Articles tagged ‘Ambon’
Terror warning back up for Bali
By Nick | April 20th, 2006 |
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Australia has pinpointed today, April 20th, as a potential day for a terrorist attack. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement this afternoon, stating: “The revised advice notes recent reporting that suggests possible heightened risk of terrorist attack on Thursday, 20th April,2006.” “It continues to advise Australians to reconsider their need [...]
Learning about Banda in Eastern Indonesia
By Nick | April 10th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
This evening I had dinner with Mike Hillis from Unexplored Adventures, a diving / jungle trekking business based in Ambon, in Eastern Indonesia. Mike was out there recently taking his PADI diving course. While he was there he spent a week in Banda, one of the islands the Dutch used for trading. Mike said that [...]
Indonesian spices: Revolutionary Trees - part IV
By Nick | March 27th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Mike Hillis writes about the revolutionary trees of Indonesia.
Banda and Ternate and a few adjoining islands were the only places on earth where nutmeg and cloves grew prior to the arrival of the Europeans. The spice monopoly secretly guarded for over a thousand years by the Arab, Chinese, and Indian traders was now broken! The [...]
Indonesian spices: Revolutionary Trees - part III
By Nick | March 27th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Mike Hillis writes about the revolutionary trees of Indonesia.
The tide changed dramatically in 1511. A Portuguese official by the name of Tome Pires was based in the coastal city of Malacca, which now sits in modern day Malaysia. Malacca had been the most prosperous trade outpost in Southeast Asia for centuries and was extremely important [...]
Indonesian spices: Revolutionary Trees - part I
By Nick | March 26th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Mike Hillis writes about the revolutionary trees of Indonesia.
History has shown that imagination has often fueled a number of outstanding human endeavors. People on every continent and on every little island have had the experience of looking out at the horizon during certain reflective moments and have wondered about life. Perhaps some have tried to [...]
Saparua: Ambon’s Little Cousin: part III
By Nick | March 18th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Here is part III of Mike Hillis’s account from Saparua.
Saparua’s most famous citizen was a determined young man by the name of Thomas Matulessy. Fort Duurstede, built by the Dutch colonial government in 1676 in Saparua Bay, was stormed and captured by Matulessy and his followers on May 16, 1817 and the Dutch (with one [...]
Saparua: Ambon’s Little Cousin: part II
By Nick | March 18th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Here is part II of Mike Hillis’s account from Saparua.
Saparua Island is located in the Lease Group (pronounced Laysay) about 15 miles east of Ambon, Maluku Province. There are three islands in the Lease group; Haruku, Saparua, and Nusa Laut. The islands here are still quite rural with most of the local inhabitants working as [...]
Saparua: Ambon’s Little Cousin: part I
By Nick | March 18th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Indonesia is an endlessly fascinating place and when you dig into an are you often find interesting stories and facts. Mike Hillis explored an island in Eastern Indonesia called Saparua, close to Ambon. Here’s part I of his account.
Ambon Dive Center: In the news again
By Nick | February 28th, 2006 | 5 Comments »
Indonesia attracts visitors for all kinds of reasons, one of which is scuba diving (can any of you bright sparks tell me what scuba stands for without using Google?). Ambon in the Maluku’s is listed as a trouble spot by many foriegn countries, but as a high point for many divers.
Indonesian Garden of Eden
By Nick | February 7th, 2006 | 2 Comments »
Scientists from the US, Australia and Indonesia have been exploring an untouched part of Indonesia. The area they were working in, the Foja Mountains in West Papua, was untouched by tribesmen or any other outside influences. This allowed the scientists to discover an array of new plant and animal species. “It’s as close to the [...]
