Microsoft word - jayapura guide 2003.doc

JAYAPURA GUIDE 2003 by At Ipenburg
Contents

Introduction
Jayapura is very much the product of the Pacific Campaign of the Second World
War. Before the war the place was called Hollandia. What is now called Jayapura was
then Hollandia Haven, while the real Hollandia was Hollandia-Binnen, present-day
Abepura. There were no good road connections between “Haven“ and “Binnen”. By
1940 Holandia had about 300 inhabitants. This was just “the outer-end of the Dutch
East-Indian Empire”.
After the successful invasion in April 1944 the Americans immediately saw the good use they could make of the two natural harbours, Tanah Merah Bay and the port of Jayapura (Hollandia Haven). The area became the basic Base for the attack on the Philippines and then the attack on Japan. The rest of Indonesia was left under the control of, respectively, the Japanese Army (West Indonesia) and the Japanese Navy (East Indonesia). Jayapura, stretching from the Humboldt Bay till Denpapre on Tanah Merah Bay, came to have some 170,000 inhabitants. Maybe never in history in such a short time such a large city has been created out of nothing. There were seven cinemas. The people were housed in Quonsets, build of such a good quality that after almost 60 years many still provide comfortable housing, as for instance on Pos Tujuh, Sentani, in Ifar Gunung and in Abepura. When the Dutch returned to New Guinea in the wake of the Americans they established their headquarters at Kampung Harapan, about halfway between Sentani and Abepura. This was then named Kota NICA, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration City, a very grand name for a place with some improvised buildings. Later the civil administration shifted to Abepura, where the Governor build his “palace” out of the parts of the headquarters of General MacArthur, which he had build on Ifar Gunung. The Americans were very generous to sell to the Dutch for a very moderate price all items that remained from the war effort. That was the main reason why the Dutch after the War decided to move the capital of New Guinea from old Manokwari to Jayapura, though it was situated very excentric. Many names still remain from the American period (1944-1945): Polimak: the Americans build a 75 km road from Jayapura Harbour to Denpapre, 10 meters wide. This road was made from macadam (material for road-making with successive layers of compacted broken stone). So when you went from Jayapura Harbour to Abepura or Sentani or Depapre you took the Polymac, which is the road that goes up alongside the Kalam Kudus Church. In the end the name Polimak was given to that particular stretch of road and the area adjacent to it at the beginning of the Polymac Road. Skyline, formerly called Pim. Pim is an old Papua word. At present it denotes the area high up, after Kotaraja, the Hindu Temple, where the weekend house if of the Governor and some sender masts of the radio. There is a beautiful view over the whole of the Yotefa Bay. APO is the Army Post Offce, . During the War the American Army had 11 docks, 2 for the Navy and 9 for the Army. All the docks still retain their names. Base “G”or Ji is now the name of a beach. However, the whole area from Jayapura to Tanah Merah bay was Base “G”. Base “F “, the previous Base was in Finschhafen, now PNG . Pos Tujuh is off course also an American Post. The real Pos Tujuh, the Seventh Post, is what is now the house, a Quonset, from the owner of the motor cycle garage at the righthadnside of the beginning of Jalan Pos Tujuh, on the corner of the Sentani Road. Very few names remain from the Dutch period. There is a Jalan Bestir (“Bestuur” = Government) in Sentani, well-known as the place where the residence of the late Theys Eluay is, where the only Morningstar flag remaining was flying for years. In Kemiri, on your left after the bridge, when going to Doyo Baru, you will find Jalan Hollandia Drome. If you follow this road you come to a field which was once the airfield of Hollandia/Jayapura. What is now Sentani Airport was build, with forced labour, by the Japanese, and then extended by the Americans. Beaches
Amai, with adat house (for coral go to the most western side of the beach)
Tanah Merah – inside (motor prow, perahu Johnson, from Depapre harbour or walking from
Tabla Supa – check the road) (good coral, white sand). You can spend the whole day here.
You can even spend a night on the beach.
Tanah Merah outside
Holtekamp (crowded on Sundays. The best beach (white sand) is to the East beyond the
wood factory and the GKI church) (some coral)
Base G (very crowded and noisy on Sundays). Be careful for the strong current. Take
shoes for the sharp coral rocks,
Hamadi Invasion Beach (very dirty and crowded these days – the water as well as the
beach), Entrop
Demta: Bukisi Island (Kasuari Island – beautiful island between Depapre and Demta, good
dances, home stay is possible in the unused clinic)
Pasir Dua, Jayapura,. West of Pantai Base G. At the Police training camp, after the Ministry
of Justice, do not go to the right to Base “G”, but continue the road in the direction of the
GKI Church Pasifik Indah. After the church you turn right where there is a notice board for a
technical training centre. You continue this road till the tar road becomes a small foot path.
