Manhattan transfer leaves Indonesia with the pearl

Peter Duncan, Contributor, Cisarua, West Java

No. Not the band or the music, but the greatest land deal in history. Three-hundred and thirty eight years ago, tiny Pulau Run in the Banda Islands, a 17th Century source of nutmeg, was swapped for Manhattan Island, a Dutch trading post on the East Coast of North America. The deal, settled in 1667, ended years of an English challenge to the Dutch monopoly over trade in the Spice Islands, leaving the English to do what they would with the barren shores of North America. But that is another story -- Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton.

This story, however, is one of new beginnings in the Banda Islands. Since the 1940s, Bapak Des Alwi the patriarch of the islands and later his daughter, Tanya, have for decades been steadily building a unique tourist industry from the ruins and poverty caused by World War II and three years of Japanese occupation. Among the early tourists to the islands were Jacques Cousteau, Prince Bernard, Mick Jagger and Princess Diana.

Tourism dropped off, however, after the fall of former president Soeharto was followed by inter-communal violence in Ambon, the capital of the Molukkas. The 2002 Bali bombing did not help either.

However, despite the recent problems, these remote islands, 40 minutes by air from Ambon, are home to arguably the most beautiful and least-spoiled marine environment in the world.

Last week saw the return of tourism to these most beautiful of islands. The Ambassador of Mexico Pedro Gonzalez Rubio Sanchez and his wife were there for snorkeling and scuba diving among the coral reefs.

Others were there for the historical site -- Belgika Fort -- built in the 1670s and conquered by the British in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars.

Travel to the Banda Islands from Jakarta includes one night in Ambon before going by air or ship to Banda Naira.

There is time to visit historic sites and also for a becak ride in the streets around Fort Victoria. This is now occupied by the military but some day, hopefully, will be converted into a tourist attraction in the center of the city facing Ambon's magnificent harbor.

Tourists will be shocked by the numbers of buildings around Ambon destroyed by the recent inter-communal violence but delighted by the welcoming smiles of the people they meet along the way.

Going by air to Banda Naira, they will arrive at a panorama of islands and an airport five minutes from town.

By sea, it is seven hours on one of Pelni's interisland liners; not bad if one is relaxing in an affordable first-class cabin.

From the wharf, it is a short walk to Des Alwi's Dutch-era style Hotel Maulana on the edge of the harbor.