Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Voyage one The Magical Ship

Welcome back to another voyage on the magical ship - it can go anywhere and anytime in complete safety for the voyagers.

Don't know about my fellow travelers, but I am heartily tired of winter whites and browns - and cold weather. Let's take this ship on a trip to where flowers and foliage are. Let's go! Tell us where we are and how the place feels, looks, tastes, smells, and sounds.

Monday, April 04, 2016

We are sailing to the Indonesian Archipelago's. The climate is hot and exceptionally humid. All kinds of vaccinations were required before we started for this tropical,lush part of the south Seas.

Our main goal is an Island called Seram. It has seasonally strong winds that whip up the seas around the Island making scuba diving and snorkeling a possible uncomfortable pass time.

Seram is a part of the Malaku Archipelago's. The Republic of Mlukkan has a long history of political unrest which affects the governance of the Islands.

A red head wrap or arm band is often worn by residents of the Mlukkan. The representative flag is a broad red square with a blue stripe for the seas, a white stripe for the beaches, and a green stripe for the flora and fauna. The stripes added to the left of the red square turn the flag into a rectangle. The red cloth represents the bravery shown by the people as they struggle through their history.

At one time the islands were the only place where nutmeg trees and clove trees spread their aromatic limbs. They were sometimes referred to as the spice Islands.

Tangy cloves come from the dried unopened buds of Syzygium aromaticum. When the blossoms emerge on the tree they unfold into hundreds of sunshine pink stamens that are soft enough to hide fairies. The oil of cloves has antibacterial and pain killing properties.

Myristica frangrans is a large beautiful evergreen with the soft needles of a conifer. The trees leaves and yellow blossoms throw off compelling fragrance. Two important spices are farmed from this tree.

Mace is made from a soft spongy aril that surrounds the red berry center of the pear shaped cone fruit. The berry endosperm is dried and ground into nutmeg. Nutmeg! I can smell the pumpkin pie.

As we approach are goal island, Seram we become aware of the high limestone cliffs that are apart of the island. The sea floor is teaming with colorful fish and coral. The white beaches are covered with the large shells of sea creatures.

Our packs for the island visit will include medical supplies for any emergency.

Although there are villages on the island the population is sparse compared with other Galapagos islands. We will be staying in the stronghold in Manusela National Park. Manusela means “Bird of Freedom” in English.

Manusela National Park is the last stand for birds that are on the verge of extinction in this part of the world. One of them is the Molluccan Cockatoo. The Molluccan is the largest of the Cockatoos. It has distinctive salmon colored feathers that appear white when they are dry. The humidity and rain of the area show off the salmon coloring within the overall plumage of this bird.

As evening falls we are alerted to another of the special wildlife sights of the area. Bats fly out of the caves forming black flowing clouds as they emerge.

The Binaiye Peak is home to the many caves in the area. Goa Hatu Sata is the deepest known cave in Indonesia at 388 meters. The caves limestone formations easily attract cave explorers who must satisfy the government with scientific papers or visa that comply with all regulations. Because of bird poaching all visitors are closely monitored.

The village houses are built for comfort in the humid rainy climate. They are broad open homes with steep roofs to shed the year round rain that can pour down at any time of year.

When it is time to head home we have tasted south sea island spices and found friendships among the local residents and Park rangers. So, we wave and sail away to a new place another day.

references:
A. www. Wikipedia. org
B. www.Scribd.com
1. "Cave a Karst Prospecting within Seram Island" an expedition by Guido Baroncini and Andrea Benassi