Morotai to Ternate via Halmahera – The Final Chapter

After out history tour of Morotai, we headed straight to the ferry dock to organise transport to Tobela, North Halmahera. We added our names to the list of people also waiting, and as we were a group of 4, it seemed that we only needed a few more to make it worthwhile for the boat captain to head off. It took about half an hour before a few others arrived at the dock, so it was 4:30 before we headed off. >

The boat we all piled in was a speedboat with 2 engines so it flew across the water but because of the engines, it was impossible to have a conversation. To get into the cabin, we had to bend low as the ceiling was no more than 1.5m high. At the front were some seats facing forward, however Ichal grabbed the seats facing inwards at the back where the boats up and down motion would be more tolerable. All in all, the boat would have fitted about 12 people comfortably and we ended up with 11. With the constantly up and down motion, it was difficult to sleep however everyone else managed to at least doze. I sat there enjoying a packet of garlic flavoured peanuts while watching the colours across the sea changing as the sun set behind the mountains on Halmahera. It was absolutely beautiful however getting a photo of it was not so easy. With the constant motion of the boat, trying to fit my camera to capture it through a tiny window and then my camera battery showed that it was almost empty.
It took 2 hours exactly to get from Morotai to Tobela where we were met by friends and family of Bu Esty. Ichal & Salfa grabbed a bento while Bu Esty & I jumped on the back on the 2 motorbikes ridden by her cousins. Luckily it was still just light so I could see where we were going. It was great to finally experience Tobela and get an idea of what it looks like. Bu Esty and Ichal often speak about it and I had no idea where it was. Nothing like experiencing something to make it finally resonate. After dinner, Bu Esty headed out to visit her grandmother while I enjoyed a mandi and an early night, so that I would be ready for our 4am start the next morning.
Bu Esty had us in fits of laughter the next day in the car while driving to Sofifi, the capital city of North Maluku, telling us about her visit to her elderly grandmother. She told us that her grandmother had suddenly became bashful when Bu Esty asked to take her photo. First she insisted that someone find her false teeth which she had only just bought. Then on looking at the photo, she decided her hair was too messy so she then insisted someone find her a jilbab (head cover). Only then was she happy with the photo, now that her teeth were in and her hair covered!
The trip to Sofifi from Tobelo took 4 hours however we broke the journey in half and stopped in Malifut, where Bu Esty’s younger brother lives with his wife and 2 children. As soon as I saw him, I recognised him from my first visit to Ternate.

While everyone else raced to the toilet, Ichal & I headed off to see the Japanese Shipwreck which is just off the beach at Malifut.
It was a perfect time of day with the sea turning golden with the rising sun and the sky all shades of purple. The steel on the ship was plundered recently much to the locals disgust because they have great plans to develop bungalows and cafes on the the beachfront. I think the plans are over ambitious and slightly unrealistic as to get to Malifut, tourists would have to travel via Ternate which is also struggling to attract the numbers of tourists it dearly desires.

Ichal was delighted to be back in Malifut as he lived here for 3 months when he was in primary school. However, conflict between the Muslims and the Christians, meant Ichal & his family retreated to Ternate where he finished his schooling. We passed through a Christian village where an enormous church was being built however the most noticeable thing about this area was the huge number of dogs. In the muslim area, I rarely saw a dog and then suddenly there were packs of them roaming the roads and each house seemed to have at least 5 in the front yard. Ichal likes dogs as much as he likes crocodiles, so I could see him twitching nervously as we passed through that village!
After a delicious coffee break including freshly deep fried battered bananas, we hit the road again and watched the scenery lighten with the sunrise. We passed several interesting points along the way. One was a small waterfall.

Soon after we arrived, a man driving a ute pulled up and positioned his ute so that he could connect a long PVC pipe into the waterfall and then ran it into the water tank on the back of his ute. Bu Esty explained that people order water from him and this is where he sources it.

Here are some more photos from the drive:

We also passed several mining operations. Here is the entrance to a gold mine where one of my followers works!

The most interesting thing we saw though was a family working hard to process cassava in desa Toniku. We stopped the car so that we could go in and investigate.

They had a piece of material stretched between 4 poles and resting in the middle of the material hammock was grated cassava.

They ran well water through it over and over again.

The collected water will be filtered to make popeda, the traditional food of North Maluku and looks just like glue, and the cassava pulp will also be processed abd then taken to market. Bu Esty and I had fun joining them trying our hand at squeezing the water out of the grated cassava. It was like making mud for mudpies! We got flecks of cassava all up and down our arms and up our legs! So much fun.

We arrived into Sofifi and after paying a very quick visit to the Governors office,

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we headed straight to the dock where Bu Esty organised our boat back to Ternate. We arrived in time that we were able to board the boat straight away and soon we were off leaving Halmahera behind us. This boat had 3 engines and while much faster than the previous speed boat, was also that much more noisier too.

Ichal told me to sit right at the back this time which was outside the cabin and in front of the three engines. While waiting for the fares to be collected, we sat there breathing in the fumes of the engines and the fuel which sat in containers just underneath. The last passenger to get on was a young lady who as soon as she boarded, collapsed into the seat next to me. Once we got going, it was obvious she was not comfortable traveling by boat. She spent most of the trip with one hand on her stomach and the other gripping my arm! For me, the tip didn’t take long at all and in no time at ill it seemed that we were pulling up into Ternate.

What a whirlwind yet amazing trip. Looking back over what we accomplished and how much of North Maluku I saw, it was hard to believe we were only away for a day and a half!
Once again, a huge thank you to Ibu Esty for this fantastic opportunity whereby I was able to see more of the beautiful North Maluku.

Morotai – Part 2…

On our return to Morotai, we were met by Bu Esty’s cousin who picked us up in her air conditioned Avanza car which was truly awesome after the heat from the sun in the open boat. After supplying us with cold pulpy orange juice which really hit the spot, she took us back to their house for a much needed and appreciated mandi before lending us her car and driver to take us around Morotai to visit sites of historical significance.
We first dropped in to have a look at a local history buff’s collection of military paraphernalia that he has personally collected and maintains.

The collection is housed in a tiny shed next to his house with the more important items stored safely in another building. My first impression was that it was a schemozzle, but upon careful inspection, I realised that it was more a problem with too little space for such a varied collection.

He also a collection of dogtags and coins that he has found. He separated the Australian dog tags out for me and I was surprised at how much thinner and rougher they are to contemporary dog tags. Most of them felt more like temporary replacement tags as they were so thin and the writing on them appeared to have been scratched on rather than engraved.

On the walls were a variety of photo collages, most of them unlabeled and some showing definite signs of age, so I doubt they are going to last much longer in their current location. They were all laminated too, so were hard to copy without a reflection from the flash or the sunlight.

I found it very hard to tell which were photos of Australians. This next photo reminded me of a photo my father took many years ago in the Territory, so I photographed it just in case the service men were Australians standing in what looks to be a truly Australian pose!

Maybe someone will recognise somebody in one of these photos from somewhere around the world!

Looking at the collection really hit home the strong connections between Morotai and Australia yet I had no idea of this until this week. I particularly enjoyed my ‘chat’ with Annie (PEPS) as her father was based in Morotai for 18 months in 1945. The fact that I know someone who has memories of Morotai, heightened my interest and made my research even more meaningful. Here are a few interesting pieces of information relevant to Australia that I have discovered over the past week mainly from the internet and some also from talking to Bu Esty’s family:

The Japanese invaded Morotai in early 1942 as a part of their Dutch East Indies campaign. The Japanese presence on Morotai is not remembered fondly by the locals and I heard many horrible stories illustrating their inhumane nature. Bu Esty’s cousin gave this example; If 5 men were needed to shift a boulder, they would give the job to 4 men and then when they struggled &/or requested help, one of the team would be shot and killed with the same outcome promised to the remaining men if they complained again or failed to move the boulder. Therefore the arrival of the Allied Forces must have been greeted enthusiastically by the locals on Morotai once the bombardment finished.

The Battle of Morotai was launched at 6:30am on September 15, 1944 mainly because the island of Morotai had been identified by General MacArthur as being the perfect location to create a base from which to launch the liberation of The Philippines from later that year. The Allied Forces greatly outnumbered the Japanese Forces (100 to 1) and consequently it only took 2 weeks to gain control of Morotai. By the end of 1944, there were 61,000 personel on Morotai, 2/3’s of them were engineers who were needed to get the base functional as soon as possible! They quickly built 2 runways, fuel stores and a harbour. The runways built during this time were phenomenal and at one time one of them was the 2nd longest in the southern hemisphere.

