Rob and Anna's travel adventure

Anna's entry:

KUALA LUMPUR
We touched down Kuala Lumpur International Airport close to mid­night, so it really made sense to spend the night at one of the airport quieter areas, plus we were exhausted from the prior flight, and just laying down in a safe place felt good.  As always, the flight from Ambon to Kuala Lumpur on a local Indonesian carrier (nicknamed by Rob "Lying Air") had not been normal, except for that
occasionally malfunctioning engine - ­ the latter part was quite normal.  For whatever reason, the connecting flight had been divided into two sections forcing all the passengers to change planes in Surabaya on already delayed flight, which caused even further delays.  When we finally landed in  Jakarta to connect to our flight to Kuala Lumpur, we were already hours behind schedule and had only 20 minutes before the next flight take-off.  If we took a "normal" route going through various traffic-­jammed terminals (30 minutes apart) and various security (what security?) areas, we would most definitely miss the plane.  We were fully prepared to be re-­routed, or be put on the next day flight, when, to our surprise, some airport representative "bumped" into us to inquire about who we were.  ­ The representative was holding the board with our names.  He pulled us from the regular passenger line, and took us back on the landing field.  A few minutes later, a "special" bus appeared, and we were off to the international terminal.  Wow, unusually thoughtful and impressive for the "Lying Air" to do that, we thought, little knowing what lied ahead...  As soon as we stepped into the international terminal building, we were told we had to RUN (fast and long distance) through various restrictive areas, behind the check-­in counters, and security areas ­ causing the bewildered looks on other passengers' faces ­ - were we running WITH the airport officials, or FROM the airport officials, and was this an episode from the Amazing Race series??  At that point we did not know ourselves...  Periodically, we got passed around from one airport worker to another, periodically being asked for a tip.  Whaaaaaaaat tip?  The airline was running planes four hours late, we had to run for miles with our backpacks, tired, dehydrated, clothes soaked in sweat from the humid tropical conditions - only to save the airline two unused seats?  Eventually, we boarded the plane only to find out we would be  sitting for another hour and a half waiting for the plane to be cleared for take-off.  Eventually, the plane took off, and minutes into a flight passengers were blasted by powerful, unusually cold air-
conditioning.  It would have been a nice change from the excruciating tropical heat of the past two months, except that by the end of the flight every passenger had blue lips, purple fingernails, and felt like an icicle - ­ the last courtesy and a send-­off gift of the Indonesian air carrier...

The latter may have been the last drop for Rob, who had already not been feeling well.  As soon as we checked­-in in our hotel in Kuala Lumpur, he collapsed and started running high fever for the next three days.  Luckily, the hotel was quite comfortable and turned out to be a timely treat for Rob to stay in bed and recover from the illness.  I had gotten a super deal of $16/night by booking the room months prior - ­ the centrally located hotel was modern, with super comfortable bed and mattress, slim furniture, contemporary hot water shower, super clean ironed linen, free computer and internet terminal, and it was quite walkable to all major sights.  So, I let Rob recover in bed, and decided to take Kuala Lumpur by storm all by myself.

This time around Kuala Lumpur seemed more enjoyable to me; ­ during the previous visits it had seemed grittier.  It looked like some areas may have been gentrified, and after Indonesia, the traffic was not as intense; ­ public transport may be a contributing factor to less congested car streets.  Our hotel was located between the Little India and Chinatown, in a more ritzy enclave ­ with lots of Western chains, boutique stores, cafes, and expensive department stores.  The area drew various crowds: ­ the "new­ money" Malays - who spent their earnings relentlessly on over­priced bakery items and coffee; Western tourists - who may have been feeling "safer" in a more cleaned up area; consumption­ driven shoppers - looking for a good deal; and regular residents - who would come here for anevening to enjoy "the other" life.  We ended up here only because of our hotel location, but I must admit it was a welcome change after a super­ basic two­-month life on remote Indonesian islands.  I knew it would feel old very quickly, but for that moment it was great to recover in a more modern set­up.  Plus, very close ­by I located great cheap Indian restaurants (Indian is my favourite food), a welcome change to the palette after weeks of more basic diet.

While wandering around various neighborhoods and markets, several cute things popped up. One of the new things were the street musicians who performed every night in front of the local shoppers.  Some were quite good actually, and their performances were well organized - ­ groups and signers will take their turns throughout the evening attracting many fans.  The other thing was an unusual change in the Muslim women's attire. Some looked almost like a rebel to the traditional black colour - ­ they had an unexpected military look to it - ­ camouflage colour, for example; while others would be personalized, with BIG English letters "NERD" printed across the chest, for example.  A little different for those girls, that's for sure.

I myself had to take an unusual approach towards attire.  As I have written in my prior posts, my beloved swimming top had been lost back in Indonesia.  Since that time, I've had a hard time finding a replacement - ­ it was either a non-­existent item, or unreasonably expensive.  So, Rob encouraged me to make one myself.  When I shopped for an acceptable fabric, the closest one found was ...... a ..... Muslim hijab ­- that's the special layered scarf that Muslim girls would wear.  The fabric was light, with multiple pretty colours, and it was cheap.  So, I bought a hijab for $2, and after several hours and some creative thinking, a part of which was dissected and converted into my new swimming top (as much as possible of the original hijab fabric has been preserved), and the other part can still be worn as a regular head-­cover.  So, I was quite happy about being able to swim again in my new acquisition.

Several days later Rob began feeling better, and it was time to leave KL, just for a few weeks; ­ we will be back here again in early March.











CAMERON HIGHLANDS
We have avoided this place for years due to the fact that it is well known by Western tourists - ­ in our experience once the place like this has been discovered, it is almost always ruined.  However, we wanted to break our journey from Kuala Lumpur, plus we both were longing for cooler temperatures. Located high up in the hills and famous for its tea plantations, Cameron Highlands have definitely cooler climate, and are quite picturesque in many places.  Unfortunately, the area's natural beauty was clashing a bit with Western tourists who are usually loud, smoking, and stupid (most of whom - I am sorry to admit - are Europeans); ­ in addition, after two months in the remote Indonesia, it was a culture shock to see so many tourists around.  But, it was still possible to find some peace ­ - perhaps, due to the fact that it was raining most of the days we were there.  Overall, the highlands were pleasant enough to spend a few days around.  The temperature was refreshingly cool, the place had some decent walks and trails (my favourite was walking around the plantation hills covered in the lush carpets of tea bushes), and offered great, cheap, tasty Indian/Malay food - ­ we're talking dosa, tandoori, roti canai, thali, curry gravies, and my favourite comfort tea ­ teh tarik.  I might even add, that it is quite possible we will return back here again to get cooled off after the tropics, but likely a couple of days will do it.
 