You follow the footpath. You go down to the beach alongside a staircase. Access to the
beach is on payment of Rp 1,000 to the watchman who used to have here a place to
cultivate tortoises. This project has been sacrificed because of the economic crisis of 1998
(“krismon”). There is a camp site and people who have a tent are welcome at this
supervised site. At the west end of the beach is a small stream with sweet water, where
you can bath, Small walking tracks on the top of the hill lead you to Pasir Tiga up to Pasir
Enam (Beach Three till Beach Six, where you have even more privacy than at Pasir Dua
Waterfalls
On the Cyclops Mountain, Pos Tujuh: Pickle Falls, Middle Falls, and High Falls.
Go from Jalan Pos Tujuh up, cross the new road and go straight into the forest where there
is a small footpath. After 15 minutes you will have the Pickle Falls, when at the open space
in the forest you go right. There is a blue signpost Air Terjun. This use to be an open space
used as a camping site, run by the WWF Cyclop Office. If you miss the turn to the right you
will arrive at the Middle Falls. Here the drinking water for Sentani is taken from the stream.
For the High Falls you pass the entrance to the water catchment’s site to the left and follow
another narrow footpath. When it has rain this path can be quite slippery and at some
places dangerous
Kampung Harapan – behind the Agricultural School, one hour hiking following more or less
the West (left) side of the stream: to God’s Awesome Falls. The hike to the waterfall, the
real one, at Kampung Harapan, is phantastic. It is about one hour to the falls and one hour
back. Take the road past the agricultural school. Then go left. Park where the road ends
before a stream without water. Then follow the track. Move away from the stream to your
left, and find a track past a place with a lot of stones in the tall grass. When you are in the
forest, follow at first the stream, mostly stay at the left bank. Then go at a particular point
left into the forest. When you are in the forest there is a track straight and a track
straightaway to your right. The last one is the track to follow. If you have found the place
where this track starts it is fairly easy. Only at the end, where you see the steep hills rising
up to your right you have to change the path and cross to the other side of the stream, to
the right bank. Now you are going up, till you see around a corner the waterfalls.
The track past the old Theological College, STT Walter Post, behind the former house of
Barry Jordan is more easy, and can also be done with children. I would not recommend
taking them to God's Awesome Falls. At times that path is quite tricky. If you move across
the stream and follow the path to the west (left) of the stream you will come to another
stream also with some falls.
Ifar Gunung (at the military training camp, go West (left), after the old church – ask for
“swembak” or "swembad”) – It is a nice picnic spot
Kali Biru – Genyem, on the road to Demta. A little bit further on is also a place where you
can swim)
Several small waterfalls, if you follow the streams up on the road to Depapre, e.g. at the
junction where you go left to Depapre, where the boy and girl statue is. You go straight.
There are old waterworks and a nice stream. At this junction you also find a small cafe
where you can stop and order a cup of coffee or tea. 10 kms or so further, where there is a
large GKI church you go right. Follow the road. You come to a quite popular picnic spot.
There is also an opportunity for camping, which is, on occasion, used by school groups and
students.
Museum Negeri, Waena – small, but worthwile collection. Museum Uncen, Jalan Sentani, Abepura, Campus Uncen Lama. This museum was established by Nelson Rockefeller in memory to his son, Michael Clark Rockefeller (born 1938 - presumed dead November 17, 1961). Michael was the youngest son of New York Governor (later Vice President) Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller and Mary Todhunter Rockefeller and a fourth generation member of the Rockefeller family. He disappeared during an expedition in the Asmat region of southwestern New Guinea. Pusat Kesenian (Art Centre, Waena, Expo). Here there is a collection of contemporary art. Ask for Pak Aloysius, who is himself a very deserving artist, who has made numerous Christian paintings with rich symbolic meaning in Roman Catholic Churches all over the regency.
Collection Charlie Saba, Demta, SD YPK. Art of the Demta-Depapre cultural area, next to
the Christian Primary School in Demta. However, the museum is regrettably, no longer in
use.
Libraries
Uncen, Jalan Sentani, Abepura (Campus Uncen Lama) (anthropology, history, psychology,
law etc.)
SIL, Sentani (linguistics, anthropology)
STFT (Theological and Philosophical College) Fajar Timur, Abepura (20,000 vols, half in
Indonesian, half in English, Dutch etc) – theology, history, anthropology, philosophy)
Perpustakaan Negeri (Umum), Kota Raja, with a special section on West Papua. It is
supposed to stock all the publications published in West Papua.