From April 1945, the base was further expanded for the Australian led Borneo Campaign. Australian Army engineers undertook this which is why, I guess, Annie B.’s Dad was based on Morotai at this time. The building of a hospital which is now the Morotai General Hospital and the harbour to name just a few of the projects he was involved in. Ask Annie for more stories if you are interested. I also love the one about Gracie Field’s visit to entertain the troops. Annie’s Dad helped to build the stage for her performance which she delayed until the officers in the front seats had given up their seats for the soldiers!

Morotai remained a significant base even after the war. Australians stayed on and were responsible for the occupation and military administration of NEI (Netherlands East Indies as Eastern Indonesia was known as then) until the Dutch returned.

Morotai was also where a number of Japanese surrender ceremonies were held following the surrender of Japan. The formal surrender of the Japanese Army in Morotai took place on the 9th September 1945 before 10,000 Australian and American allied troops. The Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces, General Sir Thomas Blamey, accepted the formal surrender of all the Japanese in the Eastern parts of Indonesia. Upon being directed to sign the surrender document, General Teshima, saluted and then unbuckled his sword and while bowing, offered it to General Blamey in acceptance of their defeat. General Blamey’s speech after the signatures is worth reading. Find it here (link)

The last Japanese soldier to surrender was Teruo Nakamura when he emerged out of the jungle December 18, 1974! He had survived in the wild for just over 30 years and was astonished apparently to discover that Indonesia had since claimed independence. He was immediately repatriated home to Japan!

Morotai was also one of the sites where Australians and Dutch officials conducted Japanese war crime trials after the war.

Fascinating isn’t it! How much did you know already? I had heard of Morotai before but had no idea about any of the details.

After visiting the tiny museum, our driver took us for a drive out of town to the famous ‘air kaca’ (water which is as clear as glass) which is a spring of water that during the time MacArthur was on Morotai, was reserved totally for his use only.

Even today, the water is still so clear and pure that in this photo you can not even see the water and under the jetty, it just looks like ground covered in fallen leaves. We could see what looked like underwater caves towards the back of water pool. We wondered where they led to and whether they would be large enough for a person to enter. Near the top of the steps leading down to the water spring were signs from a recent memorial ceremony commemorating the Battle of Morotai. Most were in recognition of the help the locals received from the Allied Forces.

Our next stop was back towards town where we stopped at a huge statue remembering all the fallen, both Indonesian and foreign.

On top were several significant figures and then around the base were huge plaques recognising significant events in the history of Morotai.

Along the roads, I took some photos to give you some idea of what I was looking at as we drove along. In this first photo, see if you can see the solar panels. One of the few towns in Indonesia where the entire town is solar powered!

Morotai Island, Zum Zum Island & Dodola Island Part 1….

The fast boat from Ternate to Morotai was undertaken during the last few hours of very wet weather in North Maluku and consequently the trip was rougher than I am used to.
Thankfully, Bu Esty had foreseen this and had ensured we had tickets for the seats in first class on the bottom deck. As it was going to be a 5 hour trip, I had initial thoughts of being able to wander around and explore the different aspects of the sleek boat however once we headed off, the only way I could keep my seasickness under control was to keep my eyes closed and try to sleep. Ichal did make it to the top deck which he said were mainly the Mecca travelers and they were even more seasick to the point of vomiting. So thankfully, I didn’t get that far or I would definitely had joined them!
We reached Morotai around 6:30, exactly 5 hours after leaving Ternate and thankfully the weather had cleared. It was so wonderful to be on land again and not feeling nauseous! Not far from the dock, we came across a small hotel called, ‘Singga Dulu’ (Drop By) which had only just been renovated (‘rehab’) and had only been opened a week.
It was lovely and clean and the people were incredibly friendly. The rooms included not only air-conditioning but also a fan! Everything was brand new and working perfectly. The wardrobe still smelt like timber and the keys were still in the doors!
We dropped off our bags and then went straight out to look for some dinner. We found a warung that was run by a family from Madura selling nasi kuning. Just as you walked in the door, there was a glass cabinet right in front of you and in it was a selection of meat and vegetable dishes you could choose from to have with your nasi kuning (yellow rice). We all had sambal tori which is just like a spicy fish abon. It is made from dried fish with the bones and skin removed before being pound finely in a mortar and pestle with chili. It is absolutely delicious and the best thing about this sambal is that once made, it lasts for several weeks so makes a great traveling food.
After dinner we went for a walk around the township of Morotai as Bu Esty has friends and family there she wanted to drop in on. After a while, we realised we were lost, so we hailed 2 bento’s
and let them show us the way! I just love this way of traveling and it is such a shame there aren’t any in Ternate or other parts of Indonesia. It is like a motorised becak and some of them are very fancy with stereo systems in the back of the seat, decorative rain covers and cute head cushions. At the second house we visited, Bu Esty organised a boat for the following morning to take us to Dodola, a nearby island. As it was getting late, Ichal and I headed back to the hotel while Bu Esty and Salfa headed out again to do some business and catch up with friends. I am not sure that Ichal would’ve headed back quite so early had I not been with them, however he assured me he was glad to have an early night. I had a lovely nights sleep with the light off and alternating between the fan and air conditioner while waiting for Salfa to return. I woke at 6am to discover that neither Bu Esty nor Salfa had made it back to the hotel! I also woke to the realisation that I had left my bathers hanging on the clothes horse in Ternate! Oh well….
No sooner had I had my mandi and got my bags packed, than they both walked in the door explaining that they had stayed up so late chatting to friends, that they fell asleep there! After a quick breakfast of coffee and a slice of kue lapis, we headed off to the beach where we met Beni, the man we had spoken to the previous night about taking us to Dodola, who was busy getting the boat ready for our departure.
The boat was a long narrow canoe styled boat and we each had a plank of wood for a seat which we also used to put our bags on as there was water floating around our feet. The water was so calm and it was still quite early that it was so beautiful out on the water. We headed first to Zum Zum Island which was sort of on the way. This island was where General McArthur and his entourage was based while coordinating the ‘Leap Frog’ Strategy around the Pacific Islands. He was based here for 2 years.

Leapfrogging (also called “island hopping”) was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II. The idea was to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions and instead concentrate the limited Allied resources on strategically important islands that were not well defended but capable of supporting the drive to the main islands of Japan.

Source: Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leapfrogging_(strategy)

To commemorate MacArthur’s presence, several statues have been built. I like the original one the best as it looks like an Indonesian MacArthur.
The more recent MacArthur statue was completed earlier this year for the ‘Sail Morotai’ event which is an international maritime event. According to the Jakarta Post, the commemoration for the launch of the Battle of Morotai (Sept 15, 1944) was incorporated into the festivities of Sail Morotai 2012.
See http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/21/morotai-making.html for more details.

a close up of the plaque:

After taking our photos of the statues, we enjoyed mooching along the beach. We found a variety of interesting shells.
and an interesting bone

Bu Esty in particular loved the clam shell I used for the following photo
and put it in the boat so take home to grind it down to eat with her betelnut! Had it not been so large, I would have taken it home myself but instead I was strong and restricted myself to just the orange shell and the other shell which makes me think of a painter/decorator crab shell. The water on this side of the island was absolutely beautiful and with the rising morning sun, was just gorgeous. We didn’t hang around nor do any significant exploring because we only had the one day to see everything and as looking around Morotai was last on our list, I wanted to make sure we had enough time to do it justice.
We jumped back in the boat each with our own goodies and headed off to Dodola Island which was about an hour away. Dodola is absolutely beautiful. It is 2 islands at high tide and 1 long white sandy island at low tide.
The water was crystal clear and while we took snorkels and goggles, it was largely white sand and sea grass off the beach. As I had forgotten my bathers I was prepared to snorkel in my 3/4 pants if Ichal raved about the snorkeling, however as it seemed the only coral to be found was that which we passed over in the boat while quite a way off the beach and it was randomly found along the sea bed with huge tracts of sand in between each small clump. So instead Ichal & I explored the shallow waters. Out by an exposed reef we came across 5 baby sting rays swimming together. We also found 2 live cowrie shells which we put in the flipper with some different coloured sand dollars to photograph closer to the edge of the water where i had left my camera.
The animal inside the cowrie shell was fascinating and we spent ages sitting in the shallows watching both emerge from the shell. One in particular was not as shy, and we noticed that as it emerged, it looked very much like a snail, however the most interesting thing about it was the membrane that covered the shell. I couldn’t remember if they were poisonous, so didn’t take any risks touching the white topped filaments which waved in the water.

