Tag Archives: ian burnet

The Spice Islands — Underwater

The seas of the Moluccas (Maluku) in Eastern Indonesia have pristine waters and some of the greatest variety of marine life on the planet. On our 12 day voyage from Ambon to Banda to Ternate the Ombak Putih will usually … Continue reading

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Ubud Food Festival, 5-7 June 2015

Food Forum | The Spice Islands Friday June 5, 2:30pm, at Taman Baca For a serving of spice island history, Ian Burnet will dish up a tale of the high seas and colonial rule focusing on Indonesia’s legendary spices, cloves … Continue reading

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Fort Nieuw Victoria, Ambon — A Mystery Solved?

A fort on this location was built by the Portuguese in the 1500’s and then captured by the first war fleet commissioned by the United Dutch East India Company in 1605 and commanded by Steven van de Hagen. The fort … Continue reading

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East Indies Spice Exploration 2015 – Flores to Ambon (Updated)

Departure from Maumere on Flores September 26 for 12 days until October 7 in Ambon “ …I would dream of the fabled Spice Islands. Images of palm-fringed tropical islands backed by towering volcanoes filled my imagination and I saw myself … Continue reading

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Old Batavia – The Westzijdsche Pakhuizan (destroyed by fire)

Regretfully these historic buildings which formed Museum Bahari or the Indonesian Maritime Museum were recently destroyed by a fire which is thought to be caused by faulty electrical wiring. Hopefully there will be the funds and the initiative to restore … Continue reading

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East Indies Spice Exploration — Flores to Ambon

Departure from Maumere on Flores September 26 for 12 days until October 7 in Ambon “ …I would dream of the fabled Spice Islands. Images of palm-fringed tropical islands backed by towering volcanoes filled my imagination and I saw myself … Continue reading

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The Walls of Old Batavia

The map below shows the outline of the City of Batavia and its defensive walls and bastions in 1780, at the peak of its commercial development and before the subsequent bankruptcy of the United Dutch East India Company (VOC) only … Continue reading

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Fort Nieuw Victoria, Ambon — A Mystery Solved?

A fort on this location was built by the Portuguese in the 1500’s and then captured by the first war fleet commissioned by the United Dutch East India Company in 1605 and commanded by Steven van de Hagen. The fort … Continue reading

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The Coronation of the Sultan of Tidore — October 2014

When our first Spice Islands Sailing Adventure reached Tidore in 2012 we sadly learnt that the Sultan had recently passed away. During that visit we were taken to a Council House high on the mountain, where the elders would meet … Continue reading

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The Ambon War Cemetery – Damien Parer

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. The famous Australian war … Continue reading

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