Sometimes a SCUBA expedition affords us a chance to explore more than the underwater world. At one time, Ternate and its neighboring island, Tidore, were the only source of cloves in the world, making them rich and powerful centers of trade. This is also where our hero, Alfred Russel Wallace wrote “On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely From the Original Type”, his theory of evolution that rocked Darwin’s world. The above photo was taken as we approached the city at night. Below is the view of our ship, taken the next day during our shore stay. We loved our three days in Ternate – it was such a clean and friendly city.