We also had a large cockle type like shell which we also rested on the sandy bottom and no sooner than we had put it down, than small sea snails appeared from out of the sand to eat it.
They took advantage of the slightly open shell and feasted. When one of the larger ones let go, we took it and dropped it on the cowrie shell to see what would happen. As soon as the snail made contact with the membrane, it used its long tail to put as much distance as possible between it and the cowrie, so that confirmed in my book that we too would avoid touching it. When we had finished watching and photographing them, we returned the cowries to the water away from the waters edge however we left the cockle and it’s predators alone. Ichal wasn’t happy with this decision but in my book it was nature at work. It was now lunch time, so Ichal swam back in the aquamarine waters
while I made my way back by foot to join Bu Esty for our nasi bungkus lunch. In our nasi bungkus was rice, noodles and a piece of fish. I gave Ichal my fish and instead ate mine with sambal tori! Absolutely delicious. We sat there asking our boat ‘captain’ about the facilities on this island while we ate. On Dodola are about 8 cabins which can be rented for about Rp250,000 a night which is pretty steep considering their current state of neglect and the absence of power and water. A lot of money has been poured into Dodola by the Dept of Tourism however as it is not maintained nor is there a caretaker of any sort, it is falling to rack and ruin both due to the climate and from curious visitors. On the beach are 2 jet skis available for hire but both sit there in the open air under the casuarina trees! A criminal waste of money in my opinion.
While I could have spent a much longer mooching around on this gorgeous island with Bu Esty, Salfa & Ichal,

I will definitely do so another time, but my priority was getting back to Morotai. Our journey back seemed longer and was also much hotter in the midday heat but thankfully there were a couple of umbrellas on board that kept off most of the heat.

Welcoming Home To North Maluku The Faithful From Their Mecca Pilgrimage

On our way out this morning to get our tickets for our boat trip to Morotai, an island to the north of Halmahera, we passed through a traffic jam which Bu Esty explained were the welcoming families for those from North Maluku who have just returned home from their trip to Mecca. There were cars lined up on either side of the road and people standing waiting outside the gates of the Walikota Office.
We drove past to the shipping office to buy our tickets for the 10am fast boat only to discover that it became the 12noon boat so that the Mecca travelers returning home to Morotai wouldn’t miss the boat. So as we had 2 unexpected hours to kill, we returned to the gates of the Kantor Walikota so I could witness the reception and for Bu Esty could participate in the reception to welcome home her uncle and aunt who were members of the group.
The travelers had flown earlier in the day and had been transported by what looked like 5 buses to the Kantor Walikota so that the Gubenor (equivalent to our state premiers) could welcome them home formally after their holy pilgrimage.

We followed the crowd to the left hand gate only to discover that the crowd had just been told that the right hand gate would be opened. The families were really annoyed to have been given the wrong information and made their way angrily, pushing and shoving, to get to the open gate to welcome their friends and family. There was a lot of emotion in the air and I think it was due to the fact that the trip to Mecca is a hugely significant and momentous event for Muslims and also because most of the travellers were parents or elderly relatives. The families were so relieved that not only had they had completed the pilgrimage which is quite arduous and requires for most, a decent level of fitness, but also because they had made it home safe and sound. However as soon as we got to the correct gate we all discovered that the earlier thunderstorms had created an enormous puddle just in front of it.

As the Mecca pilgrims were all wearing white and their best shoes, many sons and nephews went to their rescue and piggy backed them over the puddle.

Suddenly Bu Esty pointed out her uncle; he was the tallest man in the group which was lucky for me as I could spot who she was pointing at!

Can you see him standing towards the back? When we finally caught up with him and his wife, Bu Esty grasped first her uncles and then her Aunt’s right hand and pressed it to her forehead in respect for their seniority and the holy journey they have just completed and then gave them each a hug while pressing one cheek to theirs and then the other cheek on the other cheek, while simultaneously taking a gentle yet deep breathe in, hence explaining why the word for kiss in Indonesian literally means ‘to smell’.

We then headed to the boat at 11am to ensure we got good seats on the bottom level however the Gubenor’s speeches must have dragged on as it was 1:30pm before they finally got to the dock and we could leave for Morotai. Unfortunately this late departure means we will arrive into Morotai after dark as it is a 5 hour trip by fast boat!

On Board the Labobar to Sorong With Ichal

We boarded last night at 7pm. The ship is the Labobar and is absolutely enormous, 9 decks!!

We climbed up the stairs from the dock and Ichal led the way to where we would be based. I was expecting mats on the floor and instead I discovered we each got a raised single bed with a very comfy mattress!

Under each bed is a drawer for our life jackets although Ichal tells me the drawers used to be for our baggage. Now all baggage is stored on the beds and some people have brought so much baggage that it is stacked beside their bed as well.

We put our backpacks on our beds and then went outside to wave goodbye to Bu Esty, Bapak, Ichal’s Mum, Un (Bu Esty’s oldest son) and Vozzer (Bu Esty’s youngest son). They stood on the dock for quite a while waving goodbye with Ichal calling to Vozzer encouraging him to come up the stairs and join us! When ever he could, Vozzer would make a dash to the stairs but at the last minute a family member would grab him and hold him tightly! He would then wave to us and blow kisses; it was so cute. They shouted their goodbyes after about an hour and we headed inside to check that our bags were safe. Just as well they didn’t hang around till we left because the ship didn’t set sail until about 10pm!!
Our beds are in the economy class and in our section the floor is arranged in a ‘H’ with 60 beds on each side and in the middle connecting each side are 24 beds, so altogether in our ‘cabin’ there are 144 beds. My bed is right up against the wall with a porthole above it. Here is Ichal standing on the deck outside the porthole.

For all these people there is 1 male toilet with 2 toilets and 2 showers and one female toilet with 1 shower and 3 toilets. Surprisingly there isn’t as much of a queue in the toilet as I expected! Our row of beds are opposite the mens toilet and they don’t smell at all!
I lay down to read for a while as the internet was so slow. I tried uploading a photo of Ichal lying on his bed to Facebook to let my friends and family know we were heading off to West Papua but unfortunately the internet connection dropped out. Ichal went to sleep very easily as did the family sleeping opposite us although their young grandson woke off and on during the night. He doesn’t sound too well, poor thing.
Next to Ichal are 3 young men and they lay for quite a while listening to music on one of their mobile phones. They weren’t the only ones either and this is very typical of Indonesians. Not only do they love music, they can sleep through anything! With the music playing, people chatting and the cabin lights which stayed on all night, people slept regardless. I could not imagine this happening at home. Whereas for westerners, we feel more comfortable and would sleep better in a quiet, dark, private room, Indonesians sleep best when sharing a bedroom with friends/family, with the light on and with background noise. It must be perplexing for Indonesians new to the hospitality industry when western tourists ask for a quiet room and then for outside lights to be switched off!
I turned off my iPad just after 10pm, arranged my bag as a pillow and then opened up my sarong and covered my face with it to block out the light. I can sleep through noise but for some reason I need to block out the light to get to sleep. It took me a while to get comfortable and adjust even though the mattress was very comfortable. I think it was mainly because I knew that once I fell asleep I would sleep so deeply that I wouldn’t notice if someone opened my backpack. I was able to relax once I used my pack as a guling and slept really well until about 6:30am.

Ichal & I went for a walk on the deck soon after waking to stretch our legs and it was lovely and breezy out there. We walked to the back of the ship and admired the strength of the engine plowing the ship through the water. Ichal told me that the ship that usually does this run ran aground yesterday on some coral which for us apparently is a blessing because the Labobar is much faster. The speed difference is approximately between 9 knots and 15 knots. So instead of 24 hours on the KRI Makassar, our journey will only be 12 hours.
While enjoying a morning coffee on the deck, we heard an announcement calling economy passengers to breakfast. We went down to the deck below and walked through a large economy section following a line of people with the same intention. I was so glad that we were on the deck above as the toilets here absolutely stunk and the crowning joy was a huge tv in the corner! Thank goodness I only had to listen to music last night!! We also passed by the doorway leading to the lesser economy class.

