HOW TO: SWIM WITH THE STINGLESS JELLYFISH (MISOOL)

Danau Lenmakana adalah salah satu spot favorit saya di Misool, Raja Ampat. Mengapa? Well, simply this place will make you feels like you’re in an outer space, a surreal feeling of being in the middle of..

Lenmakana lake is one of my favorite spots in the Misool, Raja Ampat. Why? Well, simply this place will make you feels like you're in an outer space, a surreal feeling of being in the middle of ..

MILLIONS JELLYFISH!

Surreal feeling

Yes, Danau Lenmakana mungkin tidak sepopuler Danau Kakaban di Kalimantan Timur, namun Misool menawarkan sensasi berenang bersama ubur-ubur tidak menyengat dalam kondisi yang lebih “pristine”

Yes, Lenmakana Lake maybe not as popular as  Kakaban Lake in East Kalimantan, but Misool offers the sensation of swimming with stingless jellyfish in conditions that are more "pristine"

Saya sudah pernah membahas mengenai danau ubur-ubur ini di postingan saya sebelumnya (see here, and here), kali ini saya akan berbagi beberapa tips untuk menikmati berenang bersama jutaan ubur-ubur tidak menyengat ini (and get good photos of course)

I've told stories about this jellyfish lake in my previous post (see here, and here), this time I will share some tips to enjoy a swim with millions of stingless jellyfish (and get good photos of course)

COMFORT

Saat pertama kali sampai di danau (dengan usaha ekstra untuk sampai ke danau karena kita mesti trekking melewati jalur karang yang cukup terjal), kita akan langsung melihat begitu banyak ubur-ubur di Danau Lenmakana. ATURAN NOMOR SATU di sini adalah jangan menggunakan fin, mengapa? Karena ubur-ubur ini sangat fragile, hempasan fin kita dapat mengoyak tubuh ubur-ubur yang sangat lembut dan rapuh.

When I first arrived at the lake (with a little extra effort to get to the lake because we have to do trekking passes through the quite steep reefp), we will immediately see so many jellyfish in the Lenmakana Lake. RULE NUMBER ONE here is not to use fins, why? Because jellyfish is very fragile, by using fins we can rip jellyfish body which is very soft and fragile.

“No fins? How I can swim well?,” jika anda #teamfins seperti saya yang sering malas berenang tanpa fin, don’t worry, ini adalah danau, tidak ada arus (seperti di laut), untuk turun (duck dive) juga lebih mudah karena berat jenis air di danau ini tidak seperti di laut, sehingga kita dapat lebih mudah turun dan melihat ke dalam meski tidak menggunakan fins. Just calm down, enjoy the view and you’ll get comfortable in the water.

"No fins? How I can swim well ?" if you #teamfins like me who often swim lazily without fins, do not worry, this is a lake, there is no current (as at sea), to go down (duck dive) is also easier because the weight in this type of water lake is not like in the sea, so that we can more easily to go down and look into the deep despite of not using fins. Just calm down, enjoy the view and you'll get comfortable in the water

CANNOT SWIM?

So many jellyfish, even at the surface

Don’t worry, gunakan life vest dan nikmati melihat sekeliling. Ubur-ubur ini akan naik ke permukaan untuk membantu proses fotosintesis algae yang menempel di tubuh mereka, sehingga saat matahari bersinar, ubur-ubur ini akan memenuhi permukaan sehingga tanpa berenang turun pun, kita sudah dapat menikmati sensasi yang surreal ini.

Do not worry, use a life vest and enjoy looking around. These jellyfish will rise to the surface to help the photosynthesis process of algae attached to their bodies, so that when the sun shines, the jellyfish will meet swim down the surface so that no matter, we can enjoy this surreal sensation.

CALM DOWN

Tidak perlu terlalu banyak menggerakkan kaki, yang akibatnya cepat lelah dan kurang dapat menikmati berenang di danau ini. Jangan takut, hilangkan perasaan parno akan tenggelam, jika lelah dan ingin beristirahat sejenak di tengah danau dan anda tidak menggunakan live vest, “mengambang” lah sebentar dengan posisi telentang, otomatis badan akan mengambang.

