GRIOTS REPUBLIC - An Urban Black Travel Mag - Jan 2016

I G P H O T O O F T H E M O N T H
It was one of the least visited places I have ever
traveled to, but I consider myself a true traveler and
really thrive off the intrigue of undiscovered places.
I've been living in Brunei Darussalam which is on the
large island of Borneo for 4 months and have been
taking advantage of the opportunity by exploring
everything I can in the area. I've traveled to Indonesia
a few times before and realized there's so much more
out there than just the popular destinations like Bali,
Jakarta, and Yogyakarta.
I was in the province of West Papua which is also
known as Irian Jaya for close to a week trekking
through different villages without a guide. There are
about three different tribes who inhabit the villages
around the highlands of The Baliem Valley. In this
photo I was visiting the Dani Tribe.
On the last day of my visit I hired a guide to take me to
a specific village where they perform traditional
war dances. My guide was a local Papuan who
spoke the language and broken English so he was
able to translate. At the end of their dance he told
me that they would allow me to take a picture with
them.
There is only one way to get here which involves a
series of flights and a special travel permit called a
Surat Jalan. There is always a sense of
accomplishment and gratification I get when
arriving to such a remote location that can’t be
matched. From staying the night in the local straw
huts which are called “Honais”, to shaking every
locals hand I encountered along the path during
the trek, to handing out candies to all the children
of the villages, to the incredible views of the
surrounding mountains of the highlands, this was
one of the most memorable and picturesque trips I
have ever had and am incredibly fortunate to have
had this experience.