PENANG
Georgetown/Penang has become one of our headquarter bases of sorts.  For years travelling in this area, we have stayed in the same hotel in Chinatown district run by "shirtless" Chinese brothers.  It is a cheap (if not the cheapest) hotel in town, reasonably clean and comfortable; due to the value, it is almost always full by noon.  We know the owners well, and they know us.  They effectively (and for
years) have been using bug spray, so we are yet to encounter any bed bugs.  See, how an alternative travel changes you?  At home, we would expect the high standards, in this part of the world ­ not finding bed bugs is already a big victory.  Some Western ex­pats have been frequenting this place; ­ some are super nice people, some are quite creepy, probably hiding their dark past, which I even
don't want to know about.  Though the UNESCO World Heritage City - and not without a charm, with arguably best food scene in the entire Malaysia (fantastic variety, super tasty, and cheap) - Penang has been getting on our nerves.  The traffic is outrageous, drivers rarely stop on red lights, pedestrians are completely powerless, sidewalks are barricaded by sellers' boxes, motor­bikes, repair kits, Chinese greasy stalls, tables, pujas, garbage bins, plants, and occasionally passed out drunken locals.  In other words, forget walking on the sidewalks - ­ hurdles and obstacles will drive you crazy, and you might be even better off taking your life walking alongside with cars in the narrow streets and corners.  We know our way around here, and yet, by mid­-day, we start cursing like sailors (no
offense to sailors, of course) - ­ it is inevitable, especially if one spends here more than a few days (or weeks in our case).

To avoid the urban "delights" there are a few gorgeous hideaway places.  My personal favourites are Botanical Gardens (with pleasant trails, hide-aways, and waterfalls) and picturesque Kek Lok Si Temple complex, ­ both accessible by public transport.  Several types of monkeys could be seen around the Gardens, primarily mischievous macaques, and very shy white­faced monkeys (they remind me of Costa Rica's white­faced capuchin monkeys).  Macaques, if given a chance, will steal away food from visitors (I blame the people who reinforced them to do that, not the animals).  This time around, Rob managed to bewilder the macaques though...  He saw them with a large plastic bag full of fruits (no doubt recently stolen from tourists).  Unexpectedly, Rob changed his walking direction, entered "the monkey zone", took the bag from the primates, selected an orange for himself and an apple for me, gave the the bag back to the monkeys, and walked away like business was as usual.  You should have seen the look on the macaques' faces - they were left confused and shocked with what had just happened, but had to accept it.  I am not sure it was the right thing to do, but the message was loud and clear - ­ Rob wanted an orange.

This time around, we also dedicated additional time to the famous Thaipussam Festival ­ - a huge Hindu religious ritual accompanied by self-sacrificing (repenting the sins) - ­ tongue and cheek piercing with a long spear, putting hooks through the skin in the back, inflecting bodily pain, walking barefooted on the hot pavement (or even sharp nails) for days (without food and water), and other sacrificial modes.  It is a fascinating event, but quite graphic...  First time we witnessed it briefly in Singapore about four years ago, this time we spent two full days observing the festivities (with the first day starting before the sunrise).  We watched people preparing for the "great" walk ­ having their bodies pierced and penetrated with all kinds of hooks and accessories, under the live loud drums and music, seemingly in trance, supported by friends and family members.  It was also a great opportunity to photograph unusual, colourful, memorable images, and the event in itself was certainly worth attending.  I was surprised, how patient and courteous many accompanying Indian family members were ­ - some would even step back and offer us space for a better close­up photo shot.  We tried to be very discrete, but the kind gesture was very appreciated.  Unfortunately, we observed some Westerners taking a full advantage of the courteous offer, and behaving quite disrespectful towards the pilgrims.  The Thaipussam festival went for several days, with thousands coconuts crushed along the pilgrims routes; ­ streets were covered with coconut shells and sticky water; and the procession ended up with a long, steep, ruthless stairs climb to one of the hill-top temples.

As much as we enjoyed the non­-conventional cultural festivities, we needed a break from Penang. So, the next stop is Southern Thailand.


















Thank you, Rob, for the excellent photos and photo lessons!

Anna's entry:

Our Big Asia trip number 4 started on November 4th at 4 a.m.  We shut the door behind us, and walked out into a dark cold early morning, feeling exhausted after a month long intense preparation for the trip.  When one travels for an extended period of time, there is a lot of work and planning needs to be done well in advance, so trip excitement just doesn't exist at that point.  Here is the plan for this trip - ­ we will start in Singapore, then continue by plane to Ambon (Maluku, Indonesia), then proceed with a ten­-hour boat crossing towards remote Banda Islands (and possibly Lease Islands) for a two­ month marine exploration; afterwards we will venture into Malaysia and Thailand, and return back again to Indonesia (Sumatra), then the Philippines, with a grand finale in South Korea.
Here it goes...

SINGAPORE
I have always liked Singapore ­ vibrant modern city with excelent public transportation, great food scene, and unique for Asian standrads cosmopolitan progressive attitude.  It is not cheap, however, compared to Bangkok for example, and budget accommodation is in great demand.  Previously visits to Singapore were either sponsored by the company I worked for, or we were very fortunate to stay in a lovely centrally located flat owned my my good Indonesian friend (Thank you, Jess!).   :)
This time we chose to stay in a simple hotel in the center of the Little India district.  It was a slightly different experience as ­ we were exposed to a "more realistic" Singapore with often uneven sidewalks and less than perfect traffic rules, inhabited by various ethnic communities still adjusting to an "upgraded" status of living.  Yes, there is a noticable gap between the affluent Singaporeans and the "others".   Ferraries, McClarens, and Lotuses parked in fashionable districts versus worn-­out shoes and occasional rats running in a gutter elsewhere. There was also a whole great deal of construction going on all over the city, and ­ already excellent subway system was being improved and expanded even further.  The quality of public transportation could be an envy of many developed countries, that's for sure.

Even the airport is sooooo different offering ­ free massage chairs, butterfly garden, koi pond, free movie theaters, computer terminals, and comfortable recliner chairs for long waits between the flights.  Our flight arrived at 1 a.m. and we opted to sleep at the airport; that night ­ we found a quiet (unused at night) children's play area with soft mats on the floor, canopies, little slides, located right next to the super clean modern bathrooms (you could even take a shower there), and found a cozy area to put our backpacks safely and sleep on the blanket right on the matted floor.  We managed to sleep comfortably and quietly until almost 8 a.m. after which we hopped on the MRT (subway) that got us directly to our hotel.  We did come across some ignorance though at the airport on the way back.  Our flight to Jakarta was delayed by three hours (due to weather conditions), so we were kindly offered by the airline a free restaurant meal voucher.  However, when we went to use it, a Chinese owner/server chose to serve all the Asian passengers before he would help us ­ - the only Westerners on that flight.  He may have been practicing Confucianism that day, but it didn't settle well with us.  The latter attitude is very non-­Singaporean in our experience, so let's hope that this was a one-off deal.  Anyway, on the other hand we had a fantastic Singaporean flight attendant gentleman (on the way from Tokyo to Singapore) who kept showering us with attention and ­ kept bringing us juices, ice-­creams, and even Lyndt chocolates (bounty left from a business class).

We spent only two days in Singapore, our ­ practical stop-over on the way to Indonesia, basically to recover from a terrible jet­ lag (and previous three nights without sleep), though it didn't stop us from indulging in the excellent and affordable Indian food galore ­ we are talking tandoori, Byrani, naan breads, and chai tarriks.  After a couple of days of R&R it was time to leave for a long ­anticipated (and somewhat dreaded due to questionable flying standards) flgiht to Ambon, Maluku (Indonesia) ­ - the starting point on the way to the enticing remote Banda Islands.






