- Day D-2 Leaving Imperial Beach, California
- Day D-1 Arriving in Fort Lauderdale
- Day 1- The Grand Voyage Begins! 115 Days
- Day 2 – At Sea – Enroute Costa Rica
- Day 3 – Cruising the Carribean
- Day 4 – At Sea Enroute to Costa Rica
- Day 5 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
- Day 6- Cruising the Panama Canal
- Day 7 – Fuerte Amador, Panama
- Day 8 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 9 – At Sea enroute to Nuku Hiva
- Day 10, At Sea – Enroute Nuku Hiva
- Day 11 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 12 – Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 13, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 14, Sailing towards Nuku Hiva
- Day 15, Sailing toward Nuku Hiva
- Day 16, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
- Day 17, Sailing toward Avatoru
- Day 18 – Avatoru, Rangiroa
- Day 19, Papeete, Tahiti and taking the ferry to Mo’orea
- Day 20, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Day 21, Sailing toward Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 22, Avatiu, Rarotonga
- Day 23, Sailing toward Waitangi, New Zealand
- Day 24, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 25, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 26, Sailing towards Waitangi
- Day 27, Waitangi (Bay of Islands) New Zealand
- Day 28, Auckland, New Zealand
- Day 29, Sailing toward Picton, New Zealand
- Day 30, Picton New Zealand
- Day 31, Sailing toward Melbourne, Australia
- Day 32, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 33, Sailing toward Melbourne
- Day 34, Melbourne, Australia
- Day 35, Sailing toward Sydney Australia
- Day 36, Sydney, Australia
- Day 37, Sydney, Australia
- Day 38, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 39, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 40, Sailing towards Townsville
- Day 41, Townsville, Australia
- Day 42, Cairns, Australia
- Day 43, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 44, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 45, Sailing towards Darwin, Australia
- Day 46, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Day 47, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 48, Sailing toward Benoa, Indonesia
- Day 49, Benoa, Bali, Indonesia
- Day 50, Sailing towards Semarang, Indonesia
- Day 51, Semarang, Java, Indonesia
- Day 52, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Day 53, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 54, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 55, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 56, Sailing toward Hong Kong
- Day 57, Hong Kong
- Day 58, Hong Kong
- Day 59, Hong Kong
- Day 60, Sailing toward Da Nang
- Day 61, Da Nang, Vietnam
- Day 62, Da Nang, Viet Nam
- Day 63, Sailing toward Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 64. Phu My, Vietnam
- Day 65, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Ms Amsterdam sailing toward Sihanoukville
- Day 66; Siem Reap to Sihanoukville – while Amsterdam is moored at Sihanoukville
- Day 67, Sailing toward Singapore
- Day 68, Singapore
- Day 69, Singapore
- Day 70, Singapore
- Day 71, Sailing toward Phuket, Thailand
- Day 72, Phuket, Thailand
- Day 73, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 74, Sailing toward Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 75, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
- Day 76, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Day 77, Colombo, Sri Lanka to New Delhi, India
- Day 78, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 79, Agra, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 80, New Delhi, India (Ship sailing toward Dubai)
- Day 81, New Delhi to Dubai
- Day 82, Dubai, UAE
- Day 83, Dubai, UAE
- Day 84, Sailing toward Muscat
- Day 85, Muscat, Oman
- Day 86, Sailing toward Salalah, Oman
- Day 87, Salalah, Oman
- Day 88, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 89, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 90, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 91, Sailing toward Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 92, Al’Aqabah, Jordan
- Day 93, Sailing toward the Suez Canal
- Day 94, Transiting the Suez Canal
- Day 95, Haifa, Israel
- Day 96, Ashdod, Israel
- Day 97, Sailing toward Piraeus, Greece
- Day 98, Piraeus (Athens,) Greece
- Day 99, Katakolon, Greece
- Day 100, Sailing toward Civitavecchia, Italy
- Day 101, Civitavecchia, Italy
- Menus and On Locations updated…more posts coming soon
- Day 102, Livorno, Italy
- Day 103, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Day 104, Barcelona, Spain
- Day 105, Sailing toward Cadiz
- Day 106, Cadiz, Spain
- Day 107, Sailing toward Funchal, Portugal
- Day 108, Funchal, Portugal
- Day 109, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 110, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 111, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 112, April 26, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 113, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 114, April 28, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 115, April 29, Sailing toward Fort Lauderdale
- Day 116, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Day 117, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
- Day 118, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 119, Sailing towards Cartagena
- Day 120, Cartagena, Colombia
- Day 121, Transiting the Panama Canal
- Day 122, Sailing toward Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 123, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Day 124, Corinto, Nicaragua
- Day 125, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
- Day 126, Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
- Subscribe to this blog! – Check box at bottom of this page
- Day 127, Huatulco, Mexico
- Day 128, Sailing toward Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 129, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Day 130, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 131, Sailing toward San Diego, California
- Day 132, San Diego, California
- Opening the Package! What is inside?
