Banda by Julia

Before we get started I want to talk to you a little bit of nutmeg. Back in the olden times nutmeg was used for trading and it costed more than gold! The nutmeg itself is a fruit actually and it looks sort of like a miniature pear (see picture below).

This is the nutmeg fruit cut open you can see some red stuff surrounding the nut and that red stuff is mace it is used for cooking, baking ,preserving, pickling, and as you might know of the delicious EGG NOG! The nutmeg is inside of the nut that is surrounded by the mace. Now that you know a little bit about nutmeg you can read my story…….

 

There is this island called Banda island in Indonesia that we came across a few months ago. Banda produces nutmeg and mace from the nutmeg tree. For over a thousand years Banda islands were the world’s only place that could grow nutmeg and mace witch was used for medicines, flavorings, and preservings. All of these items were sold by the Arabs and Venetians for very high prices. The traders kept the location a secret from the Europeans so they could preserve their ability to make so much money.  The nutmeg would sell in Europe for eight times as much as you could buy it for in Banda. 

The Banda islands are located 1,243 miles east of Java in Indonesia. These islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic in the Banda sea. We crossed the Banda sea and found it was very difficult with unpredictable seas, weather, and lots of fishing nets. These islands are popular places to dive and snorkel. While snorkeling there I thought that the visibility was much better than in Australia and the bleaching wasn’t as bad though it was a bit blurry from the heat coming off the active volcano that hovered over us.  It looked wavy like water that you might see just before a pot of water boils.  As soon as you dove deep it would instantly change to freezing cold and crystal clear.

 

Banda would give many different countries nutmeg and mace in return for rice and cloth like light cotton “batik” as it was called from Java, ikat from the Lesser Sunda islands and calicoes from India. In 1603 an average quality sarong sized would be traded for eighteen kilograms of nutmeg! That’s a lot!

In the year 1,000 AD the Chinese traded porcelain which is china table ware. And then came the Arabs who traded silk. After the Arabs then came the Portuguese who traded wool and other materials the Bandanese people did not need. In 1510 came the Dutch who killed most of the Bandanese and stole the nutmeg and mace. The nutmeg and mace was then stored in the fort that the Dutch had built to keep them and their nutmeg safe. I was freaked out after the spice tour of how they killed most of the Bandanese by chopping off people’s heads and staking them to the ground. Some of the Banda people escaped to the kai islands who can be found today living peacefully.

 

While the Dutch were building a fort to store their stolen nutmeg the English claimed the small island of Run.  It is only about a half a mile wide and located next to Banda. The English later traded the island of Run with the Dutch for the island of New Amsterdam which the English renamed New York.  We know that island today as Manhattan.    

 

 

Volcanoes by Sophia

We are in Lombok and are fully prepared for the eruption of Mount Agung, which is 30 miles away from us on the island of Bali.  There are face masks ready to be used so we don’t get ash (which we have heard is like dusty glass) inside our lungs. We have felt and read about lots of mini earthquakes and are waiting prepared for the volcano to erupt any day now. We are heading north instead of west because of the expected eruption.  I have decided to look into a few facts on volcanos.

How the mountain is formed?

 Magma rises through the cracks or weaknesses of the Earth’s crust. Lots of pressure builds up inside the earth when the pressure is released and the magma explodes causing an eruption.  When the lava cools it forms a new crust.  After lots of eruptions the rock builds and forms a volcano.

What comes out during an eruption?

When lava is outside the rim of the volcano it is called lava, when it is inside the rim it is called magma. Magma is made up by volcanic gases ,volcanic glass and crystals.

When this mixture gets close to the surface of the volcano it cools and starts to crystallize minerals and forms bubbles of volcanic gases, and liquid.

When erupting ash, broken rocks, steam, lava and gaseous sulfur compounds rushes out of the volcano. 

What happens when lava hits water?

 When fresh lava hits water it creates something called pillow lava that hardens and becomes hard as rock when cooled down.

                                                Thank you for reading 🙂

 

 

Jokes

Question: What do you get if you cross a sheep with a kangaroo?

Answer: A woolly jumper.

 

Question: Why was the Egyptian boy confused?

Answer: Because his daddy was a mummy.

 

Question: What did the hat say to the scarf ?

Answer: You hang around while i go on a-head.

