We have entered into a new country after leaving Australia. It is Indonesia, an archipelago with over 17,500 islands. It is the world’s largest archipelago with these islands spread over an area of 73,516 square miles. The population in 2012 was 240,272,000 of Bahasa Indonesian-speaking people. The capital is Jakarta, on the island of Java. There is a staggering variety of people and cultures ranging from the Muslims of Java, the Hindus of Bali, and the animist tribes of Papua. Temples, beaches, lush jungles, and animals unique to nowhere else in the world can be found in Indonesia.
The best time to visit is from May to September, when the skies are drier. However, after watching airplanes flying over the ship just about every 5 minutes on the average, we would say this might be a peak season for tourism. There is so much to see such as the stupas at Borodudur, shadow puppet shows, batik-dyeing, and ancient arts. The never-ending rice paddies and tiered temples can be touristy, but they are sublime.
It is an area with steaming volcanoes and disturbing earthquakes……the ring of fire to be exact. Talking to some of our head waiters, they have told us that the volcano activity is a way of life for many families. They evacuate, wait it out, then return until the next warning. The one thing we’d like to see someday are the orangutans at the Tanjung Putting National Park in Borneo. WE have already walked with the Komodo dragons twice, also another thrilling experience.
The specialties of the house, so to speak, are nasi goring or fried rice with many interpretations. Spicy rending is one dish we had at lunch a few days ago. It was basically beef cooked slowly with roasted coconut and lemongrass. Did you know that they produce a very special coffee here? It is called civet coffee, and is made from beans retrieved from the droppings of civet cats. Sounds rather unpleasant, but it is quite expensive.
There were 12 tours sold here, some were repeated both days, as we are here overnight. They cost $95 to $225 for a duration of 3 hours to 9 hours. Actually, we had a free excursion here today, but the more we considered the amount of riding in a tight bus, and the three stops we would make, we decided against it. We have gone on most every excursion here, so staying behind on the ship was a better option for us.
Our friends, Bill and Leta, went on the Munduk highlands and Sangeh monkey forest tour today. It was a freebie for them , since they booked a veranda room. This is the exact tour we took three years ago. Back then it also included a lunch buffet stop and a visit to Tanah Lot on the ocean.
The monkeys are really macaques, and can be very naughty. They are highway robbers, taking every opportunity to steal anything on you that is not tied down. Sunglasses in particular catch their attention. We saw this happen on that tour, and the guide could not get their prescription glasses back. We were all warned prior to this stop, but people don’t listen. It’s mostly the big dominant males that do the stealing. And if you chase them down, they will expose those huge canine teeth, and threaten you. Not so cute when they do that.
Many of the sites are located higher in the mountains. Among those are the temples at Mt. Agung (elevation – 10,309 feet), the most recent volcano to go off. We wondered last December if we would even stop here, but obviously, the volcano went silent. At least for a while. More recent eruptions have made the news, but we were told that it was in the Sumatra area, very far from here.
Other significant mountains are located in the center of the island. They are Mt. Batur (5676 feet), Mt. Batukara (7468 feet), Mt. Sangiyang (6637 feet), Mt. Sengayang (6867 feet), and Mt. Catur (6884 feet). They are most revered and have many temples dedicated to them.
Villages of Ubud and Mas offer unique paintings and wood carvings. If memory serves us right, the most elite of hotels are located in this area. Several folks we know booked an overnight stay here, using their amenities and dining out for two days. Judging from the amount of planes landing today, there has to be thousands of rooms available to house this many tourists. Nice to know since it helps their economy.
The Amsterdam sailed into the harbor of Benoa around 8am. Many years ago, we tendered to shore at a different bay. That took us to a village, where we could roam around and do some shopping. We liked it better, because here, there are vendors outside the gate, but no easy access to anything else. There was no free shuttle, because this dock location was remote, too far from any site. Taxis had to be used, and negotiated wisely. Not always easy in this part of the world. One good thing was that many of our crew members recommended their brothers and cousins to drive many guests around the island. And they kept the fees more than reasonable.
The ship was finally cleared by officials before 9am, and the tour groups were off and running. Going out on the promenade deck, we could hear the unmistakable music of the gamelan band with the gongs and percussion instruments. Indonesian dancers greeted the guests as they ran for their coaches. Secretly we were happy knowing that we would be spending a quiet day, relaxing at the aft pool for a few hours.
During breakfast, we watched as the waiters prepared the tables by removing all of the table ware, glasses, and utensils. The plan was to invite the Indonesian guests of the crew, and give them a boxed lunch with beverages here. Much nicer than the outside tents that were used in the past. At least the families could dine in the comfort of air-conditioning.
