapid capsize in shallow water
In addition, the recent Costa Concordia accident in Italy has raised concerns about the need to limit the number of passengers a cruise ship can carry. Costa Concordia ran aground a reef in well charted waters of Giglio island and capsized quickly. Shallow water around the reef might be the main cause for her rapid capsize. A ship that runs a ground a reef or sand will sit on it with shallow water around. This will make her loose significant hydrostatic pressure on much of the surface of her hull. When the weight of the ship that is concentrated on her center of gravity cannot be balanced by the hydrostatic pressure that is concentrated in her Center of Buoyancy, she will capsize easily. The center of buoyancy of the ship will move lower to the keel area where the hull was now supported by the reef creating a couple force with the weight of the ship that turn her into the sea. This accident reminds people about a tragic accident of the sinking of ocean liner RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic in the Atlantic ocean in April 1912. The accident claimed more than 1,500 lives.
Such accident where ships run a ground or run over a reef is not a new thing in maritime history. Naval architects who design ships have calculated the hydrostatic and stability properties of the marine vessels to make sure that they are safe and stable before they are constructed. Ships are designed to float in upright position on the water and not on a very shallow water on a reef. So, the possible causes of the accident might be some failure in navigational instruments or devices or human error. by Charles Roring

Oasis of the Seas Pricing for Budget Traveler in February 2012

2012-01-05T22:44:00.008+09:00

Oasis of the Seas cruise ship provides 7 night tour to Western Caribbean region to marine lovers. By paying 965 US dollars, travelers can begin cruising the Caribbean islands on Saturdays 4 or 18 February 2012. The accommodation for this price is the Interior staterooms that have two beds, television and a couch with a small table and a desk.

According to the official website of the Royal Caribbean International which I have just read today, the above price includes the shipboard accommodation, ocean transportation, most of the meals, some bavarages and most onboard entertainment.
Oasis of the Seas leaves her port of call in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 5.00 p.m for Labadee in Haiti. She will arrive in the morning at 8.00 a.m. on the third day. Oasis of the Seas docks at Labadee until 7.00 p.m. when she leaves the port for Falmouth of Jamaica. Then she sails to Cozumel of Mexico and arrives on Day 6. She will return to Fort Lauderdale again on Day 8.
Cozumel is a small tropical island in the eastern coast of Mexico. It is a famous destination for scuba divers who want to see the beauty of the coral reef or explore the San Miguel town. There are hundreds of restaurants in the island offering delicious seafood and other Mexican food to tourists. Jewelry, t-shirts and other handicrafts are offered by various duty-free shops at the port.

As the largest cruise ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is devided into 7 distint onboard areas. One of them is the Central Park. This public space is a nice place for travelers who want to enjoy the fresh air of sea while walking through a garden that has been planted with tropical plants and trees. Travelers can enjoy massage and other body treatments at Vitality at Sea - SPA and Fitness Center. Try bamboo massage or Thai herbs massage to relax your body and mind. There is also Elemis whose methods of treatments are based on the science of aromatheraphy. After receiving the whole treatment in the SPA, travelers can enjoy healthy food and drinks at the Vitality Spa Cafe of the cruise ship.
In addition to pricing for budget travelers, Oasis of the Seas also offers her suites on standard rates from 4,115 US dollars. With this price, travelers will get two twin beds (which can be converted to Queen), private bathroom with tub and a spacious sitting room with table and sofa.
Along the journey to the Western Caribbean islands, travelers can enjoy shore and land excursions on separate prices such as sightseeing and city tour in Labadee or adventure tour in Falmouth of Jamaica. For further information about Oasis of the Seas pricing, please, visit the official website of RoyalCaribbean International.

New Cruise Ship Terminal in Bali

2012-01-03T12:12:00.002+09:00

Bali, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, will be able to receive large cruise ships in the near future when the construction of a new Tanah Ampo cruise terminal is completed. The cruise ship terminal is located in Karang Asem regency in the east of Bali. According to the plan from port operator Pelindo III and local government - as mentioned in the Jakarta Post daily newspaper, the warf of the terminal will be extended to between 300 and 500 meters in length. With such length, Tanah Ampo cruise terminal will be able to accommodate even the world's largest cruise ship, "the oasis of the seas" whose length is 361 meters. Unfortunately, Oasis of the Seas does not have itinerary to Bali island. Tanah Ampo is not far from the beautiful resort town, Candidasa. When cruise ships approach the shore, passengers will be able to see the magnificent view of Gunung Agung, still an active volcanoe that is covered with tropical rainforest.
In addition to Tanah Ampo cruise terminal, another port which has been the port of call for cruise ships in Bali is Benoa. Upon the completion of Tanah Ampo, Port of Benoa will focus its services on cargo ships.
As the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, Bali received 2.57 million foreign tourists in 2010. The number of visitors going to Bali is rising significantly immediately after the launching of Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) movie which starred Julia Roberts depicting Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir in her spiritual and love pilgrim in Italy, India and finally in Ubud town of Bali island. by Charles Roring

Ganesha Bookshop in Ubud town of Bali

2012-01-02T19:44:00.001+09:00

On my first day arriving in Ubud town of Bali island, the first place that I visited was Ganesha bookstore. It was located on the corner of Tjokorda Putra street and Jembawan street. This small bookstore has a good collection of books about Bali and Indonesia. When I explored every shelf of the bookshop, I found some interesting titles such as the Ecology of New Guinea Volume 1 and 2, and Diving Indonesia's Bird's Head Seascape.

