Ambon, the Capital of Heaven

[To Shindi, Uga and Ndet, my dearest and best traveling friends, sorry it took me so long to write this piece. I got distracted by unexpected “personal events” that happened in my life, not long after we returned from Ambon. Hehehe… Yeah, excuses, excuses… And… BEWARE, this is A VERY LOOONG story!!! Go get some coffee before reading it.]

[To readers on facebook, I’ve turned off the “comments facility” to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth messages among those I tagged. If I tag you, it means I think you’re interested to read about our trip. So if you’d like to leave comments, please go to my official blog site: http://life-elements.blogspot.com. And thanks for reading! Hope it will inspire you to visit this Heaven soon!]

Photos by: Shindi & Uga Sutowo

*****



We barely had any sleep. All girls, all sleepy, but all psyched up to go to Ambon (a little bit too psyched up for a 1.30AM flight). The direct flight took about 3.5 hours from the filthy capital of Indonesia to the capital of Heaven in the Spice Islands of Maluku.


The ridiculous flight to Heaven
Lion Air, of course as many of you know, is tight and narrow with way too many seats. The service sucks and, if you’re hungry or thirsty, you have to BUY your food and drinks. F&B are not included in the airfare that you pay. That’s what you get for cheap airfares, I guess. But we had no choice. There are only 4 airlines serving Ambon – Lion, Mandala, Batavia and Sriwijaya. They’re all the same. The word “uncomfortable” could not even begin to describe how miserable we were in those 3.5 hours. So we made it up by going absolutely mental! As I told you, we were a little bit too psyched up for this trip. We were high on adrenalin.

All through the flight, we were chatting and laughing out loud, making rude comments about the flight attendants, about other passengers, about everything… Imagine this. There are three seats on the left row and three on the right. Shindi and Ndet occupied two seats on one of the right rows, with no one on the third seat. Uga and I occupied two seats on the left row, but we were sharing the row with a guy who sat on the aisle-seat. The poor guy was clearly trying so hard to sleep. But of course… he failed. We were rude AND loud!



Pregnancy test and KFC
Well, you can’t really blame us. We were “confronted” by ridiculous situations! (Yeah, this IS our excuse for being rowdy). As we just boarded, a flight attendant came up to Ndet and asked, “Excuse me, Ma’am… Are you pregnant?” And of course Ndet and Shindi just cracked up laughing as an answer. Ndet almost answered, “Yes, I have been for the past 12 years!” They immediately told Uga and I, who cracked up even louder. Apparently there’s this new regulation that pregnant passengers must report to airline authorities before being allowed to fly. But Ndet? Pregnant? Right!

Then after doing their regular rounds to offer passengers to buy food and drinks from their trolley, these giggly flight attendants went back to their station on the back of the plane. Apparently they brought their own food. Since we were sitting on the back rows, we could easily smell the unmistakable aroma of… KFC!!! Shit… while we were sitting there hungry (but too proud, too stubborn and too cheap to buy anything from the trolley), they were having KFC. I think Shindi almost called out to them saying, “Hey! Let us BUY YOUR KFC!!!” Thank God she didn’t… Hahaha…

Is it possible to meet anyone you know in this flight?
There were other “incidents” too. A middle-aged man who had on a pair of purple-yellow-green shoes. Another man with bright red Bart Simpson socks. The fact that there were no “sick bags” on the plane. What would happen if a passenger needs to puke? You have to buy a sick bag? You need to pay just to puke? So basically, everything triggered us to laugh and gossip and laugh some more. And the poor guy who sat next to me, of course, failed to have any sleep. As Shindi and Ndet fell in and out of restless and very uncomfortable sleep, Uga and I kept our conversation colorful, making it even harder for this guy to doze off.

And to complete the ridiculousness of the flight, as we arrived in Ambon, another friend of mine who works in Raja Ampat - Papua, Katrin, called me and asked, “Are you in Ambon, now? Did you just arrive?” Confused, I asked her how she knew that all the way from Papua… AND ladies and gentlemen… As it turned out, the poor guy who sat next to me the whole flight from Jakarta to Ambon, the guy who tried to sleep but couldn’t because we were so inconsiderate, is her boyfriend. He was on his way to Raja Ampat to see her, transiting in Ambon. He recognized me as Kat’s friend. He wanted to say hi, but I simply didn’t give him a chance. Oh my LORD! And to think that we were going to a place where we couldn’t possibly meet anyone we know! We couldn’t be more wrong. Kat and Rey, we’re very… very… sorry!!! Hahaha!



