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Far east Asia by going west
Went to sleep at nine o’clock yesterday. Just like an old man my age should. Still, waking up at 3 AM is not an easy task. Taking a shower helped somewhat, but I still felt like I was sleepwalking. Our morning ritual went by fast, and before we knew it the Lyft driver was pulling into our driveway. Early trips are demanding, but the advantage is it’s quiet everywhere. No traffic on the way to the airport, and no lines when checking our luggage.
Newark
The first leg to Newark was to be a trial for Gepke’s Scopolamine patch;. Would it help? We arrived in Newark with no motion sickness symptoms. As soon would become apparent: the patch works like a charm.
We had plenty of time to get to the next gate. On the way there we stopped to get some breakfast at one of the On The Go Concessions. Newark Airport eatery prices are highway robbery. Still we managed to numb the pain by paying with miles. 5000 miles for two simple breakfasts, that did not even include coffee.
On to Tokyo
The next leg from EWR (Newark) to NRT (Tokyo) would be the longest: 14 hours and 20 minutes. I had set myself to try to stay awake most of the first leg. This way I would be good and tired and able to sleep on the next leg to Bangkok.
I must have watched 10 episodes of the second season of FBI. Figuring that would be not too mentally challenging, but interesting enough to keep me awake. However, Gepke did catch me twice dosing off. I just thought they were shorter episodes.
We were lucky with our seats: window and center seat near the exit. Plenty of leg room for my 6’1”. As it turned out, the aisle seat ended up not filled. We had three seats for the two of us.
After landing in Tokyo, we had another 3 hour layover. We could sleep standing up when we boarded finally. The minute I sat down for the next 7 hour flight, I could no longer keep my eyes open. I remember waking up once or twice because a friendly flight attendant wanted to feed me. I just waved her off and went back to sleep.
Thailand here we are again
Finally: Bangkok! We breezed through immigrations and headed for luggage carousel. Our two bags were already circling. We walked out of the door, ignoring customs. There was exit 3. A driver would be waiting with our name. That turned out to be true. However she made us wait a while. After 20 minutes she took us outside to a van. This turned out to be the real driver who would take us to Nouvo City Hotel.
The driver barely spoke English, but then I barely speak Thai so there was a good balance. He pointed out some of the sights along the way, but most of his explanation went over our heads. We caught him mentioning the 9th and 10th King of Thailand, apparently we passed their residences.
We were much more interested in our final destination. That would be where we could crash on our beds. By now it was past midnight on Friday and no waiting to check into our room. We literally crashed, nearly forgetting to remove our clothes.
That night Gepke crashed into the wall, trying to find the bathroom. I did ask if she was OK, but went right back to sleep before registering the answer…
Bangkok, Friday Nov 22
Reading the time on a digital clock has always been challenging for Gepke. When she got up because she thought it was 6:30, which turned out to be 5:30. I’m glad she didn’t wake me up before she found out. When it was a more reasonable 7:30 we were both up and around getting organized and ready to get breakfast.
Breakfast at the hotel was actually very good. None of this “grab and go” stuff you find in many US hotels/motels. This was a full buffet with a wide selection of warm and cold servings. Coffee was fresh made for every cup, so we were happy campers.
Out for a walk
We decided to take it easy today and only walk around a little to survey the immediate surroundings. That ended up being a 4 mile walk anyway. We saw a lot, and got to stop for a nice ice cold cappuccino drink. We don’t want to over do it on our first day. The trip here was already very demanding so far.
When we returned, they had not yet cleaned the room. So we headed back to the front desk area and veg out on the seats there.
Dinner
In the evening we found a place to eat across the street. Smack on the corner where the traffic was less than 6 inches from our table. The food however was good, as most street food in Bangkok usually is.
We went to sleep way too early, as a result of jet lag that kept us from staying awake. After twice failing at staying awake, we both gave in and went off to dreamland.
Bangkok, Saturday Nov 23
We both had a very restless night. Occasional naps were interrupted by loud noises. Mostly when one of us would bump into things as we searched for things in the room that weren’t there. We finally gave in around 6:30 and after a quick shower went downstairs for breakfast.
Our plan for the day was to walk around the city, and find a temple or two to visit. We started at the serene area of the Marble Temple (Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram). The temple itself had a collection of Buddha statues in different “attitudes”. Like Calming the ocean, meditating, resisting temptation, and other “attitudes” associated with Buddhism.
Another walk
We walked the long distance along a broad street. It was decorated with objects apparently there to honor the royals. There were occasional obstacles in the way like fences. I assume those were there to prevent people from taking that route. We couldn’t read the Thai signage. So we just circumvented the obstacles and enjoyed to quiet trafficless and unpopulated route.
