travelme7:Traversing 156 Bridge to Red Territory of Papua(indonesia)

Papua province blessed with outstanding natural beauty . Travel to the most eastern region is the most impressive I visited all 33 provinces in Indonesia. Incidentally , I was given the job of office to follow the TNI Manunggal Village Building program ( TMMD ) in Sarmi regency , Papua , last year .

I rushed after dawn Sarmi district of Jayapura . I got 3 guard soldiers . One of them was a middle-ranking officers . Everything is carrying a weapon . Because the area is to be our sambangi former red area , the name for the headquarters of the Free Papua Movement ( OPM ) .

Sarmi district is about 350 kilometers from Jayapura , or 8 hours by road . From Sarmi district , I had to drive three hours to get to the target location , the village Arbais , Niwirawar , and Webro . We had to use a double axle car to get through the muddy roads partly .

Conditions of Jayapura road toward Sarmi district is not smooth . " There are 156 wooden bridges which we must pass , " said Sutikno , Jayapura Military officer who accompanied . I had fun counting the bridge after the bridge I crossed. The length and width of the bridges varies . However , the vast majority can only be crossed by a four-wheeled vehicle . And even then we have to be careful and skilled in driving to avoid slipping .

The bridges made ​​of logs . There are only a few bridges that connect the two banks of a small river . But we still have to be very careful climbing the bridge . Therefore , if we are careless at the helm , the risk teperosok .

Although the condition of the road to Sarmi district is not so good , but the views of the new autonomous region is very beautiful . Age across the edge of Lake Sentani , we presented a winding road . Approximately an hour drive from Jayapura , we began to enter the forest . While conversing with me , Major Sutikno put some bullet casings to his FN pistol . " Security in Papua is difficult to guess , last month we keep watch in the mountains above , but actually shooting occurred in the city , " he said relaxing .