(Nomad: Day 1864),
Pulau Bacan, North Maluku, Indonesia
I have been exploring and trying to record the sound of Nature on this island. Looking at the map, it seems like a very remote island; but in fact, it is not really. As Indonesia has a large population, with one of the highest birthrates in the world. There are a lot of villages, activities, motorbikes, and shops. It is at the same time very practical as I was able to easily find a motorbike to rent and food to eat. But on the other side, all this population generate some kind of noise with which I had to juggle! Finding the right place at the right time takes a lot of research and trial. I eventually did find some very interesting and quiet place. But nature-wise it was also very quiet. A few birds here and there. I probably was unlucky. The only primate that lives on the island is hard to spot, however I was able find them and even record some very few sounds, but they are very shy. All in all, it is a very interesting place where I would have liked to spend more time. The people here are very friendly and not so used to see ‘westerner’. They call me ‘mister’ and some even like to shout loudly from the far away when they spot me.
I will head back to Ternate, and from there I will reach Halmahera by boat for few days of exploration on this very big island. It seems promising. I have a contact that will bring me to the National Park where I hope to record some rich sounds.
