Komodo, Indonesia

Some might wonder why we enjoy travel. At home I rarely see the sunrise. That's because I don't get up in time. This morning I stepped out on our balcony to watch the sunrise and I took 24 photos! I simply couldn't quit snapping - the world is such a beautiful place, and watching the sun rise over the ocean while sailing through the Indonesian archipelago is truly indescribable! I even took a couple of panoramic videos but unfortunately the ship's internet and this website don't allow me to share them. Sigh...

 

this morning's sunrise

 

As I write this, we are sitting off shore from Komodo island and those who had booked excursions are already tendering in. No one is allowed to go ashore unless in a guided group. Truthfully, that's fine with me because it's super hot and I really didn't care about seeing them anyway. However, I can share some photos that our butler Prashant took here in 2024 and some that I took at the Bandung, Indonesia zoo when we were here in 2012. I'm not really into reptiles anyway, so once was enough for me. 

 

view from our balcony

photo credit: Prashant

The following is in our Currents today. "Due to National Park regulations on Komodo, and for safety and security reasons, guests are not permitted to go ashore independently during our call at Komodo, Indonesia. Only guests on arrangements that are made for a local tour either coordinated independently or via the ship's tour programs are permitted to go ashore at Komodo. Guests are reminded to always stay with their groups while on the tour. The terrain on Komodo is rough and uneven and not suitable for guests with limited mobility. Do not wear or carry any red items on Komodo Island. Do not bring any food ashore and do not attempt to feed the dragons under any circumstances. Guests who may be menstruating or have open wounds are advised to stay on board the ship." 

 

enter at your own risk!? (photo credit: Prashant)

Male Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds, whereas females are slightly smaller. They live between 20-40 years in the wild. And get this - they can smell their next meal up to five miles away!!! They have extremely strong, huge hooked claws and a forked tongue that is used much like a snake. They are fast on land and able to swim as easily as they can climb a tree. Their favorite prey is the wild pigs and Timor deer that are found on the island. The male dragon is very territorial and the bigger the dragon, the bigger the territory. The Komodo is not averse to attacking and eating other dragons that enter its range. 

Bandung zoo

 

I was using a zoom lens!

 

And as we are getting ready to leave Komodo, I will leave you with this - again, taken from our balcony.

God's promise

 

Kupang West Timor, Indonesia

We arrived early this morning at our first Indonesian port. Kupang is a remote destination with very limited tourism infrastructure, so we were warned ahead of time that buses, roads, tour sites and restroom facilities would not be up to Western or tourism standards. Because we lived in Indonesia for 9 months back in 2012, I wasn't surprised at all. But some guests seemed appalled at the poverty and squalor of what they observed. 

Ronnie and I both agreed that nothing has changed since we lived here. At the same time, the people have not changed either, and that's a good thing because they are so very friendly! They rarely if ever see Caucasians (except on TV) so they look at us like they are seeing movie stars. ha! Just as we want to take their pictures, they are busy taking ours. 

Ronnie wasn't up to a 6-7 hour excursion so instead he took the shuttle into the city to look for a battery for my make up mirror (no luck). What he saw was much worse than what I saw on the tour. He said that people were staring, honking, giving him thumbs up and taking pictures of him as well. Like I said, they just don't see that many Caucasians.

First we were driven to Oebelo Village where we watched the process of making a Sasando instrument out of palm leaves. 

Oebelo Village

Thankfully, our bus had AC that worked. The bottom step didn't pull out so it was a long step to the ground. I kind of stabbed myself in the back with the door handle as I was getting off the first time. I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but thankfully no serious damage was done. A few minutes later I got stung by a bee. Sheesh.

It was super hot and everyone was melting as we watched the guy make the musical instrument. The "venue" was outdoors but thankfully covered (photo above). 

