Frigates and war canoes flanked the National Geographic Orion as it steamed in at dawn to the harbor of Banda Neira beneath its towering volcano. Unlike 300 years ago when such a scene might have included sea-faring pirates launching volleys of cannonballs or local people with spears, we were welcomed graciously by the peaceful gliding of the lesser frigate birds overhead and welcoming crews of friendly people, singing in Bandanese and paddling beside us.
At the heart of the “Spice Islands” this colorful town has been embroiled in political intrigue, international warfare, and a rich trade network for hundreds of years. The Banda Islands with the towering volcano Banda Api, which erupted less than thirty years ago, scarcely seems like a prized possession that would put the Portuguese, English and Dutch at one another’s throats. However, the myristica tree grows endemically in this area and the nutmeg it produces was to the spice trade what petroleum is to the modern world: easily worth more than its weight in gold. As we toured the sights of the small town, the evidence of this rich history laid strewn around us—rusted canons beside the street and coins from the 17th and 18th centuries bearing the VOC of the Dutch East Indies Trading company available at every corner.
Eventually we made our way down to the cheery gardens from the formidable 17th century Dutch Fort Belgica that bristle with canons perched overlooking the bay. Before returning to the ship, the Maidens of Banda Neira performed a traditional dance that mimics the harvest of the prized nutmegs beside the sparkling blue waters.
In the afternoon we took the Zodiacs to the base of the lava flow that emerged from Banda Api the “fire mountain” in 1988 to explore the underwater world. An astonishing profusion of life has emerged from the devastation with massive beds of stag-horn and lettuce corals providing rich gardens for a stunning diversity of fish. The teeming reef is a testament to how quickly corals can recover given close to ideal conditions.
As we left port towards the setting sun with cocktails in hand, a large pod of Frazer’s dolphins and melon-headed whales surrounded the ship as if to escort us back to sea. Toward the horizon we spotted the characteristic jet of water from whale blow to encourage us farther along as the volcano receded into the distance. A pair of blue whales, the largest animal to ever live on the planet, with dolphins playing in the flows created by their enormous heads, must be one of the only things that could make one happy to sail away from such a lovely island.
