Solace on Coconut Island

Rey Lasano 8:34:00 PM
"Indonesia is my motherland,
A graceful country always on my mind,
My home country I do glorify,
Always to adore as long as I live.
My motherland is peaceful prosperous,
Beautiful country so luxurious,
The Jasmine island is the adored one,
Since all of us were born.
Waves oh always waves,
Coconut trees off the shore,
Whisper and whisper,
King of adventurers.
To adore the land,
So beautiful so graceful,
Oh my motherland,
Indonesia."

This song is called "Solace on Coconut Island", written by the late Ismail Marzuki around 1940s. He was saying something about a beautiful coconut island that is called Indonesia, his homeland. I used to sing this song a lot in elementary school, but was wondering what exactly did Marzuki mean by "solace on the coconut island"?
My recent trip to Ambon triggered the memory of the song almost immediately inside my head. Especially on this beach. I hear you, Mr. Marzuki. This is solace on the coconut island.


This majestic beach is called Namalatu Beach, it is located in Latuhalat, Ambon. As usual, take an angkot with "Latuhalat" written on top of it, or you can rent a car, or a motorcycle and ride from the city of Ambon to this place. Riding a motorcycle will be a much cheaper option, but obviously less comfortable compared to renting a car.

 Namalatu Beach is well known for the beauty of its reefs and the beach's sand that is composed of small pieces of reefs. Too bad it was raining all day when I and my cousins went there so maybe the pictures will be a little dark, but I can assure you that bad weather didn't cloud the beauty of this beach at all.

there goes the coconut trees~
When the rain stopped just a little, I stormed out of this gazebo where we sat (and weep because we could not jump right into the water) and start walking around. Part of the area that goes by the name of "Namalatu Beach" is not really a big place. They have built some gazebos here and there, so people can sit around, sipping coconut juices and enjoying the beach in front of them.

 I don't know if this beach was safe for everybody to swim or not, since there were reefs below the water and the reefs were pretty sharp. Some locals said that it is one of the most beautiful diving spot, though.
Aside from the small gazebos on the sore, there is one big gazebo stood in the far east of the beach that happened to be particularly popular for young people.This gazebo literally built on top of a medium reef, and I can only guess that probably it is the reason why it's a popular spot.

If you climbed down that reef where the gazebo stand, you will be exposed directly into the water like this:

and I'm really happy about that. One friendly reminder though: the reefs are sharp, make sure you put on your flip-flops or sandals. The water was surprisingly warm, I was kind of expecting icy cold water, but it was warm and nice.

If you're standing in the bridge connecting the gazebo and the outer line of the beach, you could clearly see the beach line decorated by the slightly bended coconut trees, which always seems to wave and wave, as if they are calling people from across the sea to come over and see what Namalatu Beach can give them.


The other nice spot here take form on a bridge. But this is a special bridge, according to the locals this was the remain of once a strong castle there. The castle was long lost to history, and I've searched everywhere but find no scientific claim over this castle, if it did exist. But then, some things did lost in history I guess. This bridge go all the way to the ocean, much like the one in Liang Beach, although it does look a lot stronger and tougher. Instead of wood, this bridge is made of firm stones, I can almost imagining it in  castle form. 


I was careful when walking on top of this bridge, enjoying every step I took and the sketches of the reefs below the clear transparent water. I took a deep breath, letting the rather salty air of the ocean filled my lungs, wondering if it was really a part of some old, strong and powerful castle. As I crossed the bridge, the sky was getting darker again, thick clouds carrying raindrops, it was almost raining once again. Probably it was just me, but walking slowly on that bridge gave me goosebumps. Like I was going to penetrate a big storm in front of me, because, look at the sky ahead!

The bridge ends with this rectangular shaped stone, a small space right in front of the ocean line, where the water's shades become darker and darker, indicating the deep ocean ahead.


At first, I was reluctant to take pictures because it was dark and I was a little disappointed because then I could not take good pictures to share with you; all this beautiful scenery my eyes are blessed with. But my dear cousin insisted to take some pictures anyway and I can see now why she's right! The storm-is-coming-soon weather actually gave the photographs a strong effect! Or at least that's what I think. Haha..

