Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore &
Indonesia
*Nov 1 – 13, 2024
Indonesia
*Nov 1 – 13, 2024
Balinese Dancers
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Reclining Budha
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Most of our group arrived in Bangkok two days early for the pre-trp. Our Shangri La hotel was well-located for restaurants, and we dined two days running at an Italian-Thai place across the street. On the second day, we toured the Grand Palace and Wat Pho Temple with its 150' Reclining Buddha.
On Nov 1, we embarked our ship for a 12-night cruise. This beautiful, newer vessel had good-sized staterooms and generously-sized bathrooms. Over the course of the journey, we found the food quite good and the staff unfailingly courteous and helpful. If was very nice to have the same table reserved for us in the dining room, with the same waiter, Agustina. The two nights we were in private rooms in the specialty restaurants, Manfredi's and Chef's table, were delightful as well.
We had one night in port before two sea days as we sailed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We appreciated the onboard history lectures, port talks, galley tour, and cruise director's show with his singing and jokes. He's an entertainer first and cruise director second! Several of us visited the spa for the hot tub, snow room, or a massage.
We found Kuala Lumpur a surprisingly modern and beautiful city. We visited the National Museum and Independence Square, and saw the National Mosque, 2-story shop houses of Old Market Sq. and the magnificent twin Petronas Towers.
The following day, we were in Singapore. We learned traffic is light there due to the cost of owning a car, generally over $200K including the owner's permit. Almost everyone is housed in apartment buildings, assisted by the government. Sights here included Raffles Hotel, orchid garden, Hindu temple, Marina Bay Sands towers, iconic Lion-Fish fountain, Gardens by the Bay and Flower Dome greenhouse.
After another day at sea, we were docked for two nights in Jakarta, Indonesia, the bustling capital on the island of Java. A few of us took an Indonesian cooking class which was preceded by a fascinating market trip. We also visited Chinatown and the oldest temple in the city. Jakarta is home to the world's third largest mosque and Jakarta Cathedral.
Our next port-of-call was Semarang, Indonesia, still on Java, and known for its batik craft. Next was the Indonesian port of Surabaya, Java, where we visited Hero Monument, a lovely church built in 1899 and a vibrant produce market. We had lunch in a lovely hotel. Indonesia is known for its spices, including nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, as well as for its traditional shadow puppetry. Few of us had any idea how large Indonesia is (almost 3 times the land area of Texas!) and that its population is close to 300 million. It's an economic powerhouse in SE Asia.
Our final stop was the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali. Here we visited a market, then a Hindu temple complex. We were fortunate that lovely Balinese dancers were there. We disembarked in Bali the following morning.
Most of the group continued on for the two-night post-trip in Bali, staying at an amazing resort. On route, the full day tour visited Taman Lot temple, built hundreds of years ago on a rock formation just offshore. A nice lunch was included at a golf resort. This was followed by a stop at a lakeside temple with stacked roofs, then at terraced gardens and mountainside rice fields The second and final night at the resort there was a colorful Balinese performance.
The weather throughout the trip was quite hot and humid, but we saw so many sights and had a number of amazing experiences. This part of the world is so rich in culture and tradition. We were very glad we made the journey.
On Nov 1, we embarked our ship for a 12-night cruise. This beautiful, newer vessel had good-sized staterooms and generously-sized bathrooms. Over the course of the journey, we found the food quite good and the staff unfailingly courteous and helpful. If was very nice to have the same table reserved for us in the dining room, with the same waiter, Agustina. The two nights we were in private rooms in the specialty restaurants, Manfredi's and Chef's table, were delightful as well.
We had one night in port before two sea days as we sailed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We appreciated the onboard history lectures, port talks, galley tour, and cruise director's show with his singing and jokes. He's an entertainer first and cruise director second! Several of us visited the spa for the hot tub, snow room, or a massage.
We found Kuala Lumpur a surprisingly modern and beautiful city. We visited the National Museum and Independence Square, and saw the National Mosque, 2-story shop houses of Old Market Sq. and the magnificent twin Petronas Towers.
The following day, we were in Singapore. We learned traffic is light there due to the cost of owning a car, generally over $200K including the owner's permit. Almost everyone is housed in apartment buildings, assisted by the government. Sights here included Raffles Hotel, orchid garden, Hindu temple, Marina Bay Sands towers, iconic Lion-Fish fountain, Gardens by the Bay and Flower Dome greenhouse.
After another day at sea, we were docked for two nights in Jakarta, Indonesia, the bustling capital on the island of Java. A few of us took an Indonesian cooking class which was preceded by a fascinating market trip. We also visited Chinatown and the oldest temple in the city. Jakarta is home to the world's third largest mosque and Jakarta Cathedral.
Our next port-of-call was Semarang, Indonesia, still on Java, and known for its batik craft. Next was the Indonesian port of Surabaya, Java, where we visited Hero Monument, a lovely church built in 1899 and a vibrant produce market. We had lunch in a lovely hotel. Indonesia is known for its spices, including nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, as well as for its traditional shadow puppetry. Few of us had any idea how large Indonesia is (almost 3 times the land area of Texas!) and that its population is close to 300 million. It's an economic powerhouse in SE Asia.
Our final stop was the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali. Here we visited a market, then a Hindu temple complex. We were fortunate that lovely Balinese dancers were there. We disembarked in Bali the following morning.
Most of the group continued on for the two-night post-trip in Bali, staying at an amazing resort. On route, the full day tour visited Taman Lot temple, built hundreds of years ago on a rock formation just offshore. A nice lunch was included at a golf resort. This was followed by a stop at a lakeside temple with stacked roofs, then at terraced gardens and mountainside rice fields The second and final night at the resort there was a colorful Balinese performance.
The weather throughout the trip was quite hot and humid, but we saw so many sights and had a number of amazing experiences. This part of the world is so rich in culture and tradition. We were very glad we made the journey.