Do not need to move your feet too much, which consequently is tiring and make you less able to enjoy swimming in this lake. Do not be afraid, get rid of the paranoid feeling that you will sink, if you are tired and wanted to rest for a moment in the middle of the lake and you do not use a live vest, "floating" briefly with the supine position, the body will automatically float.  

GOING DOWN

Such an amazing feeling to let myself "sink" and see these millions of jellyfish around me

Ingin melihat ke bawah? Karena danau, lebih mudah untuk turun, jika sulit untuk duck dive, cukup buang napas sebagian dan badan akan otomatis turun perlahan.

Want to take a look into the deep? Because this is a lake , it is easier to go down, if it is difficult to duck dive, simply exhale partially  and the body will automatically go down slowly.

What’s down below?

It’s interesting karena tahun 2016 ini kali pertama saya dapat melihat apa yang ada di dekat dasar Danau Lenmakana. Di area tengah danau, kedalaman sekitar 5-7 meter, dan di kedalaman 3-4 meter, warna air dan suhu sangat berbeda, seakan ada “lapisan pekat” saat saya makin turun ke dalam, yang membuat jarak pandang langsung berkurang drastis sejalan dengan suhu yang tiba-tiba meningkat. Air sangat panas di bagian bawah, dan dengan jarak pandang hampir 0 meter, it surely an eery feeling (but also interesting) down there.

It's interesting because 2016 is the first time I could see what was near the bottom of Lake Lenmakana. In the middle of the lake area, a depth of about 5-7 meters, and at a depth of 3-4 meters, water color and temperature are very different, as if there is a "dense layer" when I was getting down to the inside, which makes direct visibility drastically reduced in line with the temperature which suddenly increased. The water was very hot at the bottom, and with visibility almost 0 meter, it is surely an eery feeling (but also interesting) down there.

Jangan lupa untuk selalu memastikan ada yang menemani (dan menjaga) saat hendak turun ke arah dasar danau, for safety reasons.

Do not forget to always make sure there are companies (and those who keeps an eye on) when going down toward the bottom of the lake, for safety reasons  

BASIC RULES

Meski tidak tertulis, ada aturan dasar yang perlu kita ketahui: Jangan berenang menggunakan fins, kenakan live vest jika tidak dapat berenang, selalu pastikan ada yang menemani (don’t go too far by yourself in this lake, stay in the safe distance with the group), jangan mengangkat ubur-ubur ke atas permukaan, jangan menggenggam ubur-ubur dengan erat (this can kill them), cukup sentuh gently dan diarahkan saja jika ingin berfoto bersama ubur-ubur.

Although it is unwritten, there are basic rules we need to know: Do not use fins to swim, wear a live vest if you cannot swim, always make sure there companies (do not go too far by yourself in this lake, stay in the safe distance with the group), do not lift the jellyfish to the surface, do not grip tightly jellyfish (this can kill them), just touch gently and direct them only if you want to take pictures with jellyfish.

Too many rules?

Well, this world doesn’t belong to yourself darling, make your own if you don’t wanna live with all of it. Remember, respect the nature, and it will be kind to us..

Last but not least

ENJOY!

@marischkaprue – she doesn’t sting, but you don’t wanna have any problem with her

Photos by Ferry Rusli & Mikhael Dominico

Went to Misool with Tukang Jalan

See here for more about Misool 

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Another FUN photos with the Jellyfish: Lenmakana Lake, Misool

I think I’ll never get enough of the stingless jellyfish, seeing how cute they are and be able to swim around them without fear of the sting is just tremendously fun!

So this is my second visit to Misool, West Papua, and the stingless jellyfish lake in Lenmakana is my favourite. Climbing the rocks to reach the lake is nothing compare to the fun you can get here. Imagine swimming around this jellies cutey!

During my last visit to Misool (you can see here), I told myself, it would be great if I get some photos with these jellyfish wearing a dress, well at least a mini dress. So, I brought a mini dress and it’s not hard at all, just have to put it on my dry bag, wear it when I arrived at the lake and voila let’s have fun and take some photos!

Apparently I was too tired that day and free dive without fin a couple times drained my energy so when Ferry told me to go below near those jellyfishes, I was too tired to do that and just taking some photos near the surface, but this lake is just fascinating so we got some fun photos.