The most amazing thing about Namalatu Beach, especially about the bridge is this:
You walked from the beach line, the shores, very well aware of the small group of reefs below the water, you walked and walked *preferably bare footed*, and then you reached that rectangular stone and looked around and gasp!

my pose is ridicolous. just ignore it, look! beautiful reefs!
That.. was one moment of... my breath being taken away and I was just standing there, mouth wide opened and... the scenery was just amazing, the water, the reef, the wind, the sound of waver, just everything! It was beyond beautiful! I don't know if beautiful is enough to describe what I saw there.


I was definitely grateful for a chance to witness the beach with my own eyes. 

"Waves oh always waves,
Coconut trees off the shore,
Whisper and whisper,
King of adventurers.
To worship the land,
So beautiful so graceful,
Oh my motherland,
Indonesia."

Oh, and I put the "Solace on Coconut Island" video here for you, in case you're wondering and want to listen to the song. This is performed by Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra, they've done covers for national anthem and other traditional songs and they are pretty good ;D enjoy!


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The Lonely Paradise

Rey Lasano 7:14:00 PM
Introducing Liang Beach to you
It was said that the United Nations Development Programme once crowned a certain beach in Ambon as the most beautiful beach in Indonesia (read the news here). It was 1990, 24 years ago. This beach is famous by the name of Liang Beach. It also goes by other less famous name, the Hunimua Beach. Considering the title UNDP gave, I imagine that Liang beach now, 24 years later would be overcrowded by tourists, worse on holidays, packed with merchants here and there and would have lost all of its original beauty.

I knew when I arrived at the beach, I was so wrong. The white sand carpet still retains its color, clean and undisturbed. The turquoise water spoiling your eyes, that won't be tired of all the nature's beauty Ambon could offer to you. The clear blue sky framing the beach unto those pictures we usually see in postcards. It is breathtaking. Some hours later when I finally remember to look through those picturesque beaches could really exist. 

As usual, you can take angkot here, look for the one with "Liang" written on top of it. Or you can also rent a car. I am aware that some websites referring to Trans Amboina that are supposed to start operating on 2010, serving routes to popular places. But the last time I was back in Ambon for approximately 10 days, there is no Trans Amboina in sight. I think it is no longer around, leaving us with the more traditional transportation means.

Once you get here, there is this famous spot for taking pictures at Liang Beach, a bridge to be exact, that takes you some meters away from the shores.

The famous bridge. The sensation you got when you stepped on the woods bare-foot...
From this bridge, some brave and happy souls will run and jump right into the turquoise water, and I only regret why I did not do so. This beach is so very quiet, the exact place in my imagination of where I would go when I want to be away from the buzzing noises of the city, and immerse in a whole new level of "me-time". Like this is the perfect place to sit down, reading books, play guitar if you can, listening music or something. A place where poets and authors and composers probably could find a lot of inspirations by just sitting there.
Will you look at the water! WHY didn't I just... jump?
I remember an article stated that Liang beach was crowned as the most beautiful beach in Indonesia  because of the view of the undersea. So, you are supposed to be able to go snorkeling or maybe diving and see paradise down there. But then when I got there, there were two or three tourists like ourselves but no one else. No stalls, no snorkeling or diving gear rent centres, no nothing actually. It is just a sole quiet beach with an amazing view and colors but was rather lonely with no one there.
Maybe because it's always this quiet here with not so many people come around then the beach was able to retain its beauty since twenty-something years ago. But it was also kind of sad because I always think that beach was made to be enjoyed with... at least some other people?

