The beautiful town of Sorong, located on the ‘beak’ of the Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua, is a popular departure point for sailing in fabulous Raja Ampat marine park. The word ‘Sorong’ is said to originate from the local language meaning ‘deep and turbulent seas’. Mountains, lowlands, hills, and protected forests securely surround the town of Sorong, guarding the real Indonesian treasures of epic proportions.
Sorong is the second biggest town in West Papua and supports the population of about 125,000 people, most of them are transmigrants from other parts of Indonesia. The first arrival in this town could feel a bit like the end of the world; but after some couple of weeks out on a liveaboard, or in a remote resort, it seems to resemble downtown Manhattan (well not really!). As the sun goes drops below the horizon, and all the Sorong lights are turned on, the whole town looks a lot better than it does during the day, and a perfect place to be at that time is at the beautiful Buddhist Temple. Perched high on a hill overlooking Sorong, the temple is a great place to end the day and catch the sunset as it commands what is probably the best place in town to watch the sun go down.
