Today both sit in the darkest corners of the world's spice cabinets. But long ago, everybody in Europe wanted nutmeg. For one, pharmacists insisted various nutmeg potions were the cure to the Black Death. It also cured, they said, just about everything else, including flatulence.

Nobody in Europe knew the exact origin of nutmeg, only that it passed the hands of traders slowly along the silk route, from the unknown all the way to Venice, changing hands, its price rising along the way. But one thing was for sure - it was expensive, very expensive. More expensive than gold, and obviously so. It could cure death!

So when the wars of the crusades started to make that land route even less appealing, it was a natural question to ask - what if we could surpass that land route, what if we could actually sail to, and find the source? What if we could buy directly from the grower? This question would last hundreds of years - a quest for a random spice that became a bloody struggle that would change the modern history of the world, link the new world to the old, put India in Britain's control, and create the world's flagship metropolis - New York City. The race for the nutmeg, and perhaps black pepper, would spur the discovery of the West Indies. But while the discovery would transform these islands, the continuation of the spice race in the east would itself continue to influence the West Indies.

The Banda Islands, in today's Indonesia, were that source. The Spaniards found it, but so did the Portuguese. So did the Dutch. And the English. And they all hated each other. And, suffice it to say, they were willing to fight to the death to maintain or create some sort of monopoly over the little seed from Indonesia.

The battles ensued for hundreds of years. Battleships blasted, ships sank, men died. Many were tortured, executed, hung. In the end, the Dutch nearly had it all. A few scattered English merchants lived among the Dutch masters of the Banda Islands, doing their thing. And there were some Japanese guys too- who were originally hired by the Dutch to attack the English.

Maps and Journals St. Lucia Map West Indies Map St. Lucia Moleskine Journal

West Indies The Eyes of the West Indies Three years after it all began, Notes from the Road examines the ragtag Guana Cay Baker's Bay controversy as a dozen West Indies nations watch the court drama unfold. Chub Rock Wreck A moray eel attacks at a shipwreck. Hopetown and the Mystery of Island Settlement The Abaco cay as a discussion about Bahamian castaways, and settling distant outposts. Green Turtle Cay A short piece on the history of this Abaco Cay. barrier Reef A dive outside Abaco's barrier reef. Sunday Drive in the Dominican Republic A Sunday drive in the Dominican Republic Driving to Sandy Point Driving to Sandy Point, a southern town on the island of Abaco. Southern St. Lucia: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part I: The Botanical History of the Antilles Old San Juan: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part II: The Botanical History of the Antilles North Saint Lucia: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part III: The Botanical History of the Antilles Plastic Pirate Ships A visit to the Guana Cay settlement, a look at the island's history, leading up to the day Disney abandoned it. Introduction to the Bakers Bay Conflict Introduction to the 'Rise Up Sweet Island' series, covering the fight between a small Bahamian island and an American golf course developer, whose golf course threatens their way of life and island ecology. Rise Up Sweet Island The blog that covers up-to-date news on the Guana Cay golf couse fight