Bali to Banda, Indonesia
December - February 2007


SV Infinity's crew before departure from Banda

It has been five years since we last visited Indonesia and we sailed towards Bali flooded with both memory and aspiration. Our voyage from the Anambas Islands was a sea people celebration filled with sunrises, sunsets, water spouts and storm clouds, constellations in a starry sky, whales and dolphins in the seas.

As we entered the Java Sea we saw a familiar shape in the distance, Dolphin recognizing a ship ahead of us with a black hull and three masts. We motored towards the vessel on the flat calm ocean and confirmed on approach that this was indeed the RV Heraclitus! Emotions flooded through us as we looked onto our past life as it appeared before us. We made radio contact but talking on Channel 16 wasn't close enough for Michel who swam over to hug Eddie. The will of the seas brought these two ships, Heraclitus and Infinity, together. Their crews stood facing each other, metres apart on calm oceans. And then the two ships parted, one heading east (Infinity), the other west (Heraclitus) - until we perhaps meet again.

The mystical isle of Bali was wrapped in a cloak of cloud upon approach, Gunung Agung's peak revealed just before sunset. Bali was to be the launch point for the next few months of exploration of the islands, reefs and cultures lying to its east - a gateway to the heart of Indonesia.

A few hours after arriving we found ourselves at Uluwatu, Bali's temple to the sea, to join in the end of their three day celebration. We looked down from the cliffs to the flat calm ocean below and watched sperm whales pass beneath us. Later that night, as the festivities drew to a close, we were held in the magic of Bali's culture with kris dancers and ancient sacrificial traditions. The next few weeks here continued in a kaleidoscope of offerings and prayers, mountains and rice paddies, celebrations on the land and amongst ourselves.

After we had departed from Benoa Harbour, we held a Balinese ceremony on SV Infinity, giving offerings to the sea with Michel in a topek costume he had received from a theatre master close to Ubud.

We revisited Komodo Island to see its dragons and plunge into its crystal clear waters where we made several exploratory dives. We were instantly lured back into the colourful world of Indonesia's reefs - areas of dense soft coral coverage, diverse hard corals, a healthy fish population plus a fabulous display from a large cuttlefish.

dragons and pearls abound on Komodo Island!

Flores Island provided majestic vistas at Kilimotu where three lakes nestle in the craters of its volcanic peaks. They have changed colours over the years and today are jade green, midnight blue and chocolate brown. We heard ancient songs from a troupe of ikat-clad dancers and sat in three hundred year old houses of village chiefs.

two of the three coloured lakes and Maria, our fabulous host in Moni

After years of planning, we finally arrived in the waters surrounding Alor Island, seeking encounters with the cetaceans that plough the deep channels between the islands around. This cetacean mecca astounded us with sperm whales, killer whales, false killer whales, pilot whales, spinner dolphins, Fraser dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. We gathered again and again on Infinity's deck to watch the almost endless stream of dorsal fins and acrobatic bodies, enthralled to find such a concentration of large marine life.

Our last stop on this incredible Indonesian journey was to the islands of Banda, heart of the deep Banda Sea and birthplace of the nutmeg tree. These islands are steeped in violent natural and human history. Gunung Api, 'fire mountain,' loomed over our heads with small puffs of smoke still issuing from its crater. Its last mighty roar in 1988 destroyed much of the reef fringing the island and our mission here was to study the coral reefs that have grown in the course of the last twenty years beneath the lava flow. For the full results of our study, click here. Almost the entire crew scaled its steep slopes to take a view down to the harbour, and in the process become honorary citizens of the Banda Islands.

Laser and Eibes at the top of the volcano

The battles between colonial powers over the prized nutmeg were tangible in the forts and cannons found on almost all the Banda Isles. We visited still active plantations to see for ourselves the nutmeg fruit burst open after a nine-month incubation of the hard brown nut and the cardinal red mace sheath surrounding it. We became addicted to its flavour, in syrups, in crystallized fruit, in salads and stews.

the golden fruit bursting to reveal the mace-clad nutmeg

Banda's waters are as rich as its land. We found beaked whales, spotted dolphins, mandarin fish, cuttlefish, an 8 metre tall barrel sponge, enormous sea fans and thousands upon thousands of bluestreak fusiliers.

 
Klaus, Des Alwi and Gaie

We exchanged stories and movies with Des Alwi, the islands' King, who grew up with the exiled revolutionaries that would help lead Indonesia to independence. He has worked throughout his life to preserve Banda's unique heritage, historical and natural. His hotel, Hotel Maulana, is a marvelous place to stay and is highly recommended. He offers sight seeing of the nutmeg plantations, visits to the old Dutch Fort Belgica, Museum and an exhilarating hike up to the volcano, Gunung Api. You will be greeted by the Kora-Kora, the traditional war canoes and diving is varied and offers unending fascination. Come visit! For more information click here to visit their website.

We will soon be sailing on to Papua New Guinea. During these months in Indonesia we have reconnected to our past timelines and found new directions for our future. For sure, we will soon return to the enchanting islands of Indonesia.