Spice Of Life

Follow the heady scent of nutmeg and cloves north of Australia and west of New Guinea to explore the exotic Maluku Islands of Indonesia.

- Quentin Chester

WE’RE ON A forest trail climbing Gamalama, a 1715m-high volcano in eastern Indonesia. Our goal is Afo, which, at more than 400 years old, is said to be the world’s oldest clove tree. The mossy path edges past a mountain stream where orchids greet us with wand-like spikes of creamy yellow flowers.

Higher up, beneath the forest canopy, there are cooling breezes, a hubbub of birdsong, and lacewing butterflies flitting between plants. We make it only as far as Afo’s younger sibling, Cengkeh, a 200-year-old, mostly bare-limbed relic. But no matter – just being here, deep in the ancestral forest of the spices that changed the world is inspiration aplenty.

This outing is a chance to shift tempo. Since sunrise, when our ship, Coral Discoverer, had eased into the passage between the volcanic peaks of Ternate and Tidore islands, my 39 fellow passengers and I have been on the go.

Once ashore in Ternate city, we were ushered through the hectic downtown to Fort Tolukko. Built by the Portuguese during the 16th century, the fort’s stone parapets reveal a sprawling vista of iron rooftops, shops and mosque spires.

At our next stop, the nearby sultan’s palace, we were treated to an official welcome with a joko kaha ceremony and dances while we sipped pungent, ginger-infused coffee. Then it was off to the markets and hills, our mini-bus drivers hustling through narrow backstreets abuzz with trucks and scooters. All the while, mighty Gamalama towered over everything, its summit wrapped in smoke whorls and steaming cloud.

Such is the upbeat mix of history, nature and humanity that makes Indonesia’s Spice Islands so engaging.