We were extremely impressed with the
Raja4Divers resort. Not only with the service and facilities but also with the
commitment to the local economy, local villages and to keeping things as
natural and environmentally friendly as possible.
The resort was built and opened in 2010 by
a Swiss woman named Maya who had previously managed other dive resorts. An
Indonesian man owns the island of Pulau Pef and they worked together to get
approval from all the surrounding villages in order to build the resort.
A very talented craftsman was hired to head
up the construction. He still works for the resort and his talent and
imagination is evident throughout. A small sawmill and concrete plant looking
area is located out of sight, not far from the bungalows and staff housing.
 |
| The lumber yard and carving area. |
Pretty much everything, with the exception
of some of the bathroom fixtures and the nails in the dock and walkways, is
made from materials gathered from the island or other local communities. The
massive amounts of “string” used to tie all the construction together is made
from local plants but is a considerable amount of work to make. Maya said many
local people spent many, many days sitting in a circle working on this. (Sorry,
I didn’t get details of how it’s done or which plant it's made from.)
 |
The "string" that was used to tie everything together. This was on a light switch cover but the "string" was used
throughout all buildings . . . rafters, walls, you name it! |
She strives to have people from West Papua
represent 50% of the employees. For many of these employees this is their first
job so training staff to high standard is an ongoing concern. For example, one
of the employees explained they use non-breakable plates because if they
didn’t, they would be buying new plates regularly. He said they go through a
lot of drinking glasses! If I remember numbers correctly, they presently employ
22 West Papuans, 18 from other parts of Indonesia and 6 from other countries
(mostly Switzerland and Germany I think).
There are only eight bungalows so a maximum
of 16 guests can be accommodated. There were 13 during our week there and it
was a nice number for diving purposes. They try to keep three dive boats
running but due to difficulty in getting parts, it’s a constant struggle. A new
engine arrived in a shipment of supplies during the week we were there and the
boat mechanics had it installed that same night.
For guest transportation and carrying
supplies to and from Sorong, they use a locally made long boat (albeit with
bigger engines).
 |
Supplies arrived by boat late in the afternoon and employees the better part of an hour
ferrying supplies in from the dock. |
 |
| About 2 1/2 hours later the mechanics cruised by the dining hall to show off the newly installed engine. |
Not surprising in all this, they also buy
as much local food produce as possible. Boats from neighboring villages were
constantly arriving with fish, fruits, vegetables and other supplies. Surprisingly, the tofu
they served us vegetarians is made in Sorong.
 |
| One of the local villagers arriving with supplies. |
Speaking of the food . . . it was
outstanding! All other dive resorts we’ve been to say they cater to
vegetarians. But really they don’t. R4D went above and beyond in this regard.
Andrew and I (plus one other lady who was vegetarian) were always provided with
something “extra” and the buffet dishes that were vegetarian were always
carefully pointed out to us.
Interestingly, the restaurant manager was
trained in Canada. From Indonesia, Hariyo spent seven years in Ottawa, first
getting a degree and working on a Masters in Communications, deciding that’s
not really want he wanted to do, going to school to become a Chef and then
apprenticing under the Chef at the Swiss Embassy. The things he and his staff could
do with tofu, tempeh and eggs was absolutely delicious! And the baker he has
working in the kitchen was also very talented! Fresh bread every day at
breakfast, homemade cookies and squares always available in the dining room,
home made cake for our snack between dives, and yummy desserts (such as dark chocolate layer cake and profiteroles) each evening.
 |
| Hariyo (centre) and some of his dining room staff. |
So often, functional things are boring. But the some of the wood-carvings and items made of cement made the functional items so much more interesting!
These little gazebo-looking items, each with a different "head" on them, served as night lights along pathways. The wiring up to the lights was so well hidden, it again took me a couple days to figure out their purpose. (Note the "string" holding the cross section pieces together.)
New "totem poles" (which apparently appeared just prior to our arrival) will also be used as pathway lighting. The head craftsman/carver had disappeared into the woods for several days and came back with these. Each one was unique.
These turtles are not just decorative. Made of cement and rebar, these babies are HEAVY!!! and hold down the corner of the dock that used to sustain damage in high winds.
Whether to simply entertain by putting a smile on someone's face, or to serve a particular function, everything has a purpose. Sometimes things can do both.