Perpustakaan Theological College STT I. S. Kijne, Abepura (10,000 vols, half in English) –
theology. There is also a small collection of books in Dutch on systematic theology,
ethnography and anthropology.
Graduate Library at the Theological College STT I. S. Kijne (2,500 volumes in English,
specializing in missiology. It also has the complete archives of the Dutch Protestant Mission
for East Indonesia, on microfiche. It is now integrated in the library above.
Perpustakaan STT Walter Post, Sentani, Pos Tujuh, Sentani (theology)
Library of Hillcrest International School (HIS), Sentani (various books in English)
Franciscan Friars, APO, Jayapura (private collection; excellent collection on Papua)
The Museum Negeri, Waena has a library in the back with a few novels and detectives in
English, French and Dutch, a left over from the Dutch Period, from the large library of the
“Kantoor voor Bevolkingszaken.”. (Office of the Affairs Regarding the (Papua) Population)
Transportation
Taxis (Minibuses). To go to Jayapura from Sentani you change at Entrop. The colours:
Yellow Red Green indicate the destination Car rental: Ask around at the airport or at the terminal. You can also stand at the side of the road till you see an empty taxi. Waive it down and begin bartering for a “charter”. Boat services Pelni: Garuda, Merpati, Carstenz Papua Airlines, Lion Airlines, Kartika Airlines (tel. 523031/3), MAF, AMA (Agats, Enarotali, Nabire,), SIL, RBMU, Adventist Aviation, Air fast, Trigana Air Service, SMAC, You can charter a small planes with pilot. Ask at the MAF office at Sentani Airport or the other offices of air charter companies around Sentani airport. … Boat rental: Sentani Lake: Yahim (follow the road passed the old pasar Sentani), also at Yougwa Restaurant; or at Menteri Kehubungan, Jayapura or Yoka Pantai. Caves
Demta (ask somebody at the Christian primary school, SD YPK, for a perahu and a guide)
Cyclops – at the Middle Falls – watch the bats and the path is quite slippery)
Swiss-Belhotel Papua – Jayapura, near the large Protestant Church, opposite the old
building of the “Nieuw-Guinea Raad” (the proto Papua Parliament of the Dutch period) .
Fairly expensive, compared to the other hotels. Always ask for a rebate.
Hotel Relat Indah, Argapura – good restaurant (close to the office of the synod of the GKI
(Gereaja Kristen Injili di Tanah Papua, the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua Land)
Hotel Yasmin, Jalan Percetakan, Jayapura (the main shopping street)
Hotel Matoa, next to Polres, the police office of the kabupaten (regency), Jalan Ahmed
Yani (the other shopping street of Jayapura)
Hotel Sentani Indah, Sentani – with swimming pool
Guesthouse SIL. Uncen Campus (old), Abepura (good service and privay)
Guesthouse P3W, Jalan Sosial, Padang Bulan. Food from the asrama of the girls who
follow courses at the Women’s Centre (clean, nice and there is always somebody to give
you assistance with your travel plans)
Guesthouse Werimon, Kamp Wolker, Waena. Very quiet place, but still within reach of
taxis, off Jalan to Uncen Baru. It is, in fcat, quite close to the new University Campus).
Contact Marijke Werimon at P3W Women’s Centre in Abepura
Hotel Dian Graha, Ankasa (in Dutch: “Hemelpoort”). High up on the hills, quite close to the
beaches of North Jayapura, like Base G. Friendly, personal service. Good for small
seminars, swimming pool.
Biara San Antonius, Sentani. Excellent for small groups, up to 30 participants. Very good
(European) food, served to order. Run by the Franciscan Friars who also run a farm (eggs
from free range chickens and Jeruk Bali, a kind of a grape fruit))
Restaurants
Hotel Relat Indah, Argapura. Good European food, friendly service. However, this
information may be dated. It depends very much on the cook. In 2003 the service and the
food were lousy.
Yougwa Restaurant and guesthouse: nice view over the lake. It serves fish from the lake or
goldfish cultivated at the restaurant. You can choose yourself your fish. Best time to visit
around sunset.
Restaurant Mickey, Sentani: Simple dishes, like french fries, chap choi, fuyonghay and so
on.
Mahkota Beach Hotel, Hamadi: nice view over the ocean and on the two islands both
called Pulau Kayu (“Stone Island”). One island is now renamed Pulau Salib, the island of
the cross, as on it is placed a huge cross, to show that the Papuans are Christians. .