I edit the photos, turning the color of the lake into black and here it is, hopefully you would like the photos :)

@marischkaprue - always having fun with the (stingless) jellyfish

NOTES:

• Ubur-ubur di Danau Lenmakana ini sangat rentan karena tidak memiliki pertahanan diri dalam bentuk sengatan, sentuh dengan hati-hati dan jangan diangkat keluar dari air.
• The jellyfish here are so fragile since they don't have any sting to protect themselves. Touch carefully and don't lift them out of the water.
• Misool terletak di area Selatan Raja Ampat. Misool adalah salah satu pulau dari 4 pulau utama di Raja Ampat, area di Pulau Misool dan sekitarnya ini juga disebut Misool.
• Misool located in the southern area of Raja Ampat. Misool is one of the 4 main islands in Raja Ampat. The area around Misool Island is also called Misool.
• Untuk menuju ke Misool ambil penerbangan menuju Sorong. (Penerbangan Jakarta - Sorong biasanya via transit di Makassar, budget Rp. 4 juta PP). Dari Sorong dilanjutkan dengan speed boat selama 4-5 jam perjalanan.
• To reach Misool, take a flight to Sorong (Flight from Jakarta to Sorong usually via Makassar. The usual ticket price for return ticket Jakarta - Sorong - Jakarta is around 350 USD). From Sorong you can continue with speed boat, around 4 to 5 hours boat trip.
• Terdapat homestay Harfat Jaya di Pulau Harapan Jaya, Misool dengan budget sekitar Rp. 400.000,- hingga Rp. 500.000,- per orang per hari.
• There is a homestay in Harapan Jaya Island, Misool. Harfat Jaya homestay cost about 34 USD to 43 USD per person per day.
• Sewa kapal ke Misool sangat mahal sehingga untuk mendapatkan budget trip sekitar 6 juta selama 5 hari, anda harus share hingga 20 orang dalam satu kali trip. Lebih baik ikut penyedia trip seperti Wisata Raja Ampat yang menyediakan Misool Trip dengan budget di bawah Rp. 6 juta (exclude tiket pesawat). Contact Wisata Raja Ampat di +62852 960 43961 atau PIN BB di 2A495979. Trip biasanya diadakan 2-3 kali dalam setahun, antara di bulan Mei, Oktober dan Desember.
• Renting a speedboat to Misool is highly expensive, to get a 509 USD budget for 5 days exploring Misool, you will need to share speedboat cost with around 20 person on one trip. I suggest you to join open trip such as Wisata Raja Ampat who provide Misool Trip with budget under 509 USD (exclude plane ticket). You can contact Wisata Raja Ampat through +62852 960 43961 or Blackberry PIN 2A495979. The trip usually takes time in May, October and December.
• Penginapan yang tersedia hanya homestay, pilihan lain adalah Misool Eco Resort dengan rate Rp. 5,8 juta per orang per hari. 
• The only accomodation available is homestay, for more comfortable choices you can stay at Misool Eco Resort with rate around 492 USD per person per day.

 RELATED STORIES:  

• Kakaban Stingless Jellyfish Lake in Derawan Islands
• How to Make Fun Photos at Kakaban Lake 

ABOUT MISOOL:

• Yapap, A Piece of Heaven in Raja Ampat
• Lenmakana beach, another Retreat in Misool

 

My visit to Misool is a collaboration with Google+ and Indonesia Travel

See more about Misool on my daily feed in G+ 

 

 

You can also WIN a FREE TRIP from Indonesia Travel, a 5D/4N free trip to West Sumatera, all in

 

See more details about the fun competition here

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Danau Ubur-Ubur Lenmakana, Stingless Jellyfish Lake in Misool

Ingat cerita tentang ubur-ubur tidak menyengat di Danau Kakaban, Kepulauan Derawan? It was so fun, I feel like Spongebob having fun there!

Remember the story about the stingless jellyfish in Kakaban Island, Derawan Islands? It was so fun, I feel like Spongebob having fun there!

This jellyfish is stingless!

Namun ternyata keunikan luar biasa itu tidak hanya ada di Kakaban. Jika sebelumnya banyak yang menyebut bahwa danau ubur-ubur tidak menyengat hanya ada di Danau Kakaban dan Palau, Mikronesia, ternyata Indonesia punya banyak danau seperti itu!