The beds there were all bunks, 2 beds high with the bottom bed almost level with the floor. The beds were the same size as ours however the mattresses looked half the thickness. Out in the foyer set up on the floor were people selling food and drinks, their wares set out on a mat. We next passed the huge kitchen where all the staff seemed to be male and then we queued for our breakfast. After showing our tickets, we were given a polystyrene container with rice and omelet.
We carried it back to our beds and ate it topped with the yummy sambal ikan tore. Delicious breakfast. I ate mine with my trusty traveling spoon whereas Ichal ‘pakai tangan’ (Ichal used his fingers).

It is now nearly 9am and most people are like us, lying on their beds either sleeping or just lying there chatting. Even the children! Earlier, 2 of the young men next to Ichal were lying singing along to their music. It was such a typical picture of Indonesian friends. One lay on his back with his mobile phone on his tummy and his friend lay with his head also resting on his friends tummy.

You would rarely see this in Australia or other western countries, however same gender friends here in Indonesia often touch, whether it be like this, lying on each other, or walking along holding hands. It is purely an expression of friendship, nothing more. It is only with young children that affection towards the opposite gender can be given in public.

In our cabin, there are only 4 power points, so the one in the wall near our bed is constantly being used to charge a phone. How clever is this:

The beauty of putting your phone in a bag is that no one knows if the phone in the bag is actually a phone (could be an iPad) and if it is phone, whether it is a good one or an older model. Out of sight is certainly out of mind!

Later…..
After lunch (rice, cabbage & fish)

a Belgium traveller wandered past. Ichal recognised him and called him over to say hello. He sat and chatted with us for a moment and we learned a little of his travels. This visit to Indonesia is for 6 weeks and he is spending the whole time in the Maluku Islands. How amazing is that! He too is off to Raja Ampat and was delighted to hear that there will be a cultural festival while he is there. No doubt we will bump into him again.
He left to look at the nearby islands which we are currently passing, so I too went out to see them and they are very close and covered in vegetation. More interesting though were the large numbers of passengers all standing out there enjoying the view and the opportunity to stretch their legs in the fresh air.

While standing at the railing, a helium balloon flew past in the current. A child no doubt accidentally let it go while standing out on the deck with his parents getting some exercise.

The latest ETA is 2pm.

Here’s Ichal after we disembarked in Sorong!

Where’s Sorong do I hear you asking?

Celebrating Lebaran Idul Adha in Ternate With Bu Esty & Family

Warning: This post contains information about animal sacrifice. Please preview before sharing with your class.

After a mammoth 17 hour journey by local bus, private car (huge thanks to Wahyu, Ayu & Nanda) and finally 3 airplanes, and with very little sleep, I have finally returned to Ternate! Flying in past Gamalama, looking over Ternate and neighbouring Halmahera, it was such a lovely feeling recognising everything from the air. Visiting new places is definitely exciting but revisiting favourite places is even more exciting. First impressions and experiences just scrape the surface however revisiting gives me the chance to delve deeper and notice things I missed on the first visit. The big difference between being a traveller and a tourist.
I arrived into the new Sultan Babullah Airport which is very flash and while waiting for my suitcase to hit the conveyer belt, saw Ical through the glass window. I turned on my phone and recieved a message from Bu Esty to say she was waiting outside too! What a lovely welcome back to Ternate. We greeted each other like sisters, giving each other a huge hug, Ical grabbed my right hand and respectfully held it to his forehead which was very touching and later when I ran into Bapak, I got another different yet equally warm greeting when he shook my hand firmly yet gently while looking absolutely delighted to see me again. In Indonesia, it is totally inappropriate for men and women to show any affection towards each other in public, even if they are husband and wife, however luckily it is ok for women to greet other affectionately, so our big hug at the airport would have amazed people more for the fact that Bu Esty is Indonesian and I obviously am not! I bet they were all dying of curiosity!!
As we were driving off, a motorbike appeared next to us and Safa waved us down. Safa is one of Bu Esty’s wonderful neighbours who very kindly invited me to dinner when I was here last to celebrate Ramadan with her family by breaking the daily fast. I was so touched that Safa had also come to meet me at the airport. She jumped off the motorbike and then just as quickly jumped into the front seat of our car! She told us that the fellow who had given her a lift to the airport didn’t believe her when she said she was meeting a friend! His eyes must have fallen out of his head when he saw that her friend is a ‘bule’ (white fella/westerner)! As we all drove off together, Ical rode off on his bike to meet us at home.
Bu Esty is so honored that I tweaked my dates to arrive slightly earlier so I could join them for this second Lebaran, also known as the Greater Eid (Idul Fitri is known as the Lesser Eid). Now that I have done some reading, I actually wish I had arrived here earlier because the lead up to Idul Adha would have helped me prepare for what I was in for yesterday as well as giving me a more complete understanding.
Bu Esty explained in the car that Idul Adha is one of the very important days in the Muslim calendar. It centers on the prophet Ibrahim, an important figure in not only Islam, but also Christianity and Judaism.

Abraham plays a role in three world religions: in Judaism, as the founder of the special relationship between the Jewish people and God; for Christians, his faith made him the prototype of all believers; and for Mohammad, the prophet of Islam, Abraham’s belief separated “Islam”, from the Jewish Torah.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham

Idul Adha is an important religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide to not only honour Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his first born son but also his son’s willingness to be sacrificed which demonstrated their faith in Allah. Their faith was rewarded when Allah replaced Ismael with a ram at the very last moment.

This story is also found in the Torah and in the Bible and in both it is known as ‘The Binding of Isaac’. As an article in Jakarta Post states, Jews may not pray for Jesus and Christians don’t pray for Mohammed, however they all revere Abraham/Ibrahim. Hence the term ‘Abrahamic religions’.

Abrahamic religions (also Abrahamism) are faiths of Middle Eastern origin, tracing their common origin to Abraham.
As of the early twenty-first century, it was estimated that 54% of the world’s population (3.8 billion people) considered themselves adherents of the Abrahamic religions, about 30% of other religions, and 16% of no organized religion.The largest Abrahamic religions in chronological order of founding are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the Bahá’í Faith is sometimes listed as well.

source: wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions

I find it fascinating that all three major world religions trace their roots back to Abraham and that the Koran, the Torah & the Bible all include this event!

Throughout Indonesia, yesterday thousands and thousands of cows and goats were ‘sacrificed’ for Idul Adha. In Ternate though, it wasn’t the western concept of a sacrifice, it was more like a huge butchers shop set up under tents outside Mosques and everyone worked together to cut up all the meat which was then weighed and then packaged to distribute to poor families.
Men did the slaughtering and cutting up & weighing of the meat while the women did the packaging. I was thankful I didn’t have to witness anything too graphic and my childhood experiences of living on a farm helped me watch the process philosophically. The saddest part of it for me was seeing cows and goats tethered up nearby.

For most westerners, the process of slaughtering animals happens behind closed doors and therefore most are shielded from the process, whereas in Indonesia everyone is familiar with every aspect of butchery. The following quote briefly outlines the Koran’s policy on slaughtering animals:

The Sacred Law (Shariah) of Islam declares that dead animals are unlawful (haram). Certain animals that are harmful to the wellbeing of humans are also prohibited, such as: pigs, dogs, cats and wild animals. Animals that are lawful (halal) are also subjected to certain rules & regulations, which ensures that the blood and other impure elements are removed as much as possible and that the slaughter is done in a way that is least painful and most merciful to the animal. The ritual nature of the slaughtering also serves as a reminder to humans of the tremendousness of the gift of life, and the blessing of food in general and meat in particular.

source: http://www.shariahprogram.ca/eat-halal-foods/islamic-guidelines-slaughtering-animals.shtml

Here in Ternate, the wealthy buy cows and goats which are then taken to their mosque where an Imam and other religious officials oversee both the slaughtering and the distribution of the meat to the poorer families who rarely can afford red meat. Their diet would mainly consist of vegetables with tofu and tempeh. (reference) Before Idul Adha, the poor families applied to their mosque for a parcel of meat and then yesterday they turned up and waited patiently for it to be distributed by mosque officials.