Unfortunately, when I asked one of the staffs of the bookshop whether she has "Birds of New Guinea," she said that she didn't have it. There are some Japanese and European tourists in the Ganesha bookshop. Most of them were interested in books about Bali that are written in English language.
Besides selling books, Ganesha bookshop also sells postcards, and maps. All of us know that every trade has its tools. Since I also work as a tourist guide in West Papua, I really need a good map to show the locations of places both in the mountains and coastal areas in Manokwari regency to tourists who want to go hiking, camping and birdwatching, snorkeling. I bought a tourist map for West Papua for Rp. 95,000.
Ubud is a small town which has been a culture center for Balinese people for hundreds of years. I really enjoy traveling around Ubud and I will miss this town so much when I have to leave it. by Charles Roring
Also read: Oil Painting Gallery in Ubud

Watching Monkey in Ubud Forest of Bali island

2012-01-01T23:22:00.002+09:00

Bali is the most popular travel destination in Indonesia. It is located between Java and Lombok islands. One of the most favorite tourist attractions in this tropical island is the monkey forest in Padangtegal village of Ubud. Here, you can see hundreds of monkeys (macaca fascicularis) sitting in the trees or walking on the pathways. If you go there, don't bring a big bag filled with food with you while walking through the jungle. Monkeys may chase you and jump to grab the bag particularly when you walk alone. There are a lot of villas, hotels and homestay rooms in Ubud. So, you can easily find a room for you to stay when you go to Bali - the island of the gods.

Besides visiting the monkey forest, you can also see paintings, carvings, or enjoy spa and massage services provided by various galleries and resorts in Ubud. The number of tourists going to Bali has risen significantly after the release of Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) film starred by Julia Roberts in August 2010. by Charles Roring
Also read:

Old and New Year Night 2012 Celebration in Kuta and Jimbaran Bali

2012-01-01T01:15:00.002+09:00

Several hours before the Old 2011 and New Year Night 2012, Kuta beach was crowded with domestic and international tourists. Most of them would celebrate New Year by watching fireworks, eating and drinking with friends along the beach or dancing on the streets while listening to disco music. Beach hotels in Kuta provide live music concerts to their guests. Kuta beach is located in the south west of Bali. It has been a must see destination for beach goers who want to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, wave surfing and watching sunset.

After spending one hour in Kuta beach, we continued our trip to Jimbaran for dinner. While waiting for the grilled fish, and squid, I walked around to take the night landscape pictures of Bali. I used Nikon Coolpix P500 to shoot the landscapes of Kuta beach and the Ngurah Rai airport. I had to try several settings of the camera to find the best one for night shooting. Finally, I knew that the "aperture priority auto" as the best setting for the camera to shoot the beautiful night landscape of Jimbaran, Kuta beach and the airport areas. There were not many people eating in Jimbaran area during the old and new year night 2012 celebration. That's why we could enjoy the delicious sea food dinner that was served at around 7.30 p.m. While I am writing this short article inside a bungalow in Ubud, the sounds of fireworks are exploding in the air. Ubud is the town where a novel portrayed Elizabeth Gilbert personal life and movie Eat Pray and Love which starred Julia Robert were written and filmed. The computer clock on the bottom right corner of this laptop indicates that it is 23.58 Bali time. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas 25 Dec 2011 and Happy New Year 1 January 2012. A healthy and beautiful life are waiting for you in the coming days. by Charles Roring
Also read: Where is Bali?

Air Asia Promotion in Ubud Bali

2011-12-30T18:54:00.001+09:00

Air Asia has just launched a unique promotional campaign in Ubud, a small tourist town in Bali island. Every year millions of travelers visit the island of the gods. Most of them go by airplanes. In order to attract more customers, Air Asia hire several cyclists to ride their bicycles around the town. There is a small carriage attached at the back of each bicycle with red banner from Air Asia. "We give you the world - Fly thru from Bali to Tokyo, China, Taipei, Osaka, and Korea." This ads campaign can easily attract the attention of pedestrians on the streets of Ubud. Located in the north of Denpasar, Ubud became the destination for artists, dancers, musicians and Hindu priests, and the royality from Java when the Kingdom of Majapahit collapsed in 1400s. The arrival of these people triggered the rapid development of the Balinese society in all sectors of their life. Ubud now is famous for its village life, Balinese culture and art life that bring tourists closer to nature. Every cyclist wears Air Asia t-shirt and red hat. Bali is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. The competition among the airlines is tougher than ever before.