Restaurant Fantasi, part of Hotel Dafonsoro, next to Restaurant Koalala). Jalan
Percetakan. Good soup, friendly service
Restaurant Virgo, Sentani
Restaurant Shangri-La, near Sentani airport, erratic opening hours
Markets (pasar).
These sell everything from clothes, watches, furniture, books and electronics equipment to
spices, furniture, fish, meat, vegetables and fruits). There are also several stalls where you
can have a drink or a meal.
Ampera market in Jayapura, the largest.
Market at Entrop next to the minibussation
Market at Hamadi, with a special fish market.
Abepura market,
Sentani old market at Jalan ke Yahim (harbour)
,
New Market on the road to Kemiri-Denpasar-Demta to the west.
Cinemas
There is not any. People hire VCDs nowadays. There are plenty of places to rent VCDs.
CV Podanatur (Wearness Computers) at APO, has, I guess, the largest collection. VCDs,
DVDs and CD Roms are also for sale by street sellers, at the shops of Jayapura, Abepura
and Waena.
Mountain climbing/hiking (See also waterfalls)
Siklop (Cyclops Mountains). Height: 6,420 feet (2,000 meter). Time needed: ca. 12 hours
up and down. It is most difficult between 2,500 and 4,000 feet (750 and 1,200 meters)
depending on the weather. You need dry weather. Do not underestimate the hike. Do not
trust people straightaway who claim that they know the Cyclop very well. For a guide,
please ask WWF at their office at the foot of the mountain on Jalan Post Tujuh.
Along the stream behind the old campus of STT Walter Post. Follow the conduit pipes.
Take either side of the stream. You can cross to the West side at the new (still unused
water reservoir). These are tracks made by woodcutters.
Buper. In the bend, where people are washing their cars and the road goes up. Go left from
Sentani. Good footpath till a nice place for a picnic. This only makes for a short walk, say
15 minutes.
Ifar Gunung. After the guard post, where you report, (please put of your sun glasses and
stop the car and the engine, be patient and polite) then go at the roundabout to the left
instead of to the right, where you go to the MacArthur monument. You follow the road and
end up at a place where there is a Pentecostal Church in an old Quonset of the American
Army. You take a walking track up the hills behind the church. To your right is the large fuel
container from the American period, now used as a water reservoir. The road down takes
you to a place where you can swim and have a picnic. The road up is the walking track to
Ormu. It is a 5 to 7 hours hike.
Sports
Water skiing on Lake Sentani
Diving in the Pacific Ocean. Several very nice diving spots. Diving equipment at Hotel Tirta
Mandala, next to SMU Gabungan, a combined Catholic-Protestant highschool., Dok Lima
Bawah.
Golf – several golf fields. Padang Golf Cenderewasih, Polimak. Take the road to the left
between the Toyota car dealer and the Yamaha motorcycle dealer. It is signposted. Very
good view over Yotefa Bay. The place is also good for a cup of tea or a cold drink. Rp
200,000 for a whole day golfing. A good golf player can make a profit as people are used to
bet considerable sums for the outcome of a game.
Swimmingpools: (i) Pos Tujuh Pool, Sentani – you have to be a member or the guest of a
member, (ii) Hotel Sentani Indah, Sentani, (iii) Hotel Tirta Mandala, Dok Lima Bawah,
Jayapura. This is a salt water swimming pool
Football (soccer). Mandala Football Stadium, Dok Dua, holds 30,000-40,000. Watch the
regional champion Persipura play.
Tennis: several places
Fitness training: Hotel Sentani Indah, Sentani. You can become member of the fitness club
for a small monthly payment.
Islands
Pulau Enggros and Tobati in the Teluk Yos Sudarso (Yotefa Bay). Take the boat from
Tanah Hitam. Take the new road or the old road opposite Toko Mega Grosir. Go left. At the
new road left again. After a large house to the right you see a path going up. You can park
the car up there and wait for the boat to bring you to Enggros and Tobati. The people have
a quite famous dance group. If you arrange it beforehand the villagers are prepared to
serve you a meal, if you come with a group. There is also a possibility for homestay. The
bluely painted GKI church is worth a visit. The church was build shortly after World War II
with building material left over from war stores.
Pulau Asei in Lake Sentani. Take the perahu from Yahim, Sentani or from Merci, before
Yougwa (from Sentani) (the old site of Restaurant Meerzicht). Bark cloth paintings, Famous
woodcarver Herman Ohee lives here. To visit him go right where the motor perahu lands,
and follow the path along the coast. On the top of the only hill of Asei there used to be a
church with a very nice tower. It has gone into pieces and the village is now rebuilding the
church. The new church has some interesting black and white paintings.
