Lost at Banda Neira        

A Quick Escape to the Spice Islands: History, Flavours & the Cinnamon Tea Discovery

After a short 3-hour slumber after our night watch, we got a knock on the door – Mark was needed to help with setting up the stern line. I got up too, because two half-functioning, sleep-deprived brains are better than one. Once that was sorted, we were too excited to crawl back into bed. Banda Island, also known as the Spice Island, has always been on my bucket list. The land of nutmeg’s origin and, of course, the dark history when the Europeans got greedy, tried to control the trade, and wiped out most of the Banda population. Grim, but true.

Banda Island is also famous for its superb diving and snorkelling, so there’s always next time, but we already knew this stay would be a quick one. With just 1.5 days and 2 nights, we had to get strategic. Diving? Volcano hike? Cooking class? Exploring town? Spice tour? The list was endless… but our time wasn’t. I’d already booked us a spice tour online, so that decision was made.

After sorting the green book (quarantine stuff, nothing exciting by now), half the crew went off to explore while Mark and I stayed behind to man the boat – totally fine, as we were still foggy-brained zombies anyway. No going back to bed though, we just kept plugging away at my unpaid dream full-time job. In the afternoon, we squeezed in a quick wander around town and instantly fell in love.

Banda Neira has charm – colourful little houses and a laid-back vibe. Everyone was, as usual, super friendly and thrilled to see us. We found out the houses get a fresh lick of paint every year as part of the Ramadan celebrations – talk about a yearly makeover! The usual challenge of getting cash popped up too. Three ATMs, but only one with a Visa sign, and yep, it was empty. Classic. The bank sent us across the road to a shop for a cash-out – $3.50 fee per $100, bargain… said no one ever. Later we noticed the Cilu Bintang Estate also does currency exchange. Good to know.

The next morning kicked off early with our spice tour. While waiting for the guide, I spotted cinnamon tea on the menu. Cinnamon is my absolute obsession, but I’d never heard of it as a tea. Why didn’t I think of this before? Fresh cinnamon boiled into tea – pure magic! Easily the best discovery of this trip.

Mr Men (yes, like the books, but sadly no round yellow character) greeted us with souvenir bags before we hopped on a boat to the next island, Pulau Besar. Along the way, we gawped at the active volcano – last erupted in 1998, lava sliding right into the sea. Apparently, the diving around the underwater lava flow is mind-blowing, with coral gardens growing all over the rocks. One for next time!

After a short stroll past some old colonial walls marking the nutmeg trade history from the 1600s, we started climbing 266 steps. We stopped at two wells – one a sacred well. Shoes off, peered in. The water was crystal clear, and people drink it or wash their faces for good luck. Might bottle some next time I need a winning lottery ticket.

After crossing through a Muslim cemetery, we reached the plantation, shaded by towering almond trees – some over 400 years old. The trees keep the place cool and give the perfect growing condition for nutmeg, as it’s a bit fussy in the heat.

A lovely couple welcomed us with (wait for it) more cinnamon tea and green pandan cinnamon pancakes stuffed with coconut and brown sugar. Basically tasted like candied apples. Heaven. I was in my element.

Next up, demonstrations! We learnt how to collect almonds – basically, wait for pigeons to knock them down from trees that are ridiculously tall, then scoop them up with a bamboo stick. The almonds get soaked to soften the skin, then cracked open to reveal another nut, chopped again to get to the edible bit – the Kanari nut (Almond). Kanari sauce on eggplant? Unreal.

Nutmeg-wise, we saw the whole process from picking to peeling, drying, and cracking. Every part of the nutmeg is used. The skin tastes like sour ginger and gets turned into candy or syrup (we bought loads). The red mace surrounding the nutmeg? Pricier than the nutmeg itself – used in cosmetics, cola, and Pepsi. And back in the colonial days, nutmeg was worth more than gold. Bonkers.

After the plantation, we headed to Fort Hollandia for lunch, where Mr Men’s wife cooked up the best yellow rice I’ve ever eaten. Sad face though – no time left to squeeze in a cooking class. The fort had stunning views, and of course, locals asked for selfies, which I always enjoy. One lady asked me to take my cap off so they could see my blonde hair in the picture – lol, fair enough!

Back in Banda Neira, we stocked up on enough almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg jam to last a small village. In the evening, we all headed ashore for dinner. I was excited to try more local dishes, we’d heard from a Dutch couple about a buffet at Hotel Cilu Bintang. Not my thing – buffets rarely deliver, and as a vegetarian with the chilli tolerance of a toddler, it wasn’t great value for me. Dessert was underwhelming too, so we all grabbed smoothies afterwards to compensate.

The skipper decided we’d stay an extra day, giving us time for snorkelling at Pulau Keraka. The current around Indonesia is no joke – fins mandatory. Nice to finally swim somewhere clean, as the harbour water was more bin juice than blue lagoon. After the snorkel, we had one last wander around town and made sure to top up on nutmeg goodies and grab another Ulang-Ulang (best salad ever) and a smoothie at our favourite café, The Spice Café, run by the lovely Farhad. Highly recommend!

That evening, we got invited to dinner aboard Mad Mac’s, a gorgeous boat owned by a lovely Aussie couple, John and Tracey. Super cosy and the food was cracking. Loved hearing their sailing and diving tales – fingers crossed we bump into them again in Sorong.

The next morning, we set off for Tifu Island, but one thing’s for sure – we’ll be back. There are so many islands and stories waiting for us here in Central Maluku, and we’re already itching to return.