Our arrival to the island of Bali was delayed due to the Hindu holiday of Nyepi, which ended at 6am this morning. We were informed by our Indonesian maitre'd that life resumed on the island at 6:01am. And that was when the pilot boarded the ship to bring it into Benoa Bay. The ship was docked starboard close to 9am, so we went out on deck six forward to check the progress. The gamelan band was set up under a protective tent, and the exotic Balinese dancers were ready to perform their mesmerizing dance. They are always shoeless, even with the puddles of the recent rain shower on the dock. Once you see the dance and hear the music, you realize "you are not in Kansas anymore".
No doubt, it was going to be a hot one today with temperatures in the mid-eighties. The high humidity was 91% with 8.1 mph winds. There were broken clouds with a chance of light rain. It may have rained high on the mountains, but not so much down in the town of Benoa.
As always, some of the shore excursion groups went off of the ship first, and they were greeted by a few officers as well as Florin who was taking video of their exit. We had all been given a QR code in one form or another to show the officials inside the terminal. It was scanned and recorded. The Indonesian visas had been processed and added to our electronic passports which remained onboard the ship. The cost was $60 each and was applied to our shipboard account. We did have the option to obtain these visas ourselves, but we chose to use the shipboard credit we have. In addition to these charges, was another tourism levy of $10 per person once we leave the ship. If you chose not to get off of the ship, you would not be charged. Thinking back to last year's cruise, we believe we did the same thing then.
There were eleven tours offered. Bali arts and crafts was five hours and $100, and the kecak & fire dance was the same price for 3 hours. Discover Seminyake & Tanah Lot was $110 for six hours. Historic & scenic Bali was nine hours and $120. Mt. Batur & barong dance was also nine hours for $ 140. Tenganan & water palace was eight hours and $150, however we heard it was cancelled due to flood damage. East Bali heritage was eight and one half hours for $160, while the Royal Temple & monkey forest at Tanah Lot was six hours and $170. A VW safari 7 Mt. Batur was eight and one half hours for $200, and Munduk highlands was eight and one half hours for $200. Uluwatu Tall Cliff was six and one half hours for $210. Most of the longer excursions had a buffet lunch. We have done most of these tours at least twice. In addition, there was no complimentary shuttle provided to a mall of whatever. We have been told that is due to the strong taxi union here.
We had been booked for one of the longer tours, a free perk that came with the room we booked. However, we reconsidered knowing how many hours would be spent riding in a bus. We changed our minds due to back problems. The shore excursion folks said we could take another one of the approved tours on that list before the cruise ends. In the past, they would not do that for us.
We went off of the ship around 10:30am, walked through the terminal, had our QR codes scanned and then went out to their fairly new marketplace. Today and tomorrow, many of the crew's families will be boarding for a special buffet dining room lunch and an ice cream party for the kids later. The crew members were so proud to show off their families for those of us that had stayed onboard. They also toured the ship and took many pictures on every deck. We expected to see the young kids in the swimming pools, but they did not allow that we guess.
We inspected every stall in the market as well as the old-style tables under tents in the back. We did come out with two pull over dresses and one silky top along with a set of koozies. We bet just about every lady will be wearing one of these creations in the following evenings. The prices were reasonable if you were willing to bargain. We continued back onboard, passing through xray in the terminal, then went to the Seaview Pool for some much-needed lemonade. It was SO hot back there, we only stayed for a short time.
We always make our way to the front elevator passing through the Lido pool area. Today many guests were eating lunch, so we stopped to chat with friends. That turned into almost two hours of catching up before we headed back to our room. We ordered a light room service lunch, then one of us had a doctor appointment at 4:15pm. An infected big toe was the problem, and a series of antibiotics should take care of it. Hopefully soon, since Singapore is coming up and we always do a lot of walking there as well as MRT riding.
Being docked starboard turned out to be a plus for those of us on the port side. We had the view of Benoa Bay with so much activity, it amused us for the rest of the day. Large jets flew overhead every 5 to 15 minutes…..no kidding. There were jet-skiers, banana boat rides, ferries, antiquated fishing boats, and later dinner cruises. During the afternoon and at sunset, the minarets went off with the singing which could be heard everywhere. Of course, we stayed in our cool room and worked on yesterday's photos and report.
We enjoyed another colorful sunset before heading off for dinner. It was disappointing to find there was no tomato soup as promised on the TV menu. So chicken noodle soup was substituted. Other tasty appetizers were a crab spring roll and a tenderloin pickled papaya salad. Mains were one prime rib meal, enough for three people. Bami goreng was another Indonesian favorite enjoyed by one of us. Desserts were one sliced banana and one Sacher torte. We asked Dwi, our waiter, about today's buffet for the visiting families. He said 350 attended the lunch today and tomorrow there will be about 100. The staff had decorated the lower dining room with flags and it looked quite festive.
Showtime featured a Balinese group performing The Spirit of Bali. They had graceful dancers and musicians that "wowed" the guests by showing off the heritage and culture of their country. We have seen it several times, and enjoyed it immensely.
The ship stayed overnight for another full day in port tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