Pulau Kayu Pulau (Pulau Salib) – get perahu from Argapura, just before marine dock. The
village is the home village of Nicolaas Jouwe, the famous Papua leader who now lives in
Holland. His house is still there, though in ruins. The people of this village used to own the
whole of Jayapura and Argapura. The Dutch government bought it from in the mid 1950s
for NLG 100,000, a very considerable sum at that time. The headman of the village was
sent to Holland to learn how to use this money as starting capital for a cooperative society.
On his return much of the money had already disappeared to the great disappointment of
the headman. Now the island has some land at Argapura and at the harbour next to the
navy complex. Several villagers had to move to Skouw, near the PNG border to find land
for farming.
Ifar-Le: large church with reliefs, build with money from Bas Suebu, former governor,
ambassador in Mexico, and at present (2009) again Governor. He originates from this
island. If you walk alongside this church on the left hand side and continue following the
shore you come at a place where an even larger church is going to be constructed. At the
moment there has not been much progress apart from beyond the three founding stones
Pulau Anus, off the coast between Demta and Sarmi. It has Japanese remains from World
War II
World War II
Jayapura was, as said, known as now as Hollandia prior to the enforced integration of West
Papua into Indonesia on 1 May 1963. Hollandia was occupied by the Japanese in April
1942. It was the site of several airstrips, the Hollandia, Sentani and Cyclops Aerodromes.
Hollandia was liberated after a daring hop westward along the New Guinea coast by
American amphibious task force on April 22, 1944 that caught the Japanese largely by
surprise. The American invaded in two places, in Tanah Merah Bay, east of Depapre and
at Hamadi, Jayapura (Hollandia), The invasion was codenamed Reckless. Following a
Navy bombardment, elements of the 19th and 21st Infantry Regiments made landings at
beaches "Red Beach 1" and "Red Beach 2". LVT and LCVP followed these initial landings.
Humboldt Bay (Hamadi Beach.) is a natural harbor located to the East of Hollandia town.
The 162nd Infantry Division landed without opposition here on April 22, 1944 at "White
Beach 1". 162nd secured the heights overlooking Hollandia town, meeting only minor
resistance and moving quickly. "White Beach 2" was also an unopposed landing by the 3rd
Battalion, 186th Infantry. "White Beach 3" was occupied by the 186th Infantry with the
Regimental Cannon company blasting the slight resistance offered by three Japanese
positions along the shore with six US casualties, 16 wounded; 48 Japanese were killed,
and some prisoners taken. A single bomber slipped through the mountains and appeared
over White Beach 1. It dropped four bombs, one of which ignited an ammunition dump
which in turn set a gasoline dump on fire.
Tami Drome, East of Humboldt Bay, was a secondary objective of the Hollandia task force
Reckless. Located on a flat coastal plain, the drome is cut off from the Hollandia area by
the Djar Mountains and by large swamps around Holltekamp. The airfield was non-
operational. On April 27, reinforcements of the G Company of the 162nd Infantry arrived to
clear the area. Security was established for engineering units which completed the
construction of the airfield. On May 1st, enemy snipers became very active and additional
US forces cleared the area with vigorous paroling. By May 3rd, a 3,800 foot runway was
completed and ready for use with transport planes.
Two Almo scout teams entered the area on D +2 (April 24, 1944) a sizable party of
missionaries and Japanese prisoners was liberated at Koya nearby, and were questioned
and then evacuated.
After the American occupation, the base was a huge staging area for later operations,
including the invasion of Luzon in the Philippines. The following Black units operated at
Hollandia after American occupation:. 207th Antiaircraft Artillery AW, 572nd Quartermaster
Railhead, 593rd Port Co, 458th Aviation Squadron, 415th Army Band, and 741st
Antiaircraft Artillery Gun
Lake Sentani. This large lake was a resupply landing spot for PBYs during the liberation.
There are several wrecks of crashed Allied planes in the lake and in the surrounding area
of the Cyclops Mountains. Veteran Carl Thien at
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/veterans/thien.html gives an account of the war in
the Jayapura, Sentani area.
Relics from the War
(see also: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/indonesia/hollandia/index.html)
A few Japanese tanks at the kompleks of the former Theological College of the Kingmi
Church, STT Walter Post, Kampung Harapan
Tugu MacArthur, at the military base at Ifar Gunung. It is situated on the highest point of
elevation, this was MacArthur's HQ and bunker. He used it from the middle of 1944 until the
invasion of the Philippines. It offers a commanding view over the area. Good picnic spot
with a nice view. At this military training base, RINDAM XVII/Trikora, there is also a nice
place for swimming and picnic, also good for families with small children.
After passing the military guarding post where you report, go left instead of right to Tugu
MacArthur. Ask for “swembad”. It is after a Pentecostal church, housed in one of the half
round buildings, left from the American camps. When you approach the gate of the military
camp, you will be asked to put off your sunglasses. At night time put off your lamps and lit
the inside lamp of your car. Do it before the guards ask you to do it.
Monument (tugu) Invasion Place Hamadi. On the road which goes alongside the Pasar
Hamadi and the large mosque with the blue towers. The exact place of the American
invasion on 22 April 1944 is marked with an obelisk and a plaque, telling the story in
English and Indonesian. The place is on the other side of the road where the wharf and
dock PT Yosiba is.
Japanese boat in the Teluk Yos Sudarso.
Japanese tank on the road to Depapre, on the left hand side. After the restaurant, which is
on the left, after the stream. I have not yet been able to spot it.
There are five or six plane wreck from WW II in the Sentani Lake. One has been recently
salvaged by a Dutch navy divers’ team for a Dutch air force museum.
Japanese monument for the victims, which were many, in the war. Small monument with
Japanese inscriptions in Tanah Hitam/Abe Pantai on the left, in a bend of the road to
Vanimo/Arso/Skouw/Holtekamp, when the road makes a sharp turn to the right.
Large containers used for storing petrol and kerosene can still be seen on the hills east of
Depapre, if you take the first road to the right, before the police office. On your right hand
side. These lie at the base of the track built be the Americans that connects Tanahmerah to
Jayapura (Hollandia) to the East. If after the police office you go immediately to the left and
follow the road you come at a place, which local people use as a beach and for picnics.
From there you can swim to the wooden mooring poles still remaining there from the
American period (June 1944-August 1945) when the whole bay was an enormous harbour
for the war effort.
Cinema from the war. During the war there were at least seven cinemas in Jayapura and
surroundings. One is still remaining and it was in function till 2001. It is behind the shops
where you turn left (when coming from Jayapura or Abepura) to the old pasar Sentani. I
think it should become a monument or a museum.

Japanese and American airports
Hollandia Aerodrome. Today, it is still in use and the principal entry point into this half of the
island. It is the only one of the WW II airfields which is still in use.
Sentani Airfield was built by the Japanese. It was liberated by the 186th Infantry on April
26, 1944. It was badly cratered by previous American bomber raids, and completely
useless. The barracks in the area had also been largely destroyed by bombing. It appeared
to have not been operational for some time. The strip was improved by the Americans. It
was a huge airbase complex with fighters, and heavy bombers operating out of the area. It
once operated a wing of B-29 Superfortresses.
Cyclops Drome. Built by the Japanese, this airfield is at the base of the Cyclops mountains
along the Depapre - Aerodrome track. Occupied by the 186th Infantry on April 26th, 1944 it
was found serviceable for light planes with the possibility for expansion. Gene Strine
visited the site of the old airfield in the late 1980s. "No one knew exactly where it was
because it had become completely overgrown. After walking to the approximate area, I was
able to find overgrown Anti-Aircraft gun revetments. One of the guns was still in its
revetment. I discovered an Antiaircraft fuse for a shell, and this Japanese liquor bottle.”
The Cyclops Mountains had an airplane wreck of a P-61B "Midnight Queen", nicknamed
“The Black Widow”. It has now been repatriated to the US. (see:
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/restore/strine.html
Tami Drome lies East of Humboldt Bay (for background information see above)
Other things to see or do
Buddhist Temple (Vihara), on the mountain before Skyline. Nice view, nice building,
interesting Buddhist reliefs with symbols from Papua art like from the Asmat, like the tree of
life – the bodhi tree. There are services Sunday mornings at 10 o’clock.
Hindu Temple, Skyline, immediately after the sharp bend in the road, where you have a
view over Teluk Yos Sudarso (Teluk Yotefa) go left. Meet the Balinese. Best time: new
moon or full moon, the two major monthly feast days of the Hindus.
Bapedalda. Office of environmental protection, Skyline. Nice view over Yotefa Bay with the
islands Engros and Tobati. Good place for pictures. From Abepura/Kota Raja turn left after
the Hindu Temple. Opposite is the entrance of Yotefa National Park.