 

Next we went to another place where we saw how palm sugar is made. It's cool that they use absolutely every part of this particular palm. The trunk of the tree is used to make furniture. The palm sap from the tree is used to make palm (or brown) sugar and the leaves are used to make these Sasando instruments, baskets, mats and other woven items like the hats they have on in the photos. The liquid is also fermented to make "arak" which is a local beverage.

 

second stop - palm sugar

 

The first step is for someone to shimmy up the palm tree and tap the tree for its sweet sap. This can be done every 8-10 hours or so. Next, the liquid is boiled over a wood fire for several hours until it begins to caramelize. The caramelized sugar is then poured into bamboo molds to harden. The taste and texture reminded me of pralines.

 

 

From there we were taken to Lasiana Beach to a large and modern structure with a beautiful roof made of bamboo. We were welcomed and later entertained by female dancers and given snacks of fried bananas, palm sugar cakes, cassava "fries" and tea. 

On the way back, we stopped at Dekranasda Souvenir Center where a woman was weaving  fabric on a floor loom. These "ikats" are woven into intricate patterns and vibrant colors unique to the area's cultural heritage. Indonesians are hard workers and are skilled in many trades. Prices are incredibly low if one is looking to buy items for themselves or for gifts. 

 

 

Most of all, the Indonesian people are warm and welcoming. I remembered a few words from our time here back in 2012 so I used the phrase "Terima kasih" several times today (it means thank you) and they seemed delighted! 

As already mentioned, it is super hot here so one must continually hydrate. We are, after all, very near the equator and we will be crossing it again, perhaps 2 more times. The people who live here don't know cold weather - ever. They have 2 seasons - dry and wet. Again, we are here at the end of the wet season and it was clouding up to rain as we were getting ready to sail. 

My favorite photography genre is people and travel. The Indonesian people are especially gracious about letting someone take their picture. Here's some of my people photos from the day. 

 

friends

friends (again) as I'm leaving

It was a long, hot but enjoyable day in Kupang West Timor. Tonight we're off to Komodo. I've seen komodo dragons before so I may opt to stay in the AC tomorrow!

Sunday at Sea

We met this morning with other believers and watched (via recording) an excellent message by a pastor from Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota (the church one in our group attends). It was titled "4,000 Weeks: Live like your days are numbered." Ronnie is sitting across from me as I type this so I asked him "how would you sum up the message we heard this morning in a single sentence?" He immediately said "My name is Inigo Montoya....prepare to die!" lol In all seriousness, if you want to hear a very good and thought provoking message, you can find it here https://www.eaglebrookchurch.com/media/past-messages/

There was a special Sunday Brunch in the Grand Dining Room this morning. We weren't aware of it and had already eaten a room service breakfast, but when I heard about it I scooted myself down to the Grand Dining Hall and took some photos. Several of the workers were gracious to let me take their photos. In fact, I think they like it! 

At the half way mark, the ship changed head chefs and our chef from Insignia 2023 is back on board the Vista. He's our favorite, and I think he enjoys having his picture taken too. Anyway, as you'll see, no one goes hungry around here!

Senior Executive Chef Farid Oudir

fruit on left, always present sushi on right

make your own salad

carving stations

crepe station

                  

breakfast fruit

omelets made to order

breakfast breads

not breakfast without dessert!

cheese table

meats/pates

     

chafing dishes down this wall

 

Darwin, Australia

We came into port in Darwin around noon today. In spite of rain in the forecast, the weather was sunny and beautiful (though hot) most of the day. We wanted to be off the ship for a while, even though I’m still somewhat on the puny side. 

 

view from our balcony in port

inside Darwin Cruise Terminal

sign going through security 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

partial view of harbor from ship

So we decided to just take an uber to the mall across town and pick up a few items. I’ll admit, it pretty much wore me out. In other words, I can’t share much about our experiences here but I’ll at least say a little about Darwin.
 

inside Casuarina Square Mall

building mural

 

better view of port mural

As we drove through the city, I saw a number of murals painted on buildings but they were too hard to capture from the back seat of a moving car (except for this one). I also noticed that the sides of the streets were nicely landscaped and there was no trash or graffiti as you see in some cities. Unfortunately, I only took a handful of photos today.