SINGAPORE to AMBON, INDONESIA
Our flight on a local Indonesian air carrier called Lion Air (nicknamed by Rob "Lying Air") from Singapore to Ambon consisted of two segments Singapore-­Jakarta, and Jakarta­-Ambon. As anticipated, the flight got progressively worse and even anecdotal the further away from Singapore we were getting.  The first flight segment was delayed by three hours due to the torrential rains around Jakarta and Java, and as a result washed-­out runways in several parts of Indonesia. The second flight was completely full, A/C did not seem to work, one engine was acting up (to which Rob comforted me by sharing his professional aerospace expertise insisting that the plane can fly on one engine).  A Papua native guy sitting next me was super exhausted and felt asleep almost immediately after take­off thus blocking my access to an aisle and ultimately any hope to use bathroom facilities during the flight.  Eventually I began dozing off only to be woken up by Rob now expressing to me his concern ­ "Anna, we've got to send that pilot back to the cockpit to fly the damn plane". Whaaaaat????  "Yes," continued Rob ­ "There is a reason the plane is designed for TWO pilots in mind flying the plane, and for the past hour the second pilot has been flirting with stewardesses instead of flying the plane".  "If he doesn't return back to his post in next few minutes, we'd better talk to him". I asked Rob if he was SURE that the guy was actually the designated for that flight pilot.  Rob said he was pretty sure. "Look at him, he is wearing a professional uniform with the officer stripes on his shoulders".  Feeling exhausted I told Rob that it will be his project dealing with the "flirting pilot''.  A few minutes later, the pilot began rolling a cart filled with bottled water and other trinkets for purchase. "Well, that's interesting" I said ­ "Now the airlines is using "pilots" for in­flight purchasing duties. "Sure," said Rob  "you know that the "Lying Air" has always tried to pull something, so I wouldn't be at all surprised".  When the uniformed pilot finally reached our seats we finally had a chance to address our doubts.  "Are you a pilot?" we asked.  The handsome young man said "No, I am just a steward, but it is my dream to fly the plane one day".  "Well", I said to Rob, "You almost made his dream come true,­ you were ready to send a flight attendant to fly the plane. And you know what - ­ I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they would just let him."...



AMBON (Maluku), INDONESIA
A few hours later our plane finally has safely touched down, and after waiting for a almost two hours for our baggage, we boarded a local bus for the Ambon city "center".   In late 1990's ­ and early 2000's Ambon (and Maluku in general) was off limits for tourists for almost a decade due to the sectarian violence. The signs of confrontation between the Muslims and Christians resulted in bombings, destruction, explosions, and instability. A few years later the peace seemed to finally arrive except for occasional flares based on religious differences.  Though, I was recently informed by my good Indonesian friend that five bombs had been found at the port shortly before our arrival ­ which by the way, were hand­-moved by the locals to a beach "in case they would explode", and the business moved on as usual...

Ambon is a gritty, polluted, busy capital of Maluku, and can not be avoided as a stop­over being the main gateway on our way to the remote Banda Islands.  We found a clean room in the Muslim part of town; and around the corner across the mosque found a friendly family who cooked up fantastic satay (grilled chicken skewers in a delicious peanut sauce). We must have gotten very lucky to catch their cooking - ­ they were doing it only on Saturdays.  We loaded up on their deliciously prepared satay, and then ventured off to find a pleasant local café (luckily still undiscovered by tourists) where we ordered to share a large refreshing Es Campur - ­ a cold delicate desert made of shaved ice, sweet milk, flavoured with various fruit syrups and loaded with pieces of banana, jack fruit, papaya, young coconut, and some other chewy sweet things that I don't even know the name of.  That afternoon we also were able to get a solid catch­up sleep ­ a treat after so many sleepless hours and numerous flight connections.

Everything was going well until the next morning when we started packing our backpacks for a boat departure and noticed something on the bed - ­ the small black crawling things...  We lifted the bed sheet, and there they were - ­ bed bugs marching all over the mattress edges.  Ouch - ­ the first night in Indonesia and we already got the bed bugs!  The hotel was listed in an "updated" 2013 guide book as a solid budget choice, well ­ it certainly wasn't.  We had to unpack ALL our belongings that were in a close proximity to the bed; ­ that included our mosquito net that had to be examined inch by inch, in every seam and corner.  Brrrrr...  Luckily, our things looked safe, there were none of the bed bugs yet, and we rushed to check ­out.  We delivered our news to the front desk to inform them of the infestation, but they pretended not to speak English.  We knew they would do that. So, Rob presented them with a small plastic clear bag containing a bed bug exhibit.  The worker suddenly gained back his English knowledge.  After our exchanges, and naturally being concerned about their hotel not making it again in guide books, we were "bribed" by the hotel offering us the whole $1 refund.  WOW, ­ that's a deal that is hard to pass on.  And, yet, we will take our chances.  Here it is ­ - Hotel Penginapan Asri.  Do NOT stay there, unless you are fond of bed creatures.



BOAT RIDE FROM AMBON to BANDANEIRA.
The day we had been dreading has arrived.  We have no other choice and must take that over­night notorious Pelni ferry from Ambon to Bandaneira.  Last time we took a grossly overloaded ship from Borneo to Sulawesi about four years ago, we still have that "Titanic" moment.  But, there was simply no other way to reach Bandaneira, ­ the starting point of Banda Islands exploration that we talked about for years.  In addition, the ship's crossing is scheduled only twice a month (or occasionally even only once a month), so we coordinated our arrival to match the ship's schedule.  Only the (oversold) economy spots were left ­meaning sleeping on the floor - ­ if you are lucky to find a space on any of the over­crowded seven level decks with sauna-­like temperatures and captured by non­stop smoking locals.  Let me put it this way, if you are unlucky and absolutely must using skitish bathroom (squat toilets) faclities, you will have to learn quickly a ballerina walk ­ trying to land your tip­toes among spread­out on a floor locals, WITHOUT stopping on their hands, legs, heads, faces, surrounded by bags, boxes, and occasional chickens.  That is if you are lucky to have been able to board the ship without broken bones ­ when thousdands of locals rush to board the ship (especially after NINE HOURS waiting on a street for the delayed vessel); compared to that the 1917 Russian October revolution seems like a piece of cake.  And, when you finally reach that gangway and look up on the timid super-­sized vessel, its decks over­crowded with thousands of passengers and only a few emergency boats (and none of life jackets), you quickly start questioning your own sanity and passion for travel.  Being pushed and pulled in all kinds of directions while trying to board that monstrosity with our large travel backpacks, I whispered to our Western travel companions "Have a good look at this scene - ­ if this is not a "Titanic moment", I don't know what is..."

In my experience a stressful situation like this brings up the best and the worst in Western travelers. We met the sweetest gentleman from Switzerland and an enthusiastic couple from Hungary and quickly packed "an alliance". We would watch over each other to keep the sanity and spirits up. We also met a U.S. Tsunami researcher who we had a pleasant informative chat with.  On the other hand, a guy from the UK demonstrated the most selfish behaviour in his attempts to secure a cabin spot; I had a feeling if he could get away in throwing his "competitors" overboard, he would.  At one point I had to persuade him to calm down (for whatever reason he got fixated on me).  I thought to myself "what a beautiful high-­class British accent, and yet mismatched with such a bad low-­class behaviour".

