Those three words are the common keywords when we heard of Papua. It’s as if the city isn’t so highlighted and we only see the tribes living deep in the jungle.

The central government and even the national television and youtuber made it seem like Papua is only a jungle.

That’s not entirely the truth.

Here I am, sitting comfortably under the AC at one of the most hipster and trendiest cafes in the city. Prior to arriving here, not in my wildest dream I’d thought such a place existed. Think about Starbucks, Dunkin, or big western chains. Even local coffee shops are one of a kind too. You can see people are modernized and it’s far from what I used to think.

Like a lot of people from Java, I used to think this place would be quite underdeveloped.

Heck, I was even a little scared of the availability of things around here but I’ve been here for about 2 weeks now and I am amazed that it’s just like any other cities in Java. Even the prices of goods are similar. The prices of going to cafes would be pretty similar too.

Whenever I see social media talking about Papua, they always highlight the lives of people deep in the jungle, never really the city center or the main province.

Technically, people around here consist of two types from my understanding. There are people who live in the highlands and people from the coast. Each carries its own characteristic, tradition and way of life.

Geographically, Papua is massive as well and consists of 6 provinces. These days I live in a province called Papua which is the largest in this island. In Jayapura for example, it has quite a few regions which are as thriving as any other major city hub and coastal port town. It has everything you can think of and even modern hospitals, hotels and amenities. Though a bit chaotic like any other big cities across Indonesia, its people have similar characteristics.

Is it that dangerous?

Dangerous is really relative. However, there are certainly areas in the island where one has to carefully go around. Papua is such a complex region and some of its people harbor deep resentment towards the central government. So, if you’re from Java or another island even worse a government contractor/worker, best to thread carefully. If you’re simply a tourist, you’d be just fine going around here.

For example in Nabire, people aren’t advised to go out after 6 PM. It’s not the place you’d wander at night. However, in city centers like Jayapura it’s still OK to go out at 10 PM but unlike around Java, cafe and shops here close around that hour. So, typically people leave before 10.

Is it primitive?

I kid you not, the first time I landed here, that’s what I thought. Right the moment my feet left the airport, it reminded me of Laos, a bit underdeveloped but interesting. That was when I realized, I was only seeing a tiny fraction of it and until the car reached the city area. That was when I knew, it was not that primitive.

At the same time, I was disoriented after a long flight and was too tired to actually think. The cost of the airport taxi to the city center was pretty reasonable. It was around $15/trip and something that I actually find pretty reasonable.

The more I actually explore the place, the less I think about how primitive the place is. It definitely has its own cultural uniqueness such as how the people dress and wear Noken, a woven bag as their fashion accessory. In this place, while some of its people already cook with a gas stove, some still use a kerosene- fueled stove to cook.

The people here are as educated as people in Java. While the schooling system here is a bit more interesting, those who sit in the government or in the city are as educated as everyone else. Some I met are highly educated papuan who are willing to better their place of living and dispel the stigma of Papua itself.

Is it expensive?

I heard this a lot from friends and family but they were shocked when I told them prices are about the same. So, this is another part that is not the whole truth.

These days in the city, prices are the same but I can’t say the same for those who only live in one city. To me, who’s very mobile and has been to major cities in South East Asia and to even the most expensive ones around here, I think Papua is still so reasonable.

For example, if you go out the whole day at a cafe,you’d spend about $5-$6 which is the same price if not less than what I would spend in Java, in the same tier cafe ( specialty coffee). If I want to eat at the market, a simple meal would cost me $0.80- $1/meal.

The minimum wage here is $250 and for comparison Surabaya minimum wage is $295. Interestingly, the living cost for Surabaya is somewhere between $300-$700 (it’s all depending on your lifestyle). The same goes in Papua that I just actually felt around here.

For example, a rented room here costs Rp800.000/month or $48. For transportation, most people here own a motorbike that they pay $30/month credit. If you’re someone like me traveling here for a business trip, to rent a motorbike costs us $150-200/month depending on the type. Meal here for a person would cost us $3/day so that’s around $90/month. The rest you can divide for utilities, etc.

So, expensive or not is an extremely relative part of living anywhere in the world. It all depends on one’s lifestyle and that’s what I found too. You can live lavishly in Papua, drive a nice car, eat out at fancy restaurants and live in the most upscale neighborhood or simply live a middle class life that also is pretty convenient.

My takeaway is that, we never really know the depth of a culture unless we experience it ourselves.

These days, I have the need to educate people that Papua is a great place to be. It’s not what you typically see on youtube or online. I know that our comfort level is different but even to me, who lives off WIFI, cafe and coffee, this place has it all and I feel comfortable here, almost blending in with the locals.

At the same time, I have this ambiguous look that I could be somewhere from Manado. Nobody here has guessed that I am from Java, so that’s why I could blend in as many people living in Papua are also from Manado or other eastern part of Indonesia. Now, I feel that my ambiguous look here is quite a strength of mine and that enables me to observe this culture without much of a distance.

But after being here for quite a while, I finally get the gist of this place. I now have this understanding that Papua isn't what I saw solely on TV. Sure, there are places where conflict thrive but amidst of it all, there are also place where modernity exist and its people just thrive much like any other parts in Indonesia and even Java.