Tabla Supa, the village tucked in between Pantai Amai and Pantai Tanah Merah. You can
walk through the village, pass the graveyard and reach Pantai Tanah Merah in this way by
foot. The church of Tabla Supa has some interesting paintings. The village can provide
home stay. Ask for Peter. His wife speaks Dutch. See the huge tame tortoises under his
house.
Dormena, on the North coast. Beautiful, clean village. You must have been here. Nice
people. Very interesting church, the Bethlehem church (GKI) with a wall around decorated
with about 25 reliefs, depicting the main stories of the Old and the New Testament. You go
by car to Amai and Tanah Merah. You have to stop at a primary school and park there as
the road is broken down. You walk then in about half an hour to Dormena. On the way, to
the right you see an interesting “church of the rock.’ This church is built on a huge rock.
The rock is the symbol for Jesus. The building has one storey at the front and two stories at
the back. The people there are willing to take guests for the night. There is a nice beach
nearby, they say. The church services are on Saturdays.
Ormu, village North of the Cyclops Mountains. It is said that it is the only place, apart from
the interior, where the people are still making stone tools, now only used as bride price or
bride wealth (emas kawin) in the Sentani area. You can take the perahu Johnson from
Market Hamadi or from the harbour. You can also charter a prow Johnson from Depapre.
There seems to be a walking path across the Cyclops to Ormu. The road starts at the
“swembad” at the military complex of Ifar Gunung. It is a day’s walk. I have not yet tried it.
Demta. Village on the North coast. Go to the left after reaching the village. At the primary
school there is a museum with two stories, with a collection paintings, woodcarvings and
ancient stone statues, which come from the caves, in the past used to bury the dead. Ask
somebody to guide you around and to organize a trip by prahu (dug out cano) to beaches,
Tarfia with the caves, Bukisi Island, and neighbouring villages.
On the way to Demta, halfway Kali Biru and Demta to you left you see a river coning out of
a rock. Very clear water.
Tarfia. Village with old graves in caves. Some of the contents of these caves were on
display in the museum at the primary school in Demta. There is here also an ancient basin
made from clay, used to keep sago, bananas etc. The basin is 4 to 5 meters high.
Ambora. Village west of Demta. Nice church, the Baithel church, with painting of Jacob’s
dream on the outside wall. In the church is a well with never ending water, a miracle well.
People use the water to cure sick people.
Bukisi Island, also called Desa Marowai, the name of the river behind the village. Half an
hour by motor perahu from Demta or from Depapre. Beautiful island. Good for swimming. There are also a river, caves and an old graveyard. If you ask for home stay it can be organized, though there is only one bed, in the unused clinic, which stands on the beach. Here is an excellent dance group on the island, which got the first price at dance competitions. The group/village composed a dance which is based on the history and life philosophy of the Papua people. Lereh. This is as far as you can go with a normal car. You can go in one day and back to Lereh from Jayapura. Interesting trip through the forests, though a lot of trees are cut. You follow the road to Demta and turn left at a metal bridge, the Juliana Bridge Be careful for the huge trucks heavily loaded with trees. They drive fast and are of the opinion that they own the road, which in fact is also the case. This is the Enterprise Road, Jalan Perusahaan, made by the wood companies. You can drive around Sentani Lake. Take the road to Demta. Go straight at a place where the road makes a sharp turn to the right. Continue that dirt road which leads past the Office (Kantor) cemat Gemtuek (district office). You can also start at the other end, where you take the road to Arso 3 and 4 through Yoka Pantai. Go right after you have left the lake on your right hand side Yoka Pantai: a nice village. Take the road from Waena to Arso 3 and 4. Have a look at the harbour to your right. Continue to the church building, which is on your left. Go to the right before the church. Then on your right you have an old mission hospital made of gaba-gaba. Continue to have a look at the traditional houses which stand on poles in the water. You may ask to have a look in one of these houses and have a cup of tea. You continue going the path alongside the lake you will see the large wooden house of the ondoafi Mesakh Mebri. You can ask to see the house from the inside. Two houses away from the house of the ondoafi is the small house of a Dutch teacher of the Jongensvervolgschool of Yoka, Lutzen de Graaf. Have a look at the nice woodcarvings in the door. If you follow the tar road to Arso you will see on your left a very large tree. This is the tree on the place where once the house of Reverend Izaak Samuel