We finally made it to the ship and found a place on the top deck (on the floor).  I went to speak with a ship's logistics officer to check if any private cabins may have become available.  The officer was very helpful and suggested to wait until the veseel's departure in case there would be a few no­-shows. He offered us a chair in his office, along with candies, and drinking water.  Unfortunately, none of the private cabins have become available, and Rob and I were given a permission to sleep in the crew quarters' hallway (a special gesture to make our miserable over­night boat crossing slightly better), which was still miserable.  Other Indonesian passengers eventually found their way to that "special" part of the ship and our hallway quickly got filled with notorious smoke clouds and loud conversations.  Rob spent half the night standing outside on the deck trying to hide from smoke.  An Indonesian passenger sitting next to us kindly offered to buy us dinner (which of course we politely declined) -  ­ we would rather trade his kind offer for a request to stop smoking to our faces, but it just wouldn't be understood.  Not smoking in Indonesia is just like living on another planet.  On the other hand, the guy was very helpful in recommending us a pleasant budget hotel upon arrival, and providing us with good info on the local boat connections to get us to the island we wanted to end up at.

Finally, the ship's over­night nightmare came to an end - ­ the vessel did not sink, we still had a part of our lungs left, our belongings stayed safe, and we disembarked in the long ­awaited port of Bandaneira.



BANDANEIRA
What a relief to finally be here.  Our exhaustion was immediately lifted by natural exotic beauty, friendly locals, quiet streets, peace and a general sense of tranquility.  We ended up at the hotel (recommended by a local fellow­ passenger) located on the water, with a view of the ocean and a near­by volcano.  It was peaceful and quiet there, and we even got treated to an A/C at night.  A few minutes upon check­-in a tray with freshly made coffee and tea appeared on our balcony accompanied by breakfast snacks made of sweet sticky coconut rice served wrapped up in banana leaves. We enjoyed our breakfast sitting on our balcony watching the ocean and a disappearing in the distance ship that brought us here.

Bandaneira is the starting point for us for exploring Banda Islands, or also known in history as ''Spice Islands".  They were ruthlessly colonized by Europeans in the mid centuries with a main goal to get an access to the largest spice supply ­ the main of which was the nutmeg.  Besides the nutmeg, the  islands have also been known for cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves harvests.  The nutmeg has been the key focus for centuries.  Portuguese, Spanish, British, and Dutch ­ fought for the ownership of the islands and spice production.  The islands were tortured by the colonizers (the Dutch being the most ruthless) resulting in eradicating and enslaving local population, forcing Christianity, and bringing disease and violence.  The crumbling ruins of colonial architecture and fortresses can still be found today ­ overgrown by magnificent kenari trees protectively hoovering over the nutmeg orchards and banana plantations.

Nutmeg still remains one of the main income sources, and is used by every household in various cooking - ­ from soups to desserts.  The most popular application is the nutmeg jam.  YES, ­ it is one of the most delicious jams I've tasted!  The meaty fruit part surrounding the nutmeg pit is what is used for the jam production resulting in a sweet tangy delicate flavour.  We ate it almost every day for breakfast either with bread or pancakes, and couldn't get enough of it.  Add to this the cinnamon bark added in black tea preparation, cloves and nutmeg spices in soups, almond sauce used in fresh fish and vegetables entrees, and shredded coconut and papaya in salads - ­ and you get the feeling why the islands had been on the list of colonizers. The only island without growing nutmeg was Pulau Rhun ­ which by the way was traded by the British to the Dutch for the ownership of another island well known today - ­ Manhattan.







BANDA ISLANDS
YES - we are finally here, and can't wait to see what new for us marine creatures and other surprises we could see under the turquoise ocean surface.  It has been almost two years since our last snorkeling adventure (last one was on Pulau Weh, Sumatra), and it feels good to return back to the ocean.  We purposely stopped scuba diving a few years ago, chose snorkeling instead, and were rewarded with fantastic marine encounters quickly becoming the envy of diving snobs.  Snorkeling for hours with whale sharks in the Philippines, sea lions and eagle rays in Mexico, petting nurse sharks and hugging sting rays in Belize, swimming with giant turtles, manta rays and stingless jellyfish in Indonesia, etc. etc. Snorkeling gave us the freedom, independence, longer hours of marine exploration, no crowds, and most importantly the trust of marine creatures.  So, we have high expectations for Banda Islands. We allocated a month to explore the islands, and our marine journey begins on Pulau Ai.

PULAU Ai
(includes a trip to Pulau Neilaka)
There is a lot to write about Pulau Ai besides marine exploration.  We split our 21­day stay on the island between two places run by local Muslim families ­ both located on the beach with sweeping ocean views.  The stay included three freshly prepared meals a day (we are talking freshly caught fish cooked in various sauces, BBQ'ed, grilled, fried, steamed, etc. etc., various vegetable dishes and local specialties, fruits, and unlimited coffee and tea all day long) - ­ accommodation and food all for $12 per person per day.

A good part of the time we were the only guests, and had the entire place to ourselves being catered just for us. We would fall asleep and wake up to a sound of waves brushing the sand right under our balcony.  During our 21 day stay on the island we managed to be surprised on a number of occasions (and it is almost impossible by now to surprise us).  Here are just a few of the memorable moments, including both best and worst episodes, and frequently hard­ to­ explain moments:

1) We watched a local bathing a cow and a calf in the ocean, and (what it looked like) attempting to teach a calf how to swim... OoooKaaaay...

2) On a number of occasions we observed roosters, hens, ducks, and cats taking frequent walks together along the beach. Quite normal, right?

3) I decided to start jogging along the beach in the mornings, which apparently, was quite unusual around the island.  On my first attempt, locals thought I was trying to catch the boat that had already departed from the dock ­ which caused locals' enthusiastic attempts trying to explain that to me, and encourage me to wait until the next morning.  On my second attempt to exercise on the beach, I was approached by a local lady with a machete; she addressed me in perfect English "Did you call me?". As I watched her swinging the sharp sparkling machete edge in the air right in front of my face, I quietly muttered ­ "Noooo... Should I have?"  The lady had the machete, ­ I'd say anything she wanted to hear...  She casually replied ­ "OK then, I thought maybe you called me..."  She proceeded to introduce herself to me as an original Papua native, and proudly explained to me that she also had a hobby of jogging and swimming. What a relief... Then, she pointed out to a wooden boat not far from the shore and invited me to join her and her family for a ride around the islands ­ "We have an extra spot in the boat, you are welcome to come with".  I had to politely refuse the offer because Rob would have been worried about my long disappearance.  "OK," she said "Best friends then, right?", and she shook my hand firmly with a big smile on her face.  "Absolutely!", I said.  She proceeded along the beach in a clumsy jogging mode causing the laughs and giggles of her spouse and kids waiting in the boat. Apparently, they found it quite amusing as well.  When I returned back to our guesthouse and shared my encounter with the owner, he told me that the machete lady must have really liked me ­ - apparently, Papua natives do not like the outsiders that much, and the fact that she made an attempt to get to know me was quite unusual... On my third attempt to jog, the locals just accepted that a crazy Westerner liked to torture herself by running under the excruciating hot sun in the sand on the beach, and they just waived to me with raised eyebrows...

4) We encountered an unusual parenting on a number of occasions, including mothers running after the disobeying kids with a long bamboo stick, and throwing large pieces of corals at the loud ones to stop them from disturbing parental cell phone conversations.  The action took care of things in no time...

5) I ended up teaching a local how to make a (South Asian) masala tea. That one is a new one for me ­ - a Westerner teaching an Asian how to make a spicy tea.  I was asked to write down an exact recipe and precise instructions how to properly make it.  I guess it makes sense in a way (having spent a good deal of time in India, eventually one figures out the secret) - ­ our Sri Lankan neighbours back home were quite surprised by the authentic tea taste, and have given their seal of approval as well.