In other Muslim areas, I have read that the meat is divided in 3 parts; 1/3 of the meat going to the family who provided it, 1/3 to friends and neighbours and the final 1/3 to the poor and needy however here on Ternate, the entire animal is distributed to the poor and needy. Yesterday I was surprised when a lady turned up and gave us a parcel of meat. Apparently this was done in appreciation of Bu Esty’s family’s generosity. Here is Iba cutting up the meat for tonights dinner.

Throughout the day and evening friends and family turned up to chat and snack on the various delicious Lebaran treats available in colourful decorative containers set up on the coffee tables.

I recognised many of the people who turned up and it was brilliant catching up with them again and they each warmly greeted me too! We sat together in the formal sitting room. As soon as they arrived Bu Esty raced around to provide them each with a drinking glass and a bottle of cola which was then opened and drunk at room temperature. She then put out plates of a colourful looking layer cake which together with the big containers of snacks were munched on while we chatted. They explained that they were visiting friends to catch up for Idul Adha. After about an hour, they all stood up to leave however before they could leave, the cameras & phones were whipped out to take photos of us all together. Again goodbyes were said and they all went to the door where we discovered that it was raining! So back they went to the chairs and sat down to resume the chatting while waiting for the rain to finish. However I was very tired and also very hungry, so I excused myself to have dinner and then disappeared upstairs to collapse into bed where I slept solidly till 6am the following morning. What a blissful way to end my first day/night back here in Ternate!

2 Visits To Sulamadaha Beach in Ternate

On Saturday afternoon, Ichal convinced us to go snorkeling as the Telcomesel (internet) and Pelni Shipping offices I wanted to visit were all closed till Monday. He had chased up 2 snorkels and masks and thought it would be better to go today while it was quiet. An was thrilled with the suggestion as was her brother, Bu Esty & me, so we quickly got changed, grabbed the goggles and rode off to the beach on 2 motorbikes. Bu Esty rode one with 2 of her children while I rode with Ichal. Because we went by motor bike, we could only take 2 children, however Bu Esty promised the others that we would all definitely return there again the following day and they all cheered!
It was quite a long drive and my hip joints are not used to sitting on the back of a motorbike, so I was relieved to finally arrive at the beach. This beach is a major destination for families on public holidays and Sundays however on other days it is usually deserted, so Bu Esty & Ichal were staggered to see a huge crowd there. This beach has 2 sections, the first one is a length of beach and the second is a cove flanked by a rocky cliff. The parking area for cars and motorbikes overlooks the first stretch of beach and it was so crowded that Bu Esty called it the Bondi Beach of Ternate!

The water was full of bodies all frolicking in the water and having a merry time. The ‘banana boat’ was in action and it looked so much fun, that Bu Esty promised us a ride tomorrow when we returned with the family. Today however, we followed Ichal through the rabbit warren of warungs to a concrete path that wound around the edge of the bay. We shared the path with many other people and several motorbikes too! The first section of path was edged with solidified lava boulders. It looked like a frozen flow of lava.

The concrete path curved around and went up and down before finishing at a tiny cove. Here the track became a rocky track passing wooden warungs perched precariously on the side of the cliff. We followed Ichal passed several of the warungs and finally found a free bamboo platform where we could put our bags. We changed into our bathers in a tiny change room made from thin ply wood and then grabbing the snorkels, climbed down the rocks to the water below. While Bu Esty and the children rented rubber tubes, Ichal and I swam over the bay admiring the beautiful fish swimming in the coral. The variety of colourful fish was incredible and one day I’d like to be able to identify more than just an angel fish! After a while, I became nervous in the water as 2 banana boats, which were each being pulled by a speedboat, were passing quite close to where we were snorkeling and I also noticed that after a speedboat passed by, the water became hazy with what I realised was fuel.
So I handed the snorkel and goggles to An and her brother who were delighted to get a chance to go out snorkeling with Ichal.
Not long afterwards, Bu Esty called everyone in to start heading back as the sun was setting and it was getting chilly. At the second warung we passed through on our trek back to the concrete path, Bu Esty discovered they still had bananas, so she put in an order for a serving of fried bananas. These bananas are apparently traditionally eaten here at this beach and are surprisingly called ? bananas. They are picked green and unripe, then the skin is peeled off with a peeler and then the funny little bananas are sliced very thinly and then fried and served crisp and golden with chili sambal.

As quickly as Bu Esty ordered the bananas, we kept eating them! While we were eating the bananas and the children were having one more swim,

a lady was sweeping up the mountains of rubbish and burning it.

Eventually Bu Esty realised it was almost dark and if we wanted to see where we were putting our feet, we needed to finish and resume our trek back to the motorbikes. As none of us had changed, we were all damp, so it was a cold trip back home!
The next day was Sunday, the first Sunday after a month of fasting and living moderately, the last day of the long school break for Lebaran as well as being the one day in the week that most families are free to get together and do something special. We all knew the beach would be crowded but all of us were absolutely gobsmacked with just how crowded it actually was. By comparison, yesterday’s crowd wasn’t that bad after all! Following the queue of cars and bikes lining up to get into the grounds, we slowly made our way in and amazingly found a park. Out of the car tumbled 3 adults, 2 teenagers, 7 children and 1 baby! With no stress at all, the children were let loose and I have no idea how we didn’t loose anyone as we wound our way through the crowd looking for somewhere to base ourselves while waiting for Ichal, Iba & Aja who had travelled by motorbike. What really helped was our family ‘uniform’ which Bu Esty had distributed before we left home.

Once we had all found each other, we began the trek to the back cove. There were many people here too but because the warungs were built on a cliff face, it didn’t feel like we were cheek and jowl with them all. We found a spare table at the top which conveniently was where the change room was, so after changing, Bapak took care of our bags while we made our way down to the water. With the huge numbers of people, the banana boats were operating constantly and there were also wooden boats out on the water which people also hired and propelled around with paddles.

Out on the water too were hundreds of rubber tubes mainly used by children. The surface of the water was being used by so many people and I constantly marveled that there were no accidents.

When the snorkel and mask became available, I swam over to the other side and snorkeled there for ages reasoning that if I kept to the shallows I should be safe from being run over by one of the speedboats. Once again I throughly enjoyed the variety of fish and most were so unfazed by my presence that I could easily have reached out to where they were swimming. There were huge patches of dead coral, however large patches of living coral too which I hope aren’t killed off too soon. Not only is the cove used for motor sports like the speedboats and jet ski’s, but there were also large fishing vessels berthed,

so no wonder the coral environment is struggling. I think I would like to revisit the cove again one day when the banana boats are not working so I can enjoy the snorkeling without feeling as though I am covered in a film of petrol or worrying about being run over!
Soon after handing the snorkel and mask back to An, Bu Esty grabbed a group of us and we had a turn on the banana boat. We were handed life jackets and everyone except me put one on. I am not sure why I chose not to wear one, but I think it was that I was confident that I could swim and keep afloat should I fall off. The speedboat took us out of the cove and we circled back to the beach where we had parked our car. There were still quite a few people in the water and we whooshed past them and on the turn back to our cove, our banana boat over turned! We all fell into the ocean and were laughing so much, we had trouble getting back onto the banana boat. Not wearing a life jacket, I was the first back on and was able to help everyone else back up. We then continued back to the cove with Ichal trying to stand at the back and he was thrilled to fall off again however as we were close to the point where we started, Ichal was left behind and had to swim back himself!
By this time, there was no heat left in the sun and I was feeling cold, so I changed out of my bathers and managed to get some photos before everyone else got out.
Ichal then decided thaat we would leave earlier than everyone else so that he could take me to a nearby beach to watch the sun set. As we were getting on the bike, we heard that there had just been an accident and one of the young men riding a jet ski had fallen off and disappeared. We looked down at the beach and everyone was out of the water and a group of people were standing at the waters edge peering out to sea. We walked down to see what has happening and found Bapak there who told us that they were waiting for the coast guard.
As there was nothing we could do, we headed off somberly. While driving along, I could see Mount Gamalama so clearly on my left and the closer we got to where the best spot to see a sunset on Ternate is, the better the view of Gamalama became too. By the time we reached the beach, I could see the crater at the top of Gamalama and also smoke coming out of some of the vents. Ichal is climbing the volcano tomorrow afternoon with friends and they will be staying the night up there! How cool would that be!

