From Wikimedia Commons.
After disembarking from KM DORO LONDA, I walked out of the part and up to my hotel. This gave me a quick impression of the city. Though Ternate was a very powerful sultanate and a center of the spice trade, these days that has mostly been layered over with a typical regional commercial city that has outgrown its network of narrow streets. It is crowded and the traffic is insane. Even though relatively compact, walking is not the best way to get around Ternate, so I wound up using a lot of Grab Cars which is one of the local versions of Uber.
It’s a really great way to work on my Indonesian. Repeat the same conversation starters, but then see where they end up. Using the CEFR can-do statements, I am a solid A2 in Indonesian at this point, with maybe one or two criteria getting into B1 level such as spoken interaction–like in a cab.
I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language
CEFR Spoken Interaction B1
is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or
pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).
As an example, one evening coming back from a failed excursion to a restaurant, I had a really chatty driver. We exchanged the usual: names, where from, how long in town etc. But, then to wrap it all up I learned he was ethnic Bugis from Makassar and had been in Ternate for 14 years. His 5 year old daughter, Talia (sp?), speaks much better English than he does because she watches so much YouTube. He wonders if she will wind up speaking English more than Indonesian! She loves stuffed animals, especially elephants. I in turn was able to explain to him why he was picking me up in a rainstorm in the middle of nowhere and who I had been talking with. I also asked him to make a detour and stop at a shop so I could buy some dinner since the restaurant was closed.
The Teratai Restaurant. Which apparently used to be very good, but is now closed.
It took me forever to find the Teratai Restaurant. The location on Maps and on the Grab Car app differed, but I hopped out somewhere in the right area and walked around. Asking people for directions again and again is also good for language practice. People kept sending me this way and that. One guy was very clear that I had to keep on down the hill. So, I did. What nobody told me was that the restaurant had been closed for many months. This was not the first closure I had run into. The museum at the Keraton or Sultan’s Palace? Also closed. A lotta stuff just isn’t open or when you get there, there isn’t much there there.
Yuyun and Rina. Taking shelter from the rain, too.
I made it to one of the old forts in town, Benteng Kalamata. It was open, but unfortunately it closes too early to go at what would be the best, scenic time–sunset. Though very old, an unfortunate restoration in the 90’s meant it was pretty much just new concrete in the shape of the old fort with rocks embedded in it. Perhaps, the spice island of Ternate is better left to the pages of history and literature. There isn’t much of that here anymore that is easy to access.
This wicked old bus was on display at the Kalamata Fortress however.
Tidore is a different matter… The next day I took a ten-minute public speedboat over and it was very different.
VOC attack on Tidore 1605.
The first thing I did on Tidore was walk. It couldn’t be more different from Ternate. Plenty of space. Clean and quiet. Chickens and goats along the roadside. I headed up the coast to Fort Rum and missed it. Expecting a “fort” I didn’t think this small yellow enclosure was it. But, Fort Rum was where Magellan’s crew landed on his circumnavigation. So, little bit of history. Then time to head to the old Forts of Tore and Tohula.
Memorial to the arrival of Magellan’s fleet.
The best way to get around Indonesia (aside from by boat)
I mentioned angkot a long ways back on this blog, and especially how they were becoming less common. But, not on Tidore! Very few private cars on this sleepy island, but tons and tons of blue angkot. I hopped a couple. With basically one circular shore road, getting navigating the angkot system is pretty simple. I still managed to take the long way around, but that is kind of the point. (And, turns out to be faster than the short way.)
I was the first passenger. 30 minutes later I was sharing it with 7 aunties and a new spare tire the driver had picked up.
The common angkot in its natural environment.
One thing that is not common about angkot is the names. They don’t all have monikers, but many have a big vinyl wrap or windshield sticker. Here is a list of some notable one’s I spotted just in one day on Tidore. The first entry will tell you why I started noting them.
The Nazgul
Pachinko
Metallica (people do love their heavy metal in Indonesia, but this was also in Jamaican Irie Rasta colors)
Al Farisky
Bahenol (upon searching, slang for sexy, and I am pretty sure I have heard this tune SFW video link)
Blue Angel
XXX
46
Cherokee
Hang Loose
Princess
Nazilah (must be driver’s daughter, surrounded a child image)
Skunk2 (wonder what happened to Skunk1)
The Shallsa
Money
Scorpions
Cannabis
Itachi イタチ (bilingual!)
Celebration
Cowboy
brutal.skl
Grandfunk
… and… Stain
Once again, the Sultan’s Palace was shut. I am getting used to this. The tourist infrastructure just isn’t here. There are very few inbound international tourists, but there are no domestic tourists flocking to Ternate or or Tidore either. So, stuff just isn’t open, or it is left open but unstaffed–which is just fine by me.
Let’s just say there is not a lot of excitement in Tidore. I draw attention wherever I go outside the main tourist areas, but Tidore was something else. So. Many. People. Calling out “Hello, Mister!” and “Bule!” of “Bulai!” On balance, more friendly “Hello, Misters!” Then these kids!
School had let out a I was approaching the forts and kids had the same idea I did. There is not a lot to do in town, so these girls were hanging out on the stairs up to the rocky outcroppings with the fortifications on top. Selfies were taken and they stayed while I moved on. The group of eighth-grade boys however stuck with me. For like an hour or so. They were going to follow me everywhere and keep asking me questions in between teasing each other. One older gent passed us by and clearly was wondering what was wrong with these kids and their Pied Piper.
Atop Fort Tore.
An offering made to appease some spirit or other.
I thought those boys were never going to let me go, but finally a powerful force intervened on my behalf. Hunger. They all had to get home for lunch, so I was finally left in peace for a bit to just sit at the edge of the fort and look down at the palace and the jetties. It made very clear that European forts had the command of the Sultan.