6) We watched numerous storms from our balcony above the ocean, including a big one during the night hours. When I opened our window to remove a few things from a clothes line, I almost got blown away by the wind.  The winds also frequently created huge waves, but it didn't stop us from snorkeling.

7) The beach scene was quite evolving as well...  One time Rob saw a local casually burying a dead cat on a beach in a shallow sand, which later on was discovered by chickens who would daily dig the tomb.  On another occasion we saw young kids playing with a dead chicken - ­ they would take turns dragging the dead chicken on a rope along the beach and then swimming with it in the ocean.  On a very sad occasion we saw a local toddler throwing a young kitten to the ocean at least five times who luckily managed to swim back to the shore.  The process was indifferently observed by a boy's mother, eventually she slapped the toddler allowing the kitten to escape.

8) And, the saddest part - the­ garbage monster...  Locals on Pulau Ai treated the ocean as one big dump.  So much plastic and rubbish was being thrown into the water that we lost any hope in trying to change it.  Sure, they threw it and a few minutes away it would be taken away by the currents, out of sight out of mind, right?  What they refuse to understand is that all that plastic is destroying an already vulnerable marine environment ­ turtles dye after swallowing plastic bags thinking it is a jelly fish; the tangled up nets are killing fish, sharks, dolphins, whales, etc.  The dumped oil, cleaners, and various household items destroy corals which inevitably leads to the lost habitat of various marine species.  So, who wins?  And, it is getting worse ­ - locals on Pulau Ai did not seem to care. This indifferent attitude has absolutely no justification.  I don't care if you are rich or poor - ­ stop being ignorant, and take care of your environment!

MARINE LIFE FILE:

I have only about 20­-30 minutes to finish typing this entry - ­ a massive storm is quickly approaching.  I see a solid black wall of rain with seven vertical clouds dominating the horizon above the ocean ­ it is going to be another torrential rain storm...  Anyway, here is the list of marine life that we were so fortunate to encounter ­ with a few records set on this particular journey:

NEW RECORDS:
-- Total of 72 sightings of black tip reef sharks (yes!).  We are very fond of them; ­ some sharks seemed to get used to us eventually, and would be comfortable swimming with us at a closer distance. Occasionally we would see a larger shark swimming with a cute baby shark next to it.  The best record was 25 sighting of sharks in one day, followed by the second record of 14 sharks in one day, followed by the third record of 13 sharks in one day.  Incredible!
-- A close-­range viewing of a white-­spotted eagle ray. The eagle ray spent several minutes with us.  It was really nice.
-- Several encounters with SUPER LARGE humphead parrotfish families (the largest were close to 1.3 meters (4 feet) ­ size and weight of a small person) - the best record of 17 wrasses at once (14 super large adult ones and 3 babies), followed by the second best record of 16 members (14 babies and 2 large adults), followed by the third record of 4 members (all were super sized adults).  When the entire family would approach, it looked like a herd of buffaloes under water, they would stare at us with their big eyes, and their size and clearly pronounced heads and facial features almost make you forget you are looking at a fish.
-- The largest/longest baracudas we've ever seen anywhere in the past seven years (a size of a small shark).
-- NEW: bio-luminescence. An unusual phenomenon observed during the night hours­ it looked like twinkling Christmas lights all over ocean surface.  And, also new for us were mandarinfish (found earlier in Bandaneira harbour).

This is only a short partial list what we saw regularly under water: sea turtles (over 10 sightings); numerous Napoleons; large groupers, emperors, wrasses, tuna, crocodile needle fish, various types of batfish, butterfly fish, angel fish, sergeant majors, trumphet fish, unicorn fish, sweet lips, parrot fish, clown fish, mackerels, trevally, titan and clown triggerfish, scribbled filefish, barracudas, morray eels, lobsters, porcupine fish, and my personal favourite ­ seal faced puffers (the latter are so adorable, that it is difficult to resist petting it).  Less frequently seen: lion fish, banded sea snake, octopus, shrimp (only on one occasion).  One morning, a spinner dolphin made an appearance and spent a long time hanging around, but it was too shy to snorkel with us.





PULAU HATTA
This is the island that makes all the prior sleepless nights, numerous flight connections, horrible stop­overs, and dreadful over­night ferries all worth it.  The peace, tranquility, natural beauty, pristine beach and ocean, and phenomenally picturesque coral landscapes remind you what the long journey is all about.  Marine life was not as striking as on other occasions, but elaborate coral architecture under the water was out of this world - ­ underwater coral bridges, caves, islands, and elaborate images that make you feel like an ocean version of Alice in Wonderland.

Hatta was also the place to get your feel of sea turtles.  Because the island has not been discovered by large groups of tourists (and boats transporting them), the turtles felt quite at peace around us.  All together we had over 15 sightings of these beautiful creatures.  Once I went for a long snorkel over the reef drop-off by myself, and a turtle kept me company for at least 20 minutes.  We swam together side by side, and it was so peaceful and relaxing to match the turtle's swimming style.  A large family of 70 trevallies cruised by, followed by large Napoleans, raccoon butterfly fish, bat fish, bannerfish, sweet lips, spotted box fish, crocodile­ needle fish, snappers, groupers, large tuna, angel fish, scribbled filefish that kept changing colour, etc. etc.

On another occasion we encountered a family of 17 super­sized humphead parrotfish consuming corals with their huge jaws and teeth ­ - I kept having association with a herd of approaching buffaloes under water, they made their presence known, that's for sure.  The coral was truly spectacular in many places - besides gorgeous shapes and colours ranging from bright green, red, purple to what looked like a winter garden under water.  In addition to the rare black coral, we also discovered super cute multiple couloured Christmas tree worms ­ they looked like cute fluffy round cartoon characters with eyes attached to tiny antennas.  Other discoveries included cowry/tiger shells, lobsters, Indian cushion stars, marbled sea cucumbers, red and black lion fish, a gorgeous swimming (not hiding) starry eel, peacock flounders, and Rob's discovery ­ - we called it "A.D.D. fish on steroids".  Have to look up the official name of this tiny, super cute, black and white fish that moves in all directions, non­stop convulsions, without any break whatsoever.  We also experienced something unusual ­ on one of our long snorkels we saw and felt a current of high temperatures ­ the current felt super hot on the skin (even through the wet suits) like we were swimming through a volcanic lava deluded in the ocean, or something; and it has a strange red tint to it.  We tried to ask locals what it could have been, but with limited language abilities on both ends, we never got the clear answer.

After a week of indulgence in the ocean, and tranquility ashore, with the ocean at our door steps, and freshly cooked three meals a day (all inclusive for $12 per person per day!), it was finally the time to leave.  We caught a ride back to Bandaneira with the guesthouse owner in his brightly coloured boat, and finished our journey in a torrential rain storm - ­ a frequent occurrence here in December.










Return to BANDANEIRA
We returned back to Bandaneira happy - ­ one month on Banda Islands turned out a great success and definitely worth the journey.  We went to the same hotel we'd stayed before a month before. Apparently, our room was booked for the next day by someone else, but we were given a preferential treatment (sometimes being foreign works in our favour), and the same room was offered to us again.  The guy managing the hotel was quite helpful, and kept referring to me as The Boss.  The funny thing is that this was the third location for the past month I got that nickname; Rob kept joking that my reputation (not to take any b.s. and get things done) had spread quickly among the islands and islanders.  Even when other Westerners would show up, the hotel owners would introduce me to others as The Boss.  Eventually, the nickname stuck with me, and I accepted it.

