FEATURES
The Banda Islands are the most distant part of the Moluccas, or
Spice Islands, which were a focal point of trade for who knows how
many centuries. First the Chinese, then the Arab traders, and then
Venice built their glories on the strength of spice, for they had a
monopoly on trade through Constantinople throughout the Middle
Ages. Eventually the Portuguese broke that monopoly and the race
was on between the European powers. Nearly all the exploration
throughout the age of enlightenment was motivated by the desire
for spices. And the wonderful thing was how they all set out in
different directions. Columbus, Barents, Magellan, Drake—they
were all chasing the same thing. Or at least their sponsors were.
America was discovered and European settlements began there,
and ultimately New Zealand as well. Truly it was the search for spice
that shaped our modern world.
Life must’ve been pretty cruisy for the Bandanese for a very long
time. The nutmeg groves were wonderfully productive without
much encouragement, and harvesting them a couple of times a
year not too onerous. There was always a ready market. All this
was to change when the price of nutmeg rocketed spectacularly
towards the end of the 16th century, when it was lauded as a
preventative and cure for the Black Death that was convulsing
Europe. And in those days, it was only on these tiny islands that
the nutmeg tree Myristica Fragrans grew. A dramatic contest took
place between the new kids on the block, England and Holland, for
control of this trade, which the Dutch eventually won hands down.
But they were pretty ruthless. These days we tend to think of the
Dutch as a tremendously tall but nevertheless peaceable people,
touring their small country at weekends in huge packs of bicycles,
only stopping to amiably drink low strength beer together at quaint
38 Hebe jebes • JAN/FEB 2015
Features
country taverns. The only questionable thing they do these days is
dress their grandmothers up in red suspenders and put them on
display in glass-fronted shops. But it was a different story in the 17th
century. They had a goal in mind—total conquest—and would stop
at nothing to achieve it.
Back to the present day in the largest settlement—Banda
Neira—and all this history is evident with every step you take,
even if most of it is falling down before your eyes. There are
fragments of old ceramics on every beach, every second store
has collections of old coins for sale, there are dozens of old
Dutch mansions in various states of collapse, huge crumbling
warehouses, and the ruins of the two grand forts dominate the
town. Modern yachts no longer anchor out in the beautiful natural
harbour between Banda Neira and Gunung Api (Fire Mountain),
but pull in stern first to the foreshore and use the historic cannons
as bollards. During our stay in the Banda Islands we had plenty of
company, after spending our first two months in Indonesia quite
alone. Most of the Darwin–Ambon race fleet pulled into Banda
on their way home, and a most congenial bunch they were too.
Several of the skippers had taken part in the inaugural race in
1984 as young men, and most crew members had done the race
many times before too. Their deep affection for the picturesque
little harbour was very evident—even though they said that the
town had declined in that time, largely due to the communal
conflicts of 10 –15 years ago.
A very affable Dutchman called Otto, who we met at Abba’s
table, rather confirmed that. He’d come out to pursue the
history of a perkenier (plantation owner) forebearer, but found
all traces destroyed. But he certainly wasn’t regretting his trip.
He’d just completed his second or third day’s snorkelling, and
was contemplating a dive course. There are plenty of things to
do on Banda. The other five islands all have their own charms,
in addition to wonderful coral. A dawn climb of Gunung Api
is obligatory, and a ‘spice tour’ to nearby Banda Besar is
fascinating. Or you can just wander the narrow lanes chewing
the fat with locals or fellow yachties, perhaps enjoying a quiet
one in the evening on the foreshore, while the exotic mandarin
fish perform their elaborate mating rituals in the clear water
below you.
If you love adventure stories, there are none better than the
accounts of the explorers who attempted to come this way to
seek their fortunes. And there is really no better place to read
them than in the lounge of the Mutiara (Pearl) Guest House,
because you certainly deserve a bit of a reward after sailing
to these most remote of islands. After all—you survived your
journey, and didn’t succumb to scurvy, fever, piracy, head
hunters, mutiny, storm or shipwreck like so many did before
you. Stay a week, or preferably three, and succumb to Banda’s
languid charms.
Have a look at www.sailblogs.com/member/brigadoon for our
latest landfalls.
班達島島民過往的生活必定很安穩，那裡的肉荳蔻樹非常茂
盛，一年裡有多次收成，並有一個現成的市場，然而這一切都
從16世紀末開始被改變。當時肉荳蔻被視為可以預防和治療肆
虐歐洲的黑死病，因此價格飆漲。當時只有在這些小島上才有
肉荳蔻樹，於是一場戲劇性的爭逐展開，英國和荷蘭人都爭相
控制香料貿易，最後荷蘭人勝出，可惜他們很無情。現今的荷
蘭