I like this advertisement campaign because it also promotes cycling lifestyle. When I saw three cyclists with the Air Asia banners, I stopped for a while to take some pictures of them. The way Air Asia promotes its services to tourists is excellent. I believe that more travelers will fly by Air Asia after seeing the ads. People in Ubud and other tourist hubs in Bali need more environmentally friendly vehicles to reduce street congestions which have now become daily scenes in Bali. by Charles Roring
Also read:
Flying to Manokwari
Plan your next trip to Surabaya city

The Magnificent View of Gunung Botak in District Ransiki of Manokwari

2011-12-12T12:18:00.001+09:00

Two days ago, I went to Gunung Botak (meaning Mount Bald) with a German tourist, Gertraud. It took around 1.5 hours by ojek (motor cycle taxi) from Ransiki to the mountain. It was my second trip to the mountain. The first time was when I went cycling from Bintuni to Manokwari together with some mountain bikers. We spent one night near the mountain before continuing our mountain bike tour to Manokwari. During my trip with Mrs. Gertraud, along the way, we saw dense tropical rainforest, vegetable gardens and cacao plantation. Gunung Botak is located in the south of Manokwari. Tourists who go to Ransiki always want to see the mountain because it has got a very beautiful scenery. There are no rainforest in the Botak mountain. Trees cannot go on the hills of the Gunung Botak because its soil is hard and lack of nutrients to support the growth of large trees. Only its coastal area that is covered with trees.

There are some fishing villages at the foot of the mountain. Traditional fishermen and children like to go to the sea with their outrigger canoes to catch fish. The seabed in the waters around Gunung Botak is covered with pristine coral reef. The coral reef is the tropical rainforest of the ocean. That's why this marine environment is the habitat of thousands of species of marine animals and plants.
While I was taking pictures of the surrounding scenery, I saw some Papuan boys and children walking along the road back to their village carrying some fish.

The sea has been the source of food for them. There are not many tourists visiting Gunung Botak. I hope that one day, I can return to this Gunung Botak to see its beautiful scenery and friendly Papuan people again. by Charles Roring

Tropical house Ventilation and Air Filter System

2011-12-04T22:26:00.001+09:00

How should the ventilation system be installed in a tropical house?
Jalousie Ventilation
In tropical region, the average temperature is usually higher than in sub-tropical region. However, the humidity of the air is high. A tropical house has to have enough ventilation holes to let air flow smoothly into and out of the rooms of the house. The cheapest ventilation system that can be installed or made in a tropical house is the jalousie windows which ensure the passive coolings of the house. Jalousie is the most efficient ventilation system but it has to be covered with mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house particularly the bedrooms.

Natural Air Filter
If the house is located near a busy street, the air around the area will be mixed with smoke and dust. Smoke contain toxic gases. If possible, the ventilation holes should not be constructed facing the street. The jalousie windows can be made on both sides of the house. However, such arrangements are often impossible to be implemented. Most of the houses in big cities share wall on both sides of the houses and the only walls that function as ventilation system are the front and the rear ones. To reduce the number of dust from entering the house, finer net has to be installed on the jalousie holes (above the windows) and curtain and be installed on the jalousie glass windows. Another way that is very effective in reducing the amount of dust is by planting flower plants near the windows and decorative trees at the front yard. The leaves, branches and twigs and shrubs of the plants will be able to filter the air creating a healthier living environment.
Today, house design software such as Archicad has been used by architects to design houses that is more integrated to the environment using its eco-designer features.

Indonesian Coast Guard Boat in Manokwari Harbor

2011-11-08T23:17:00.001+09:00

When I was in Manokwari harbor last month, I saw a mono-hull fast boat parking at the pier. The background of this boat was the building of West Papua's provincial house of representative. It belongs to KPLP which stands for Kesatuan Penjagaan Laut dan Pantai or simply the coast guard of Indonesia. Because most of its hull and superstructure are made of FRP material, the boat is light and can move very fast on the water.

I didn't see any armaments installed on the main deck of the boat. Perhaps only the Indonesian navy that is allowed to have guns aboard their patrol boats and ships to defend the territory of Indonesian. So, the main task of the KPLP boat, perhaps, is to oversee the water from smugglers, or foreign fishing boats. I did not have any chances of exploring its interior because there was no one inside the boat. In my opinion, it looks more like a pleasure boat than a coast guard boat.
To run in higher speed on the surface of the water, the boat needs to have smaller block coefficient and powerful engine. Smaller Cb will compromise the size and arrangement of the rooms inside the hull. Because patrol boat is used mostly for one day trip at sea, it will not be a problem for its crews. by Charles Roring
Also read: Inflatable boat

Archicad Tutorials

2011-11-08T11:19:00.001+09:00

A lot of people land on this blog after typing archicad on the search engine. I know that I used to discuss a number of features of the BIM software that are related to house design but now I don't write about them anymore. Sometimes I talk about wooden house design or present my own building design that I make using Google Sketchup, another 3D modelling software that can be used by architects or other designers to visualize their design concepts on the computer screen in 3D models.
Since Archicad 12, Graphisoft as the company that creates the BIM software, a special add on called EcoDesigner has been introduced to help architects make evaluation about the energy consumption of the buildings or houses which they design. Because most of the house owners demand their houses to be environmentally friendly or consume less energy, architects need the EcoDesigner add on to assess whether their designs have met the requirements or not.
So, if you are looking for tutorials on how to use Archicad, you can read my old posts or go to the official website of Archicad i.e., Graphisoft.com and then click the Education tab at the top bar of the website. There, you will find a lot of training modules that have been prepared for anybody who is willing to master the architectural software. Graphisoft develops the software for architects but not for naval architects who study ship design. The appropriate software for them are Delftship, Maxsurf, Rhino Marine and etc.
My articles about Archicad
Archicad 12 software for Architects
Archicad promotion in Indonesia
Archicad and Revit for House Design
Creating a rounded corner wall in Archicad
Designing simple bedroom with Archicad
Designing round wall room with Archicad
Dimensioning of round wall in Archicad
How to design roof with Archicad