We ended up at the Wat Saket only to find out that we had been there before. The temple is on a hill and requires a steep climb along many stairs. When we were here last, it was raining really hard and the stairs looked like waterfalls. So we decided to avoid that exercise. Instead we went on to our next destination the Wat Pho: the temple of the Reclining Buddha.
Wat Saket
After removing our shoes, we got in a long line to enter the temple. Then you need to walk along the 46 meter / 150 feet long golden Buddha statue lying on it’s side. No way to get through here in a hurry, as the place is packed with people.
Everyone is trying to get a view or picture of the statue. There are also people trying to perform their Buddhist practices and rituals. The two groups can get in each other’s way. Both groups are under constant threat of pick pockets, as everyone is very close together.
Back to the hotel
We decided it was time to walk back to the hotel, and allowed Google Maps to lead the way. The app is amazing in finding a route through a maze of streets, back alleys and other roads. However when it comes to crossing major 6 lane intersections, it just plain stinks.
We found our own way across. A scary route avoiding cars, scooters and bicycles. Occasionally we closed our eyes when it got really hairy. We made it back to the hotel, without getting hit. Though dirty looks from some drivers could not be avoided.
Our total walking distance for the day exceeded 7 miles, so we had worked up an appetite. Since it was too early to eat, I decided to spoil my appetite with potato chips and chocolate cookies.
Dinner
In the evening we did not get any further than the 7 steps across the street to an Indian Restaurant. We tried not to order too much food, and failed miserably at this. The last two Samosas went back into the kitchen, but I’m sure someone there could find good use of it.
Off to bed, and another attempt to fight jet lag that wants us to sleep intermittently but very early.
Bangkok, Sunday Nov 24
I made it through the night until 7:30! Woohoo! Although, Gepke was already awake and sitting in a chair. I still think her night went better too, but she’s always up before me. Breakfast is the highlight of the day at the hotel here, with the most amazing and varied buffet. Many options of warm and cold dishes, bread options, cereals and fruit. If I stay here much longer, they’ll need a wheelbarrow to move me out.
We make up for that with our walking tours. Though today we are cheating a little as we take a Tuk Tuk to our destination this morning: The Jim Thompson House. Jim Thompson was an American that helped revitalize the Thai silk industry. His house in Bangkok has been turned into a museum. It shows how his life was while living in Thailand, before he mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in 1967.
The Jim Thompson House
We take the 45 minute tour through the house and the garden and learn about Jim Thompson. His life after joining the National Guard and later the OSS, now better known as the CIA. He sounds like a Spy that used his business as a silk industrialist as a cover. The fact that he just vanished one day just adds to the mystery of his life. It all sounds like a Robert Ludlum story to me.
One of the last stops in the museum, is a cafe. In here we can buy an Ice Cappuccino and enjoy some people watching. As usual with a museum, we exit through the shop. In this case the museum shop’s main stock are silk articles. Most are priced well above the average daily salary of the local employees, and I am not interested. Gepke is not given a choice and follows me out of the store.
Apple shows the way
Since we drove here, we should be OK to walk back to the hotel. I decide to let Apple Maps show the way instead of Google. “She” (Apple) is less adventurous than Google, and sticks to the same routes that cars can take. After a while I decide to ignore her and find a route through the back alleys. This allows us to visit a cafe for a beer and a mango smoothie. I’ll leave it to your imagination who of us had which.
At the end we have only covered 4 miles today. You could say it was a lazy Sunday. This evening we are going to meet our tour group.
Meet the group
Around 6’ish, we went downstairs to find our group. A number of people that had already gathered on the sofa’s in the common area. Our tour group leader is Ning. She gave us a summary of what we can expect in the days to come. The group hail from many countries. First England. A couple, Leslie and Alan, and singles Ryan and Sian. Then there is Kelvin from Australia, Anthony from Arizona, Janice from Georgia, Merko from Switzerland and us two. That makes a total of ten people.
We had dinner together at “The Island” before heading to a viewing area across the Chao Praya. At around 9:30 a cool light show was displayed. Later a display done by a swarm of drones flying in perfect harmony. After the show Gepke and I headed back to the hotel. We skipped the detour through the noisy music street everyone else went to.
Bangkok, Monday Nov 25
An early start for us. No included breakfast as apparently Intrepid decided to use that as a way to improve their profit margin. No matter, we found another place to have breakfast that did not break the bank. Afterwards we joined the group for a walk to the pier. Then we caught two dragon tail boats that took us for a ride through the canals of Bangkok. We disembarked further north to head to China Town for some lunch. China Town was an assault on the ears, eyes and noses. Very busy and literally everything is for sale there.
We boarded the blue flag ferry to get back to our starting point again. After lunch, we visit the Wat Pho Temple complex (same one we did yesterday) and a very busy flower market. Back at the hotel Ning explained they had reserved some of the rooms for us to use until the evening. Then we will catch the 12 hour long night train to Sarat Thani. We don’t leave until 7:50, so we have some time to mentally prepare for this trip.
