April 19, Indonesia

Apr 19 Seaday

Whenever we have a seaday on a Sunday, the ship puts on an all-you-can-eat brunch extravaganza from 9 am until 1 pm. After today, we have five port days in a row, so today is a good day to get things in order, including a last-minute online visa needed to enter Indonesia.

When we were approaching Darwin, we needed to put the ship's time back ½ hour. After leaving Darwin, we needed to put the ship's clocks back 1-1/2 hours to sync up with Indonesian time.

Apr 20

We arrived at the port of Kapang on the Island of Timor, Indonesia. We were greeted by a red carpet, music, and dancers, and each was presented with a shawl. The shawl gift is a traditional symbol of peace.

Our tour involved boarding a fleet of 10, eight-passenger vans. Our caravan was escorted by a police convoy; they said it was to make us feel honored and welcome. I am not sure there was another reason, but off we went on a 90-minute ride up into the mountains. We soon passed out of the city on nice mountain roads, but as we got higher into the mountains, the road grew very narrow and twisty, and we encountered sections washed away, making it hard for the driver to navigate. Vehicles coming the other way presented more problems.

Indonesia consists of over 17,000 islands, scattered over a large area. The local province has 5.8 million. They farm rice, corn, coffee, and cacao [chocolate], amongst other things. The houses are built from simple concrete blocks or simple wooden branches, covered with tin sheets, and powered by primitive electricity. There was no sign of AC in the homes. They drive on the left but often down the middle. We saw gasoline sold by the road in one-liter glass bottles, mostly for the motorbikes. The cost is $1 US. Hygiene and sanitation is very questionable.

We finally made it to our destination, Baun Palace, the original home of the king, but now a museum, which is very remote and is a very poor neighborhood. We were welcomed by the tribal leaders and entertained by the musicians and local schoolchildren. Afterward, we were treated to drinks and local fruit. After chatting to the children and tribal leaders, we headed off to our next stop.

We were treated to a demonstration of smoking pork over a wood fire, then covering it with leaves from local trees for 4 hours, until tender. We then got to taste the wonderful flavor.

We continued back the same way to Kupang city center. On the way, we saw wild monkeys [long-tailed macaques] on the side of the road.

Back in the city, we received a nice demonstration of tribal weaving and a chance to see all the products they create by hand. Fascinating.

Before we left, Merry and I crossed the very busy road to visit the local market. We treated ourselves to a chocolate ice cream, but they could not charge such a small amount on a credit card, so the cashier grabbed two more candy bars and completed the purchase. The exchange rate was 17,000 local currency per US dollar, and the bill came to 52,000. So, it all cost only $3. What a deal. For $60, we are millionaires in Indonesia. Crossing back over the road was not so easy with vehicles coming in every direction, filled with a dizzying number of motorcycles. From experience, I waited for a slight gap and marched straight across, allowing the traffic to smoothly weave around me. Merry was not so courageous, but somehow, she made it.

We finally made it back to the ship after a long day. The clouds were dark and threatening but we never had rain.

April 21

Komodo Island. Our 2nd visit in two years. The stars of the show are the giant Komodo Dragons. What appear to be very docile animals can pounce like lightning and stun their prey with deadly venom.

The only other tour was snorkeling, but that tour was fully booked. I gave the island a pass and enjoyed the views from the ship. Merry took the tender ashore and joined the tour, so I will hand it off to her.

Off on an adventure…..down the ‘gang plank’ to a waiting tender, I sat at the inside of the tender with curtain closed because of the bright, HOT sun which was high in the sky due to an eleven o’clock tender ride. After a smooth 8 minutes, we pulled up at the near end of a very, very long walkway, where children were selling souvenirs. Since I knew there would be several people selling after our dragon walk, I skipped those on the peer.

At the end of the pier, we gathered into our groups to listen to our guide tell us of the new making of Komodo Dragon State Park.

This was all new and sprouted several signs explaining the park rules, which were about the same as two years ago. Off we went…the paths were exactly the same, perhaps a bit more trodden. We traveled along the same or darn similar pathways and found two dragons sprawled out and resting. There was much chatter and so forth as too many people inched their way closer to the resting dragons.

The rest of our time was only taken up by our groups being shuttled off into smaller groups so we could listen to the very interesting facts on how the dragons make hills of dirt, which they then lay their eggs in, and wait until the eggs hatch. The pictures show the egg hills.

Yes, they lay eggs!!! I estimated the entire trip was about a mile long. It indeed ended at the start of an elongated row of folks selling their wares. The usual T-shirts and such. And once again, the even longer walk down the very long, now bloody hot, way to the tender and finally to the ship!!!

