One of the most sought-after destinations for an unforgettable vacation spot, has to be the Indonesian island of Bali. The once small village of Benoa, where the Amsterdam is docked, has developed into a thriving cruise ship port over the past 20 years. In fact, the locals are in the process of constructing a new terminal as we write this. Judging from the size of the new build, it will have many shops as well. We recall the days when we tendered to shore at Padang Bay, and walked in a very tiny fishing village at the time. Boy, things have sure changed with the demand from world-wide tourists. One other thing worth mentioning, is the fact that while we were docked here, airplanes landed on the average of every 10 minutes or less. All day and evening. The Balinese have a gold mine here.
There is one drawback to being docked here…..we are not able to access anywhere on our own without taking a taxi or a tour. And you can forget about a complimentary shuttle, since according to the When & Where newsletter, due to the remote location in relation to the most desired point of cultural interest, we will not feature a bus service today. And we might add that the taxi drivers here are the most competitive to the point of a harassing experience. Once outside the terminal gate, they are on you like bees on flowers.
So to see the best that Bali has to offer, you need to book tours, either through booking the ship’s excursions or privately. Since we have done most all of them, we can say that Bali’s tours tend to be less expensive than in some other ports. A few excursions were 3 to 5 hours at $95 to $100, or the longer ones at 6 ½ to 9 hours at $125 to $225. Most of those include lunch. On the other hand, if you did your homework and pre-booked a private tour for a small group, it is possible to spend most all day seeing many sights for under $50 a person. The best part of the private tour is the fact you are not dealing with large buses with too many people. Remember, you will moving as fast as the slowest guest, and that can be mighty slow at times. Another fine way to spend a day here, especially if you like swimming, is by taking a taxi to a resort, as some of our buddies did today. The only problem some ran into was the awful traffic getting back to the ship. But that is probably why all aboard was at 10:30pm.
Highlights in Bali for us had to be the various temples, mountain drives, unexpected Bali ceremonies, and the rice paddys. Since some of the elevations of the volcanoes are over 10,000 feet, to learn how the rice paddys are terraced off impossibly steep hillsides was fascinating. Using water that is gravity-fed, as well as supplemented by rain, we have learned how they have managed to squeeze three crops of rice a year. A visit to the Sangeh monkey forest was fun, especially when one naughty male monkey plucked a cell phone off of a selfie stick, and scampered up a tall nutmeg tree. Not so funny if it was our phone, which we don’t own anyway. But anything is game for these primates, such as cameras, hats, and sunglasses.
We have also seen the Barong Dance twice with the gongs and percussion instruments, the Kecak fire dance, and the villages of Ubud for the artist’s colony, and Mas, where woodcarvers create masks, wall hangings, and religious figures with teak and ebony.
Another recent memory was when the sky opened up at a temple complex, and the streets flooded within minutes, filling up our shoes with water. Our umbrellas did not help a whole lot. And we wondered why the majority of the folks had stayed on the bus. And now we know why the locals wear nothing but rubber flip-flops on their feet. What fun we had.
So with all that info, we decided to make today a “sea day”, only leaving the ship to explore the nearby marketplace near the terminal. Remember we told you that a lot of construction was happening here? Well, the souvenir market on the outside of the fence has been reduced to a few stalls. Getting through the onslaught of taxi drivers was a chore in itself. “No thanks” is not an answer they accept readily. Even though we stated firmly that we were not leaving this area, they still bartered with prices and destinations to entice us. After looking briefly at their tables, we went back through the gate, and headed for the other larger market where there were no taxi guys.
There was a huge variety of souvenirs and clothing here, and the vendors were most willing to sell at good prices. We did purchase one beige woven purse that resembles a canteen, and one length of turquoise and gold batik fabric that will eventually become a blouse someday. All we can advise is that unless you are interested in really buying an item, don’t touch it or ask questions. They will follow you everywhere until you agree to buy it or not. Good thing we went early before the worst heat of the day, but also, later on, the rain began and never stopped.
Another thing to keep people busy onboard was the showing of “Crazy Rich Asians” in the Mainstage. Normally when we are in a port late into the evening, there is no entertainment…..only a good movie.
Since about 30% of our crew is Balinese, many of their families and friends had been invited to come on the ship today. We found out later that a self-serve lunch had been set in the dining room for 300 visitors. However, only about 75 actually showed up. Nothing goes to waste here, because the food was brought to the crew mess and was eaten later. One of the head waiters said that since many crew members lived close by, they decided to go home for the day instead. The Amsterdam recently stopped here on the Asia/Pacific cruise last fall, and most of the families had visited then.
We spent the day working on yesterday’s photos and reports, visiting with friends onboard, having several walks, and eating lunch in the Lido. We also watched the nearby ferries leaving with party-goers from the local resorts doing a dinner cruise in the harbor. Before we knew it, the time had come for sun set, but because of the rain, there really wasn’t a good one.
Dinner has become the art of combining favorite items into one entrée. Or ordering several appetizers has been working for the three of us. Caesar chicken salad has become a staple for dinner, and for one of us tonight, it was linguini with London broil strips of steak. Like we have already stated, our waiter is so accommodating.
Looking forward to a day at sea tomorrow. Also, we want to thank everyone for the nice comments on the blog, and giving us some answers about what we cannot find, like info on the orange-footed scrub fowl in Darwin. In regards to the money exchange, we have bought it on the ship, or, sometimes better, onshore. Many countries accept credit cards, but we are most careful where we use it. Many countries will accept the US dollar for street souvenirs, but not in the stores or restaurants.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Report #59 Benoa, Bali Indonesia March 18, 2019 Monday Chance of rain & 84 degrees