Bus to the train station
In the evening a minibus is packed to the roof with our luggage and people and takes us to the train station. The train station is a large, beautiful and modern building. There is a food court where we can find what will have to serve as dinner for tonight.
About 20 minutes before departure we get in line to enter platform E. From here our train will leave. We scan the tickets Ning has given us, and go up the escalator to the platform. The train is waiting there, and we board wagon number 6. In here Gepke and I can make use of the berths 13 and 14. The train is air conditioned and the bed/berths are cozy and comfortable. No one really stays up late and soon the noises in the cabin transfer from subdued conversations to loud snoring.
Sarat Thani, Tuesday Nov 26
At 5:30 I am wide awake and carefully check if Gepke is awake too. Of course she is. She is always awake before me. We gather in my sleeping berth and talk a little. After a while the sun slowly starts to light up the landscape outside. Then others in our group start to rise as well.
Not much later our train rolls into the station. We gather our luggage and head outside. There will be a minibus or two, to take us to Cliff & River Jungle Resor. Our destination for the next two days. But before that we enjoy breakfast at one of the many street food places near the station.
After breakfast we board the minibuses and are on our way. After about 2 hours we arrive. We need to wait an hour, as we are so early that our rooms are not yet ready. Once we do get the key, we have the rest of the day to ourselves. We spend it by checking out the beautiful jungle area. Some swim in the pool or just hangout in the rooms and enjoy the view from the balcony.
Jungle Chalets
We each have a small chalet type building. They consists of a bedroom with balcony overlooking the jungle and mountains outside. On one side of the house is a shower and a toilet on the other. They are both open to the outside world, so no worry of smells floating into the bedroom.
In the evening we have dinner together at the restaurant overlooking a small lake. It occasionally feels like it may rain, but it stops after just a few drops. So no need to find cover. We return to the room after dinner. After undressing, we work our way into the bed that is covered by mosquito netting. The trick is to enter the bed, and not leave behind any openings. Don’t tempt the little bloodsuckers to join us for the night. Looks like it worked out ok.
Sarat Thani, Wednesday Nov 27
An early start today as we gather after breakfast and enter a minibus. The driver takes us to a pier near the Rajjaprabha Dam at the Khao Sok National Park. This is where dragon tail boats and other boats are mored. We all get into one boat, and are joined by a few others to grow our numbers to 18 people. Not what I hoped for. I am not a fan of small boats; especially small boats overloaded with many people. Unfortunately our transport fall into both categories.
I sit meditating with my fingers in my ears to protect from the loud engine noise. We head out on the huge lake to our first destination. This can best be described as a floating dock where you can swim, kayak or just hang out. We choose for the latter and watch others paddle away on their kayaks to unknown destinations.
The view across the lake reminds me of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The mountains here are of the karst type, which are also the same as in the Yellow Mountains of China. They are ridiculously steep. They look like mountains a child would draw: top heavy, ending directly in the water with no shore.
Pra Kai Pelch Cave
We have lunch here, then board the boat again and go to the Pra Kai Pelch Cave. We are each given a small flash light and ascend the steps into the cave. The lights of the flashlight bounce off the quartz in the stalactites. It creates a sparkle so it looks like diamonds are embedded in the minerals. It’s also extremely slippery and the only light is from the torches everyone is pointing in all directions. There are spiders in the cave that when you include the legs are larger than my fist. Way up above us a single bat is frightened away when we shine our light on it.
When we leave the cave, daylight embraces us again. It almost feels cool outside after the humid warmth of the cave. We get on the boat again and head to a small portion of the shore. Here we will do a short hike through the jungle. The area here is tropical rain forrest, which judging by the humidity is no joke.
Cicada forrest
Our guide picks an empty husk of a Cicada insect off a tree. This Cicada is smaller than the ones we have in South Carolina, but way noisier. They sound like a boiling water kettle that someone has forgotten to turn off. The sound never stops, as there are so many Cicadas that you cannot recognize individual bugs from the chorus.
We then head back to the boat to return to our starting point. Apparently the way back has the wind amplify the effect of the spray from the bow of the ship. We regularly get drenched in the back. Add to that the noise and my aversion to small boats. You can guess that I was happy when we mored again and could get out.
As the minibus takes us back to the resort, all men fall asleep and only the women are talking. At least that is what Gepke tells me. I’m just happy to be back, so I can shower off the mud and relax a little. I mull over what we did today and enter it into this log.
We have dinner in the evening at the restaurant in the resort. We turn in for the night. I’m kept awake for a while due to all the unknown sounds around the hut. I assume some are birds, but I also hear the pitter patter of little legs running across the roof. Our bathroom, though attached to our cabin is outside. So I am not looking forward to a nightly visit there.