It felt good to be back in Bandaneira, and for a change to indulge in fresh fruits diet after one month of fish dishes twice a day (the meals had been fine, but I just couldn't take any more fish).  We walked around, took some photos, chatted with lovely friendly local girls who enjoyed practicing English with us.  Anywhere we went, we were an object of attention ­ many hellos, smiles, and air kisses.  People are quite friendly here, I just wish the men stopped smoking (and getting too much unsolicited attention from local guys gets to be very tiresome by now).

On the second day of our arrival there was a Kora­ Kora event - ­ the prestigious rowing competition. The islanders participated in this big anticipated annual event in their brightly decorated long boats (holding over 30 people).  There was a big celebration ashore with local authorities present and traditional dances, and we were invited to the VIP area.  A later part of this event continued in our hotel.  In addition, apparently, there was also an elections debate scheduled, and a few big guys came to meet up .  Out of all places, it had to happen in our hotel!  I don't know exactly who these people were or what they talked about, but two body guards were assigned to our floor, right next to our room!  Remember, ­ it is Maluku, Indonesia...  Things between religious groups and elected officials are still a little shaky, we did not want to get even close to any gatherings of that sort, and yet, inadvertently we were.  Luckily, the meeting went quite smoothly, but we had to address the body guards on a number of occasions, politely encouraging them to move away a bit from our door and window because some of them smoked NON STOP.  The guards were very polite and apologetic, but the bad habit of chain smoking day and night was incurable.  We put a blanket along the door and window frames, ­ it helped to keep some smoke away, and we managed to have a restful night of sleep.

The next morning, we had our breakfast on the balcony (no body guards, yes!), enjoying fresh toast with nutmeg jam and kopi sussa (sweet cream coffee); and when we saw a large seven-­deck ship approaching on the horizon, it was the time to leave...  We had to be back on that notorious Pelni ferry, that I nicknamed a Titanic-­to-­be (it is just the matter of time when the grossly overloaded ferry would sink).  Yes, we are dreading Pelni with its crowds, filth, and smoke, but we have no choice - ­ it is the only way for us to get back to Ambon...







FERRY RIDE BACK FROM BANDANEIRA to AMBON
It was Friday the 13th, ­ the perfect combination to be riding the awful Pelni ferry.  Luckily for us, the morning of departure the rain was torrential, and the out­-of­-control chaos boarding the huge overcrowded ferry was a lot more manageable.  We actually succeeded to board the ferry without being thrown overboard by desperate crowds of passengers.  We went back to the crew area hallway in hopes to find a quieter spot ­ - as I mentioned before, the ships are regularly oversold by thousands of passengers, no life vests and no life boats are even discussed.  The local men smoke no­stop, women shout, kids scream, every seat and space on the floor is taken, squat toilets are hard to find, and ships run 6 hours late on average.  So, a 7-­hour crossing turned into a 13-hour ordeal, another perfect number to describe the "Titanic-­to­-be" experience.  In addition, local men constantly hit on me; ­ most were (fortunately) polite, and simply wanted to chat and sit around (longer time than comfortable though), but some were saying things that no local woman would find amusing.  Rob's presence didn't seem to make any difference.  If he was not sitting next to me, his spot would be immediately taken.  I think under the circumstances it was probably a good thing I wasn't fluent in Indonesian, it was better not to know.

However, at times local guys' obnoxious way of speaking and laughing was irritating.  Not being able to respond in Indonesian, I just told them in English firmly "Listen, whatever it is, ­ I don't know, AND I don't care".  I think eventually my phrase was translated to them, and their behaviour improved.  I must say for the record, that majority of men were quite friendly and respectful, as long as you don't count the suffocating habit of smoking.

A couple of hours into a ride, the rain finally stopped, and we found a spot on the open deck where we spent the rest of 5 hours.  We brought mangoes and other treats along with us, and those were consumed with great pleasure.

FINALLY, into the night, we began seeing approaching lights of land.  We loaded our backpacks and lined up for the exit. We got lucky - ­ we happened to find THE gangway exit, and though we got shoved and pushed in all directions (even tiny friendly local women would get quite aggressive in crowds), we managed to disembark the vessel among the first (normally it takes hours).  To our pleasant surprise, down at the dock we got motioned by a friendly police officer who let us escape the crowds through a "secret exit doorway", and so we were off on the way to freedom away from the nightmarish Pelni...




BACK to AMBON
We navigated the dark uneven broken streets of Ambon like pros (it helped having been here before), and efficiently located the place to stay.  The room was quite basic (looked more like a comfortable prison cell with a cold water shower), but it came with a cable TV and English channels ­ NG, HBO, and a couple of movie channels.  Having being away from civilization, what a treat it was!  Normally, we would rarely have a TV on at home, but not this time!  We (mostly me actually) "junked out" in old movie hits of various genres, ­ from love stories to thrillers.

We also, returned back to our favourite eating corner in Ambon and treated ourselves to tasty satay in peanut sauce, Es Teller, and multiple ice-­creams.  It was also the first time in the last five weeks that we had an access to internet.

After four days in Ambon (most Westerners can barely tolerate one day here), we made plans to leave for Lease Islands. We had a couple of weeks left here before we'd fly back to KL, Malaysia.




LEASE ISLANDS

NUSA LAUT
We left Ambon at 4:30 a.m. trying to catch a ride to a port of Tulehu for a 7 a.m. ferry to Nusa Laut ­ - our first island stop on the Lease Islands.  Well, as expected by now, the guide book was wrong (again).  In any case, with a help of locals we figured out the correct ferry to Nusa Laut, and had to wait two more hours for the departure.  The ferry ride among the islands was beautiful, but friendly ever-so­-over­stimulated locals kept shouting, screaming, laughing, throwing garbage into the ocean (and all over the deck floor if you were lucky), with all men smoking non­stop for 6 hours...  As always, we had to find a place to hide from all the "stimulants and attention" ­this time if was a barely more tolerable area on the outside upper deck (reserved for the crew, but the rules are rarely followed around here).  By now, I refer to locals as super ­friendly "kindergartners on steroids" - ­ their typical everyday behaviour is just insane.  We have spent a long time travelling in South and South­ East Asia, and there is no way a person in a reasonable state of mind could get used to it.  During the long ride, the deck floor we were sitting on was flooded (I think it was from the laundry water coming from the roof drain spouts, ­ nothing is for certain though), and the locals dropped everything and rushed to save our backpacks located on the floor. See what I mean?  You hate them, you love them... On one hand, the obnoxious behaviour is so irritating (Rob's friend recommends that we get sedated when we ride Indonesian ferries), and yet on the other hand, the locals' unstoppable friendliness wins you over yet again.  For me, travelling in Indonesia is a "love-­hate' relationship, it is a constant emotional roller coaster...  We come here for marine life, but we learn about the country and people so much more that we would expect.  Unless you are wasting your time in Bali, travelling in Indonesia makes you think about a lot of things, both good and bad...

