Until the mid-18th century, the Banda Islands were the sole known source of nutmeg, making the spices (nutmeg, the seed, and mace, the seed shell) highly valuable commodities. These islands, known as the original spice islands, are situated about 140 km south of the island of Seram in Indonesia's Maluku province. They remain relatively untouched, are hard to reach, sparsely populated, and stunningly beautiful. The Bandas consist of seven inhabited islands, with the main ones