As I previously mentioned, we were met at the port by our friend Made Arsawan who was taking us on a tour of his island….. First, he took us to his home were we met his wife and mother… great visit and a very lovely home. Then it was off to Besakih Temple, the mother temple for the Hindus…. It was fabulous, even in the pouring rain. We then made our way to Mt, Batur for some lovely scenery. We then headed to the Ubud area where I have seen some of the most beautiful rice terraces, Ubud itself is a fabulous village where artists abound. It was a perfect day! I split the photos of our day with Made in two parts, here is the first.
Postcards from Paradise
Bali, Indonesia march 2, 2013 Saturday
Oh, where to start? Today has to be the most jammed-pack port of the entire world cruise. We had pre-booked an all day tour, mostly because the usual tender landing has little to keep our interest. If we had known that we would be docking in Benoa instead, perhaps we could have eliminated the tour and gone off on our own. A little side note: pre-booking a tour and paying in full for it prior to sailing, means that if you choose to cancel it, you forfeit 10% of the tour price. That is, unless you book another tour in its place. Sort of like blackmail, even though the shore excursion folks can and will sell your abandoned tour immediately. If you had waited to book the tour when you boarded and you cancelled before the deadline, you get a full refund to your shipboard account. A no-brainer if you don't mind taking the chance that the tour will be sold out.
Continuing on, the evening would turn the Lido area into a Night Market, transformed into the cultural heart of Indonesia. The festivities are planned to last from 5pm to 9pm, so we'll get back to this event later in the report.
At least one week ago, hand-written notes began appearing on the cabin doors. Passengers wrote to their room stewards for all to see, their permission not to clean their cabins on March 2nd. Well, it spread from deck to deck, until every other door was marked. We did not need to post it on our door, but we told our nice fellows directly not to clean our room that day. They thanked us and said they would be doing minimum service that day, in order to give them more time with their families while in Bali. Some of the Indonesian staff would only get one hour of free time today, so whatever we could do to add to that, we were happy to do it.
The tour. The Amsterdam was scheduled to arrive and be docked at Benoa around 8am. That did not happen. Upon sailing into the Badang Strait, a rather large local ferry was in our spot. Captain Mercer waited patiently for them to move, but sometime around 9am he began blowing the ship's horn to speed up the process. As a result, we did not tie up alongside and get cleared until closer to 10am. That meant that all of the full day tours would be delayed by more than one hour, getting folks back late in the day. Come to think of it, isn't that why these special ship events are held on a sea day? Anyway, it is what it is.
We gathered our stuff and waited in the Queens Lounge with hundreds of other passengers hoping to join their buses soon. There were five tours that were at least 8 hours or more in duration. Most everyone was concerned that we would not get back in time to enjoy the party, so the quicker we left the sooner we would be back. Due to some prior accidents happening in this lounge while dashing to the exit, new rules have been established the last two years. Everyone has to sit down on a cushioned seat, not on the stairs. You cannot hide behind the columns, because you will be embarrassed and told to SIT. Leslie, the shore excursion assistant manager, warns folks not to stampede to get the best seats on the buses. Does that stop most people? NO. On the other hand, we usually find the back seats of the bus the best, and that's where we ended up today. At least we had legroom, while the others were jammed in tight.
The weather looked promising when we left the ship. The sun was out, but there were also some clouds on the horizon. It was hot, hot, hot, and humid, just like we remembered Bali to be. Some brightly dressed dancers were performing for us, but we had no time to even photograph them. The terminal building was very nicely decorated in tile and Balinese decorations. Some shops lined the walkway out but there was no time to browse. Surely, there would be time for shopping, because shopping finds you in this part of the world. The only negative we could see by docking here, is that it took almost an hour to drive out of the port area, due to stop lights that only allowed two vehicles through at a time.
It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive to our first stop at Klungkung Keragosa, a compound built in 1710 by local artists. The ornate pagoda-like pavilion is surrounded by a pond full of waterliles and fish. Upon entering the walled compound, we were given sarongs to tie around our waists. Those of us that chose comfort by wearing long shorts (there were many of us) were required to have our knees covered. Not a problem, we have done this many times before. This is better than having to take our shoes off, and hope they will be outside where we left them. In that case, we do not enter the temple, because our shoes are not something that can be replaced in most of these areas.
Lunch was our next destination. By now, we had begun climbing higher into the mountains and the temperature was dropping, much to our delight. Once we arrived at the restaurant, Mahagiri, we heard thunder clapping overhead. Rain was certainly coming soon. The restaurant was really nice with the most spectacular scenery below the balconies of tables. Tiered rice terraces lined the valley below us like gentle steps down a mountainside. Everywhere we looked, we saw green with coconut palms, clove trees, bamboo, bananas, and wild grasses. Bali is truly a paradise. But the green comes with a price.......rain.