- That’s Entertainment!
- PACKING FOR A WORLD CRUISE
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 1
- Amazing end of cruise video!
- How much does it cost to go on a world cruise? Part 2 – Pre and Post Cruise Expenses
- Holland America SELLS OUT 2017 World Cruise Inside Cabins – Segments still avail for less the $5,000 per cabin!
- How Much Does it Cost to Go on a World Cruise? Part 3 – Onboard Spending and Calculator
The Amsterdam paused outside Benoa Harbor around 7am this morning to pick up the pilot for our final approach to our berth alongside the Benoa Cruise Terminal where we would moor around 8 am. Rain was in the forecast, along with heat and humidity, but it was surprisingly dry and not too unbearably hot, at least early in the morning.
Our gangways were in place around 8AM and the ship was cleared almost immediately. We had arranged for one of HALs private drivers, and were traveling with 2 other couples. With a hard meeting time of 8:30 AM in the Ocean Bar we quickly headed for the gangway for an 8:45 AM meeting the driver outside the terminal.
- NOTE: Normally Holland America’s private touring minivans are fairly expensive but for Bali, the price for an all-day minivan that would hold 6 people was $429. The same minivan in Jakarta is $1,250 and in Sydney it was $1,800. Based on this reasonable price and the concerns with missing the ship due to traffic we decided to book the all-day minivan and we found 2 other couples to join us thru our cruise critic roll call. Another benefit of the HAL private driver is that since you are on an official HAL tour – the ship will wait for you or bear the expense of getting you to the next port – if you are late returning.
- After you book a private driver with HAL and once the cruise begins, the excursions office will ask you for your proposed itinerary. They will send this to the tour operator who verifies that they can complete your desired trip in the allocated time. Once you and the tour operator agree on the schedule, HAL excursions will give you the tour ticket. The Minivan will be in your name only and you are responsible for letting everyone else know about the required meeting time. The Excursions office also gave us HAL Tour Dots, which we wore, but it turned out were really not necessary.
This was the first time we left the ship right after being cleared and there was quite a crowd on the stairs going down to A deck. There were many tours leaving at the same time with a lot of folks trying to get off all at once, but the line moved quickly and we were off in a few minutes.
In the terminal there was a large security X-ray machine that at first I started to walk around, assuming it was for returning passengers. A security guard motioned to me to send my bag thru the machine and that’s when I realized that they were checking the bags for people entering Bali, but as I learned later, not on the way out as is typical.
We rushed thru the terminal where we discovered a large scrum of tour operators, standing before numerous buses and vans, holding signs with numbers and names. After a few minutes, I found our tour guide, Harmoni, holding a sign with my name and after rounding up our group we headed over to the van. The vehicle was described as a minivan with a capacity of 6 in the brochure and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the van was really more of a mini bus that would hold 12 people. After we all piled into the van, we verified our schedule and then our driver headed out of the parking lot and we were on our way.
With all the hype about traffic, I was fully expecting something similar to mid-town Manhattan during rush hour once we crossed the causeway and entered the city. I was not disappointed to find that the traffic, while busy, was really quite ordinary for a large city and was flowing easily. There were a large number of mopeds darting to and fro and they would freely hop on the sidewalk to keep moving. Driving among the mopeds was like driving thru a flock of birds standing in the road – ignore them and they will get out of your way. Drivers seemed to maneuver without regard to the 2 wheelers and the moped operators used their superior maneuverability to stay out of harm’s way.
I used to race bicycles and when confronting traffic here or in Rome, I realize that you simply act as if you are in a large bicycle race by following a few simple rules.
- Road lane markings are meaningless and should be ignored – traffic signals may indicate a change in traffic flow, but are advisory only.
- The vehicle in front has the right of way – this negates the need for rear view mirrors as you have the right of way over any vehicle behind you.
- Driving is allowed anywhere your vehicle will fit
- Ride a predictable line and avoid sudden moves or turns. Avoid using your brakes.