FRP Boat used by a fisherman in Manokwari bay

2011-11-07T19:22:00.000+09:00

FRP or Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic is a kind of material that is used in the construction of small boat. One day, when I was guiding some Dutch tourists to a jetty in Kwawi area of Manokwari, I saw an outrigger FRP boat that was approaching the beach. Its main hull was made of FRP material but its outriggers were made of wood and bamboo. FRP is light and anti corrosive. However, it is not easy to find FRP materials in Manokwari. That's why most of the fishermen still use wood and bamboo to make their boats.

Most of the outrigger boats are powered with Yamaha outboards with 3 bladed propellers. The Yamaha outboards are available in 15, 25, and 40 horse power. In addition to Yamaha, other outboards manufacturers are Mariner, Johnson, and Honda. But Yamaha is the most popular engine for the fishermen.
Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province in the bird's head region (vogelkop) of New Guinea island. Its waters is rich of coral reef fish and deep sea fish due to its location that is facing the Pasific Ocean. Tourists who come to Manokwari can enjoy fishing, snorkeling, or wave surfing. Those who like mountains and rainforest can go hiking in Arfak mountains to watch wild animals such as birds of paradise, cuscus and tree kangaroo. When guiding tourists for snorkeling off the coast of Mansinam island or Anggresi beach, I always rent a boat from a fisherman. His boat is not made of FRP materials but the conventional wood but its design is very similar to the outrigger FRP boat above.
Related articles: Wooden boats in the Dorey bay of Manokwari, Passenger boat and ferry boat in Manokwari harbor

Toyota Hilux Pickup Trucks the Prefered Transport Car in the Arfak mountains

2011-11-06T19:26:00.003+09:00

Here is the picture of Toyota Hilux G Series that is usually used by tourists who want to go to Arfak mountains for hiking and birdwatching. In Kwau village of Arfak mountains, tourists can watch bowerbird, magnificent birds of paradise, western parotia and various other species that are endemic to vogelkop region of New Guinea island. The steep terrains of Arfak mountains are the main obstacles for non-4WD cars to reach the mountains. The rental cost from Manokwari to Kwau village is 2 million rupiahs (return) which is approximately equivalent to around 229 US dollars.

Before the Hilux series pickup trucks were launched in Manokwari, people use Toyota Hardtop cars. However, these cars consumed more fuel to climb the mountains. As a result, Toyota Hilux is more popular now. Today, the main competitors of Hilux pick up trucks are Mitsubishi triton and Ford ranger.
The 4WD pickup trucks are not only used by tourists but also the local people to bring their agricultural produce to the city. The land transportation in Arfak mountains greatly depend on cars like these to support the transfer of goods and people to and from the Manokwari city.
I have to say that I am impressed with the performance of the Toyota Hilux because it is very reliable in transporting goods and people even in bad weather conditions such as the muddy unpaved roads, and the flooded rivers that I often experience when traveling to the interior region of New Guinea island. Toyota continually improves its cars through is kaizen and hansei manufacturing philosophy. So, when working class citizens are saving money to buy a highly fuel efficient hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, people in Arfak mountains are having their own dreams of buying Toyota Hilux pick up trucks.by Charles Roring

Traveling by ship-what does it mean?

2011-11-04T21:24:00.002+09:00

Ship is a vehicle that carries goods and people across the seas, oceans, rivers or canals. Ship and boat have been used by human since ancient time. Although most of inter-continental trips have been replaced by jet planes, there as still significant number of people who like to travel by ships especially the cruise ones. Cruise ships are similar to passenger ships in many aspects but offer more pleasure activities and round-trip itinerary which most passenger ships do not provide. So, what does it mean to travel by ship?

