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journey in papua
West Papua,
The baliem valley
The valley was discovered by a wealthy American explorer during his botanical and zoological expeditions in 1938, who first reported that this 1,600 m-high valley appeared to be inhabited by a lost civilization. When the cloud clear, the expedition members beheld a vast, beautifully tended garden of chekerboard squares with neat stone fences, clean-cut networks of canals, and multiculously terraced mountain slopes. ( read of discovery in March 1941 issue of ?National Geography? ) The Grand Valley of Baliem received worldwide publicity in 1945 when a sightseeing plane out of wartime Hollandia crashed and its survivor had to be recued in a daring glider operation. An American nurse in this group called the valley a Shangri-la. The first outsider to settle here were missionaries landing by a float plane on the Baliem river in 1954. The Dutch established a settlement in Wamena in 1956, bringing in schools teachers, new breed of livestock, modern clothing and metaltools. Wamena continued under their control until Indonesia wrested West New Guinea from Holland in 1962. The Grand Valley is 72 km long by 16 ? 32 km wide. Is has magnificent scenery and unlimited tourist potential. It is inhabited by tribes of Neolithic ex-warrior farmers, the Dani?s. The Baliem rivers runs like a snake through a valley of stony riverbeds, jungle ravines, ?kampung? of Honnai ( the round house ), plots of green cultivated fields, and stones walls. The Dani are today some of the most skilled and meticulous gardeners in the world. The temperatur is mild and the railfall moderate (through highly variable). If it is raining in the southren part of the valley, its migh be sunny in the north, or vice versa. September though October is the season of high winds. Usually raining in the afternoon. It is frequently cloudy except in the early morning when all surrounding mountains are in clear view.
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