But apparently that uniqueness isn't only in Kakaban. Most people know only 2 place with stingless jellyfish lake, which are Kakaban and Palau, Micronesia, turns out it was wrong, Indonesia has more!

No need to be afraid when the jellyfish approach you

Di Pulau Maratua, juga di Kepulauan Derawan, Kalimantan Timur juga terdapat danau ubur-ubur yang tidak menyengat. Teman saya yang berkunjung ke Togean juga mengatakan bahwa Togean memiliki danau serupa. Dan ternyata Misool, Raja Ampat memiliki tidak tanggung-tanggung lima danau ubur-ubur yang tidak menyengat. Namun baru dua danau yang dapat diakses, cerita mengenai adanya lima danau saya dengar dari penduduk lokal.

In Maratua, also in Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, there is also a stingless jellyfish lake. My friend who visited Togean also said that Togean has the similar lake, and turns out Misool, Raja Ampat have a lot of stingless jellyfish lake. Local residents said that there are five stingless jellyfish lake in Misool, but only two are accessible.

Don't you just wanna touch them? Photo by Lotus

Dua danau ubur-ubur tidak menyengat bagi saya bukan "hanya," ini berarti double fun! Karena waktu yang terbatas kami memilih satu danau untuk dikunjungi yaitu danau ubur-ubur di Lenmakana, Misool, Raja Ampat.

Two lakes aren't "just" ,this means double the fun! But due to the limited time, we choose to visit the Lenmakana stingless jellyfish lake in Misool.

View from the lake

Berbeda dengan Danau Kakaban yang telah memiliki jalur dan tangga kayu, untuk masuk ke Danau Lenmakana, kami harus melewati trek yang cukup membuat kami memanjat-manjat baru karang dan untuk masuk persis sebelum danau kami harus menginjak paha guide lokal kami karena tidak ada pijakan untuk turun.

Different with Kakaban Lake which already have decent track and wooden stairs, to get to Lenmakana Lake you literally have to crawl and climb the rocky hills, and before the entry you need a help from local guide because the access is quite a challenge. 

Pinky jellies!

Can't swim? don't worry just bring your life vest and have fun!

Namun apalah artinya sedikit kesulitan tadi jika sampai di danau. Dari atas saya sudah melihat bulatan-bulatan pink, ubur-ubur sedang naik ke permukaan karena saat kami datang matahari sedang bersinar terang, a perfect time!

But anyway, a bit of hard work climbing the path is nothing compare to what you'll get. From above I've seen pink dots, the jellyfish are coming into the surface to get sunlight, a perfect time!

Where are you going Jell-O?

Dancing with the jellyfish, photo by Agus Praditya

Tanpa perlu dikomando kami semua langsung mencelupkan diri ke danau dimana ubur-ubur terlihat sangat jelas dengan jumlah yang banyak. Berbeda dengan Danau Kakaban dimana area masuk danau memiliki sedimen lumpur sehingga mudah keruh jika banyak orang kicking saat berenang, Danau Lenmakana dasarnya cukup dalam sehingga lebih jernih meski rombongan kami masuk bersamaan.

Nobody have to told us to get in, we got our self dipping into the lake, no time are wasted. Here we can see the jellyfish, so visible and in large numbers. This quite different with Kakaban Lake where the entry are a bit muddy especially when there are a lot of people swimming at the same time. Lenmakana Lake is deeper at the entry so it will stay clear even though a group coming in together at the same time.

Saya tidak perlu menjelaskan mengapa ubur-ubur ini tidak menyengat, proses yang mereka alami sama dengan di Danau Kakaban. Yang pasti kembali berenang sambil melihat ubur-ubur ini sangatlah menyenangkan! Misool have plenty of fun!

I don't have to explain why this jellyfish don't have sting, the process is the same as Kakaban Lake. One thing for sure, swimming while seeing these jellyfish totally makes me ahappy. Misool have plenty of fun!
 