As far as Nusa Laut goes (to be exact ­ Ameth, Nusa Laut).  Very brief review: super friendly, helpful, kind locals, cute village.  Christianity dominates the island.  Only one over­priced place to stay with an unpopular greedy owner, no food places or rumah-makans (restaurants) of any kind.  Bombed corals.  Overall conclusion: if you are here for marine life, ­ do not waste your time basing yourself here.  For the record, however, I must add ­ we have spent a very short time here, and it is quite likely that a better coral reef is available with an access by boat (and possibly on the Nallahia village side), but I have read about the strong currants; therefore hiring an over­priced boat every day seems quite a rip­off.  Also, to leave the island, the public boat is available only twice a week (and even locals get ripped off).  Except for the villagers' super welcoming attitude, we felt pretty good about leaving the island early.

SAPARUA

We intended to spend only a few days in Saparua, but ended up spending here over a week.  The latter was not due to our liking ­ but we wanted to avoid Christmas in Ambon (due to possible ethnic and religious clashes at this time of the year).  We arrived in Saparua from Nusa Laut with villagers on a big market day.  The boat could disembark about fifty meters from a shore, and we ended up walking with our large backpacks in the water up to the knee level.  It was a muddy grassy area, and we tried not to think what or who we could be stopping on.  We found a place with a nice deck facing a harbour; ­ it was actually a cute clean room with two windows dressed in fancy curtains, comfortable bed, with A/C, TV and attached bathroom (cold bucket water of course), for $15 a night ­ a real splurge for Indonesian standards.  The common balcony ­deck over the harbour had a grand ocean view and sunsets, but it was frequently flooded by strong rain storms, and we had to share it occasionally with smoking guests (including a few annoying Western tourists, with an exception of two Spanish guys who were pleasant, courteous, and helpful).

Saparua itself is quite small, walkable, surrounded by a few semi­-clean beaches and an old fortress ­ a reminder of Dutch colonization and dominance.  It is also predominantly Christian, that means "Christmas prep on-over-drive" - ­ home­made fireworks and firecrackers sent explosions most of the day and night a week before Christmas and well into the New Year.  It sounded like small bombs and grenades were going off every 10 minutes with smoke and loud explosive noises balancing off the tin building roofs.  How we were able to save our ear­drums was a miracle.  The explosions were accompanied by dominating blaring jingle bell tunes sung in the Indonesian bahasa/language. They went non­stop most of the hours of the day and evening, and we started to wonder if it was a aggressive gesture to the neighbouring Muslim community.  The Christian population of Saparua was also not as friendly as other Indonesian groups we've grown accustomed to.  We also heard stories of over­charging and double ­tier pricing for outsiders.  We've been treated OK there ourselves ­ - we bought all our evening meals from a local family (coconut yellow rice with a serving of vegetables, peanut sauce, chili sauce and fried chicken), and would load up on local fruits on market days (happening right under our hotel windows).  Looking down from the high second floor, the market pictures were quite colourful. We usually would buy a stock of locally grown bananas (ranging from white to orange colours inside, both large and tiny varieties), seeded watermelons, super sweet pineapples, ­ all quite good and cheap.  I selected a nice lady seller who was honest and shy, and would buy four ripe pine­apples at a time from her.  Sometimes we would feel "stuck" on the island and had an urge to move on, but we really had to be patient and wait before heading back to Ambon.  We did explore a couple of near­by areas however, which were good.  Here they are:

MOLANA ISLAND

My original plan was to spend four days on this island as the reef and marine life were supposed to be quite good.  Unfortunately, the island owner went into a greedy (and as locals told us) corrupt state of mind, and began charging big amounts for staying on the island the rates were non-­negotiable which caused bungalows to stay unoccupied and neglected.  So, we used a plan B, and hired a local fisherman in a tiny wooden canoe to take us to the island for a day and explore the marine surroundings.  The marine life and corals were excellent.

Here is a brief list what we saw during our five­ hour marine exploration: 10 black­-tip reef sharks, 4 turtles, 9 blue­ spotted sting­rays, large Napoleon, a family of 100+ baby crocodile ­needle fish, anemone fish (in unusual violet and orange-­red colours), clown fish, razor fish, squid, peacock mantis shrimp, snappers, barracuda, groupers, spotted moray eel (brown with white spots), garden/sand eels, and many many other tropical fish varieties; also various shapes and colors of healthy coral (table, sea fan, brain, sponges, balmies, "cauliflower" soft corals, etc.).

Finally, we had to get ready to head back to Saparua ­ to avoid the rain storm and dark threatening clouds forming on the horizon.  Though being navigated by quite skilled and experienced boatman, our small outrigger could handle only certain height of waves, and the boatman cautioned us with his hand pointing out to something ahead of us, making circles with his arm.  Being still excited about the just­ happened marine exploration, I told Rob sitting in front of me on the boat bow "Look, I think we may be seeing some dolphins soon!"  Rob looked at me and replied, "No Anna, he is talking about the waves up ahead, not the dolphins".  Soon enough, we were confronted by those waves, crashing against our tiny boat, and splashing all over the boat and our bodies...  But, the boat still seemed to be navigated with great skill and confidence.  Only when we reached the shore and looked behind, I realized that for the past hour and a half it was a ten­-year old boy navigating the boat, and his dad (the captain) was only patiently giving him commands and corrections.

All well done though.  The boatman's family and other villagers were meeting us at the shore, they were waving at us and smiling when we finally walked onto the shore in soaked clothes, but feeling happy.  But, there was a sad moment to the story as well ­unfortunately, when changing into the normal clothes back on Molana Island, I must have left behind my swimming top, which likely got washed away by the ocean tide.  It would not have been a big deal if it was any other ordinary swim­wear, but I am very attached to this particular one.  I have worn it on EVERY dive and snorkel since 2001.  All best marine experiences were conducted wearing that swimming piece, ­ it was a very special one to me, and also quite practical. So, I was sad about loosing it...  The piece was never to be found ­ not on the boat, or a dock, or back on the island beach (which later on was searched by a nice Spanish girl).  I just have to accept that my swimming top is now free exploring the ocean world and its wonders....








ITAWAKA
Located in the Northern part of Saparua island, we went to Itawaka for more snorkeling.  Easily accessible by a public bemo, it was good to get back to the water.  When we arrived in Itawaka, local villagers motioned us in the direction where to access the reefs.  I decided to give it a try on my own, and if it was any good, come back to the shore and take Rob with me.  The reef was damaged in parts, but in less than five minutes after entering the water I was greeted by a good size reef­ shark (we love them!), so the snorkel seemed promising.  The only difficult part was entering and exiting the ocean ­ it was still a low tide, and unfortunately, we had to walk on the sharp exposed rocks.  When slowly making my way up back to the shore, I was met by a cute young local girl who ran towards me with ... my sandals!  Without being asked or told, apparently, she grabbed my sandals from the shore and took them to me to make my exit easier.  It was so sweet and kind!  I wish Western kids would be as helpful and thoughtful!

We spent a couple of hours snorkeling the area, and for the most part it was quite nice, this is what we saw: 4 reef sharks, 1 sting ray, a family of 100+ baby needlefish, 100+ young crocodile fish, anemone and clown fish, banner fish, bat fish, angel fish, butterfly fish, 200+ sardines, large trevallies, and other tropical varieties that we see on a normal snorkel basis in Indonesia.  Over all, the snorkel and scenery were good, and taking into account a minimal effort to get here, it was definitely worthwhile.