Untamed beauty of Ambon Bay
Alright. Enough of the flight story. We were in Ambon. AMBON!!! Finally… I had missed this beautiful heaven for 2 years. Kept wondering when I would come back again. And there I was. I was in Ambon.

Ambon is the capital of Maluku Province. Together with the islands in North Maluku Province, they are better known to Europeans as The Moluccas. The islands had been of interest to spice traders from as early as the 1st century, and later became known as The Spice Islands, due to the cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon which grow there. It was these East Indies that Columbus was looking for when he accidentally found America in 1492.

As Pak Franky, our driver, drove us into the city to check into our hotel, the view of Ambon Bay accompanied us along the way. Untamed against slowly swollen sun that gently pierced the smoky morning clouds. To say it’s beautiful is an understatement. Here, feeling like at the edge of the world, I was breathless. And for once since the night before, the four of us weren’t so loud anymore…

The main island of Ambon resembles two horseshoes back to back. Ambon City lies on the south side of the beautiful Ambon Bay. The airport is located in the north, across the bay, and although a ferry connects the two, it is quicker to drive the 36 km. We went through a series of small villages, and the first thing that would strike you was the number of churches. They were of many different designs and some villages had up to 4 churches of different denominations. Although Indonesia has the world's largest Moslem population, Maluku is home to a large number of Christians and it was common to see a mosque and church side by side.

Then drowsiness started to hit us when we arrived at Hotel Mutiara, where we were going to stay during this trip. It was around 9 in the morning. We were (finally) sleepy. So after having a quick and much-needed breakfast of chicken porridge, we delayed the plan to explore Ambon until noon. We went to sleep… in Ambon…



Peaceful Fort Amsterdam
At around noon, we packed our rented car with lunch boxes and a cool-box-full of soft drinks and beer. Destination: Fort Amsterdam. Located in Hila Village, about 2 hours from Ambon, the fort was built by the Dutch (obviously) in the beginning of the 17th century. Those were the early years of the Spice Trade. After all, we WERE now in the famous spice islands of Maluku, the mostly forgotten islands that actually hold the most important piece of historical facts in the formation of this scatterbrained country. For it was the race for nutmegs and cloves, the two main commodities in Maluku, that had given us our beginning. The beginning of a nation. And here we stood. We were in an early piece of our history, standing in the courtyard of Fort Amsterdam!

The rundown fort still stood proudly on the rocky shore of Banda Sea against the hazy backdrop of Seram Island. The Banda Sea itself is believed to be one of the deepest seas on earth (6.5 km deep). It's very intriguing, considering that the sole means of transportation between islands are boats. More often they're not of sophisticated ones. Yes! You've got to have the 'stomach' to want to travel around these islands.

Obviously, taking lots of narcissistic pictures here is a MUST. So we did. Then next activity was to daydream while staring at the bright blue sea, letting the breeze play with our hair. I couldn’t help envisioning the foes approaching, ready to fire their guns and cannons. The havoc of war, the battle’s confusion. But in full glory we stood, defending our fort until we were blessed with victory and peace. And peace was all I got in this island. Peace that pierces the heart, leaving me happy and content. I was at peace.

There used to be another bit of history in this sleepy village of Hila. Until the bloody religious conflict in Maluku, there was an old wooden church in the vicinity of this fort. But the church was sadly burned down to the ground during the turmoil.

If you don’t know or don’t remember what happened, here’s a little sad reminder of it. Since the end of the heyday of the spice trade, Maluku became largely forgotten. Then, in recent decades, tourists discovered the great beauty of these islands, straddling the equator, and which have some of the world's most stunning dive sites. Sadly, the peace and religious harmony of these islands was shattered in 1999, when a minor dispute between a Christian and Moslem led to full scale riots, which lasted until about 2004. During that time many buildings were bombed and burnt, and whole villages were wiped out. The riots spread throughout many islands of Maluku.

Now peace is restored and the people are busy rebuilding and getting on with their lives. There is a building frenzy going on as Moslems and Christians help each other rebuild homes, as well as churches and mosques. Maluku is now safe again and tourists are slowly returning. But a piece of exquisite history was gone – the ancient church behind Fort Amsterdam – is irrecoverable, destroyed by narrow-mindedness and ignorance. A lesson that, surprisingly, no one has seemed to learn from… People in other parts of this country still fight in the name of religions. Pathetic!

Anyway… After sharing potato chips with the local kids, we decided to move on. We were heading to Natsepa Beach.