@marischkaprue - she doesn't sting like jellyfish, also ain't soft like jellies 

NOTES:

• Ubur-ubur di Danau Lenmakana ini sangat rentan karena tidak memiliki pertahanan diri dalam bentuk sengatan, sentuh dengan hati-hati dan jangan diangkat keluar dari air.
• The jellyfish here are so fragile since they don't have any sting to protect themselves. Touch carefully and don't lift them out of the water.
• Misool terletak di area Selatan Raja Ampat. Misool adalah salah satu pulau dari 4 pulau utama di Raja Ampat, area di Pulau Misool dan sekitarnya ini juga disebut Misool.
• Misool located in the southern area of Raja Ampat. Misool is one of the 4 main islands in Raja Ampat. The area around Misool Island is also called Misool.
• Untuk menuju ke Misool ambil penerbangan menuju Sorong. (Penerbangan Jakarta - Sorong biasanya via transit di Makassar, budget Rp. 4 juta PP). Dari Sorong dilanjutkan dengan speed boat selama 4-5 jam perjalanan.
• To reach Misool, take a flight to Sorong (Flight from Jakarta to Sorong usually via Makassar. The usual ticket price for return ticket Jakarta - Sorong - Jakarta is around 350 USD). From Sorong you can continue with speed boat, around 4 to 5 hours boat trip.
• Terdapat homestay Harfat Jaya di Pulau Harapan Jaya, Misool dengan budget sekitar Rp. 400.000,- hingga Rp. 500.000,- per orang per hari.
• There is a homestay in Harapan Jaya Island, Misool. Harfat Jaya homestay cost about 34 USD to 43 USD per person per day.
• Sewa kapal ke Misool sangat mahal sehingga untuk mendapatkan budget trip sekitar 6 juta selama 5 hari, anda harus share hingga 20 orang dalam satu kali trip. Lebih baik ikut penyedia trip seperti Wisata Raja Ampat yang menyediakan Misool Trip dengan budget di bawah Rp. 6 juta (exclude tiket pesawat). Contact Wisata Raja Ampat di +62852 960 43961 atau PIN BB di 2A495979. Trip biasanya diadakan 2-3 kali dalam setahun, antara di bulan Mei, Oktober dan Desember.
• Renting a speedboat to Misool is highly expensive, to get a 509 USD budget for 5 days exploring Misool, you will need to share speedboat cost with around 20 person on one trip. I suggest you to join open trip such as Wisata Raja Ampat who provide Misool Trip with budget under 509 USD (exclude plane ticket). You can contact Wisata Raja Ampat through +62852 960 43961 or Blackberry PIN 2A495979. The trip usually takes time in May, October and December.
• Penginapan yang tersedia hanya homestay, pilihan lain adalah Misool Eco Resort dengan rate Rp. 5,8 juta per orang per hari. 
• The only accomodation available is homestay, for more comfortable choices you can stay at Misool Eco Resort with rate around 492 USD per person per day.

RELATED STORIES:  

• Kakaban Stingless Jellyfish Lake in Derawan Islands
• How to Make Fun Photos at Kakaban Lake 

ABOUT MISOOL:

• Yapap, A Piece of Heaven in Raja Ampat
• Lenmakana beach, another Retreat in Misool

Read Full Story...

How To Make Fun Photos at Kakaban Lake

Saya ingat beberapa tahun yang lalu teman saya yang baru pulang dari Derawan memperlihatkan foto ia berada di tengah tengah danau penuh ubur ubur. Danau di Kakaban adalah tempat dimana anda dapat bercengkerama dengan binatang ini tanpa takut tersengat karena ubur ubur di Kakaban telah berevolusi menjadi jenis yang tidak menyengat. 

I remember a few years ago a friend of mine who had just returned from Derawan showed some photos of him in the middle of jellyfish in Kakaban. Kakaban lake is a place where you can mingle with these animals without being afraid of getting some scars because of the sting as the jellyfish in Kakaban have evolved into a "friendly" species.
 

 

Sejak melihat foto teman saya itu, Kakaban adalah salah satu destinasi impian saya dan saat mengunjungi Derawan bulan Agustus 2013, mimpi saya terwujud dan saya bisa merasa seperti Spongebob yang bermain bersama ubur ubur.

Since I  saw those photos, Kakaban is one of my dream destinations and when I visited Derawan on August 2013, my dream came true and I could feel like Spongebob playing with jellyfish.

