Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine July 2014 | Page 133
Travel | Raja Ampat
131
© Setiadi Darmawan / www.indonesia.travel
Phinisi
© Torsten Velden / Getty Images
It was said that Indonesian
ancestors were sailors. A story
about sailing is even depicted in
Borobudur temple's wall carving.
A phin isi is a traditional
Indonesian ship. They were
mainly built by the Konjo tribe,
a sub-ethnic group of BugisMakassar. The first phinisi ships
are said to have been built after
being introduced by the Dutch
around 1600.
You need only go underwater
for some unforgettable interaction
with the diverse and abundant
sealife of Raja Ampat.
The children of Raja Ampat’s
coastal colonies love to smile
and love the ocean.
Nenek Moyang bangsa
Indonesia dikenal sebagai pelaut
ulung. Salah satu ceritanya
terdapat pada relief candi
Borobudur. Kapal phinisi dibuat
oleh Suku Konjo, dari Bugis
Makassar. Kapal-kapal ini pertama
kali dibuat setelah diperkenalkan
oleh V.O.C sekitar tahun 1600.
Bugis-Makassar
Long before European
colonialists extended their
influence, the Makassar, the Bajau
and the Buginese had travelled as
far east as the Aru Islands and to
northern Australia, where they
exchanged shells, birds' nests and
mother-of-pearl for knives and
salt with Aboriginal tribes.
Jauh sebelum bangsa Eropa
meluaskan kekuasaannya,
orang-orang Makassar, Bajau
dan Bugis telah berkelana hingga
ke Kepulauan Aru dan utara
Australia, di mana mereka
menukarkan kulit kerang, sarang
burung dan mutiara dengan pisau
dan garam dari Suku Aborigin.
been sailing phinisi cruisers and 100-tonne cargo
ships since he was 15, and knows the notoriously
treacherous currents around Komodo and
Raja Ampat like the back of his hand.
Rica, but there’s a haunting tension to trekking on
Rinca that I’ve rarely felt anywhere else. Rinca Island
remains one of the most dramatic locations in the
world to trek among predators.
“More and more phinisi cruises and live-aboard dive
boats come to Komodo these days,” says the skipper.
“We always know how to break away and find our own
deserted anchorage and unexplored reefs. There will
always be wild corners to explore among all the islands
around Komodo and Raja Ampat.”
By the time we sailed into our last anchorage at
Labuan Bajo, Estrada was telling me about Raja
Ampat’s six-metre crocodiles. His stories had long ago
rubbed off, and I’d begun to look on those mysterious
islands as the Holy Grail. Headline ranking on a long
list of Indonesian islands I intend to visit soon.
As two of the most dedicated professionals who
make their living in this part of the so-called ‘Coral
Triangle’, Captain Syamsudin and Ramon Estrada had
sailed together in the past on other vessels before they
became shipmates aboard Dunia Baru.
It was reassuring to hear that even globe-trotting
dive instructors have places that still elude them and
which they have a yearning ambition to visit soon.
“What I find unique about this ship,” Estrada explains,
“is that, although you can dive pretty much all day
every day if you want to, there are also so many other
things to do. Indonesia is such a wonderfully diverse
country… the most dedicated divers often miss out on
a lot of what this incredible country has to offer.”
This was my third trip to Komodo National Park, and
I was delighted that our programme included trekking
among the famously aggressive dragons on Rinca
Island. I’ve walked with lions in Zimbabwe, trapped
crocodiles in Botswana and tracked jaguars in Costa
Predictably, the place that is top on Estrada’s wish list
is in Indonesia, and by now I wasn’t at all surprised to
hear that it’s also very close to Raja Ampat.
“There’s a place called Cendrawasih,” the diver told me,
his hands waving with typical Mexican enthusiasm,
“further along the Papua coast. It possibly offers the
best diving experiences in the world.”
When I asked what it was about Cendrawasih [Bay
National Park] that was so spectacular, Estrada fell
uncharacteristically silent: “You know what?” he
smiled. “I’m not going to tell you. You’ll just have
to go there and find out for yourself.”