Longer trip duration
Because ship is slower than airplane, traveling by ship to certain destination will take longer time than by airplane. For example, for reaching Numfor island in the Geelvink bay of New Guinea, a ferry boat needs around 5 hours whereas a single propelled airplane needs only 20 minutes.
More Activities
To cater for the needs of passengers during a sea voyage from one harbor to another, operators of cruise ships have to build facilities and arrange activities that passengers can enjoy on board. Passengers will not feel bored because they can watch dolphins, sea scapes in the middle of the sea and watch latest movies or even swim and drink with other passengers.
More Goods and Passengers
The capacity of a big passenger ship or cruise ship can reach up to 5000 people or even more whereas the carrying capacity of the largest airplane is around 500 people. In other words, if we travel by ship, we will see more people on board and be able to carry more luggages. The largest cruise ships in the world such as the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas can be considered as floating towns because inside the cruise ships we can find a lot of facilities that most small towns need to serve their inhabitants such as hospitals, recreational areas (cinemas, gaming, swimming pools, theatres, etc.), sport and fitness centers, shopping centers, restaurants and even libraries.
More Wastes and Threats to Marine Environment
Ships that carry large number of passengers will definitely produce more wastes both organic and inorganic. They have to be properly handled to prevent them from harming the environment especially the coral reefs that are homes to large number of marine animals. In addition to installing wastes processing machines on board cruise and passenger ships, the passengers have to be informed to not not throwing wastes into the sea. They must dispose their wastes in garbage bins that have been provided on every deck of the ships.
Safety of Life At Sea
I already said that a ship can carry thousands of people across deep sea. The weather at sea is always changing. Today's ship has been equipped with radars, GPS devices and telecommunication equipment that will help him traveling at sea to its desired destination. Big waves often cause a cruise ship to roll on tranverse direction. This makes a lot of people suffer from sea sick. To handle people with this temporary sickness, ship operator hire doctors or health works who will work in the clinic helping passengers dealing with their health problems.
Faster Ship with Better Stability
Naval architects now have been able to design ships and boats that can travel faster across the seas with improved stability. Innovations on the hull forms have led shipbuilding industry to twin hull boats called catamaran or three hulls (trimaran) or even pentamaran. Twin hull boat with small waterplane areas called swath is now seen as a great marine vehicle that can carry large number of passengers with relatively better stability than conventional monohul boat with the same passenger carrying capacity. by Charles Roring
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Traveling by passenger ship
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Traveling with aci.detik.com travelers around Manokwari

2011-11-02T12:03:00.006+09:00

A few days ago I accompanied 4 Indonesian travelers to Arfak mountains and Angresi beach. They were Suasti, Reggi, Audrey, and Diana. My trips with them were totally different from my previous trips with foreign tourists. I did not have to speak English. We spoke in Indonesian language. These Indonesian "tourists" were sent by detik.com, a popular news website in Indonesia. Detik.com requires that each of the traveler write at least 3 articles and upload 10 photos a day.

Snorkeling in Arfai
During their tours around Manokwari, they were involved in various activities which I and Suasti (the coordinator of Detik.com from Jakarta) had arranged for them in a 3-day itinerary. In the first day, they enjoyed snorkeling in Arfai beach. We went there by Ojek (a motor cycle taxi) at 2 p.m. after eating lunch at Permata. The coral reef of Arfai is facing extinction due to the plan from the local government of West Papua province to construct a drainage ditch from the provincial government office buildings in Arfai hill.
Night Riding with Manokwari Cyclists
After that they were invited by cyclists in Manokwari for night riding along the streets of the city. Even though they were very exhausted after the snorkeling activity, they showed their enthusiasm in joining the night riding. Again I had to arrange extra bicycles for these "Indonesian tourists" because I only had two at home. Fortunately, my friend in Bank Mandiri, lended two of his bicycle. I got another mountain bike from Peddy Tangguni, my other friend who lived behind the governor's office. We were a little bit late when we were heading for the meeting point in the hospital of the Indonesian naval base of Manokwari. The whole convoy of the mountain bikers of Manokwari had left the hospital. We could meet them at the harbor of Manokwari. The three girls from Jakarta joined the convoy whereas I and Reggi (the young man who was also one of the traveling partipants from aci.detik.com) had to go to Bank Mandiri first to get two more bikes for us. Because the Bank Mandiri was close to the Naval Base of Manokwari, I and Reggi could only enjoy the NR tour for around 300 meters. After taking some pictures with them, we said good bye to them.

Hiking in Arfak mountains
The next morning, we left the hotel where they stay for Arfak mountains. Our first stop point was Wosi market. We bought some vegetables, and fish there. Toyota Hilux G-series carried us to the mountains. The rear seat of the pick up truck was small for the for them. When we were passing by the Lake Kabori, I asked Om Ching, our driver, to stop for while. They took as many pictures as they liked. Then, we continued our trip to Arfak mountains. Usually, it took only two hours to reach our destination, which was the Kwau village. However, because we stop several times for buying rice, and taking pictures and toilets, the time that we needed was 3 hours. Hans Mandacan met us on the street junction of Mokwam. Two porters had been waiting for us ready to carry our food and bags to the tourist house located in the middle of the jungle. When all of the bags had been unloaded from the pick-up truck, we began our hiking trip through the tropical rainforest of the Arfak mountains. We arrived at the tourist house at around 3. I asked Hans to prepare hot water. We ate noodle and drank some tea. That afternoon, we walked again to a birdwatching hut located some ten minutes walk behind the tourist house. I told them to stay in the hut (usually called blind) for waiting the birds to come down to their courting ground before leaving them for two hours. I and Hans waited for them around two hundred meters from the blind. After fifteen minutes waiting, suddenly we heard them screaming. I and Hans immediately ran to the blind to find out whether there was a snake or wild animal attacking them. Several meters from the hut, I could hear them laughing. They were not waiting for the birds of paradise but sharing their personal stories in the dark room of the hut. Drizzle started to fall. I told them that we could not wait for the birds or we would be soaked in heavy rain. We rushed to the guesthouse again. We only spent one night in Arfak mountains. After visiting and taking pictures of the bower of the bowerbird in Soyti slope, we returned to the city by the same pick up truck.