It began as a drizzle as we headed towards our next stop at Besakih, the Mother Temple of Bali, built 1000 feet up the volcanic slopes of Mount Agung. By the time the bus parked, the rain was coming down torrentially. Our guide, who by the way, was very hard to understand, handed each of us a plastic poncho, which did help if you chose to wear it. It was not the best time to find out one of our umbrellas leaked big time. What we did not know, was that we had to walk up the road for almost a half a mile to reach this outdoor temple. A river was literally running down the road, filling our shoes up immediately. Oh well, we were halfway up there and soaked to the bone, so might as well tough it out and walk the rest of the way. Keeping our cameras under cover, we watched as many fellow busmates took advantage of the offer by the local guys on their motorbikes for a ride uphill. They asked for one dollar, like everything else they sell here. What they do not tell you is that it cost $5. or more to get off the bike at the end of the road.
This six-tiered temple, Pura Penataran Agung, was terraced up the steep hillside and has 23 separate temples. The view from the top is reportedly impressive, extending down to the sea. Unfortunately, with the rain and heavy clouds, the view was obliterated. What disturbed us were the large numbers of locals trying to sell postcards, fabrics (did buy some), masks, boxed meat skewers, and carved bone vases. Actually, the vases were made from plastic, but looked good for one dollar. NOT one dollar, if you really wanted to buy it. They wanted $5 or $10 instead, but the dollar thing caught everyone's attention for sure. Bill climbed to the top of the temple, and was accousted by local fellows who demanded money for being up there. What we had failed to hear, was the warning given by our guide NOT to give these guys anything. It wasn't that we did not hear him, but we did not understand what he had said. Another guide from bus 11 repeated the warning, and then we understood. We have seen this behavior before, so it did not surprise us, just disappoints us coming from temple fellows at their holy place.
The rain did let up on our walk back downhill to the waiting bus. We had a chilly ride to the last stop at a palace, Puri Agung Karangasem, built in the 19th century. This Hindu complex had three different styles of Balinese, European, and Chinese influences. We walked around the garden area, where we spotted caged chickens, roosters used for fighting, even though gambling is illegal here on the island. Our guide said that many poor folks are even poorer due to a gambling problem. Guess they can create a law, but it is not easy to enforce it. This stop turned into a bathroom stop for most of us, although the accommodations were less than satisfactory. Most gals said they would wait until we got back to the ship, but that wasn't for two more hours. That can be a REALLY long ride on bumpy roads.
The driver worked his way towards the coastline, where we followed a bumpy road towards the beachside resorts. Numerous trucks were on the highway hauling sand for the cement plants here. Mix those trucks with a million motorbikes, and you have that two hour drive to get back to Benoa. We got back to the ship in the dark by 7pm, still with a lot of time to attend the party in progress. But not until we changed our wet clothes and shoes first.
Now to the party. Two days ago, we had a newsletter than advertised that during the Night Market Party, there would be a $5. cycle taxi ride around the Lido pool for those who wished to donate to a charity. Also, a $25. Canaletto Indonesian fare dinner was offered to 80 people only. The proceeds would go to the Rainbow Foundation, a medical shelter for ill children from all over Indonesia. Any additional donations could be dropped off in a special box at the Canaletto. We are certain they had no problem filling the available seats for dinner. As for the cycle ride, we figured it would be done up on deck nine where there were no obstacles for the rickshaw. However, we were wrong. They attempted to give rides through the crowd of passengers and entertainers around the mid pool. Oh well, there were a couple of takers.
We arrived to the ongoing celebration after 7:30pm. It was going strong, and we soon joined our friends after acquiring our cocktails at one of the several side bars set up. After all, the drinks were free at least until 9pm, and everyone was well ahead of us by this time. The conversion of the pool area was very spectacular with hundreds of potted palm trees and large pots of rice plants surrounding the pool. As we guessed, a pagoda constructed of bamboo spanned the pool, with a bridge to match. Balinese umbrellas were everywhere, with entertainment in progress. A Gamelan band played, an Angklung group played their bamboo instruments, and a Wajang shadow puppet show took place in the pingpong area. There was also a singer, a flute player, and dancers....all dressed in native costumes. Kecak or monkey dancers roamed the crowd. Craft tables were set up around the pool (cash only). Paintings, wood carvings, batik fabrics, jewelry and leather goods were for sale. Inside the lido and the pool grill were dishes of Indonesian cuisine, and most folks ate there.
Barb, Van (Carol was not feeling well), Helen, and the two of us went to our usual table for dinner shortly after 8pm. We had a nice meal that was served promptly, since we shared the dining room with just a few other guests. Well, there is one thing to be said for getting back late from our tour........we did not suffer from hangovers later on (we seldom, if ever do anyway). Not sure we can say that about the rest of the group. The ship left the port around 11pm, and headed towards Sulawesi, our next stop.
Mary Ann & Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment