We reached the small island of Obilatu which lies north-east of Obi at sunrise. The vista of thousands of clove trees growing up the side the mountain was amazing. Ian Hemphill (Herbies Spices) and Ian Burnet (Spice Islands) are standing in the foreground.
The people here have all migrated from Buton off south-east Sulawesi and they first started planting clove trees here 40 years ago. It is quite a remarkable achievement as all the land would first have to be cleared of the jungle.That meant there was no shortage of timber to build their houses and note the solar panels on the roof.
The village is still expanding and we watched them fell a coconut tree to make way for a new house. The problem with drinking coconut water direct from the coconut is how to stop the spillage as Lisette found out.
Again the highlight of our time on the island was a visit to the local school and to give some unexpected English lessons.
Our contribution to the local economy was to fill a dinghy with coconuts and some fresh fish before our departure.
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