Wide 4 lane roads gave way to 2 lane roads as we left the city and headed up north into the hills. After 45 minutes we were in rural Bali with beautiful terraced rice paddies appearing alongside the road. We stopped after we saw a lone farmer working in knee deep water, clearing weeds out of the paddy. His “Be Happy” T shirt matched his mood as we discovered after our guide shouted to him and tossed him a cold bottle of water. He flashed a big smile as he retrieved the water bottle and we all waved. Harmoni informed us that these farmers have been working these fields for generations and that they will typically keep half the rice for their families use while selling the other half in the local markets.
A few minutes later we stopped again and Harmoni waved to two women working in their field. We learned that these women were in their 70’s but still putting in a hard day’s work. Harmoni tossed them cold bottles of water that they appreciated. Here at about 1800 feet above sea level, the temperature was in the low 80’s with a nice breeze and was really quite comfortable.
Across the street from the fields were several houses, or compounds. A local grandfather saw us wandering the road and he beckoned for us to come into his compound and look around. His compound consisted of a common room or living room, several separate buildings, one housing the kitchen and another a bedroom (with only 2 permanent walls) and a family temple. His 3 darling granddaughters watched us from the doorway smiling shyly. They graciously allowed photographs and we left the children with some keychains from San Diego that we bring with us for this purpose. We have learned that many people enjoy small gifts from your home town and we often receive a small gift in return.
Our first official stop would be the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces. The admission fee was 20,000 Rp or about $1.50 USD. The rice terraces sit below the road, which is lined with street vendors, cafes & shops, and offers beautiful vistas of the terraces and the distant mountains. While we were enjoying the view, our guide purchased some local snacks: Dried Bananas and some type of fruit they called Snake Skin Fruit. We never did learn the real name, but it peeled easily and tasted sorta like a cross between an apple and a plum. There were about two dozen other tourists, not from the cruise ship, and a couple of tour buses filled with Japanese who were also enjoying the cool, clear weather and the amazing views. We could have stopped for lunch here, but we elected to skip lunch (never hurts to skip a meal once in a while on a cruise) and spend more time touring.
Once we shut the door to our van, the rain came down in large buckets – then smaller buckets and finally settling down to a steady drizzle. The roads continued to narrow and the condition became worse and worse as we continued on toward our next stop: The Temple at Bali Ulun Dana on Lake Beratan.
By the time we arrived at The Temple at Bali Ulun Dana, the rain had slowed to a light drizzle, which still required an umbrella, but was light enough that you could set it aside to take a picture. Admission to this temple was 30,000 Rp ($2.25 US). The temple and grounds were flooded with tourists from around the world and was designed with tourism is mind as there were wide, well-marked paths in numerous languages and many souvenir shops.
We were warned prior to leaving the ship that entrance to these temples required having your legs and shoulders covered and to dress modestly. There was a sign, in English, reminding people to dress respectfully, but this was ignored by many as we saw quite a few women wearing short shorts, halter tops and men wearing shorts with cut off T –shirts. Later on we would learn from people on another tour, that the temple they visited enforced the dress code and was passing out sarongs as necessary.
Here is a photo of two women, related in some way since they are holding hands, but dressed very differently inside the temple grounds. Go figure.
This temple is featured on the Indonesian 50,000 Rp note. Many people amused themselves by attempting to photograph the actual temple in the background while holding a 50000 Rp note in the foreground. We gave it a shot, but the concept proved more interesting than the actual photograph.
After leaving Bali Ulun Dana, the rain let up and we were now heading back toward the ship. Narrow half lane and one lane roads started to widen as we continued down the mountains and toward to sea. Throughout the day we would come across amazing feats of people carrying heavy and weird stuff on mopeds and motorcycles. We learned that the minimum legal age to drive a moped was 16, but that was only advisory and not enforced.
Around one curve we were surprised to see a small swarm of children, wearing school uniforms (complete with blue ties) all riding motorcycles and scooters of various sizes. Here is a picture of the kids shot through the rain splattered windshield of our van.
Along the way to our last temple, we stopped by a coffee retailer called Mertha Sari Bhuana. They sell a variety of teas and coffees and were offering free samples for everything except their Luwak Coffee. A sample of Luwak coffee would cost 50,000 Rp or about $3.75. We learned that the Luwak coffee is made using beans that have passed thru the digestive system of a small animal called a Luwak by the locals. Well, where else can you get coffee like that! They produced the cup with great fanfare, covered by a special lid. It was very hot, but not very good. At least to my taste – it was very strong – but tasted overcooked rather than having a strong coffee taste like an espresso. But coffee is very subjective and I’m sure that others may find it more to their liking and I would encourage everyone to give it a try.
