Camp Kri, Irian Jaya

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While I was at Kri Island, I went diving, hiked around the island, or hung out in the dining hall, reading or listening to the locals play guitar. The guitar is a popular instrument with the Papuans I met. I suppose that a guitar is well suited to the environment and portable, so there were no shortage of them around.

Jammin' at Camp Kri
Nic Son, on the right, and Thadeus pick a tune

The bookshelves in the dining hall held a lot of dive magazines and, interestingly, some pilot's manuals for WWII aircraft. There were handbooks for the P-51 Mustang, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-38 Lightning and the heavy bombers B17 Flying Fortress and the B-25 Mitchell. The bookshelves were guarded by a tame bird that looked like the papuan version of a Mourning Dove. This fellow liked to roost on my wrist while I was writing. We also had a Great Hornbill and a couple of Parrots who hung around, although the cooks would shoo the birds away every time they got a chance.

Kiki the Parrot
Kiki, the Camp Kri parrot

Another great diversion is sea kayaking. There were two kayaks in more or less seaworthy condition drawn up on the beach near the kitchen. The camp is inside a protected lagoon, so it's easy to paddle around and go sightseeing in a kayak if the mood takes you. Outside the lagoon there are strong currents and I didn't go there.


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