Papua Bird's Head
We flew to Manokwari from Sentani. With the Cyclops Mountains to our right, the plane rose slowly into the air. We flew along the north coast, a long, unbroken stretch of beach and forest with not a settlement in sight. We passed the wide, muddy mouth of the Mamberamo. As we flew over Biak island, the coastline turned away into Cendrawasih (Bird of Paradise) Bay. Beautiful white-sand atolls bathed in clear blue water. We started our descent to Manokwari, slid under a mass of menacing black clouds and plopped onto the runway. It started to rain.
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