I went back to the island last end of year holiday with some friends. We were lucky that time because the sea was very friendly. It is cloves season this time, December-March, in Kabung. The fragrant, spicy, earthy smell of cloves filled the air. I love the smell because it makes me felt fresh and light. I think this is something to do with its chemical content which is not only addictive but also functions as anesthetic.
These views and smell of Kabung flashed back in my mind recently because my friend had finished his Zamrud Khatulistiwa expedition and now one of the books documenting his journey and reflections during the expedition about the social, culture, economic and environment conditions as well as the living condition of the people on the coastline and remote isles of Indonesia is ready to be launched. ‘Indonesia, Mencintaimu dengan Sederhana’ is how the book is named. It was nutmeg season when I visited the island with him, and now it is cloves. But, there is one thing that never changes there, the people are still the same, living day by day from the grace of nature and, most of the time, from the mercy of lenders when the weather is unfriendly for fishing and planting. And that is just one of which the book wants to present, our paradoxical country: astounding, gorgeous and rich but poor in the same time.
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