Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2014 | Page 141

Travel | Seram

5 Senses – Sight

STUNNING
SURROUNDS

It has become ever harder
in this era of mass tourism
and global connectivity to
find a truly secluded paradise.
Sure, we can scale a mountain
or disappear into the jungle if
we want to get away from the
crowds, but for those of us who
prefer our holidays to involve
lounging on deckchairs and
taking the occasional dip in
the ocean, it can be hard to find
a spot that has not already been
overrun by like-minded tourists
and rapid development.
Seram is different. It combines astonishing
beauty with a real sense of being off the beaten
track. I feel almost criminal revealing its secret
to the world, but I have the blessing of the
locals, who are keen to share knowledge of the
island’s treasures with the world.
The Maluku Islands were once the birthplace
of European colonisation, where explorers
from Britain and Holland competed for
control of the rare and hugely valuable spices
that grew on the region’s trees. Although the
Dutch did establish a series of ports and
religious missions on Seram in the 16th and 17th
centuries as part of their struggles with local
chieftains and European competitors, the
island did not receive as much attention as its
neighbours in Banda, home to nutmeg, which
was touted as a cure for the plague,
and the volcanic islands to the north
where cloves could be found.
For the locals, however, Seram has always
been Nusa Ina – the ‘Mother Island’ – which

most Malukans consider to be their original
ancestral home. Its bizarre geology supports
this motherly reputation; the great, imposing
mountains that rise as high as 3,000m give it
an air of power and majestic authority over the
surrounding islands. Seram sits at the centre
of several small tectonic plates, including its
own microplate that has twisted by around
80 degrees over the last eight million years,
forcing the rock up into those commanding,
rainforest-clad peaks. Development has come
slowly to Seram. The first road was only built
through the island in 2007. Up to then, the
only way to get from one side to the other was
to take a boat all the way around – trying to go
through the middle required serious jungle
survival skills and a very sharp machete.
As our car makes its way down this
immaculate road, the scenery on either
side still looks barely ruffled by the recent
intrusion. We see no more than one or two
other cars on the drive, and when we stop to
admire the lush scenery we are immediately
engulfed by the sense of being deep in jungle
wilderness; giant, cobalt-blue butterflies
flutter past to the sharp shrill of cicadas
amid the canopy.

Seram, like many of the
surrounding waters among the
Maluku Islands, is one of the world’s
greatest dive spots. There are
well-established dive operators on
the western coast of the island, and
some incredible snorkelling to be
done in Sawai Bay. Look out for such
exotic creatures as the ‘psychedelic
frogfish’, bright blue starfish and,
if you’re lucky, huge sea turtles.
Seperti perairan lainnya di
sekitar Kepulauan Maluku, Seram
juga merupakan salah satu lokasi
selam terbaik di dunia. Ada banyak
operator selam terkenal di pesisir
barat pulau, juga tempat yang indah
untuk snorkeling di Teluk Sawai. Di
sini Anda dapat melihat binatang
eksotis seperti ‘Ikan Kodok Maluku’,
bintang laut berwarna biru cerah,
dan jika beruntung, Anda dapat
bertemu dengan penyu
laut yang besar.

We had arrived from nearby Ambon Island
on the ferry, landing at Seram’s sleepy capital
of Masohi before heading across the island
towards our destination in the far north.
As we reach the northern coast, the driver
pulls up alongside a bluff that looks out
across the bay, and I find myself actually
laughing out loud in shock at the absurdly
beautiful view before us.
The Sawai Bay is a huge curved sweep
of tranquil waters ringed by enormous
mountains that rise up spectacularly all along
the coast. Their size is almost impossible for
the human mind to compute. From up here,
the huts that will soon be our home look

Fishermen against the backdrop
of cliffs near Sawai Bay.
A local from Saleman village
looking out over Sawai Bay.

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