Rupanya Tuhan terlalu baik dan hanya selisih dua bulan saya kembali ada di Kakaban, kembali melihat ubur ubur lucu ini. Selain bermain main dengan ubur ubur unik yang tidak menyengat ini, saya juga senang berfoto foto dengan mereka, karena kapan lagi anda bisa berinteraksi begitu dekat dengan ubur ubur? :)

Apparently God being too kind. Two months after I visited Kakaban again. Seeing this cute jellyfishes again. Beside playing with these unique jellyfish, I also get a lot of fun photos with the jellyfish, since where else would you get to interact so close with the jellyfish ? :)

So here's some tips for fun photos with the jellies!

Jellyfish are everywhere, super fun!

• Coba jangan menggunakan masker, muka akan terlihat jelas (masker berwarna gelap cenderung menutupi sebagian besar muka kita) dan foto akan jauh lebih menyenangkan.
• Try not using a google or mask, the face will be more visible (dark colored mask tends to cover most of our face), the photos will be much more fun 

Took this photo just beside the pier

• Untuk yang belum terbiasa membuka mata di air, coba dengan duduk di tangga dermaga, celupkan muka ke dalam air sambil menutup mata dan buka saat di dalam, tidak perih kok :)
• For those not used to open eyes underwater, try to sit on the steps of the pier, dip down into the water while closing your eyes, when inside the water try open your eyes. Don't worry it's not painfull at all :) 

Direct them gently

• Setelah terbiasa membuka mata cari ubur ubur yang ukurannya cukup besar, ambil dengan cara diarahkan pelan pelan, jangan ditarik dengan kasar. Coba dengan dua tangan membentuk mangkuk untuk mengarahkan ubur ubur ini ke dekat anda.
• After you get used open your eyes underwater, look for the jellyfish which large enough. Take them gently, don't pull the jellyfish roughly. Try it with two hands forming a bowl to direct the jellyfish close to you .
• Agar badan berada di dalam air, buang napas sehingga badan otomatis turun dan foto jauh lebih seru. Jika sulit untuk menenggelamkan diri, berpegangan di tangga dermaga sambil menurunkan badan ke air.
• In order to get your body down in the water try exhaling so the body will automatically descend. If it's hard to drown, hold the stairs in the dock while lowering your body into the water 
• Jika tidak bisa berenang, gunakan pelampung tapi coba tanpa masker.
• If you can't swim , use a life vest but try without the mask.

• Saat berada di dalam air mulut tidak perlu dipaksa menutup karena akan terlihat menahan napas, mulut terbuka pun jika kita tidak menghirup maka air tidak akan tertelan.
• Once inside the water, you don't have to forced your mouth to close tight because it will make your expression shows that you're holding breath. Even when mouth open, if we don't inhale, you won't swallow the water.

• Jangan terlalu banyak menggerakkan kaki jika mengambil foto di area dekat dermaga karena akan menyebabkan partikel lumpur di bawah terangkat ke atas dan membuat air danau keruh.
• Do not move your legs too much when taking photos in the area near the dock because it will lift up the mud particles below and make the it became turbid.
•  Jangan lupa bawa kamera tahan air, pilihannya beragam, mulai dari kamera yang dapat dibawa ke dalam air tanpa housing, kamera dengan housing, Go Pro, atau bahkan smartphone dengan case plastik tahan air yang banyak dijual.
• Do not forget to bring a waterproof camera, there are a lot of choices, ranging from cameras that can be brought into the water without housing, camera with housing, Go Pro, or even a smartphone with waterproof plastic case.

Have fun taking photos with the jellyfish!

You can kiss them too <3

 @marischkaprue - Love kissing the jellyfish

NOTES:

• Danau Kakaban terletak di Kepulauan Derawan, Kalimantan Timur. 
• Kakaban Lake located in Derawan Islands, East Borneo.
• Untuk pilihan penginapan lihat disini di bagian "NOTES"
• For hotels or homestay options, see here on the "NOTES" part. 

MORE DETAILS ABOUT KAKABAN LAKE, SEE HERE

RELATED STORIES: 

• Maratua Paradise Resort
• Gua Sembat, Cave With Human Face
• How To Survive Barracuda Point
• Melihat Penyu Bertelur di Pulau Sangalaki
• Payung Payung Village 
• Diving in Maratua Reef

ALSO ABOUT JELLYFISH:

• Bermain Bersama Ubur Ubur di Pulau Seribu 

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