Snorkeling in Angresi
I was not sure whether we still had enough time for snorkeling in Angresi beach. I called Om Kosal to prepare for the boat. We left Arfai beach a little bit more than 3 p.m. Moderate wind blow pushed us from the north. Our destination was Angresi. The sky above the area was dark with thick clouds. The rain was falling in the area when we were heading to our snorkeling destination. We reached our destination at around 3.40 p.m. Miraclously, the dark cloud moved to the south east region, the rain stopped, the wind changed blowing from the north to from the west, the waves slowly died down.
Diana, Audrey, Suasti and Reggi really enjoyed their snorkeling activity at the foot of the Arfak mountains that afternoon. When we were heading back to Arfak, it was nearly dark. The coral reef in Angresi shore is still in pristine condition. It has now been listed in the itinerary that I offer to tourists who want to enjoy snorkeling in Manokwari. I hope that this eco-tourism program will encourage local people to protect their marine environment from further destruction.
My sister's husband took us with his Toyota Avanza at around 7 p.m. After eating bakso in Sanggeng area, we returned to the hotel again. I said good bye to them. That's the final activity that I provided for them during their tour in Manokwari. The next morning, they would fly to Sorong for a 1-week trip around Raja Ampat Islands.
If you are interested in visiting Manokwari, and need a tour guide to arrange trips and accompany you both, you can contact me via my e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com or cell phone: +6281332245180
Related article: Snorkeling trip in Manokwari bay of Indonesia

Camping in the Jungle of Manokwari

2011-10-20T17:29:00.005+09:00

From 16 to 19 October 2011, I went hiking through the lowland rainforest of Manokwari with two Dutch tourists, Thomas (father) and Sandra (daughter). Our destination was the rainforest behind Inggramui village. Because I and the hunters had not constructed a permanent house for tourists, we had to stay in a camp built by hunters near a river. Two large blue plastic sheets cover the camp to protect our belongings from rain. To reach this camp, we had to walk for more than three hours. Usually the time needed is two hours but Sandra liked to stop when she saw interesting insects, birds, or flowers. She would turn on her D-SLR camera - a Nikon D40 to shoot these beautiful subjects.
Recommended Place for Birders
The rainforest of Inggramui is home to various species of birds that are endemic to New Guinea - the largest tropical island in the world. It is a must see destination for tourists who are interested in bird watching. Tourists need to bring binoculars, scope or super telephoto camera if they want to watch the birds. During our walking tour inside this lowland forest, we saw cockatoos, a lot of hornbills, pigeons. Butterflies flew around us to find nectar in every wild flowers when we were walking through the woods. In the morning, not far from our camp, we could hear the sounds of young birds of paradise dancing on the branches of the trees.

After spending 3 nights in this tropical rainforest of West Papua, we considered this camp as our home. I made the above picture using Nikon Coolpix P500.
Protecting digital camera and other electronic devices
Heavy rain often falls on the rainforest. If you plan to travel to this wet environment, prepare some plastic sheets or plastic tote bag which you can use to cover your electronic equipments. I use plastic bags which are given for free by supermarkets when we buy some food. The lens of the camera can become foggy due to high humidity. Moisture that has collected on the surface of the camera can cause the photographs that you make to be blurred.
What you need to bring for traveling in the rainforest of Inggramui of Manokwari - Indonesia
There are a number of things that you need such as sleeping bag, and raincoat. Because this is a lowland rainforest, the temperature is quite warm around 27 to 29 degrees Celcius. You don't need warm clothing. A pair of trekking shoes or jungle boots is a must to help you walk along the pathway in the forest which sometimes muddy because of the rain. by Charles Roring

Ships and Boats in Dorey bay of Manokwari

2011-10-10T01:41:00.001+09:00

I still remember the first time I saw a cruise ship. I was at sixth grade of elementary school. Unfortunately I forget the name of the luxurious vessel. I don't know why there are no cruise ships coming to Manokwari harbor again. The number of ships and boats that visit the Dorey bay of Manokwari has been increasing rapidly since a few year ago. Its strategic location in the bird's head region of New Guinea island and its status as the capital of West Papua province make the city as the new economic hub in the region. Every week we can see PELNI passenger ships, container vessels and traditional phinisi sailing boats arrive and leave the bay. There are two islands in the front waters of the bay protecting the city from big waves. The basin inside the Dorey bay is always calm making it as ideal mooring and anchoring areas for big and small ships. Dorey bay of Manokwari is also an ideal transit point for sailing yachts that come from Europe or Australia in their trans-continental journey around the globe.

As a matter of fact Dorey or Dore has been in the world map since seventeen centuries when European explorers came to trade birds of paradise with beads and ceramic plates, metal articles such as spoons, and machetes. Today small growing towns along the north coast of New Guinea depend on Manokwari city for buying manufactured goods imported from Java or selling agricultural produce to tens of thousands of the city inhabitants.

Several months ago, four Czech tourists went to Numfor island by ferry boat. While waiting for the boat to leave for the tropical island, Dr. Jaroslav Bacovsky, one of the tourists, walked around the pier and the deck of the vessel to take some pictures of boats and ships that he could see mooring or anchoring inside the bay. The activity of food vendors and passengers attracted his attention.