On the beach, we got some amazing photos of the sun setting. There is a small patch of water between the road and the beach which we used to get some great reflection shots and I also used pandanus and the people sitting on the beach as silhouettes in front of the dying sun. I also loved the beautiful clouds that were in the sky!

Just before the light went out of the sky totally, we left and on the way home, dropped in to Sulamadaha Beach to see if the man had been found, but unfortunately he hadn’t. Everyone commented on the fact that the search for him would have been a lot easier had he been wearing a life jacket which made me realise in hind sight that my decision earlier not to wear a life jacket had been really foolish.

Hari Raya Lebaran – Day 1

As I woke, my first thought was, “Wow, today is Lebaran!” and then I realised that the last thing Bu Esty had said to me last night was that we still hadn’t received the official announcement from Jakarta to confirm that the crescent moon had been sighted so there was a slight chance that all the cooking and preparation that day may have been for nothing. So I came downstairs to ask if today was Lebaran. Surprisingly it was totally deserted downstairs which is very unusual. No Iba in the kitchen. No Aja sweeping the floors. So I returned to my bedroom upstairs to wait. It turned out to be the quiet before the storm!
Once everyone was awake and moving, there were people everywhere and it became obvious that it was indeed Lebaran. While receiving the family and neighbours who were dropping in to wish us all a Selamat Hari Raya Lebaran (Happy Lebaran) we all donned our best clothes. Today in Ternate, it is one of those hot steamy days where just the thought of going outside is enough to make you sweat buckets. So while all the other women in the house are wearing synthetic clothing from head to toe, I am wearing a long cotton skirt and a cotton shirt with short sleeves with open toed shoes. I did try on one of the long sleeved shirts Bu Esty kindly gave me to wear today but unfortunately had to change out of them straight away as they just made me feel even hotter. Bu Esty and her eldest daughter wore matching outfits of a long blue skirt, a red long sleeved shirt and matching kerudung (head scarf) over a jilbab.
They both finished off their outfits with very high wedges and huge matching bags. Her younger daughter wore a beautiful purple outfit with matching jilbab. All the sons except for the oldest wore matching shirts, long pants and red Angry Bird converse style shoes. Un, the oldest son, wore a white Muslim shirt over jeans.
Once everyone was dressed, we headed over to Bu Esty’s mum’s house where it was packed with family. Considering Bu Esty is one of 7 children, it was no wonder there were so many people! Bu Esty’s Mum then began what turned into a marathon photo session. After I had my photo taken with Bu Etsy’s parents, everyone joined us for a whole family photo. Everyone was dressed in their very best clothes and some families wore matching outfits. One family of 4 turned up all wearing clothes made from the same material. They looked so smart and oh so hot as the material was synthetic. All the women wore head coverings, no one the same! An amazing variety. Then the group photos began, all with me in the centre! If I tried to stand towards the edge of the group, I was gently pulled to the centre of the group where whoever was on either side would wrap their arm around my shoulder or waist.
After every possible group combination had been thought of, we piled back into the family car an headed home where friends and neighbours were waiting to greet us.
While the women changed out of their hot formal clothes, Iba started piling the food on the table and the younger sons had something to eat, before the adults sat down to something to eat. Usually we eat fish and vegetables however because today being a day of huge significance, it is mainly chicken and beef. There is also a fish dish served because I don’t eat chicken or beef! I am always looked after so well!
While we are eating lunch, I realise that this is the first time In Ternate that I have eaten during the day with Bapak! The puasa has definitely finished! A steady stream of neighbours begin to pass through the front doors. One family in particular fascinated me. They have 2 young children who are true ragamuffins. They seem to roam unchecked most of the day in our neighbourhood. Today they were wearing new clothes although their hair which surprisingly has blond streaks was still wild. Looking at their hair, I wonder if they have Dutch ancestry.
The families that visited while we were eating were invited to join us which they did willingly although were a bit uncomfortable about eating in front of me! After they had finished eating, and after having their photo taken with me, Bu Etsy gave the young children some money as is custom for Lebaran and I gave them a Christmas candy each which I called ‘permen dari Australia’ (Australian Lolly).
We then managed to get some quiet time to relax. I started this blog (while it is still fresh in my mind) and everyone else got changed again! The children vanished and when I asked Bu Esty about it she pointed out the obvious! They were all out visiting so they could get more lollies and money. Esty is giving each visiting child Rp5000 (AUD50c) but I bet the poorer families give much less than that! Considering that small packets of food from the warungs cost between Rp500 – Rp1000 (AUD5 – 10c), they will be able to get a small hoard of junk food for RP5000!
Suddenly everyone became busy in the front room preparing for a group of visitors. Bu Esty donned her kerudung once more while Bapak set up a fan and a cooler next to the lounge chairs. The women set up a small table as a smorgasboard complete with plates & cutlery and drinks. Soon after this, a group of 3 western men accompanied by about 6 Indonesians appeared. After shaking hands, they were handed a plate and invited to have something to eat. The look on their faces when I showed my face was almost as funny as when I handed a plate to one of the Indonesians and then in Indonesian invited him to eat! Not what they expected at all. I thought that I would leave them in peace to eat but then I remembered that in Indonesia, you leave as soon as you have finished eating, so I sat down in one of the empty chairs to discover where the western men were from and why they were visiting Ternate. In Indonesia, questions like this are not considered rude, in fact had I not made an effort to talk to them and quiz them, that would have seemed impolite and arrogant in Indonesian eyes and I am so glad I did talk with them.

The whole group were here to deal with the ship which capsized last week causing a gigantic oil spill off the Ternate coast. The man sitting next to me arrived this morning from Singapore to give advice about salvaging the ship. Sitting next to Bapak is the owner of the shipping line and he spoke excellent English. The 2 men on the next couch included one who was representing the insurance company and one who was here to look at the environmental damage done by the fuel spill. Soon after they finished eating, Bu Esty’s father joined us and I discovered that he has long standing ties with shipping here in Ternate. After expressing regret that the ship capsized off the Ternate coast and asking for his apology to be passed on to the villagers who he guessed would be unhappy with the remaining petrol fumes, the group said their goodbyes and headed off to a meeting with Pertamina,the oil company. What an unexpectedly interesting group of people they were!
We are now relaxing again waiting for the next wave of visitors. Bapak and Bu Esty are looking through their photos in front of the tv while I sit and blog some more!

Later…..
After an afternoon nap, I woke to more visitors in the font room. I joined them to discover that one of them works with Pak Amir on Halmahera at the Newcrest mine. I had hoped to send Salam kepada (regards to) Pak Amir but it turns out that our visitor will not be returning to Halmahera till September as he is getting married shortly! I ‘met’ Pak Amir who works on the nearby island of Halmahera when he commented on my very first blog about Ternate. Apparently he has known Bu Esty since they were young and since writing his comment, he has been teasing her Bu Esty via texts whenever her name comes up in my blogs!
Once the visitors had left, we headed with the 4 youngest children out to do some visiting ourselves. We firstly headed to visit Aja’s mother, which is a tradition that the family have been doing for many years. Aja has worked for Bu Esty & Bapak for many years, in fact she has worked here so long that she met my father when he visited nearly 20 years ago. Aja’s mother lives not that far away in a typical local house. Just inside the house, is the visitors sitting room with a formal lounge and coffee table and then off that were several bedrooms with curtained doors. To the right was an adjoining room with a large dining table which had been pushed up against the wall at one end and at the other end were 2 tv’s and in front of one were 3 boys playing a soccer playstation game. On our arrival, Bu Esty’s children took the right hand of each of Aja’s adult relatives and touched it to their forehead to show respect. Adults greeted each other either by grasping each others hands in both hands or my ‘kissing’ each cheek depending on how close they are. After the greetings we sat down and were presented with a glass of coke and a slice of layered chocolate sponge iced, decorated with chopped peanuts. On the table were the traditional glass jars of different types of biscuits found in every house over Lebaran. Most are sweet but one of my favourites is slightly salty and garlicky.