Ambon is a place inhabited by groups of people who always enjoy each others' company, family, music, good food, jokes and pretty beaches. So I was wondering why is it, that this beach attracts just some curious tourist while she was actually displaying most graceful view one can ever ask from a beach. I personally think that in terms of the view, the landscapes and the colors of the beach, Liang beach is way more beautiful than Natsepa beach we dicussed earlier here. It has the shades of white and blue and light green (turqoise...?) and is said to be the longest white sand beach in Indonesia. But it was too quiet there, too quiet it feels like a lonely place to go. I can not deny the beauty, but I don't know either if a 40 km distance from Ambon city is the main reason why people don't come here that much. That, or maybe because Liang is not the safest beach to swim at. So unless you are up find a perfectly quiet hiding place, or unless you brought your very own snorkeling/diving gear, I'm afraid there's nothing much to do here.

But it was here, on this very silent beach, that for the first time I looked across the ocean and decided on something in my mind:

That I will go see the world, and tell stories about it.

That I realized I really love to go see different places in the world, discovering things I only see in books or TVs or probably can only imagine before. Letting my eyes see for itself, my hands touch for themselves; the sands of distant beaches, the view of the hidden islands. That traveling is an amazing way to learn about people, about other cultures and to see how people from different places live their life. To make a lot of new friends, to learn from them and to have certain motivation to go back see them again one day.

One way or another, I will definitely go explore the world.
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Once in Your Good Life, You Gotta See Killin' Beaches!

Rey Lasano 8:58:00 PM
Suli Bawah Beach, Ambon
One of my biggest concern about Indonesian is the fact that many of us are not aware of how beautiful our country is. As the world's largest archipelago, this country is bound to be very, very, beautiful. It is located right in the centre of the equator line, making sure that it is warm all year long, and thus is a perfect place for so many floras and faunas. It is said that if you come to Indonesia then you can actually see almost all species of animals and plants the world has to offer.
I understand that. But on the other hand, I'm also aware that not every single area in Indonesia is a tourist-friendly area, both to local tourists and to foreigners. The fact that traveling within Indonesia could be more expensive than it is to explore our neighboring countries is also one good reason why people would choose to travel aboard. 

Anyway, I hope that by writing about juuuust a little piece of heaven on the far east of the country will help to provoke people, especially Indonesian to look a little closer to the land that is blessed to be ours.

 So in Ambon, I practically beach-hopping here and there, and found beautiful beaches that you just have to put on your next retreat/traveling/beach-ing (is that even English? xD) list!

 Natsepa Beach: The People's Beach

 According to my cousins, Natsepa is definitely one of the most famous hang out place in Ambon. And they weren't lying about it. Natsepa especially famous for its rujak (fruit salad with peanut sauce) and coconut ice.
Rujak stalls overlooking Natsepa Beach
You so HAVE TO go see this place! Try those rujak, ask for your second and third plate, drink that mouth-watering coconut juice and enjoy the perfect beach! Natsepa's rujak is really a thing. Culinary program on TVs should feature this dish. Delicious, crunchy, fresh and just... so perfect to eat while you're enjoying the beach. There are lots of rujak stalls along Natsepa Beach. Their rujak tasted almost the same, so don't worry. just take your pick, sit and eat.

 The stalls pretty much looked like this one. Most of them sell the same food, rujak and coconut ice (10,000 rupiah per glass). Some stalls sell other ordinary food like meatballs soup and noodles too. But they're like, side dishes. The main thing is the rujak. And it is all that matters. :D
Fruits selection for Rujak Natsepa
The fruit salad itself contains of lots and lots of tropical fruits. Pineapples, guava, starfruit, papaya, mangoes (yum I LOVE mangoes) and also some fresh cucumbers. If there is any fruits that you prefer not to be included in the rujak you could just tell the seller. Mostly the sellers are women and we call them usi according to the local laguage of Ambonese. The fruits are cleaned, cut nicely and then mixed with the special peanut sauce. 
Usi's preparing Rujak Natsepa. My mouth is officially watering right now at the moment.

I think the main ingredients that make rujak Natsepa was soo sooo good is the peanut sauce! The peanuts left not thoroughly crushed so you got this crunchy effect when chewing your rujak. The peanut sauce used here is so different from the usual rujak sauce I ate in Jakarta. Definitely a must-try when visiting Ambon!
Preparing the peanut sauce

The peanut sauce is naturally spicy, as it is the best falvor to go with the fruit salad. But of course, you can always communicate with your usi, they will gladly adjust the fruit salad to your likings. All you have to do is ask. Usi at Natsepa Beach are very friendly. And they work fast too, being used to have a lot of people asking for rujak all the time. I visited Natsepa Beach two times on my 10 days stay in Ambon. Why? Because of the rujak of course!
Rujak Natsepa and all of its glory
You can have this rujak by paying 10,000 rupiah per plate. Here you can also order the special sauce, in case you would like to bring the sauce home and make your own rujak. My mom used to buy a jar of the peanut sauce (around 15.000 - 20.000 rupiah) to bring home and mix it with whatever fruit she can grab back home. Hahaha.. But really, it's very very delicious.
My face was all like, can I have that yummy juice now??

The thing about Natsepa Beach is, it actually nailed it in bringing people together. Unlike other beaches in Ambon that are mostly quite and private (we'll get to those later, don't worry), this one is the people's beach. You can find all type of beach goers here: family, group of friends, couples, someone who's traveling to the beach alone on just because she wants to enjoy the beauty of the beach while reading a completely random book (someone like me), happy grandpas and grannies, grumpy grandpas and grannies -- you name it! People actually come here to, you know, chilling out together. Back in Jakarta, when people want to relief some stress, their easiest way is to visit some shopping malls, because those malls offer a one stop service for everyone: shopping places, classy restaurants, cinemas, bookstore, almost everything. Then people literally just go out of one block of building (office, school) to another block of building (shopping malls).
Finally. THE coconut juice!
I felt the sharp jealousy struck for the local residents because they have this beautiful beach within their reach and as their main recreation form. There is only 2 or 3 shopping malls in town! And people go there when they really need to buy something. In times of need for stress relief, they run to mother nature. Anyway, this part of Natsepa Beach is also known as Suli Atas Beach. The distinctive mark would be that island on the background. The locals called it the crocodile island because it resembles a crocodile sun bathing in the sea lying on its stomach. Was I imitating the crocodile's pose? YES! Muahahahaha... except that the crocodile doesn't get to taste the delicious pinkish coconut juice I was having.

Suli Bawah Beach: A Quiet Retreat
Suli Bawah Beach is actually the extended part of Natsepa Beach. The best time to go peeking around is definitely in the morning, before the sun is high at 11.30 am. Around that time the tide is high so the view although still amazing, is not as impressive as the view you got when the tide is low. I don't know what exactly the reason why this beach is far far far quieter than Natsepa Beach. It is almost easy to understand that those two beaches are actually one beach.
To reach Suli Bawah Beach all you have to do is walk along the shores for about 5 minutes and voila! Welcome to Suli Bawah! ...that, doesn't make sense, I know. The other fun way you can try is to rent a boat and take the water route. You can rent the boat for 45 minutes by paying 35,000 rupiah.
This is the boat. According to the boatman, it could actually hold up to 7 people on board. According to my mother, that's suicide. Actually, my cousins and I, all 6 of us, and the boatman, board that very boat without my mom and my auntie's knowing. Then... after that they kinda freaked out because they think the boat can only hold maximum 5 people inside. They saw us in the middle of the sea, all 6 of us inside the boat and then they started to curse in local language. Hahaha..

The boatman was very very friendly. You can see that he was actually grinning behind me, over my hyper-enthusiastic behavior because I get to ride that boat. He talked to us, explained a lot of things about the sea, and the fishes and the birds and the corals and everything. He was even wearing a santa hat, merry christmas sir! He also taught me a little about rowing a boat, which, clearly is not my biggest hobby.
Serious face. Seriously don't know how to row a boat.

