Ambon

Ambon, the capital of the South Moluccas island group, is located on the island of Ambon of the same name.
The pleasantly busy city of Ambon is ideal for a tour by becak (bicycle taxi). The colorful market, the Merdeka square with the World Peace monument and the statue of the freedom fighter Pattimura are nice sights.
A little further away is the statue of Martha Christina, Pattimura's female ally. If you have a car available, also drive to the village of Soya di atas and take a drink of water. It seems that it makes you a lot younger. The Siwalima museum is also worth a visit and is on the route to Pintu Kota, the iconic gate of Ambon.

Ambon town has great appeal to young people from the surrounding villages and islands, making the population very young. They mainly come to look for work. The main employer in Ambon City is the government and a civil servant job is highly sought after as it provides security, status and benefits (such as being able to help family members). But for Moluccans who have lived or were born in Ambon for a long time, the village of origin (of the family) remains very important for identity. At important village events or on public holidays, many Ambonese return to their families' village.


In terms of accommodations, you can choose from city hotels, such as the new Santika with swimming pool and the cozy family hotel Mutiara. If you want to be outside the city, the Maluku Spa Resort in Natsepa, more than half an hour's drive from the center, is the best choice.

Ambon city is by far the most important hub of the province and plays an important role for the whole of East Indonesia. Across the Bay of Ambon (Teluk Ambon) is Pattimura airport with scheduled flights to Makassar, Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Ternate and Papua. In addition, a number of Pelni passenger ships call at the city.

Ambon out of town

On the northern peninsula of Hitu is the reasonably preserved Fort Amsterdam. A short distance away you will also find the oldest mosque and church of Ambon.
In the east of the island lies the village of Waai with the famous sacred eels. Nearby are the hot springs of Tulehu and the lovely white beach of Liang.

Public transport on the island itself consists of the Angkotan Kota, small buses that serve many destinations on the island from the Mardika Terminal near the center of the city.

Favoriete restaurant

Ambon city has very nice fish restaurants. Me myself would recommend Rumah Makan Ratu Gurih, busy on the weekends, but during the week you can eat the tastiest ikan goreng or ikan bakar (deep fried or grilled fish).
Be sure to have a coffee at Rumah Kopi Sibu Sibu and get amazed over the nice pictures and interior.

Banda islands

The Banda Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Banda) are a group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea and belong to the Indonesian archipelago of the Moluccas and the province of South Moluccas.
The population is approximately 15,000. Its capital is Banda Neira, on the island of the same name.

Banda is not always easy to reach. There are three weekly flights to and from Ambon, often with small 12-person planes. However, flights are often canceled at the last minute.
From September to mid-December and February to the end of April a fast boat sails twice a week to and from Ambon. The trip takes about four hours.
Then there are the Pelni passenger ships that sail an average of three times every two weeks throughout the year between Ambon and Banda.

Sights to visit

The Banda Neira island tour is done on foot: You visit the fort Belgica, the Hatta house (Co-founder of the Republik Indonesia Mohammed Hatta was exiled by the Netherlands to Banda in colonial times. He started a school here, among other things.), The Banda museum with many relics and images from the VOC era and the old church with cemetery

Banda Besar: By longboat you sail in half an hour to the island of Banda Besar. Here you will find Fort Hollandia, the gravestone of Nona Lantsuese and the nutmeg plantation of the van den Broeke family.

Gunung Api is the island with the volcano. You will sail by longboat to the south side of this volcano island to make the two-hour climb to the top at around 5:30 am. At the top you have a beautiful view and you can enjoy the sunrise.

Snorkeling and Diving: The Banda Islands are home to dozens of beautiful snorkeling and diving locations, with colorful coral and many different fish. A wonderful day of snorkeling and relaxing on a white beach is an absolute must. Lunch is not to be missed with fresh fish from the fire!

Around October, divers may encounter large schools of hammerhead sharks at Pulau Hatta. During that month there are also several liveaboards offering dive cruises between Ambon and Banda.

History

Until the mid-18th century, the Banda Islands were the only known place in the world where the spices nutmeg and mace were grown. The Dutch conquered the islands in the 17th century to control the production of nutmeg and mace. At that time, nutmeg was very profitable in Europe. It was part of plague quack remedies, and a monopoly was very lucrative.

The local population was massacred by the Dutch in 1621 under the leadership of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, and replaced by slaves from Madagascar and Indians. Fort Belgica on Banda Neira, one of the fortresses built by the VOC, is the largest European fort in Indonesia.

Another fun fact: At the time, 'The Netherlands owned almost the entire Banda archipelago. Only the island of Pulau Run belonged to England. In 1667, the Netherlands exchanged the island with the English against the colony of New Amsterdam, now New York ...

Violent religious strife broke out in 1999, which dealt a serious blow to tourism. One of the last perkeniers on Banda was Wim van den Broeke, who lived on the island of Lonthor, also known as Banda Besar. Both Prince Bernhard and former minister Pronk visited him. The van den Broeke family owned five nutmeg plantations, of which Groot Waling on Lonthar is the oldest. A large part of the van den Broeke family died during the religious disputes.

Favourite restaurant

No doubt, the best tuna fish comes from Ibu Dila at the Cilu Bintang Estate. The Tuna Rujak style is to die for!