And here is another not­-so-­nice part.  The second personal clothing piece went missing ­ this part it was my underwear.  No, I have not lost it.  It was stolen from my bag left on the shore - not my Western shirt, or skirt, or Rob's pants, or t-­shirt, someone chose specifically my underwear!  If we were in Japan, I would not be shocked ­ as I hear that certain worn underwear goes for big bucks in certain fetish groups, but Indonesia is a different story.  My guess, it was stolen by local boys as a prank, but it wasn't funny for me.  When one travels with a backpack for months, every piece is carefully selected, so no - ­ it is not funny.  In any case, I was marching back in my relatively light fabric skirt without any underwear on.  Whatever...  Nothing I can do about it.

RIDE BACK
It was finally time to leave Saparua for Ambon. We followed the locals and took a slow, inexpensive, open ­deck ferry, while other Western travelers ended up on the fast ferry that was over­priced and had a claustrophobic "closed in" feeling. Our ferry was primarily used by villagers and tourned out to be a good choice. Most of the passengers were women ­ which meant a lot less smoke!  We ended up sitting next to the captain's area, on the outside deck.  The captain was an easy-going elderly fellow; he tried chatting with us, and kept apologizing for his limited English.  As were were making our crossing, the captain and locals told us the names of the surrounding islands, and at some point the captain pointed out a large turtle swimming in our direction.  That particular boat crossing was the most peaceful picturesque ferry ride we have done in Indonesia, and was a good ending to the Lease Islands chapter.


BACK to AMBON
Yes ­ we are actually excited to return back!  Majority of tourists we've talked to loathe Ambon; but for us this time around is different.  Having visited here a number of times, and having spent almost two months away on isolated islands, we actually came to appreciate parts of this big city, and (to a shock of other tourists) are happy to return.  We have acquired a sufficient local familiarity, which makes the visit back here so much more pleasant.  We returned back to the same hotel, picked the same room we'd stayed before ­ on the fourth floor of inexpensive hotel with a common deck overlooking the city.  Our room still had a working TV with a few English channels (including HBO), and we actually had 24 hour electricity and working cold water shower.  Every morning at 8 a.m. an elderly hotel worker would knock at the door and would stretch out his Indonesian greeting with a smile: "Paaaaaagi, makhaaaaaan, breakfaaaast''.  The "breakfast" was the same almost every morning: over­sweetened simple black tea with sweet white bread or doughnut­-type rolls, which occasionally we would save and give out on the street.  For ourselves, we would pick up local mangoes from the market for the morning, and then head out to the river market, where numerous street stalls (carts on wheels supplied with propane tanks, big woks, and you ­name it food supplies) wouldcook up meals all day long.  We would order Nasi Tellur Goreng from the same stall run by a slender young man in his 20's.  The guy was shy, but friendly, and was always honest, efficient, and polite.  Then, we will move about 20 meters further to another stall for our all-­time ­favourite Es Teller!  The latter is a super delicious local treat made out of ice, coconut milk and young coconut pieces, red beans, fruits, sweet peanuts, and topped with sweet milk and fruit syrup.  It is super good, cheap (about 50 cents), and irresistible on a hot tropical day.  We quickly became regulars of the Es Teller stall run by three popular friendly ever­smiling sisters.  We really liked their product, and they really liked us, and frequently we would end up with a bigger than usual "special" desert at the same price; on several other occasions they categorically refused to accept money from us, and we ended up struggling with them trying to open their cash drawer so we could put the money for the treats.  It must have looked quite strange for the passers-­by - ­ two Westerners, bigger in size than the stall owners, fighting over the cash drawer...  I am sure some thought that the "break in" was in process in the middle of the street, in front of dozens of locals, in the middle of the day!  Sometimes we would win, but sometimes we had to walk away with returned payment.  Then, we figured out the way to pay for the uncharged deserts, we left them a note with our web address, and a cash note as a New Year present, so they really had no choice but accept the sincere gift.  We frequently think about those nice girls, we sure hope that those three sweet personalities are happy, well, and enjoying their lives...

We also had a couple of favourite evening places to eat run by two related Muslim families ­ they cooked up great sauté with freshly made peanut sauce, it was sooooo gooooood! We ended up spending our New Year's here, in Ambon.  We barely had a chance to preserve our hearing abilities ­ home­made fireworks, fire­crackers, exploding sounds day in and day out was insane AND very typical of Indonesia.  It is practically impossible to have a peaceful minute ­ Indonesians seem to long the noise, it is their natural habitat.

Without noise, shouting, smoking, blaring music, loud laughter it would not be Indonesia.  For weeks now, we have been followed everywhere by locals, thousands times a day being almost harassed by the ­ever-­so ­familiar "Hello Mister, you're from?" or "Mister, wha'z your name?", or "How is Mister?". The majority of Indonesians don't understand the difference between Mr. and Mrs., so I am used to be referred to as a Mister.  We try to be polite and friendly, no matter how we are feeling that day, good or bad.  Love them or hate them, the locals' friendliness is irresistible.  On a rare occasion though, feeling absolutely exhausted we would frankly answer "Mister is tired today, or Mister is finis'ssss'" ­ deliberately mispronouncing the ending of the word by imitating how the locals would say it.

Anyway, going back to the New Year's...  The city had a lot of police presence ­ due to the prior Christian­-Muslim confrontations ending up in bombings, explosions, and destroyed streets and buildings.  This time around it went fine ­ except the non­stop fireworks explosions, for several weeks straight.  But, I must admit the fireworks that occurred at 12:00 midnight on December 31, 2013 was the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen in my entire life anywhere in the world.  The fireworks continued for over 2 hours all over the city.  The jaw-­dropping display of lights of various shapes, shades, and colours combining the military-­run fireworks and private (from ­the­ roof) fireworks were absolutely incredible.  We were lucky to have the balcony and 360­-degree observation deck over the city: ­ anywhere we looked, we saw an out­-of­-this­ world parade of lights.  It felt surreal at some point and certainly unforgettable.  The New Year's in Ambon was quite a grande finale of our journey in Maluku, that's for sure!



SANTAI BEACH/Latuhalat, AMBON
During our stay in Ambon, we managed to go snorkeling around the island.  To our surprise, the beauty of Latuhalat area, and specifically the waters around Santai beach turned out to be an unexpected treat.  Though one day there was an accumulation of garbage floating around - ­ courtesy of Indonesian week­enders, the ocean water clarity and colour were stunning, and the coral was quite decent in many places.  Our expectations were set quite low, but we were pleasantly surprised by encountering a number of cool things.

Here is the list: swimming with a black-­tip reef shark, watching for a while a one-­inch long rare elaborate nudibranch, lobsters, starry eel, spotted boxfish, seal faced puffers, bird wrasse, butterfly fish, parrot fish, banner fish,sergeant major fish, frog fish; and a couple of strange looking fish ­ one with a crown mohawk, and the other nicknamed "the A.D.D. fish" - a super­ cute small elaborately decorated fish that twists and turns like a contortionist (need to look up the names for the latter two). Over all, taking into consideration the proximity to the city, the marine file in the area exceeded expectations.  Sure, it is not the Banda Islands' quality, but the marine life around Ambon will beat any Thailand Island for the marine variety, especially being that close to the shore in the urban environment.

OK, this concludes the Banda Islands, Lease Islands, and Ambon chapter.  Incredible journey, wonderful memories, fantastic marine encounters, unexpected human connections, laughter, tears, joy, frustration, genuine hospitality and irreconcilable differences ­ Maluku has it all.  Travel was not easy, but definitely worth it.  Would I repeat all the challenges to return back to this incredible part of the world?  Under the right circumstances, absolutely!