But much like the other places we’ve visited in Australia, Darwin is a busy city with a beachy, tropical vibe. It is home to a very diverse cultural mix of people with many Indigenous Australians, Asian and Europeans. One thing that stood out to me was seeing so many Indigenous Australians, who make up 35% of the Darwin population. As a first-time visitor, I noticed that many have distinctive physical features such as skin tone, hair texture, different facial and body features that reflect their heritage and are different from what we’re accustomed to seeing in the U.S. It was a new experience for me to recognize and appreciate these differences as part of the region’s identity. In our limited interactions, we found people to be friendly and welcoming.

The other part of our day was taken up with getting all the right paperwork to enter Indonesia. It’s no easy thing to get into Indonesia, even if for only one day. The government must know if our visa was arranged by the purser’s department or if we arranged for our visa independently. We must show physical proof of a yellow fever vaccination and fill out an Indonesia Arrival Card which includes pretty much everything there is to know about us - our legal names, nationality, birthdays, passport numbers with expiration date and contact information. We must declare exactly what we are bringing in (in my case, I declared a purse). Also how we arrived (by sea), what kind of vessel (cruise ship), name of ship (Oceania Vista), how many travelers are with us and the purpose of our visit. All of this along with a completed Health and Quarantine Declaration. Whew! When Ronnie taught at the Institute of Technology in Indonesia back in 2012, we were also finger printed at the police station!

It's Saturday night on the ship as I write this and tonight we’ll set our clocks back 1½ hour. So tomorrow we’ll be 13 hours ahead of home. Soon we’ll be on the exact opposite side of the world!

 

Cairns, Australia

I gave away my excursion ticket today in order to stay behind and see the ship doctor. I dread seeing my bill now - seeing a ship doctor is absurdly ridiculous $$$ but Ronnie insisted I get seen after another night of horrible coughing. The good news is that it's bronchitis (not pneumonia) and I should be fine if I continue taking the antibiotic our travel doctor sent with us.

I was also happy to learn that the lady we gave my ticket to was already on the waiting list for that excursion, so that worked out well.  I sent Ronnie off with instructions to take lots of photos, and to get closer to his subjects. ha! I'm proud of him and I will share some of my favorites that he took today. However, he will write a few words about what they experienced. (bottom)

 

beautiful Lady Gouldian Finches - native to Australia

Ronnie: It was a rainy day from start to finish. The rain was already coming down when we boarded the bus, and it never really let up. Still, we made the most of it as we drove through Cairns, getting a glimpse of the town on our way out, and then seeing entirely different areas as we returned along another route. Cairns is a modern city with a population of about 180,000 people. 

Our first stop was Kuranda Village, a touristy spot tucked into the rainforest. There were all kinds of shops to explore—books, local goods, a butterfly museum and visitor center. It would have been easy to spend more time there if the weather had cooperated, but our schedule kept us moving along.

We watched a demonstration of a didgeridoo, a long wind instrument crafted by Indigenous Australians from eucalyptus wood. It is naturally hollowed out by termites and produces a deep, resonant drone. It is considered one of the world's oldest musical instruments. It was used to call animals and also in their dances.

From there, we continued on to Rainforest Station Nature Park, where we watched an Aboriginal cultural performance. I especially enjoyed the demonstrations of boomerang and spear throwing—I even gave it a try myself and did surprisingly well!

Each dancer had an animal name given to them at birth. They are not allowed to marry someone with the same animal name. After their dance, we boarded Army Ducks for a ride through the rainforest. Although we didn’t spot any wildlife (despite the area being full of it), we were surrounded by incredibly dense, lush vegetation. This region is believed to be one of the oldest living rainforests in the world, which made it all the more fascinating—even in the pouring rain.

And one can see from the photos, the rain wasn’t just a drizzle—it was coming down hard.