Banda besar

This afternoon I made the fateful decision to buy a ticket on the next pelni steamer stopping through Banda in a few days onward further east. I don't want to leave, but with my time running out I have to start making my way back. The next boat will stop here in a day or two before chugging further east to the Tanimbar and Kai Islands, where there is a fight back to Ambon.

In the afternoon I took a local boat across the harbor to Banda Besar, the big island, with Ayu, Lari, and Coen. It was a lovely day to meander through the village, explore the old Dutch ruins on the hilltop, and wander the airy nutmeg gardens with the local children. I snapped these rascals playing hide and seek in the village :)