All afternoon, we were happy to watch the groups of 10 being escorted on a ship’s tour. We expected the little kids to be in the swimming pools, but they were not. Since many folks were on tours, we had the pool to ourselves until around 2pm. Of course, it must have been at least one million degrees outside, putting our sunscreen to a good test. By the way, it worked. No burns. And spending most of the time in the pool was good therapy for sore backs.
Susie had a visitor from the past, a waiter she and Woody had back in the 1990’s. He lives in Lombok, the nearest island to Bali, and came over by ferry with his family. We did meet him, and welcomed him onboard. We don’t think he still works for HAL, but has started businesses in the meantime. It was most obvious how much he respected Susie and Woody. They spent the day on a tour with him, wearing them out to the bone we heard later on. All in all, we could see that it was a special day for all. Even more fun, was seeing so many of the visitors wearing the Panama straw hats and the colorful bowler hats from recent gala evenings. Somehow, we knew that would happen.
We visited with Barb, who also stayed onboard. She was busy helping Don McD hand out chocolate candy he bought while in Australia to the little ones as they entered the ship. He loves doing this, as well as other special things for the crew members. Many folks we know handed out their pillow candies they have saved since day one.
Although a breeze popped up outside, the sun was unrelenting. Time to cool off in or room, and make a run for Dive In burgers. They really are the best hamburgers, besides the ones in the Pinnacle Grill for lunch. The best part of this meal is that you do not eat too much, like you are tempted to do in the Lido. Too many choices.
We worked on photos until it was time for the sun to go down. That was around 6:30ish. And what a nice one it was. While we waited for the colors to deepen, we marveled at the continuous stream of jets coming into their International Airport close by. There was a laser beam light guiding their way to the runway. Darkness descended rather quickly, and so did we…..descended down to get ready for dinner.
There were seven of us present, all having done something different today. Brenda was done-in, since she spent one of those long days on a 9 hour tour. So she was the one missing. As always, it was fun sharing our stories. All during dinner, we had the perfect seats to watch the continuous lightning show in the skies over the mountains. Also nice was the fact that dinner was completed before 9:30pm, and in time for the local entertainment. A group of Balinese dancers , dressed in the most gorgeous costumes in vibrant colors. Always a pleasure to watch the graceful moves of the talented dancers.
Tomorrow should be a repeat of today, with more officials and family members touring the ship.
Bill & Mary Ann
The Amsterdam coming into the port of Benoa
Small spit of beach
Shacks in the harbor
Ships in the bay
Partly cloudy
Early morning fishing
Small boats had the fishermen
The tall volcanoes in the center of the island
Sunrise
Heavy clouds promise rain somewhere
Seldom see these volcanoes this clearly
A range of mountains from 5000 to almost 7000 feet high
The highest peak – Mt. Agung at 10, 309 feet
Gentle surf
Typical Balinese boat
Several small fishing boats
Sandy beach
Jungle-like
Shacks
Complicated shoreline
Sun is rising in Bali
A tug at work
Ships at anchor
Here comes the pilot
Arriving or leaving
Many people in the water
Very early in the day
Swimming or fishing? We say fishing.
Huts or houses? We say houses.
Arriving to the terminal
No other ships here yet
A speedboat
Another plane arrives to Bali
A very popular vacation destination
Still waters in the harbor
Interesting skies
We think it had rained last night
Sand bars are a good spot for fishing
Separated bodies of water
Following the buoys
Fishing
The tallest structure out of Benoa – remodel or new?
A yacht sits at anchor
Small boat harbor
Many small boats
A bridge that connects to the mainland
The Amsterdam is coming in for a landing
Basic design, but it works
The opening to this bay is narrow
Fishing boat
Another one
An isolated area
We will dock near this ship
City is waking up
The ship needed to turn around
Working our way towards the pier
We could get rain today
Lion, one of many airlines to land here
Hot already at 8am
It takes more than one to fish
Some of these boaters were using nets
Busy little harbor
Red terra cotta roofs
Area is surrounded by mangroves
Many colors of boats
These fellows were drawing nets
Setting up nets
Perhaps gill nets
Throwing rocks?
Two guys were in the water with the nets
Dressed for the hot weather
The humidity was oppressive
Very green due to rainfall
Many “pirate” boats here
Lots of harbor traffic
Old and new vessels
Ferries as well
Pierside
One cormorant
Possible mosque