 

FUN FACTS

• You can find the national anthem in micro text on the back of the $1000 note.
• Singapore is one of three surviving city-states in the world. Vatican City and Monte Carlo are the other two.
• Buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 meters.
• Singapore has more than 3,000 kilometers of roads. Stretched out end to end, they would cover the distance from Singapore to Hong Kong.
• 80% of Singaporeans own cell phones. In fact, many working professionals own two – one for personal use and one for work-related matters.
• In Singapore, the four official languages are English, Chinese, Tamil, and Malay.
• Even though Singapore is a large city, half of the city is covered in vegetation.
• Almost 90% of Singaporeans live in public housing.
• The Singapore orchid garden is the largest orchid garden in the world.
• It is against the law to leave Singapore in your car with less than ¾ of a tank of gas

• THE BANDA ISLANDS WERE THE ONLY ISLANDS IN THE WORLD PRODUCING NUTMEG FOR NEARLY ONE THOUSAND YEARS

• A GROUP OF JELLIES IS CALLED A BLOOM, SMACK OR SWARM
• JELLYFISH ARE NOT FISH, THEY ARE PLANKTON

• KANGAROOS ARE THE LARGEST MARSUPIALS IN THE WORLD
• KANGAROOS CANT WALK BACKWARDS
• KANGAROOS CANNOT MOVE THEIR LEGS INDEPENDENTLY ON LAND
• KANGAROOS CAN SWIM AND WHEN THEY DO THEY CAN KICK THEIR LEGS INDEPENDENTLY
• A GROUP OF KANGAROOS IS CALLED A MOB, A TROOP OR A COURT
• RED KANGAROOS ARE THE LARGEST OF THE 60 SPECIES AND CAN JUMP UP TO 10 FEET HIGH
• DINGOS AND WEDGE-TAILED EAGLES EAT BABY KANGAROOS (CALLED JOEYS)
• MORE KANGAROOS LIVE IN AUSTRALIA THAN PEOPLE (50 MILLION KANGAROOS, 25 MILLION PEOPLE)
• THE WESTERN GRAY MALE KANGAROOS HAVE A CURRY-LIKE SMELL AND ARE CALLED STINKERS
• KANGAROOS DON’T SWEAT – TO STAY COOL THEY LICK THEIR PAWS AND RUB THEM ON THEIR CHESTS
• NEWBORN KANGAROOS WEIGH LESS THAN 2 GRAMS

 

Overcoming Fear of Manta Rays by Julia

We were in Nuka Hiva.  A boat named Scoots told us that there were manta rays in the bay.  So we looked for them.  The next morning we hopped in the dinghy and rode over to the rocks where we saw two huge manta rays.  Their wing span was 6 to 8 eight feet wide.  We were with Pat, dad and Sophia.  Right when we saw the manta rays Pat hopped in and started to swim with them.  They seemed really big like scary monsters – like manta monsters.  They had huge mouths that looked like something trying to eat you.  Pat hopped back in the dinghy and said that we needed to come swim.  But Sophia and I did not want to because they seemed so big and scary and the water was really deep.  And then dad hopped in and was swimming right beside them.  He seemed comfortable with these big creatures that looked to me like they were going to eat him.  He came back to the dinghy and said, “you guys have to come in and check this out”.  Sophia got her mask on and stuck her head in the water while dad and I were holding her feet.  She got back up and said, “oh my gosh, that’s so crazy”.  She had seen the giant manta rays of Nuka Hiva!  Dad said that mom and John needed to come check this out.

So we started the engine and rode back to the boat.  When we got there we got our cameras and got mom to go see the mantas with us.  The clouds were coming in and it was getting windy.  We finally found them after a few minutes of searching.  When dad got in the water mom got really scared because they were big and she didn’t know they were peaceful animals.  Dad took my camera and started swimming near them.  At first I thought my camera was going to be eaten by the big mouth.  We stayed there for a while and filmed them.  We got awesome videos and pictures.  We went back to the boat and got John because we wanted to show him too.  We found them again. John hopped in and as soon as he saw the manta ray coming at him he quickly jumped back in the dinghy.  He seemed scared. I was scared. We stayed in that bay for about 2 nights and then moved back to Taiohae Bay.  I never swam with the mantas in Nuka Hiva.

 

When we passed the Marquesas heard that all of our friends had swam with manta rays. We started searching for facts about them online. We discovered that they are just like any other type of fish like salmon or trout. They have the largest brains for fish and are also charismatic and gentle animals . There is no stinger or barb on their tail and they have no teeth to bite you. They can only have one baby every other year. When the baby is born they come out rolled up in their wings like a burrito. The largest ever seen of the “Giant manta” was nearly 30 ft. wide. Their food is not nearly as big as you think. They filter plankton through structures called gill rakers. In the end we realized they are not as scary as they seemed. I hoped to have another chance to swim with them.

That chance came in Bora Bora. We followed our friends from a boat named Tika to go swimming with the manta rays.  When we got there after a long dinghy ride – like an hour – dad tied up to Tika’s dinghy.  Sophia and I did not want to go swimming.  It was scary.  I just wanted to go swimming with one manta ray.  It was shallow with lots of coral heads surrounding us.  I did not feel like the water was nice.  Greer from Tika said that it was the morning right after the full moon so the visibility was not that good because the coral had released polyps to reproduce.  Basically, it was not my day.  But it was mom’s day.  She jumped in and started swimming with Tika.  Dad did not go because he had stitches in his head and he could not go in the water.  After a while mom came back a said that Sophie and I should go in with them because they were beautiful and peaceful.  She said that had horns that looked like pearl horns.  Sophia and I were still uncomfortable.  We did not get in the water.