Kijne stood. He is the one who translated the Psalms and Hymns of the hymnbook stil in daily use in the GKI and other churches. He wrote a song book called Suling Mas, with the song that became the national anthem of the Papuans on 1 December 1961. He also wrote the famous children book Kota Emas, The Golden City, where two children, a Papuan boy and his friend, a Dutch girl, after much difficulties meet Jesus in the Golden City. Rev. Kijne founded a theological school in Miei in the 1920s and in the early 1950s one in Serui. The Theological College (STT) of the Gereja Kristen Injli di Tanah Papua (GKI) in Abepura is named after him. Doyo Lama: prehistoric rock paintings and microliths. Good place for picnics s there are several shelters on the way to the top of the hill. Best time to visit is in the afternoon. Beautiful sunset over the Lake. The people of Doyo Lame say that these megaliths were not decorated by them or by their ancestors. When their ancestors came from what is now PNG they found already these rocks and the paintings and engravings. The people who made them had then already gone. The village on the lakeside is also of interest. Visit the two houses of the ondoafis. One is a large modern house on a hill, to yopu left, when you enter the village from the main road. The other is down at the waterfront. Go left on coming at the shore. Then you find it on your right-hand side. Everybody knows the place. This one has interesting woodcarvings as poles. Vanimo. It is possible to take a day trip to Vanimo or spend the weekend there. An experienced Vanimo traveller is Jaap van de Werf at Entrop, who can be of assistance at a fee. In Vanimo you can do shopping e.g. for whole-wheat flour. You can spend the night at a seaside hotel with good Australian food. Price about US$ 40 a night. You get your visa at the PNG consulate in Jayapura. You then drive to the border and leave the car there. You can arrange that somebody picks you up at the border. It is a person of Dutch descent, who owns a petrol station and and rents cars in Vanimo. Jaap van de Werf of Entrop has the details. Church services on Sunday. Go and attend on Sundays a church service. Even if you can not follow the sermon, you can usually enjoy excellent music by several church choirs. Many of these churches have very interesting wall paintings or sculptures, depicting
religious scenes. For an overview of this Christian art see:
http://constellarti.nl/Papua/album/Papuachristianart/index.html
There is on Sundays at 10 an English language service at the Newman Memorial Chapel at
Pos Tujuh, Sentani, where you can meet the expatriate community.
Practical information
Post office. - Abepura, Waena, Sentani, General Post Office Jayapura at the harbour.
Warnet (Warung Internet) – Jayapura: Kuwera Jaya, Jl. Ahmed Yani, Kantor pos dll,
Abepura: kantor pos, dan di Jl. Gerilyawan.
Travel agencies: Kuwera Jaya, Jalan Ahmed Yani (ask for a rebate of 5 % on a single
ticket and 10 % on a return ticket). Please watch your credit card. Do not give them
permission to make a photo copy of it.
Banks and ATM machines: 2 in Abe (BNI and BII); 3 in Jayapura (BNI on Jalan Ahmed
Yani and BII on Jalan Percetakan) , 1 in Sentani – opposite Ebenhaezer Church of the GKI
and Army 751 mosque. Bank Mandiri has its own system , which it now shares with BNI.
ATM machine in Jayapura, Jalan Ahmed Yani and in Abepura at the branch office.
Important addresses
TMF, at APO, Jayapura (shares office with Kingmi Papua, which is the Tabernacle Church,
and CAMA, the Christian And Missionary Alliance)
WWF Office, Ankasa
YPMD, Kotaraja (It has a small library with books and periodicals)
Conservation International, Kota Raja
WorldVision, Argapura UNESCO, Papua, Office of the Dinas Otonom, Kota Raja Synod office of the GKI di Tanah Papua, Argapura. This is after the large and imposing office of Pelni. To the right of the office of the GKI is the office of the Indonesian Bible Society where they sell bibles and material for evangelisation. YPK (Yayasan Pendidiakn Kristen), Argapura (courses English and accountancy). It is just across the street of the synod office of the GKI. GIDI (Gereja Injili di Indonesia or The Evangelical Church in Indonesia) Office , Sentani – opposite Marten Luther Church Kingmi Papua Office, Jayapura, APO (Kingmi is the Gereja Kemah Injil di Papua, the Gospel Tabernacle Church). It shares its offices with CAMA, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a large American missionary society) P3W Pronounced as Pay Tiga Way), Women’s Centre, Jalan Sosial, Padang Bulan. Small handicraft shop, which sells bark cloth paintings and products made by the girls who follow courses there. Very reasonable priced. There is a guest house, a venue for rent for meetings, with catering. Papers for Jayapura are the Cenderawasih Pos, Papua Pos and Tifa Papua. For news check also Info Papua. For comments and additions please contact the author: [email protected]

Source: http://www.hapin.nl/files/pdf/Jayapura%20Guide%202003.pdf