Along the travels through Asia many people had mentioned New Zealand as one of their top travel destinations. It boasts amazing varied scenery, from soft sand beaches to rugged mountains, all on two quite compact islands. There’s plenty of fishing, sailing and trekking to be had, and some amazing mountain roads for driving weekends. It…
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8 months after I had flown into Bangkok from London, I find myself taking off from the city looking down at the end of this adventure. I’ve shared many memories with many new friends. As always it feels like a dream that passed in the blink of an eye, yet it feels like so long…
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I thought we had been doing well with our fishing but I was keen to see how the locals did it. Unfortunately my last days on the Banda Islands were spent with food poisoning so we missed our chance to head to a far-out rock pinnacle supposedly holding big shoals of yellow fin tuna. Our…
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We’d heard rumours of a sunken island out to sea – once lived on but abandoned as it sunk below the water. Some told us it was an urban legend, others promised it existed. Few locals had seemed to have visited. Curiosity got the better of us – a local boat owner promised he knew…
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For all of our time on the Banda’s one thing was a constant – the smoking volcano across the bay. Climbers are supposed to visit the islands seismometer to check there is no risk of an eruption – but we skipped this step. Up early before sunset, we wanted to reach the summit before the…
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Another outing to try and catch some fresh dinner!
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The local kids seem to have free reign of the nutmeg plantations. If someone doesn’t come to collect their crop and it falls to the ground, the eager children grab it for their baskets. They use home made catapults and almond seeds to shoot down ripe nutmeg out of reach.
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Another of the idyllic Banda islands, Pulau Ai is a short hop from Run. A huge wedding on the island sees the public ferries overloaded with guests from Banda Neira as the island’s plantations are surrounded by traditional music. The view from our £10 a night guesthouse. No running water but 3 meals a day…
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Although nutmeg is still exported around the world, its clear the industry is not what it was. Old colonial spice stores lie in ruins as constant reminders of times gone by.
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Life seems very different on the outlying islands. Just a few kilometres away from the bustle of Banda Neira and Banda’s port, they are saved from over development and commercialism. We are greeted with waves and beaming smiles when locals shout hello as we explore Pulau Ai.
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