After Bora Bora we raced Tika to the small island of Maupiti about 25 miles to the west.  We won second place…well, really lost, but whatever.  We came for the clear waters and for the manta rays.  Tika said that there were supposed to be a lot manta rays spread around the island.  A day after we got to Maupiti we saw some manta rays next to our boat.  They were really big but they were moving fast.  Dad jumped in with them but they swam away fast.  I think they were scared of the dinghy.  So we went to go find the “cleaning station” which is where the mantas go to swim with schools of fish that eat the algae off of them.  As we drove we saw Tika’s dinghy and knew they were swimming with the mantas.  When we got up to them we saw a huge manta ray off the sand cliff next to the dinghy.  Sophia and I decided that this was our day.  The water was crystal clear – you could see every single coral head and all of the fish.  I put on my gear and jumped in the water and swam with Greer to see the manta in the cleaning station.  The water was deep but clear and you could see the manta with all of the fish.  Sophia jumped in with dad.  Before we knew it we were swimming with this manta ray that was 9 feet wide.  It was black and shiny with white horns that reach across their jaws.  These are called “cephalic lobes” that they use to push food rich water into their mouth.  They were really slow and graceful like birds flying under water.

I learned that manta rays were not as scary as they seemed to be.  I learned that my fear was because I did not understand them.  I will keep swimming with them now that I know they won’t hurt me.  As they cross near our boat in the future I will definitely jump in and swim with them again.

Tama’s House – By Sophia

There is this guy named Tama.  He is a tour guide that we got to see the island of Tahaa.  One of the first stops that he took us on was to see his house.  It was really cool.  It was very open to nature with a garden full of herbs and fruits.  It was on the beach with a long dock and at the end of the dock was a little hut where you could sleep and swim and take a shower.  Some of his chairs were made of wood that Tama carved.  He showed us everything at the house and introduced us to his family.  One of his sons Tama Hau gave us coconuts that we could drink and then he played us his coconut song on the guitar.  Tama gave us sage, basil, mint, bananas, hot peppers, a coconut, papaya and pomplameuse (a sweet grapefruit) that all came from his garden.   One thing I noticed was that their mailbox was very long so that they can have fresh baguettes delivered to their house.  That’s how we met Tama.  At the end of the day he asked us to come over for dinner the next night.

So, the next day after we had done our schoolwork and gone for a long paddleboard ride we went over to Tama’s house and tied up to their dock.  Mom, Julia and I took a dip and snorkeled on the reef.  And then got out of the water and took a shower on the boat.  After the shower we got ready to go to the main house for dinner.  Before we jumped off the boat Tama came walking up the dock and turned on these lights that went all the way down the dock.  The lights were covered by this shell called Burgo to make a little decoration and it made the white light look pink which was really cool.  We could tell that they were ready to host a nice dinner.  We ate mahi mahi and tuna along with quinoa and rice.  Boulou, the youngest kid who was 14 years old, cooked the tuna and mahi.  Boulou’s older brother Tama Hau was doing the quinoa and sashimi.  Their dad Tama had cooked the rice.  Tama also made mint tea from his fresh herb garden and offered some of his friend’s homemade honey to have with the tea.  I wanted to try some.   Everything except for the rice and quinoa were fresh from their garden and the water around their house.  Tama felt like mosquitos were around us so he got some mosquito repellent for us and then he told Boulou to start the nut fire and then he started it.  He lit it with a match and put it outside.  Tama said that the nut was from the Tao tree and that the smoke gets mosquitos out but it does not burn your eyes so its fine to use in the house.

After dinner Tama and Boulou started playing the piano.  They are good musicians.  They know how to play a lot of songs.  They were happy.  Both of them were singing.  I started playing on the piano with them and Tama said that I was playing on the wrong side because that side had two broken keys.  So I moved down the piano and started playing where there were no broken keys.  The smoke from the nut fire was going crazy and at that point it had so much smoke that Boulou got a fan and set it down. Something fell out and mom said that something had fallen out of the fan.  Tama said that everything in that house was falling apart and laughed.  They said that they did a nut fire before then and that their neighbors thought that there was a fire there so they came over with big buckets of water but Tama told them that everything was fine.

This makes me feel happy because there was music and it was a good dinner.  They were good hosts.  They all cooked but mostly the kids cooked.  This is different than on the boat where we cook some of the time and very different than back home.  They are simple people, not dressy but also very smart.  They knew how to cook a lot of things, they all knew how to play on the piano, guitar and ukulele.  They also knew how to speak four different languages – French, Italian, English and Tahitian. Their sister made a hula skirt for the Heiva festival that they showed us after dinner.  You have to have a lot of patience to make one.  First you have to get the bark off of a tree then soak it in the river for three weeks.  Then you have to tie it up and decorate it. It took a lot of work and the work paid off. It was beautiful.  I learned that everyone has a different way of living life.