Lovely afternoon on Natsepa Beach
Natsepa Beach is the most popular beach in Ambon. But just like other popular beaches in Indonesia, Natsepa is now full of people, beachside food stalls, ugly gazebos and rubbish. So typical… Indonesian people just simply don’t know how to look after a place. Most Indonesians don’t even know how to appreciate a beautiful place like this…

But luckily, Ndet and I still remembered a hidden corner of Natsepa. We were there a couple of years ago to host a “Crazy Bamboo” party for Dewi Sandra and Glenn Fredly. They were newly married then and we took them to Ambon to do a photo shoot for the cover of our magazine, Tamasya. So we took Uga and Shindi there. The small bay was not as empty as we had hoped it to be. But it wasn’t too crowded either. There we sat and had our (very late) lunch while a few local children were swimming nearby. Narcissistic picture moments? YOU BET! Shindi even took a chance to have her picture taken with these local kids. Natsepa Beach wasn’t that spectacular, but we ended up having a lovely afternoon indeed…



The City Gate
From Natsepa, we traveled on to the other side of the island, looking for Pintu Kota, or the City Gate. Pintu Kota is a natural arch in the sea cliffs with a small cave to the side of the arch. The area at the top of the cliff, the Pantai Pintu viewpoint, provides a great view over the bay and coastline. From here, a rough trail leads vertically down the cliff to the base of the arch. The beach is formed from stones and corals and is fringed by sea screw-pine trees. This is also the BEST dive site in Ambon Island, for its underwater paradise also features the same mystical arch teaming with life. This is the big fish playground. And only divers with advanced open water certifications should attempt to dive here because the current can be quite strong.

Here we waited for November sun to sink. Only the tree tops and the distance skies reddened and glowed, while everything else was in a shadow below. A beautiful end to a beautiful day in Heaven.



Seafood, seafood, seafood!
We got back at the hotel happy but very hungry. So we quickly had a shower and headed immediately back downstairs, where Andre had waited in the lobby. Andre Sitanala is the owner of Hotel Mutiara and a very good friend of mine. And tonight, he was going to treat us to a sumptuous seafood dinner. After introducing Andre to Shindi and Uga (Ndet already knew Andre from our previous trip), we took off in his car. He said he was going to recommend a new restaurant on the shore of Ambon Bay. He hadn’t tried it himself but heard people had been talking about it. Well, it didn’t hurt to check it out.

The restaurant was on the shore of Ambon Bay alright, and it was huge, but it was empty and didn’t look too enticing. So we decided to go the normal seafood place where most people go to, which is Dedes II Restaurant. The seafood here is fresh and guaranteed to be sooo… yummy! And it really was delightfully mouth-watering. Huge shrimps and various fish, grilled or fried, served with refreshingly spicy chili sauce called “colo-colo”. Then we washed it all down with cold beer. Good food and good friends. It was perfection!



Picturesque Pombo
The next morning we were… uhm… still sleepy. Hahaha… Uga, Ndet and I stayed up pretty late gossiping and joking around. Only Shindi who looked fresher this morning. But, never mind, we were still psyched up.

After breakfast, we departed to Pombo Island. Andre joined us on this trip, as well as Maya, a divemaster whom we decided to take as our guide. Pulau Pombo or Dove Island is a tiny deserted island off the northeast coast of Ambon. The island and its surrounding waters is a protected area usually used as a resting place by local fishermen. The water at the coral reef around the island is very shallow, which is a problem for boats. Timing and experience boat crew are important factors to reach the shore of the island.

As for the corals, well… when I came here a couple of years ago, the corals weren’t as nice as those off Ambon Island or in Banda. So I wasn’t expecting much. I wanted to check out the underwater world of Pombo, but wasn’t expecting to be awed. But I was wrong…

Pombo used to be one of the best snorkeling and dive sites in Ambon. But illegal fishing activities such as fish bombing, the use of cyanide and over-fishing practices in the last few decades had degraded and nearly destroyed the entire underwater structure of Pombo. However, efforts to give Pombo and its surroundings a protected status have finally paid off. The corals have recovered wonderfully to nearly 75% coverage. And of course, as the corals recover, the colorful underwater lives start coming back. Schools of fish, cute nudibranch, bright pink and orange fan corals… Picturesque underwater garden!

Upon our discovery, Maya and I immediately swam back to shore to tell the rest about the obviously newly formed and yet firmly developed coral reef. Pombo is back with its beauty. I told Andre that it’s time to really ensure surveillance and enforcement to avoid destructions in the future and to start promoting Pombo again as… PARADISE!

Snacks and beer were served on the beach. And photo sessions continued. All four of us agreed that we could just sit here all day, enjoying the lovely secluded beach of Pombo. Tranquility, mesmerizing views and the gentle movement of water made us feel at peace. We definitely recommend Pombo Island as a must-visit place while you’re in Ambon!