After chatting for a while and then taking some photos, we hit the road again. This time we visited one of Bu Esty’s cousins. We arrived at the same time as another visitor, however he was there to visit the cousin’s husband, so after the introductions and a very brief polite chat, the men retired to the front verandah with the children while Bu Esty disappeared. I followed her after a while much to everyones amusement and slight embarrassment! Guests usually stay seated in the formal sitting room and don’t go off wondering around behind the scenes! I found them all in the kitchen chatting while cooking some fish for me as the only other food on offer was beef and chicken. Once the fish was cooked, Bu Esty, her cousin and I went to the dining room where a selection of very Indonesian food was waiting for us. There was a delicious potato, tempeh and carrot dish which I enjoyed eating with the spicy santan (coconut milk) liquid from the chicken curry dish. Afterwards we enjoyed a small cup of es buah (fruit salad in a condensed milk liquid).

While we were eating, Bu Esty’s cousin told me that her house had been rented for 2 years by a Dutch couple. Their house was really lovely and I could see that it would appeal to Europeans. In true Indonesian fashion, as soon as we had finished eating, we said our goodbyes and headed home. The children were all quite tired and the youngest in particular, Vozzer who is only 18 months had done particularly well, but was definitely ready to head home.
No sooner had we walked in the door, than more visitors started arriving. While Bu Esty & Bapak entertained their guests, the children sat on the front verandah counting their money. I was amazed but not that surprised to hear that Berliana had been given Rp175.000 over the day. While this is only worth AUD$17.50, the value is more like $175.00 here in Indonesia, so it was a very impressive haul.

Thus was my first Lebaran in Indonesia. Little did I realise at that point that it was only partly over!

Lebaran – Day 2

Yesterday, our plans for Tidore constantly changed, so it was with relief that I learned early this morning that we were definitely going to Tidore today. So that I could experience traveling on a local ferry, Intan & I headed off early on the motorbike. I rode side saddle as I was wearing a long skirt and not being used to riding that way, felt very nervous. I worried that my skirt would get caught in the rear wheel so I tried to hold my skirt tightly & modestly while balancing 2 feet on one footrest and watching the road carefully so I could see what was happening. However, I took my eye off the road for a second to tighten my skirt which was blowing in the wind when suddenly Intan braked suddenly. The bike in front of us hit a young girl who was crossing the road. Apparently she just ran across without looking! She was incredibly lucky that she wasn’t seriously hurt. She was knocked to the ground by the bike but she quickly scrambled to her feet and raced off down the road with the motorbike driver yelling furiously after her. Had she been seriously hurt, he could have been arrested and possibly even be held fully responsible for her medical costs! No wonder he was so cross! I was very impressed with how Intan kept her cool and afterwards continued to drive onto the ferry dock. She had seen the entire incident unfold in front of her which would have been doubly nerve wracking considering she had me on the back!
As we reached the ferry queue, we couldn’t believe our luck to see the bikes and passengers moving onto the ferry. The ferry over Lebaran isn’t working to a schedule. Instead of just going to Tidore only twice a day, it is doing the Tidore run repeatedly as there are so many people heading that way for Lebaran. However, just as it was our turn to move on to the ferry, it was full! So we turned off the engine, left the bike in the queue and went and stood in the shade. I took my camera closer to the ferry and got some shots of it as it sailed off.

It takes half an hour for the ferry to sail to Tidore, so thinking that we had to wait an hour for the next ferry, I was surprised to hear the Sofifi (capital of Halmahera) ferry was being co opted to travel via Tidore! So once the Sofifi ferry had been maneuvered, cleverly using huge ropes, into place, we boarded it. I was informed by Intan, that teenagers prefer the upper level and once up there I could see why.

The view was amazing and there was a lovely cool breeze.

While it was stinking hot and very humid in Ternate, we watched rain hit Tidore and knew we were in for a temperature change with the impending rain! Sure enough, once we had set sail, the sun vanished and the temperature dropped. Just before we arrived in Tidore, the rain began and thankfully it stopped just before I walked off the ferry because I had left my rain coat in Ternate.
A short trip from the ferry dock brought us to where the rest of the family were waiting for us. The family group today included 6 of Bu Esty’s children, 2 other children, Bu Esty & Bapak, me and their 2 staff, Iba & Aja. For most of our journey around Tidore we all, except for Iba & Aja, squeezed into an Avanza! The young boys in the back, the women in the middle section and the driver & Bapak with the baby Vozzer (to pronounce this, try using a very french accent, with a heavy rolling of the ‘r’ & say: ‘forger’) in the front! Twelve people in an 8 seater car! Very Indonesian!
We had heard the previous day, that the main road in Tidore had been washed out in the heavy rain we had several days ago, so consequently there was no point bringing the family car. As it was a short drive to where the bridge was washed away, we all rode in bento’s which are a mechanical becak.

I have seen a variety of bento in Java but nowhere near as flash as the ones on Tidore. Some even have powerful sound systems built into the back of the passenger seat! It was so much fun and reminded me how much I had enjoyed riding becak’s in Jogjakarta. At the bridge, we paid the bento drivers and then walked across the narrow remaining section of bridge.

Waiting at the other side were lines of microlets, rows of ojek (a motorbike taxi) and a few bento. We grabbed some more bento’s

and headed off to the first family we were planning to visit.
Like every house I have visited over Lebaran, we were seated in the formal siting room and on the coffee table are jars traditional biscuits baked by one of the women in the household. However in Tidore, I was also offered roasted peanuts and cashews. While the adults sat and chatted, the children would begin by sitting with us and then would meander off slowly into other rooms. In the adjoining room there was a large mattress on the floor in front of a flatscreen tv on the wall. On the TV was a Lebaran program. I saw an ‘selebriti’ interview with firstly a young male actor and then with a female singer who currently lives in the USA. The male actor invited the cameras into his home as he went home for Lebaran. He introduced us to his 78 year old grandmother who was caked in pancake makeup and spent most of the interview eating! At the end he handed out money to his nieces and nephews. Whereas Bu Esty handed out RP5000 yesterday, he handed out Rp50,000 & Rp100,000 notes!! The young female singer came across as very western in her interview, both in her manner and dress and then when she spoke, she used a mixture of English and Indonesian. Both interviews took place in very wealthy homes and were so Indonesian!
Most of the young boys ended up on the mattress in front of the TV while Vozzer found a ride on firetruck which he absolutely loved. It kept him happily occupied for ages.

Suddenly, Bu Esty looked at the time and realised that not only was it 12:30 but it was also Friday, the most important day for fathers and sons to go to the mosque for midday prayers. Bapak quickly raced off to the kamar mandi, rolling up his trouser legs ready for the mandatory face, hands and feet washing that is done before praying. He then headed next door to the mosque to join the other men for midday prayers. We sat chatting while waiting their return so that we could all eat lunch together.
Luch was again mostly a collection of beef and chicken and thankfully there was also a snake bean dish which was very tasty. The most memorable part of the meal for me was the sambal. Thinking that it was on a spice level as what I have been served in Bu Esty’s house, I piled a huge spoonful on to my plate and then added a generous dollop to my rice. It hit the back of my throat with a firey whoosh and my eyes and nose immediately started streaming! I was immensely grateful there was a box of tissues on the table! To help my mouth cope with the heat, I quickly ate another mouthful of rice which only made it worse as that too had sambal on it! So, I next chugged on my bottle of cold water and that helped me take a breath so that this time I could take more care choosing the next spoonful of rice! From that point, my mouth was on fire and I was able to finish it all without too many more tears! The watermelon at the end of the meal was just perfect however as I was enjoying it, in the back of my mind I remembered Bu Esty’s stories of watermelon being injected with a chemical dye to make them seem juicer and sweeter and has my fingers crossed this melon was dye free.
After lunch, we headed off to our next destination. As it was a long drive, we all piled in the Avanza and within no time at all as everyone had just eaten, almost everyone was asleep. Ibu Esty dozed off with Vozzer on her lap and all 4 boys in the back too were snoozing in various positions like a litter of cute puppies. One again the drive took us around the coastline of Tidore which was just as hot and humid as I remembered from my visit here last week. All the windows were down which helped keep the air moving as the car air conditioning really struggled with the incredible heat and humidity. We were now on the opposite side of the island to the ferry dock and instead of seeing Ternate on the horizon, we were now looking at Halmahera which is a much larger island than both Ternate & Tidore combined! If you look at a map, it will look something like a strange letter ‘k’ which makes it a very interesting looking island. I am looking forward to exploring Halmahera with Bu Esty in November!
Our next destination was the household of Bu Esty’s Aunty, her mothers sister and the family resemblance was immediately obvious! The same bright cheerful personality together with the same friendly laughing eyes. Here we were served lemonade and coke to drink. The glass jars on the coffee table were all opened and we were then all pressed to try each of the biscuits and nuts they contained. The children were happy to do so and needed no second invitation, however the clear winner of the day was the coke and sprite much to Bu Esty’s horror! Like me, she is not a big fan of soft drinks and consequently her children were delighted to be encouraged to drink so much. In response to their obvious enjoyment of the soft drinks, her Aunty put 2 enormous bottles in a plastic bag for us to take with us. Bu Esty very politely declined them and they were (deliberately?) left behind in our hurried goodbyes. Our car was parked in the lane way and we needed to leave quickly so that another car could get passed, so with the quickest goodbye ever recorded, we piled into the car and headed back to the wharf.
On our journey back, the driver played songs which the boys in the back loudly sang along to! While passing a mosque, the music was turned off to respect the call to prayer currently being broadcast to the nearby residents, and then was turned back on once well passed the mosque. The driver dropped us back at the washed out bridge where a huge crowd had gathered to watch an excavator trying to break up the concrete slabs using a huge rock from the river bed.