I made it!!! Tho I was unusually hot, I had only dropped to the back of the line of folk where I had the exclusive chatter and such with the member who was required to be at the back of the line. I found several feathers, not of dragons, but of the very few birds that I heard singing in the canopy above the trail. One very hot lady returned to the ship and fell into the cooling waters of a much-needed shower before heading to the restaurant, which stayed open for all those who got off the tender with me.

Apr 21

We arrived in the much-anticipated Bali, Indonesia, at noon and will stay overnight. I asked a fellow Australian who frequently visits Bali why it is so popular, and he said, “Paradise on a Budget.” Prices across the board are much lower, making an affordable vacation on their doorstep. For seniors on a fixed income, it is a great place to retire.

We docked at the port of Benoa at noon, but the main city is a Denpasar, about 700,000 population, 30 minutes north. As we exited the ship, singing and dancing welcomed us, making us feel special. Our tour took us one hour north through heavy traffic to Ubud. It was only 13 miles, but it felt like forever. No freeways here. The traffic is dominated by scooters and small motorcycles that weave through traffic and accelerate past blockages. We saw no accidents, but I am told there are plenty on any given day.

During our travels, a heavy downpour hit the bus, flooding the roads and making us wish we had brought foul-weather gear. Fortunately, the rain disappeared as quickly as it arrived and never interrupted our tour.

Our first stop was a Balinese House Compound. We were fascinated to find the modest-sized lot consisted of several small, detached buildings, including a kitchen, master bedroom, several guest bedrooms, a living space, and a personal temple. The property is set up to accommodate multi-generational households, with private and communal spaces. New families, parents, and grandparents, all living in harmony. We came away very impressed, and as we drove away from the property, we discovered the whole neighborhood is built this same way.

Our next stop was a wood carving gallery and demonstration. Eight wood carvers openly demonstrated how they carved complex projects with apparent ease using only basic hand tools. After the demonstration, we got to view the huge collection of finished products that boggle the mind. The prices were high but very negotiable. Merry bought a chess set and game box for a very reasonable price.

A local lady tried to sell Merry sarong material, but she did not take the bait.

Our last stop was at a resort for dinner. Laka Leke. The resort is located next to the monkey reserve, and three Gray Macari Monkeys were sitting on the fence waiting for us.

Merry volunteered to learn the traditional dance.

The resort greeted us with music and dancing, a drink, and then seated us for dinner, a sample of only local Asian food, a little spicy, straight from the farm.

We were entertained by beautiful Asian young ladies, a four-legged dragon, and a play by two men in costume battling to become King and an angel.

Apr 23

This is the second day in Bali, but we were so exhausted from the day before that we decided to stay on the ship and reflect on our experience. I find Bali to be crowded with buildings, tightly squished next to each other, and very chaotic, narrow, winding roads, and no parking. Clearly, space is a premium on this island, but it is inexpensive to visit and live.

We sailed out of the harbor at 4pm and got a look at Volcano, Mount Agung, on Lombok Island next to Bali. It is over 10,000 ft and is active, and last erupted in 2019.

We are so spoiled. Mid-morning, the stateroom stewards come and thoroughly clean and vacuum the room, make the bathroom sparkle, change the towels, and clean the deck and windows. While we attend the show at night, they turn down the bed, change the towels, and leave chocolate on the pillows.

All our meals are cooked to order from an extensive menu. We are entertained all day and taken on tours on port days. We get unlimited laundry service and 24/7 room service included. What’s not to love?

Apr 24

We needed to put the clock FORWARD by 1 hour for some reason to fit Surabaya time on the island of Java, Indonesia, with a population of 3 million, the 2nd biggest city after Jakarta.

We took a city excursion. The 1^st stop was the Majapahit Hotel coffee break. Most historical the most historic hotel on the island. 5-stars, built in 1911 with 139 rooms. We viewed the room where Charlie Chaplin stayed.

Merry assisted in creating a traditional hot wax project.

At the end of our tour, we were treated to fancy snacks and drinks in the ballroom.

The 2^nd stop was Kampung Lawas Maspati, a traditional village in Surabaya's city center. It is like a sub-city within the city, containing about 50 very small homes tightly squeezed together, creating a tight-knit community. It is one of many other Villages within the city of Surabaya. We were treated to community singing and dancing was well as the many projects they support.

Here they demonstrate how they take recycled plastic bottles and use a 3-D printer to make toys, gifts, and other useful items.

They gave a demonstration of massage and Merry was one of the volunteers

Finally, we walked to Hero’s Monument, built in 1949 to celebrate its freedom from Japan’s occupation. On the way, we saw more gasoline for sale in one-liter bottles for motorbikes at less than one dollar US.