"bandaneira" Bandanaira by nabunay

Bandaneira is really small. You can easily walk the entire island within a day. The people in the villages are very warm & friendly & will most likely invite you to take a rest & have a chat with them as you pass by them.

What impresses & surprises me most is that i find that there seems to be alot more young ones than adults on this little island! Honestly, sometimes it does feel a little uncomfortable being a female walking alone exploring the island as the boys tend to hang out in groups. But no worries actually, coz they are generally a very hospitable lot.

The island has many old colonial houses and a few forts. These tourist attractions are mostly closed since there are so few tourists on the island on most days. Thus, if you want to enter to take a look, you will have to make prior arrangement.

Guess most people tend to chartar a boat to explore the nearby islands and to snorkel or dive. The charges for the boat depends on where you want to go for the day. If it is to nearby Banda Besar, Kraka or Lava island, it is about 80 000rp. But if it is to islands which are far away like Hatta, Ai or Run, it is roughly about 300 000rp.

To me personally, what makes Banda so charming is the pristine clear water! And all the living beauties in the water. Complimenting them is the jovial amiable natives. Adding to these, the idyllic pace of life.

The natives love to have their photos taken! Once they saw me with a camera, they actually came running & shouting 'take picture take picture!' & readily posed. Everyone wanted to have their pictures taken. It's amusing yet so delightful.

Yeah, you just gotta check out all the islands! Afterall, you will have the luxury of time since u will have to stay at the island for a week. And with no modern technology to disturb you (no reception), you can be guaranteed a peacefully blissful time!