114 Travel | Ternate to Sorong
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5 Senses – Taste LOCAL FARE
On occasions , the Ombak Putih arrives at villages where we are treated to a wonderful local feast – likely very similar to those that Wallace would have enjoyed . The tastes and smells of the fresh fish cooked in different ways , the various root vegetables , the crispy sago snacks , the chilli sauces , the variety of bananas , and of course a bowl of aromatic boiled rice are some of the guests ’ most abiding memories of their cruise .
In some places we see sights that appear unchanged from the detailed descriptions given in Wallace ’ s book from over 150 years ago .
not have the mind-stretching diversity of a good reef , but the animals and plants are different , and it ’ s possible to focus longer on fewer species while you swim by . Wallace waxed lyrical about the colours and abundance of life on coral reefs when he visited Ambon Bay , but I feel sorry that he never snorkelled . I ’ m convinced he would have loved it !
We go ashore on small , perfect little sandfringed forested islands excitedly pretending ( briefly ) that we are castaways . Wallace would often face disappointment when he went ashore at such places because he would have been looking for fresh water and often there is none . We have the luxury of returning to the boat when we want for ice-cold refreshment .
In some places we see sights that appear unchanged from the detailed descriptions given in Wallace ’ s book from over 150 years ago . For example , we can watch the red birds-of-paradise displaying and can compare what we see to his first-ever descriptions of the remarkable mating displays . I hope that in 150 years ’ time , visitors to the same places will be able to discover that the wild beauty of Indonesia is still intact , and will still be tucking Wallace ’ s book under their arm as they travel .
1 During the cool evening a young man in a dugout canoe takes time to enjoy the sunset near the western end of Ambon Island .
Pada kesempatan tertentu , kapal Ombak Putih bersandar di desa-desa di mana kami dijamu dengan menu khas lokal yang luar biasa — mungkin mirip dengan apa yang pernah dinikmati Wallace . Cita rasa dan aroma ikan segar yang dimasak dengan berbagai cara , macam-macam umbi , camilan renyah dari sagu , sambal , beragam jenis pisang , dan tentu saja keharuman semangkuk nasi hanyalah sekian dari banyaknya kenangan tak terlupakan selama pelayaran .