While watching and filming the excavator at work, Bapak received a phone call to say that someone from our neighbourhood had died and that he needed to return home immediately to attend the funeral. So instead of catching bento’s to take us to the ferry, we caught a microlet

to the speedboat dock and then chartered a speedboat back to Ternate.

Inside the speedboat.

speedboats lined up at the dock.
As soon as we arrived back in Ternate, Bapak drove his brood home and then Bu Esty & I immediately headed off to the funeral. Bu Esty was feeling very uncomfortable in her red Lebaran outfit which is generally an inappropriate colour for a funeral, but Bapak was adamant that she didn’t have time to change and as it turns out he was right. We parked the car out on the main road and then walked up a tiny alley towards where the funeral was being held. As we got closer to the house, men and women were sitting on plastic chairs lining the alley. Several people shook our hands as we passed, however Bu Esty continued until we were outside the house. Here there was a definite separation of gender with the men sitting in chairs lining the alley on one side of the house and the women sitting on chairs on the front verandah. We barely had time to sit down and speak to a few women there before all the family inside the front room came outside and joined us on the front verandah. Bu Esty apologised repeatedly for wearing red and explained that we had been in Tidore for Lebaran and had come straight to the funeral from the dock, however they all dismissed her concerns and made it clear that her presence was more important than the colour of her clothes. Then all the men stood and following an elderly man wearing white with a cream shawl draped over his shoulders, entered into the front room. We women were then informed that as the men were about to start praying and would be facing the verandah, we needed to move to where the men had been originally sitting to the side of the house. The prayer didn’t last that long but both Bu Esty and I were pleased that Bapak was able to join the prayers. As the ketua or designated neighbourhead leader, it is important that he shows care and empathy for the people he is responsible for. Bapak takes his responsibilities very seriously and is consequently highly respected here.
After the prayers finished, the men exited the room carrying a coffin shaped container which looked like a metal frame closed in with rigid green plastic sheeting. Many men carried the coffin on their shoulders and it would have been very awkward navigating through the narrow alley ways heading towards the main road and then onto the cemetery where he was to be buried immediately. Once the procession of men had left, I expected the women to follow it; however a group turned to Bu Esty and begged to have their photo taken with me!
So instead, I had multiple photos taken with various women and by the time we had finished, the procession of men carrying the coffin was long gone as was Bapak. We headed back home along the back alley with several of the women and didn’t get far before we were invited to drop in and visit one of the houses we passed. The 2 women walking with us also joined us and inside we were served coke and once again all the jars of food on the coffee table were opened and we were repeatedly pressed to try some. While sitting there chatting, Bu Esty explained that one of the women was currently living on Halmahera and knew Pak Amir. She then said that he had actually been in Ternate the previous evening and not only that, we had missed bumping into him by a couple of hours at one of the houses we visited yesterday! After another photo session,

we again headed home and with various quick stops along the way visiting people for Lebaran, we finally reached home where we both enjoyed a much needed shower. The weather here now seems to be getting hotter and hotter and even in the evenings the breezes are nowhere as gusty as they were when I arrived 2 weeks ago.

Sahur – Eating Before Dawn

Early his morning, I woke to constant soft knocking at my door. I looked at my clock. It was 4am. So, for the first time I was finally going to join the family for Sahur, the pre dawn meal of Ramadan. I changed out of my pajamas and blearily stumbled downstairs. It was so quiet with all the children still asleep and the nearby mosques yet to start their ministry over the PA systems.

At the table were Bapak who was already eating and Bu Esty who also looked as bleary eyed as I was. As Bu Esty invited me to start serving myself some food, Ichal appeared rubbing his eyes tiredly as he sat in the the fourth seat set at the table. I spooned some nasi (rice) onto my plate, not as much as usual because I had no appetite, however as I was determined to experience fasting at least till midday I needed to eat a reasonable amount. I then looked at the other dishes, which were all left overs from last night’s meal. There was a Bayam vegetable soup, 2 types of spicy sambal – one made from peanuts and one made from dried salted fish (both absolutely delicious), 2 fish dishes, and a dish made from small round eggplant. I spooned some Bayam Soup over my rice and some each of the 2 sambals and finally some eggplant.

As Bu Esty & Ichal started serving themselves and we all were eating, Bapak explained that for Muslims, the pre dawn meal is the more like the main meal of the day and therefore the most important meal during the fast of Ramadan. Considering that for Bapak & Ichal, they will consume nothing now till just after 6:40 tonight, I can fully understand the importance of this meal and again it explains why the meal in the evening is only a light meal.

Of the 4 of us, Bapak was the only one who seemed to coping well with this early start and considering that it is the 29 day of Ramadan, and this is his 29th morning of doing so, I guess it it makes sense. Tonight there will be an announcement from the Ministry of Religion confirming the exact time and date that Ramadan finishes. Apparently there is debate amongst Muslim clerics. The beginning and end of Ramadan is based on the visual sighting of the crescent moon which explains why the crescent moon is the symbol of Islam!

As we finished our meal, we sat there for a few minutes in quietness, then Bu Esty starting collecting the dirty dishes and plates of food and carried them into the kitchen so that we could get back to bed and get some more sleep before the day began. I got up to help her and just as the last dish was returned to the kitchen, the power went out and we were all in total darkness. Ichal turned on his phone to illuminate the way back to our respective bedrooms. I headed back upstairs and collapsed into bed. As I lay there trying to go back to sleep, a nearby mosque began the end of Sahur prayer announcing to one and all that the daily fast had begun. It went for an hour and was joined by all the other mosques across Ternate. Luckily the local mosque PA system is not too loud and it was quite nice lying in bed listening to the rhythmic praying.

I eventually fell asleep sometime after 5:30 and slept till 8am! Downstairs is still very quiet so I guess Bu Esty is still asleep. I have woken with a headache and while not feeling hungry at all, I am very thirsty. I think if I fasted for the whole day, it would be the lack of water I would find the most difficult to bear. During the daylight hours of Ramadan, water is not allowed to enter the mouth so I have just realised I should have cleaned my teeth before the end of Sahur prayer! Can I last till 12 noon with this horrible taste in my mouth and nothing to drink? I will try my best to see if I can experience at least a fraction of Ramadan! Apparently young children just learning how to fast start with a half day fast, however they usually start their fast at midday rather than end it then!

Did you know that all the major religions include an aspect of fasting? Christians have Lent, the Jewish have Yom Kippur, and in Buddhism, fasting is also practised. For all it is about self control and achieving spiritual connectedness with one’s God. For Muslims, the Koran was revealed to Mohammed during the final days of his fast and thus the last days of Ramadan are seen as the most holy and consequently is when the mosques are at their fullest. In the evenings here in Ternate, it is common to see men and women walking along the side of the road wearing their prayer clothing which for women is a head to toe white cotton dress and jilbab and for the men it is a white cotton jacket and pants with a small white hat like a Jewish cap. Over the mens shoulder is usually a very colourful prayer mat.

It is now 10am, so time to get up properly and join everyone else downstairs!