In the middle of the sea. Everyone's...nervously smiling xD
The ride was fun, except that my cousins were very nervous because that was their first time riding and I guess everyone thought about "what will we do if this thing made us drowning in the middle of the sea" haha.. Actually, that is very rare to happen. But I do adore my cousins for being brave to try. I told them that they don't get to go to Ambon every month, or maybe every year, and even if they did, tit probably will take us some years to get everyone together like this year. Considering that, we might as well enjoy all the fun! I think that is one of important factor in exploring. We have to got the gut to explore all the wonders around. Here's some view along the ride!
I was actually thinking. Would it be a problem if I jump?
The view of the sky was also something you don't want to miss. I do understand what 'the blue of the sky' means now
I strongly suggest you guys to go try this. Ride from Natsepa Beach and then stop at Suli Bawah. The beach is really beautiful. The moment I got there, I was thinking: My, my. My very own private beach. Real nice.

The face of Suli Beach. Amazingly felt like I own the beach.
Because again, this beach is actually the same with Natsepa Beach, but it has different atmosphere. It was calm, because it has less crowd there that Natsepa has. The sand was also whiter and softer, like you can literally lie down there and feel like not wanting to move for hours.
Exactly like that. Muahaha..
One thing I did notice was they also sell rujak here, but it doesn't taste as good as one in Natsepa Beach. Also, you will need to pay 1,000 rupiah to enter this beach. I suggest you start from Natsepa Beach. It is also called Suli Atas beach (yeah, I know. I told you they were actually same beach didn't I? :D). It's around 13 kilometres from the city of Ambon. As usual, you can take angkot to get here. Take the one that has Duren Patah written on top of it. Keep in mind that if you take this angkot from Pattimura Airport, they will normally cost you 5,000 rupiah. It's a pretty far from the airport. So if you have read my previous post here and I told you to fight the angkot drivers if they ask you to pay 5,000, don't do it to Duren patah angkot drivers. From Duren Patah, take another angkot to Suli and let the driver know that you want to stop at Natsepa Beach, they'll understand you perfectly. Other way around, rent a car, but it probably will cost you at the very least 250,000 rupiah. To enter Natsepa Beach you will have to pay 3,000 rupiah for each person.

Beside indulging in rujak and coconut ice, swimming or building sand castle, you can also get the fun of riding the famous Banana Boat. It's 125,000 rupiah for a 30 minute ride, and it is really a fun way to spend time in Natsepa Beach. They will take you to the middle of the waters aaaaand probably will flip you over from the banana boat to the sea. That is seriously fun! Put your life jacket's on and have fun!!
The waters' striking color. I really should've jump voluntarily.
THE banana boat.
When people asked me whether i'm more like a beach-type or a mountain-type of person, I... can't really answer for sure. I spent my last birthday climbing a mountain for the first time and although it was not an easy way, I think I would love to do it again. Climbing another mountain. But for now, I am totally, totally absorbed in the beauty of the beaches, the ocean, the blue-green waters, the smell of the sea, everything about beach. I've been to some other beaches and by far, the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen is here, in Ambon. So, people, put Ambon on your next travel list. Once in your lifetime you just gotta see a truly beautiful beach. Go see her, I am pretty sure you will have nothing to regret!
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Those Islands on the Far East

Rey Lasano 11:08:00 AM

Ever wonder why you need to take a holiday every once and a while? Here's some good reasons!

1. Because it is okay to leave your routines, works, e-mails, all works-related once a while and retreat to a beautiful beach with white sands and coconut tree where you can sit leaning to that coconut tree and read some actually good books instead of bury your head in tons of office paperworks that are seriously, will never ending. There will always be another paperworks and another and another and....

2. Because you are bored. Boredom dulls your creativity, clouding the inspiration you need to, for example, ace your undergraduate theses, boredom making you see the world in a boring way and years of that could lead you to a boring you.

3. Holiday is holiday. Hooo-lyyy-daaaay. No reason not to be excited about it, you gotta take care of yourselves, discover the world with your own eyes.

That, being said, beyond any plans and expectations, suddenly I got a 10 days Christmas holiday to, as my friend Jody the Red Ranger said, one of the real paradise on earth. He is not overrating it because, yes, that place definitely is a paradise land!! And that place was...