Being sandwiched at Hunimua Beach
We hesitantly decided to leave Pombo around 12.30 PM. Not only because the sun had started to fry us alive, but also because we wanted to see other beaches of Ambon today, since tomorrow we would have to go back home to reality. So we packed our things and boarded the boat. But instead of returning to Tulehu, the little jetty where we found and rented the boat, we directed the boat towards a beach on the main Ambon Island, located almost directly across Pombo. Hunimua Beach.

Two years ago, Dewi and Glenn stood on the long jetty of Hunimua for a cover shoot session of Tamasya magazine - July issue 2006. The spectacular cover, sporting blue and turquoise waters of Hunimua had prompted plenty of Tamasya readers to visit this almost forgotten island. In fact, a year later, a cellular phone company also decided to sponsor a photography trip to this Island. And on this jetty, the narcissistic four took yet MORE PICTURES!!! The best of the best would be a group-hug picture of Uga, Ndet and me, where I was squeezed in the middle like a sandwich meat. Hahaha… Fun in the sun!



The center of diving activities at Namalatu
We didn’t spend too much time at Hunimua. We still had to visit one more beach on the other side of the island. On the way there, we must first go back to the city of Ambon. Might as well, ‘cause we were hungry and it was way past lunch time. So we called the hotel to order us some lunch boxes from KFC. Yeah, yeah… I know. We shouldn’t even think of KFC in Ambon, but it’s fast, cheap and convenient to take away. The KFC lunch boxes were ready for us by the time we stopped by at the hotel. See? Fast and convenient!

Namalatu Beach is located in Latuhalat on the southeastern most part of the Leitimor Peninsula, facing the Banda Sea. Namalatu is also the center of diving activities in this island. Diving centers here offer dive gear for hire, as well as attractive and reasonably cheap dive packages. Its (usually) clear water is an ideal spot for bathing, swimming, snorkeling and diving. Well… usually… Today however, we were up for another surprise.

In Pombo before, I wasn’t expecting anything other than a few corals, sandy bottom and probably dead rubbles. As it turned out, I was amazed with the new beauty Pombo had presented me… On the contrary, in Namalatu, being the center of diving activities, I was expecting spectacular corals and lots of fish. Yet, the rainy season and the westerly wind had brought rubbish into the usually clear waters. And even though the seascape is a lot bigger than Pombo, but the corals were a bit damaged and not as colorful as those in Pombo, visibility was poor, there weren’t as many fish as I thought I would find here. I was quite disappointed. But for Uga, who usually could only enjoy dead corals around Kepulauan Seribu, the rocky and complex underwater seascape and the amount of living things she found here were very astonishing. Well… I guess compared to Kepulauan Seribu, seeing the reefs in the eastern part of Indonesia would feel like going to a huge expensive mall after knowing only the tiny second-hand “pojok busana” all your life… Hahaha!



Yummy papeda!
For our last dinner in Ambon, Andre and his staff have prepared delicious traditional Maluku dinner that consisted of papeda, a kind of transparent, grayish porridge made from the flour of the sago palm tree served with hot and sour fish soup and veggies. Papeda is the “icon” food for the provinces of Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and also Papua. For the people of these provinces, papeda is their main menu – their main source for carbohydrate – the same as rice, potatoes and corn in other parts of the world. It looks like glue and doesn’t have a specific taste, but once you mix it with the soup, it is simply superb!

Laughing the night away
Well, there wasn’t much to do anymore except to order a few beers and laugh the night away. Again, Shindi went straight to bed, while the three of us just went silly all night long. I won’t go into details… Ndet and Uga can tell you the rest…



Going home to hell-iality
Unfortunately, just like everything else in life, this too must come to an end. We must say goodbye, for now, to the serene and peaceful island of Ambon. Ambon is certainly a beautiful place, and together with neighboring islands such as Seram, Saparua and Banda, it is a great place for eco-tourists and those wanting somewhere off the beaten tourist path. It is still pretty much unspoilt by tourism. Ambon and the nearby Banda Islands offer some stunning dive sites while the Manusela National Park in Seram is good for trekking.



We don’t have time to go to those places on this trip, but I do hope Maluku has captured Shindi’s and Uga’s hearts as much as it has captured mine and Ndet’s. For me at least, Maluku drew a vivid mental picture of how beautiful the place was. Despite having been to many places around the world, the Spice Islands of Maluku remain close to my heart and will always be. As much as I know that tourism could help the economy in these islands, I secretly hope that Ambon and the surrounding islands will never be totally spoilt by tourism I hope they remain a hidden, unknown gem nestled between Sulawesi and Papua. My paradise, my heaven, I WILL come back again!