The life of a C list celeb...

New Years Eve was a long day, starting with a 5am wakeup (after not much sleep due to the third night of a wedding party in Sawai village) to get on the road to the Amahai ferry port. 

Once over the mountains and dropped off it was a long, hot wait for the ferry, a long, hot ride on the ferry and then a long, hot ride into town in a very cramped bus.

We weren't feeling too up for staying up until midnight, but post dinner wandering amongst the gathering crowds brought us to a central square where it all seemed to be happening.  With 40 minutes to go, both dozing off on our perch in the flower beds, we decided to go and join the crowds taking pictures in front of a large 'Ambon' sign. As probably the only blonde in Ambon, Sho had been attracting plenty of stares and 'hello mister' all evening, but this opened the floodgates and the remaining time before midnight passed in a blur of photos with various families, teenagers and small children (who generally seemed terrified of the strange foreigners).  Every time it seemed to be over someone else would rush foward waving a phone.

Then the fireworks started (from amongst the crowd, no health and safety here...) and the streets became a roaring moped racetrack, thronged by heavily armed but jovial police.  We snuck off and passed out after one of the most bizarre NYE's...