It is one of the largest islands in Papua: Biak. Located in Cenderawasih Bay, near the north coast of Papua, a province of Indonesia, in the northwestern part of the island of New Guinea.

Biak is well known for its Battle of 1944. As a testimony to this war is the Binsari cave, where 3,000 Japanese were killed by a bombardment by the Americans on the roof of the cave.

It has very beautiful beaches, such as Wari, semicircular where the river water meets the sea and Anggopi, the best on the island. Until you reach the tip of the island where the dead forest is, a large expanse of dead mangroves that create a surreal landscape with logs emerging from the water.

On the other hand, the island of Owi is part of the Padaido Islands, just in front of Biak. I am staying with a family who lives very simply in a hut on a hill overlooking the beach. Here people look at me with a surprised face, but always with a smile.

I visit the school and teach them the song of “independence” with the help of the teachers as conductors. At night, with the help of the small Indonesian-English dictionary, I converse with the family, accompanied by an oil lamp.

The people of Biak have a slogan: “When you remember Biak, you will come back.” You can never say no, but so far I have really enjoyed these places away from conventional tourism.