Most of them showed their big smiles to him. He also made some nice photographs of the landscape of bay that are covered with coconut trees. It took around five hours from Manokwari to Numfor island. I and the Czech tourists visited Yemburwo, and Amberimasi. We spent five days there watching birds, insects and traditional dance and music show performed by local Papuan artists before returning to Manokwari by plane. by Charles Roring

A Wooden Sailing Boat near Lemon island of Manokwari

2011-10-08T22:57:00.004+09:00

I live in Manokwari city that is located in the Dorey bay. Everyday various types of ships from wooden boat to cargo ships and passenger ships arrive in and depart from this bay. The availability of superzoom digital camera revolutionize my photographic experience. Ships and boats are some of my favorite subjects that I like to shoot using my Nikon Coolpix P500. Yesterday, I was traveling with 4 Polish tourists to Mansinam island and Lemon island in this Dorey bay. We enjoyed snorkeling and bird watching. For that excursion I saw a kasuari (in captivity), some tern bird, a beautiful pigeon (look at the photograph below) in Mansinam island, and tens of frigate birds flying over the sea.

After spending several hours walking around the island, we continued our trip to Lemon island by a motorized outrigger boat. The boat was made of wood and there was some sea water leaking into the hull while the boat was moving. But it was quite small. So, the outrigger boat brought us safely from Mansinam island to Lemon island. Landing on Lemon island, we walked to the house of Om Jordan - a Papuan who regularly picks up plastic bottles that land on the island to keep its beach clean. Unfortunately, this old man was not there. He was going to Jayapura. There was an old woman who is his sister. She received us in his wooden house. I asked a local Papuan young man to climb a coconut tree and pick 5 coconut fruits for me and the Polish tourists. We enjoyed coconut juice and its meat as our lunch that day. The high tide was coming. The white sandy beach of Lemon island was now covered with sea water. We saw wastes from Manokwari city were drifting on the surface of the sea. Many of them would land on Mansinam, Lemon and Raimuti islands. I hope that one day, city dwellers of Manokwari will stop throwing their wastes into the sea. Let's keep our beach, sea and coral reef clean.

The cost of these coconuts was fifteen thousand rupiahs. After we felt that our stomach had been full again, we decided to continue our tour around the island. We walked along the white sandy beach which was now covered with sea water. The water level reached our knees.

When we arrived at the south east point of the Lemon island, I saw a wooden boat anchoring between Lemon and Mansinam islands. Its LBP was around 25 meters. Its hull was not the same as a Norwegian catamaran sailing yacht mooring at a harbor near fish market in Sanggeng area of this city which I saw last August.

This wooden boat has one mast which is used for sailing. It looks like a traditional wooden boat called Phinisi - a type of sailing boat in Indonesia whose designed is similar to schooner. I think that it is a luxurious cruise boat or diving boat that is driven by a marine screw propeller. The combination of diesel engine and sail makes this boat as an efficient hybrid boat system that consumes less fuel.
The wooden boat might be used by tourists who want to enjoy shipwreck diving in this bay. Manokwari regency also has got several coastal areas that are covered by coral reef. They are nice snorkeling destinations. I took my digital camera out of my bag and turned on. I aimed it at the boat and pulled the zoom lever around the shutter release button. With its 36 x optical zoom lens, I could magnify the picture of the phinisi boat until it looked big enough on the LCD screen of the camera. I shot the boat several times. To increase their loading speed on the internet, I resized the photographs and reduced their pixel quality using Adobe photoshop software.

We finished our tour around Mansinam and Lemon islands at around 4 p.m. By another motorized outrigger boat whose hull was also leaking with sea water, we went back to Ketapang boat station.
Manokwari is a very nice tourist destination. If you are interested in visiting this city for snorkeling over pristine coral reef or hiking and birdwatching in Arfak mountains or even going together with fishermen to catch fish, you can contact me - Charles Roring - via my email: peace4wp@gmail.com. I will be happy to guide you around the regency and make sure that you will enjoy your trip in this tropical island.

Cargo Ship and Phinisi Boat Just Outside Manokwari bay

2011-09-27T02:49:00.002+09:00

Last month I shot a cargo ship and a phinisi wooden boat just outside Manokwari bay using my camera Nikon Coolpix P500. I was amazed to see that the traditional Phinisi boat which was considered slower than the steel ship could chase the modern cargo ship. At first, the phinisi boat was behind the cargo ship. It was not moving on the water with sails but wit propeller. In fact, both of them were using marine screw propellers.

The phinisi sailing boat was not a cargo boat. It was a diving boat. So, it was quite empty, I guess. On the other hand, the cargo ship, perhaps, was loaded with goods which made her movement slower due to more water resistant. In less than 5 minutes, the phinisi boat was able to chase the cargo ship.

Later, the phinisi boat was at the front of the cargo ship. This is an interesting scene for me because most of us consider a wooden sailing boat like Phinisi slower than the cargo ship. In reality, it is faster - if it is equipped with marine diesel engine that drives a screw propeller. Another factor which makes the boat faster is her smaller block coefficient. The smaller the block coefficient, the faster it will be when moving on the surface of the water.

Wooden boats frequently experience water leakages in the stern tube area near the propeller. Traditional boat builder in Indonesia do not use lignum vitae as bearing materials. They have certain kind of wood that has properties similar to the lignum vitae. However, the wood has to be frequently replaced to prevent sea water from entering the hull through gaps between the propeller shaft and the stern tube bearings.

Modern design sterntube bearing uses seals and oil around tail shaft inside metal bearings with higher pressure to prevent sea water from entering the sterntube. - by Charles Roring

Outrigger Boats in Manokwari and Numfor island

2011-09-23T02:26:00.001+09:00

On my trip by ferry boat from Manokwari city to Numfor island last year, I had some opportunities of taking pictures of outrigger boats usually used by fishermen to catch fish or to carry people and goods from one place to another. I guided 2 Dutch volunteers on a snorkeling and birding trip to Numfor at that time. Because we went to the tropical island by a ferry boat, we had plenty of time talking with people or just taking pictures of the sea and coastal areas both in Dorey bay of Manokwari and when the boat was approaching the ship harbor of Numfor island.

When the boat was approximately 5 kilometers outside of the bay, I saw some outrigger boats in the middle of the sea. I was holding a Sony D-SLR camera in my hands. I pointed it to one of the boats that was going in parallel direction with the ferry boat and shot the boat several times. The sizes of the photographs which the D-SLR camera created were very large and not suitable for this blog. I had to compress the pictures in Adobe Photoshop software before uploading them to this post.
The motorized outrigger boats were used by fishermen to catch fish from the fishing ground which they had made at certain places at sea. To make a fishing ground, fishermen tie long rope to a drum that has been filled with concrete cement as a weight and throw it into the sea. At the other end of the rope, they tie floats. Below these floats, from the surface of the water down to around thirty or even fifty meters, they tie coconut palm leaves around the rope. During the days and nights thousands of fish like to gather around the leaves. These typical man-made fishing grounds can be seen many islands in tropical region. In West Papua waters, we can easily recognize them if we see bamboo rafts with some coconut leaves on them floating at sea. Sea birds such as terns patrol around such rafts to catch fish.

Because most of the fishing grounds are located in the middle of the sea, the fishermen who go to those points need outrigger wooden boats that are powered by outboard engines. Fishermen who only catch fish near the beach or at the edge of coral reef do not need to have outboard engines installed in their outrigger boats. Outrigger boats are quite safe in rough seas as long as the bamboo rods and the wooden booms that were used to make the outrigger are fastened to each other and to the hull of the boat tightly with ropes. They will not easily be broken by big waves.

Numfor is a tropical island that is located between Manokwari and Biak. It is a nice destination for anybody who likes snorkeling, birdwatching or interacting with the indigenous Papuan people to see their unique culture in their daily life. Very little information has been mentioned about this island in travel guide books. But it is really a nice tropical island.

As a tourist guide, I have guided tourists to this island many times. Some of them go by ferry boat whereas others by Susi Air airplanes. I personally like to go there by ferry boat first (because there is a chance of us watching dolphins and seeing fish market at the harbor) and then return to Manokwari city again by airplane. One thing that I like about Numfor is that it is a very beautiful tropical island in Indonesia and the cost of traveling around this island is quite affordable for most tourists. If you are interested in visiting Numfor and need me as your guide, please contact me via e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Photograph of a Phinisi Sailing Boat just outside Manokwari bay

2011-09-06T13:14:00.005+09:00

The photograph of this phinisi wooden boat was taken just outside Manokwari bay. I used a telephoto digital camera - Nikon Coolpix P500 to shoot it. The boat has two wooden posts which were traditionally constructed for sails. In Indonesia, the wooden boat is called phinisi - a typical small schooner made by seafaring people in South Sulawesi. In my opinion, the two wooden masts are still preserved not only to provide additional supply of driving power from the wind but also for aesthetic reasons. This phinisi wooden boat will look more beautiful with 2 sailing masts than without them. So, the boat was moving on the water powered by a marine diesel engine. There were no sails installed on the posts at the time of shooting. When I enlarged the picture in the screen of my camera, I saw a red flag with diagonal white stripe in the middle of it. I knew that it was a diving boat. The boat had visited Manokwari bay, perhaps, for bringing tourists who wanted to do some shipwreck diving in the bay. It is interesting to see that the boat which in the past was used for transporting goods and people from one island to another is now used in marine hospitality industry.

The weather was getting darker when I shot it. It was 5.43 p.m. when I aimed my camera at the boat that was sailing around 350 meters from me. I didn't have a tripod to stablize my camera. So, I just leaned on the trunk of a coconut tree to minimize my body and hand movements. I should have used a tripod but I didn't have it. The Nikon Coolpix P500 with 36 x optical zoom feature was able to enlarge the subject big enough for shooting. Although this camera was not an SLR camera, the quality of the pictures that I made was very good especially when the light was sufficient for shooting. As a matter of fact, I am not a photographer by profession. But I always bring my camera where ever I go to make interesting pictures that I need for my blog.
I was standing under a resting hut at Tempat Pemanggilan Ikan meaning literally Fish Calling Place of Bakaro beach when I shot the boat. Here, tourists can see how the local Papuan people call fish from the sea by blowing a whistle and feeding the fish with termites. Manokwari has been a destination for divers who are interested in doing shipwreck diving and snorkeling. by Charles Roring
Also read: Underwater photographs of coral reef