Travel to Wamena and the Tribes of Baliem Valley

We were suppose to be flying out on Garuda Indonesia around 11pm however it was delayed until 1am. This meant we would miss our connection in Jayapura on a different airline, Trigana Air to Wamena. Back in the room I tried to figure out how to make a phone call. Failing on my cell phone and the hotel phone to get anything other then error messages and strange tones. I logged into Skype on my cell phone and was then able to set my locale to the US and make a local call to ATJ's 24/7 emergency line. It was after hours so their answering service picked up and took down all the details saying they would contact ATJ. I suggested to Kim and Riley that we head to the airport to talk to both the airlines to see what, if any, options we would have.

If you have read my other blogs you know that ATJ is one of my two favorite travel companies (ATR being the other one). We have traveled quite a bit with ATJ and never had a problem before. They do a great job in terms of ultimate customization and have great guides and accommodations, and all within our budget (or at least close to our budget). This trip would give us another reason to love using ATJ. We got to the airport and I talked with Garuda Indonesia about their delay and they were pretty much worthless. We were about to go in search of Trigana Air's customer service when I got a long email thread from ATJ that ended with confirmation that they got us booked on Trigana Air's next flight to Wamena and we would only lose about two hours. I felt a huge sigh of relief and thought "Let's go find the nearest lounge and relax until our flight". We found a lounge but this was in the domestic terminal which means no liquor, doh. We had 17 hours flying and had been awake for a good 30 hours. We still had another five an a half hours to Jayapura and then another hour to Wamena not to mention a two hour layover in Jayapura. But we were going where most people do not. We would get to see things most others will only ever see on their TV, and we would get experiences few others even know exist. So we grabbed a few Z(s) every chance we got.

We landed in Jayapura around 8am and waiting for us on the jetway was someone holding a sign with our names on it. Apparently, ATJ upgraded us to VIP guests for the missed connection. They took our baggage claim tags and then escorted us to the lounge to relax (no beer in this lounge either). Anyway, around 30 minutes later some guy came to the lounge with our boarding passes and baggage tags on Trigana Air along with a picture on his phone of our bags to ensure he got the right ones. We were all tired but pretty stress free at this point knowing we were in good hands. And that is when Riley suggested that we try and grow beards on this trip. We hadn't shaved since Seattle and here is our starting point in Jayapura.

Normally when you board in Jayapura they cram as many people as possible into a bus and drive you out to the plane. But apparently as VIP guests we had our own separate bus.

We finally arrived in Wamena, West Papua, but there was no time for rest as we had things to do and see.

We headed to town which we could see in the distance, stopping to take a picture.

We were in the suburbs which seemed quite nice and the real estate prices were unbelievably cheap.

But they were not without their problems as it looks like this kid had his clothes stolen at school today.

We then headed to the local market, something that I always love exploring. We would soon discover that not only were we the only white people around but also that they don't see white people very often. Our guide Rufus, who was amazing, started taking us around.







We started attracting a lot of attention, not just because we were white but also because of our cameras. I've had the great opportunity to travel all over the world, but for the first time I was starting to feel a bit uneasy. Then this drunk showed up. At first I was curious as to where he got the liquor but then he started grabbing each of us and would not leave us alone. He seemed to attract others that were interested in us and our guide said it was time to go and helped usher us back in to the safety of the van.

That was fun and I kind of wanted to go back out without the camera but we needed to head to the southern villages of Napua and Wesaput. Fortunately, we had a van with air conditioning instead of having to rely on public transportation.

We drove as far as we could and then it was time to walk.



We then had to cross a few "bridges".



Followed by more hiking. We were right on the equator so the sun was brutal and required multiple coats of sun cream. If I could only find an actual toilet I'd love to give it a flush and see what happens with the water.

We then found a pig so we must be close to some village.

One last "bridge" before we get to the village.

When we got to the village and the kids were very surprised to see us.

Our guide had to first talk with the elders before we were allowed to enter and take any pictures. But Rufus was good friends with them and it was no problem. In fact we were not even allowed to give them any money. I'm not sure that money has any meaning to them so it probably would have not mattered anyway.

Having been accepted into the village I snapped this picture. A few interesting items to note is that they wear nothing but a Koteka or "penis gourd". It's clear that one size does not fit all. As you can see there is also a reason they call it a penis gourd instead of a penis and testicle gourd. The gourd being the dried out stem of the fruit of the same name.

We then took a few pics before getting a tour of the village.





We then checked out the kitchen. No need to check the label as everything here is organic. It might not be entirely sanitary but it is organic.

They have to replace the kitchen roof every other year due to the build up of soot.



We were just visiting this village and only the elders kept the traditions alive. In another day we would immerse ourselves in another village where all generations lived the lifestyle. For example this village had upgraded to a solar panel.

We were going to head out to visit a neighbor village when they tried to sell me a penis gourd. But they all smelled slightly used so I passed for now, plus they looked a bit on the small side.

The village appeared to be disappointed in not being able to see a white guy almost naked.



We then headed out to check out the neighborhood. Beautiful views and you cannot help but get the feeling that these people are living the way we were suppose to live. In harmony with nature.





Kim made a new friend who would protect her and make sure she was safe.



Another "bridge".

And more hiking.



We took a few last pictures before heading to our accommodations for the night. We were all running on nothing but adrenaline at this point and could not wait to sleep in what they call a bed in West Papau.



We would be staying at Baliem Valley Resort which is the best you can do in the area. But this is West Papau and the "best" is very much open to debate. The road to get there is terrible and more then 30 minutes of the roughest and bumpy travel you can imagine. Ten years ago this place was probably very nice but today it is very run down. It has good views and it felt safe but we had been traveling for who knows how many hours and been awake for even more hours. We just wanted a warm shower and sleep. Turns out most of our windows were broken.

Our mirror was broken.

And our towel rack was much in need of help.

But all I wanted was a hot shower and then a proper glass of wine before I went to bed. But this was West Papua and neither of those would be available. They had an awesome open air shower but if you look closely you can see all we got was a low trickle of cold water. There was also a window open to the main room so everyone could watch you wash. This was not a problem for Riley and myself but when Kim showered we had to leave the room.

After my "shower" I headed to the main lodge for a glass of wine and boy was I in for a surprise. I knew West Papua was a dry island but the resort web site advertised:

Our professional bartender at the "Stone Age" Bar is ready to spoil your appetites with various alcoholic beverages, including our signature drink the "Headhunters Cocktail".

So I figured it was like Dubai where the nicer resorts offered foreigners drinks. Turns out this whole bar is nothing more then a show to try and trick guests to staying with them. All the bottles are empty and have always been empty according to our guide.

But hey this is all part of the fun of traveling and it makes for a great story. So we made the best of it and launched the drone for some video.







We had been on a marathon run since Seattle and tonight we would finally have a bed, well a mattress on the floor. But it was our first opportunity to get a good nights sleep.