It was a plleasant drive along the bay from the airport to Ambon city. Many postcard views, as Maarten Onstein said, of green fields and nice local houses on the coast.

The Amboina hotel is pleasant, with clean rooms.

Heavy rains in the night and in morning 5 September. Late breakfast, with hagelslag and old songs playing in the reastaurant. Hagelslag is one of the Dutch remainders, offered in Indonesia, says Niels. Early Charlie Parker, Dizy Gillespie and Miles Davis black and white posters on the wall.

Combining a tour with family visits what Monica and Niels do is quite unique, Maarten observes. It started right on the first night in Jakarta, with Monica’s nephew, his wife and son joining us. Famly was queuing after the first concert. Nephews, uncle’s aunties showed up ever since.

11:45 screaming school girls in uniform and under umbrellas pass under my window, some of them take the yellow-green Angkutan kota local bus that stops every 30 seconds on two corners near the hotel. Many bercak cycle rikshaws peddle around hunting for customers in their little cube with plastic against the rain. Most of the cyclists themselves have half long plastic covers, in all colours.