Back in the city, the Taman Ayun Temple was our final stop. Beautiful flowers and trees covered the grounds making the temple a lush oasis in the midst of the bustling city. A moat surrounded the temple and was lined with fisherman of all ages. By now the rain had completely stopped and the temperatures were quite pleasant. It was really turning out to be a nice day. We have learned in Bali, almost anything can appear at any moment and as we were leaving the temple we came across a person handling a Luwak (you know, the animal that makes coffee) and was offering the chance to let him crawl all over your shoulders. Our tour guide took advantage of the opportunity.
After a busy day we made our way back to the cruise terminal about 15 minutes before the all aboard time. We had Just enough time to buy some postcards and stamps from vendors inside the terminal. There was no security other than checking cruise cards prior to us boarding the ship. As per normal procedure, the ship uses its metal detectors and x ray machine whenever there isn’t any screening done in the terminal. As it turned out, there were a couple of late returning tours and the Captain announced that there was only 2 feet of water under the keel at the moment so he would wait until 7pm to depart when he would have more buffer from the bottom. He noted that it was a little disconcerting to see fisherman standing in water so close to the channel.
Once on board, we learned that the Sail Away was moved to the Crow’s nest even though the rain stopped in time to use the Sea View Pool had they stuck to the original plan. The Crow’s Nest had a couple dozen people, but looked more like a normal happy hour setup and was missing anyone passing out traditional sail away snacks.
Martin Lawson, one of the HAL singers, was featured at the 7:30 PM Spotlight Show. His performance was amazing and he was able to really showcase his wonderful voice. Singing one of his mother’s favorite songs – “Stars” from Les Miserable he displayed incredible range and ability to create an emotional tie to the audience. His final song was “Nessun Dorma” (None Shall Sleep), an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot and he nailed it – bringing the audience to its feet with explosive applause.
Dinner was a joy as always as we everyone recounted their days of adventure and daring do. A few folks at our table traveled the luxury road and the spent the day being pampered at one of Bali’s many luxurious resort spas – Bali is a wonderful spot and is definitely on my list of places we need to visit again for an extended stay.
Spanish Guitarist Vincenzo finished our day with an incredible virtuoso performance on the Spanish Guitar. One of the many wonders of this Grand World Voyage has been the incredible entertainment. Night after night we have been exposed to a wide variety of high quality shows – ones we would normally never seek out at home, but are so glad we had the chance to sample their talent on the Amsterdam.
This entry was posted in 2016 Grand World Voyage, Asia, Bali, Indonesia
Thanks for the amazing day by day reporting. Very well done. Much appreciated.
I recognize Konnie (‘haterain’ on cruise critic) in your photo of the tour group. We met her on the Amsterdam Christmas Panama Canal cruise just prior to the world cruise. We wish her well.
Cheers,
John & Mary Holloway
Portland, OR
Thanks for reading….glad you are enjoying the posts..
Pete
I am enjoying immensely your daily blogs and try to read them regularly. As a HAL cruise we appreciate everything you say about them. I also read Capt. mercer’s reports to see things from his perspective. Keep up the great work. I am enjoying the trip vicariously through you.
Randy D
Glad you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for reading
Martin Lawson was one of the the “Royal Cunard Singers” on the 2014 QE World Voyage. I saw him perform many times and he is an excellent singer. I didn’t recognize him at first because his hair is much longer!
I hope you will post pictures of Judy’s finished knitting projects!
Thanks for taking the time and effort to let us follow you around the world!
Kathi
Check out Judy’s ravelry page under Judyzz
Thanks for following!
Hi Kathi,
Thanks for your lovely comment. It was really nice to read that. I hope that you’ve been enjoying our shows as much on the Amsterdam as you did on the QE. We will be on the Volendam next from mid June until January.
I hope you have a wonderful time on the rest of your voyage.
Best wishes,
Martin
Pete,
This is an excellent blog and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you so much for your very generous comments and even more so for the pictures and videos you gave me of the show. My family will be really happy to get the chance to see some of the performance, so thank you very much!
I hope that you and Judy enjoy the rest of the World Voyage and hope to see you both on another ship in the future.
Best wishes,
Martin
You are welcome. We are looking forward to your final show before Hong Kong