*drum rolls*
The last time I went back to this little piece of heaven was almost three years ago. I was really surprised when Mom came to me and told me something like "let's go back home to Ambon, visit gramps for a few days." I was jumping, way higher than my 11 years old brother because, this is Ambon, and this year my cousins are also going back home for Christmas, so it's like a big family reunion, and... how can I not be excited about that?

Ambon is an island located on the north side of Banda Sea, part of chain of volcanic islands. She is also a part of the Maluku Island, which is separated by deep deep deeeeep waters from both Asian and Australian continent and said to be the islands that have never been connected to any of the continents by its land. Ambon is basically surrounded by oceans. And that makes the island have gorgeous beaches.

So where exactly is this Ambon place?
This is, you know, the world.
This is Indonesia.
See the island that looks like the letter of K? And the other one on the far right that looks like a.. bird? Okay. So the "K" island is called Sulawesi, or Celebes in English. The one on your right is the Papua island. All of this matters because I need those two islands to show you where Ambon is on the map. And because I want you to remember those two islands's names since they too have amazing things to offer. Ambon's set of islands spread between those two islands. They look small but believe me, they have big things going on. Ambon is rich of spices - the nutmeg, cloves and also mace, which by the way,was all the reason why Portuguese and Spaniards and Netherlanders came here hundreds of years ago in the first place. She is also consisted of endless beautiful beaches, deep cultures and obviously, delicious sea food. Yum.

Now, shall we begin?

A Shield Maiden of Maluku
My journey to this eastern paradise start with a very, very, too early flight. Alarm won't stop bugging so I woke up and walked to the bathroom with my eyes half closed, and successfully fell asleep during shower. The last time I fell asleep while taking a shower probably was like, 8 or 10 years ago during junior high school time. HAHA. It takes roughly 3 hours to fly from Jakarta to Ambon, and around 45 minutes addition if you have to stop over, usually in a city called Makassar. Ambon's one and only international airport is Pattimura Airport, and it is not really a grandeur airport, and has no wi-fi working either. But... it is enough to merely serve as a port of entry. It is located in Laha, just outside of the city of Ambon.

My suggestion? Let those porters take care of your baggage (if you have ones), it will make your life easier. Then pay them around 20,000 rupiahs, they will be glad and so will you. Breath the tropical air and remind yourself that Ambon is literally surrounded by ocean, so naturally it is striking hot by day. Drink plenty of waters, use pretty hats, invest on some decent sunscreens and put them on, the last thing you would want is a stroke heat (not cool at all), premature sunburn even before you step your feet on the beaches, or worse, a bigger chance of skin cancer.

Okay now, there are public transportation with clear writings on top of them telling you where that particular angkot is going (see here if you have no idea what an angkot looks like), and there is also other option if you are willing to pay extra money. Angkot costs you around 3,000 rupiahs, I have never encounter an angkot charge you more than 5,000 rupiah. If they do, they're jerks, fight them. Other option is to rent a car with the driver that will take you from Pattimura Airport to the city for 150,000 rupiahs. Nope, there are no cab here. Actually, those cars are the cab.

The first place I visited in Ambon was Karang Panjang. Karang Panjang is a hilly area and was famous for the 8-meters-tall statue of Christina Martha Tiahahu, a national heroine that fought the Dutch colonialism in Indonesia.
That's her. All straight back and fiercely gazing upon the city ahead.
This statue is built with Christina holding the spear, gazing over the city of Ambon and its bay, as if she was stand guarding Ambon. A shield maiden, she was. Her father was Captain Paulus Tiahahu of the Ulupati clan, the very best friend of Pattimura, Ambon's most famous fighter and yes, the international airport was named after him. Captain Paulus Tiahahu led a unit that was a back-up unit for Pattimura during the war. He was unhappy that his little girl (aged 17 that time) developed a persistent will to go along with him into the war. But he was pretty much could not do anything about that anyway since Christina practically was raised around the soldiers. Her mother died when she was an infant and Christina was described as a strong willed and stubborn girl, and her main activity was to follow her father everywhere he goes including when the captain was planning a battle.

Christina bravely fought in several battles and nicely participated in an attack to the Duurstede fortress in Saparua, her hometown. Along with her father and Pattimura, their forces killed all the Dutchmen inside the fortress in the year of 1817. Their number actually was not that large, that time Indonesia was not yet united thoroughly, and resistance movement was done sporadically, so in a matter of a year, Christina, her father and his bestfriend was captured. Pattimura was immediately sentenced to death and hanged in Ambon the very next day. Christina's father was facing the same fate but Christina herself was released, considering her young age. Probably the Dutch was hoping Christina learned her lesson and stopped playing around with spears and find other hobby beside getting herself involved in guerilla style of war.

Christina did learn her lesson. That she was, from the very beginning was a protector of her people, of her land, of her home, so she fought back and she fought hard. She had no other thing to do, beside freeing her land of the Dutch and hopefully rescuing her father in the process. Outnumbered, Christina was captured again. This time, it was the Dutch who learned their lesson. They could not underestimate this fierce young lady of Saparua, so they put her on board a ship to Java island, where she would be working as a slave at the Dutch's coffee plantation.

Christina would rather die. 

She refused to eat anything and when fell sick, she refused any medication. Then on January 2nd, two days before her 18th birthday, she died. She received the burial at the sea and every year on her birthday, people will cast thousands of flower petals into Banda Sea on a special ceremony dedicated to remember what she had done to free her land.

And that ends the story of a shield maiden of Maluku, the brave Christina Martha Tiahahu. Karang Panjang hill's view of the bay and the city is at its best during sunset. When I was going there I had some luxurious view of the bloody red skies and a magnificent sunset, but by the time I reached Karang Panjang, the sun was fully set. But here, I've been googling the picture for you so you would have the rough idea of what I've been talking about :D
this beautiful shot was taken from here
the last bit of sunset my camera managed to capture
Suggestion
If you are interested and fascinated in the tale of Christina Martha Tiahahu, you could actually extend your trip to Duurstede Fortress located in Saparua. You will have to take a boat from Ambon city and make an hour trip to reach Saparua. I haven't been there yet tough, so I don't have detailed information on that. Who knows maybe you'll go there first and tell me instead :D

A Still of Christmas

Christmas tree from rice sack materials. Yep,  it's on the street
Since I went back to Ambon during Christmas period, I thought it probably would be fun telling you about Christmas tradition in Ambon. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, at least for me, and Christmas in Ambon is very special. People really got into this mood of celebration and prepare everything neatly. Everyone will get creative and decorate their homes, gardens, street with Christmas ornament and Christmas lights.

Being in Jakarta almost whole my life, it is way so different celebrating Christmas here in Ambon. People make christmas tree out of rice sacks, used pet bottles, fishermen used their fishing thread to create the shape of Christmas tree with the help of some woods then attach christmas lights on it. In Jakarta, you will mostly see the decorations inside shopping malls. So it was a brand new experience, celebrating Christmas here.
This one is the Christmas tree from Lapangan Merdeka, the city square of Ambon
People also make all kind of noises. Fireworks of all sorts, firecrackers, mini explosion sounds here and there and this special little thing! The Bamboo Cannon.

Photo was taken from here
While bamboo cannon requires, obviously, bamboo to make, the joyous people of Ambon choose to use a slightly easier-to-get material: used tin can! So they recreate the bamboo cannon using used tin can, tape, used plastic bottle and also used parts of a lighter.

My cousin ready to get the cannon on the show
See how my cousin's expression was? Hahahaha..

 The sound of the cannon actually are 4-5 times louder than the one on the video, depends on how many methanol/ethanol/alcohol you put inside the cannon. Children of all ages (including this guy here who happened to be my cousin and happened to be 28 years old or something) LOVE to play with this cannon. 
Combined with other firecrackers, paper trumpets, fireworks (even before Christmas and/or New Year) and laughing sounds here and there, they sort of marking the beginning of the joyous and festive mood of the month over the whole city.

It is maybe late but.. merry christmas and happy new year! :)
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