The tourism privilege (and paradox), birds of paradise, sailfin iguana… and a sea snake in the engine.
The ‘blue river’ draws its source from the rains that run through the limestone cliffs in the jungle. The water is so cool and clear and blue that it looks like it’s drawn from a commercial for Bombay Sapphire.
We hike in and there’s a local family in the water. They smile and we wave and the kids do what kids do. Soon they leave and we have this little grotto to ourselves, swimming like the little ones.
I am so out of place. If you looked up the word ‘tourist’ in a dictionary there would be a picture of me now, waving with my backpack and cap and reflecting orange sunglasses, a camera strung around my neck and my impossibly white legs in impossibly big shoes.
Who better to appear in the documentary and offer the visitor’s perspective on tourism in Raja Ampat!? I kind of leap at the opportunity, particularly after Kevin tells me he’ll overdub my voice with a deep French accent.
I talk about the privilege of visiting places like this, about having a light footprint and the importance of understanding and respecting local custom and tradition.
I also talk about the tension between tourism investment, environmental protection and cultural integrity.
People like me come to ‘get away from it all’ and then try and change the things that drew them in the first place. We start with a sense of achievement at our adventures off grid but the cycle turns quickly. Soon we want to speak English and eat hamburgers while we enjoy our ‘adventure’ in comfort and post photos online. Instagram influencers descend, snap and move on and behind them come a conga line of selfie-chasers who interact through a camera lens. Then we all moan about how great it ‘used to be’.
There’s already evidence of that starting to happen here, but not today.
I think ultimately the choice about how these places develop should always be in the hands of their local owners and custodians. I just hope they decide that in this place, the best change is no more change at all.
During the trek we see a bird of paradise and we stop to watch a metre-long sailfin iguana by the riverside. The iguana is primal and beautiful with searing blue eyes and there’s little evidence of them being documented here.
After lunch I return to the main boat. It’s just me and Roy and while he naps I pretend I’m here all by myself, moored in this bay. I’m Robinson Crusoe.
At night a large banded krate (sea snake) climbs into the runabout and tries to take up residence in the motor. After awhile we manage to move it on as it seeks safe harbour elsewhere.
Our night dive in the muck is incredible. Cuttlefish here, spider crabs there, weird nudibranchs and shrimp of every colour and many things we can’t name. They all emerge in the deep dark 15 metres down as we glide across the silty bottom on a moonless night.
Source: LinkedIn | Greg Johannes
Photo: Greg Johannes
Past Entries:
About The Author: Greg Johannes, Ambassador – The SEA People. Greg spent 2 weeks aboard the Galaxea with us and documented his experience in his daily entries into ‘The SEA People Diaries’.
Day Seven – Read here
Day Six – Read here
Day Five – Read here
Day Four – Read here
Day Three – Read here
Day One and Two – Read here
Day Zero – Read here