"The Colombian government's letter of appreciation is sent by its embassy in Jakarta to the Sorong City COVID-19 Task Force," the task force secretary, Herlin Sasabone, notified local journalists here, Wednesday.
The COVID-19 Task Force officials helped Albarracin get a ship to transport her from Raja Ampat District to Sorong City on May 15. On arrival at Sorong Port, the task force officials picked up Albarracin and sent her to a local hotel.
During Albarracin’s stay in Sorong City, task force officials helped her secure tickets and travel documents for going to Jakarta from where she continued her travel to Colombia, Sasabone revealed.
"The Colombian Embassy sent us a letter of appreciation over the task force’s assistance to her," she noted.
Albarracin and an American tourist Gustavo Macias Jr were stuck in Raja Ampat as the government has closed all transportation access following the increased case of COVID-19 in West Papua. They arrived at Raja Ampat on February 28.
Raja Ampat, popular among domestic and foreign tourists, is oftentimes referred to as "Heaven on Earth", "Miracle of Papua", "Underwater Paradise on Earth", or "Real Wonder of the World" for its mesmerizing marine panorama.
The district has a geopark viewed as having a far greater aesthetic appeal than the one in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
In 2012, Raja Ampat was included on the Real Wonder of the World list. It has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most scenic diving sites and received the highest rating for its profuse diversity of marine flora and fauna.
Raja Ampat District has some 1,700 islands, including the unoccupied and most scenic Isle of Wayag, made of karst or limestone from other isles.
Information on rajaampatlodge.com showed that the waters of Raja Ampat are home to some 603 hard coral species representing 75 percent of the total coral reefs worldwide.
Based on various studies by world natural conservation agencies, including Conservation International and Nature Conservancy, the waters of Raja Ampat, also called "Capital for Fish in the World," are estimated to have 1,397 fish species.
Moreover, 60 varieties of crayfish, 699 types of soft animals or species of mollusks, comprising 530 species of snails (Gastropoda), 159 species of shells (bivalva), two species of Scaphopoda, five species of squid (Cephalopoda), and three Chiton species are found to inhabit these waters.
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Translator: Ernes BK, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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