INDONESIA - TERNATE
ECLIPSE ON MARCH 9TH 2016
This eclipse trip is particularly memorable because of the culture shock I experienced. I had never been to Sri Lanka, Singapore and Indonesia. I discovered so many new exciting tastes and met many new friends. Also the eclipse itself was absolutely perfect with a cerulean sky and an intimidating volcano in the background.
DAY 1
12 hours stopover in Colombo. It was fun, we went to a small hotel by the beach and took a tuk-tuk to the local market. I had the best mango juice in my life!
DAY 2
We started our visit of Singapore. I was amazed by the grandeur, modernity and cleanness of the country. I can now understand why it is called the “Switzerland of the East”! Spending some time in Singapore influenced me to think about politics and economics and how one talented leader can turn around a country. A few years later I read “from third world to first” by Lee Kuan Yew which really opened my eyes on economics. The highlight of my day was the Gardens by the Bay. Seeing those imposing supertrees lighting up in the evening was very enchanting.
DAY 3
Our tour of Singapore continued and today’s highlight was the National Orchid Garden. I had to pinch myself to ensure I wasn’t in paradise when admiring this explosion of vibrant colors in perfectly groomed grounds. In the evening we flew to Ternate through Jakarta.
DAY 4
After our long flight journey, we were happy to arrive in Ternate, a city in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, north east of Jakarta. The place was flooded by tourists and as a result the hotel availability was very low and our room didn’t have any windows! It was functional and that’s all that mattered. I was shocked by how local people wanted to photograph me constantly. I was a white little strange thing to them! From the woman selling fruits in the streets to the schoolgirls getting off the bus or the random passerby in the street, everyone wanted a picture with me! I felt like a rock star for a few days, I wasn’t ready for that attention!
DAY 5
We visited the island which was so lush and warm! We went to Fort Tolukko, the emerald Lake Tolire Besar and the 17th century Fort Oranje. We also visited the Memorial Museum Of The Sultanate Of Ternate. We drank coconut water and ate delicious grilled corn and plantain fries. We had traditional food and tried the famous Kopi luwak coffee also known as civet coffee because the coffee beans used are those that have been partially digested and defecated by the Asian palm civet. Everything was so delicious and our local guide was amazing.
DAY 6
We woke up very early in the morning to take a small boat to our eclipse location, which had not only a better weather forecast but also a longer totality of about 20 seconds! It was so hot and the sky was so blue. We had an outstanding
view of the majestic and intimidating Makian volcano, also known as Mount Kiebesi (or Kie Besi). It was dormant until 1988 when it suddenly erupted and all its island population was evicted. The best part of the day was to chat with the local inhabitants of Moti island, sharing our eclipse glasses with them and getting them to glimpse through our telescope. Our ad hoc viewing platform was so popular that two policemen came to enforce a queue system! The eclipse of 3mn10s was absolutely perfect.
DAY 7
We flew to Bali, a blissful stopover before flying back to London directly. We spent two nights on the island tasting more delicious Indonesian food. I love discovering new cuisine, new tastes and new traditions, which is always an exciting part of the eclipse chasing adventure. We also swam with the colorful fish in the warm waters and attended a mesmerizing drumming show. Going back home was like leaving paradise!