Surat Thani, Thursday Nov 28
After leaving out luggage outside the cabin, for the resort staff to pick up, we head to the breakfast buffet. It has become the highlight of our day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course. Food here in Thailand is amazing and very affordable, so don’t come here if you’re on a diet.
The minibuses take us to the shores of Bor Thor, where we have the opportunity to do some kayaking. The kayaks are taken to a cave where again stalactites and stalagmites can be admired. There are also some pre-historic cave drawings. Difference this time is that it is a lot less slippery. Still, getting in and out of the kayak requires more nimbleness than appears to be available.
After returning to the starting point, we are served a lunch. This should help with napping in the bus later on. The final destination for the day is Ao Nang in the Krabi region. This small village has little to do with Thai culture. To me it appears to be a party town for pretty much every nationality except Thai. It reminds me a little of Las Vegas, a few square miles of fantasy surrounded by reality.
Ao Nang, Friday Nov 29
Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Ibis Styles hotel. Our home for the next two nights. We sort of settled in, then went for dinner with the whole group. We were also hoping to see a fire show on the beach, but the weather was not cooperative. There is a reason Thailand has such beautiful lush jungles: it rains a lot. Anyway, the restaurant was dry, though the same could not be said of the walk back.
The weather did not change much overnight. So after breakfast Gepke and I set out for a walk in the pouring rain. Our first destination was 7-Eleven, to buy a small collapsable umbrella. Even though our rain coats keep us dry from the rain. After a while they get very warm and so you still end up wet, just from sweat.
Monkey Beach
We move on towards the beach, and turn left to stay on the boulevard along the ocean. Our goal is the Monkey Trail. About where the town ends, and the jungle starts, many macaque monkeys congregate. They come in all sorts and sizes, and show very little fear of the big monkeys (us) around them. They actually mostly ignore us and just do their thing. Whether it be scavenging for food or mating with the nearest other monkey around.
Sometimes, they do get distracted enough to give us humans a closer look. It’s not uncommon that they try to touch us. The little ones even try to climb onto people. It’s best to shoo them away, as they’re also know to bite you if they feel cornered.
Fire show
The rain has let up a little by now, and we walk back into town along the beach. Sand gets in everywhere, and unfortunately there are no showers near the beach to rinse the sand off. I wonder how the monkeys deal with it.
In the evening we are back at the beach again to watch the fire show. A few men perform a juggling show with flaming sticks and ropes. One of the acrobats is doing this while sitting in a wheelchair. I guess they are equal opportunity employers at this circus. After the show, Gepke and I walk on the road looking for a place to eat together. We settle on Tandoori Nights Restaurant, where we have the best Indian food we’ve had in a while. This place deserves 5 stars!
Dugong Village Resort, Saturday Nov 30
We head out this morning at 8 AM on our way to Baan Mod Tanoy. This is a village along the way to our final destination today: Dugong Village. Thankfully the long ride is interrupted by a stop in Baan Mod Tanoy, as otherwise I would be sleeping all the way. The village is a little way off the beaten path. Its claim to fame is the way they try to save the planet by their lifestyle. They are inundated with plastics that washes ashore here from sometimes very far origins.
The villagers try to gather the plastic to keep local animals from eating it, or getting caught in it. They started this after a young Dugong washed ashore here which was sick. They tried to nurse back to health. After much care, the pup died anyway. They cut it open to see the cause of death. Unfortunately they found a stomach full of plastic and other human waste.
Save the planet
This was the incentive they needed to start taking better care of the nature in their direct vicinity. Their process of catching crab until they are no longer found is changed. Instead they catch a crab, feed it and care for them until they have babies. Then they only take what they need for their own sustenance, and return the rest back to the ocean.
They also remove all plastic and waste they find. Then they try to recycle it for other uses in an attempt to clean up the environment. They hope by setting this example other villages will follow, and the world will become a cleaner, better place. Many famous people and politicians visit their village. Just to see how they do this. There are photo’s of them to show us and other tourists who visit.
Batik
After a walk through the maze that forms the village, we are shown how to make a Batik T-shirt. Using Mangosteen husks that are cooked for coloring and rubber bands. The final product we can take home with us. My T-shirt indicates a size 2XL. However after boiling in the food coloring it is even too small for Gepke to wear…
Lunch is served here too and consists of amongst others locally caught fish and crab. Many locally grown vegetables are served in several delicious dishes. After lunch, we release a few crabs back into the ocean. We travel on to Dugong Village Resort, where we arrive later in the afternoon. The Dugong is a sea mammal that is threatened with extinction. It looks a little like a Sea Cow or Manatee, as it belongs to the same family. Everything in this region of Thailand revolves around this animal, and its preservation.
We settle into our rooms, and then go to the beach to see the sunset. Unfortunately there are too many clouds, so we cannot see the sun sink behind the horizon. We walk back to the resort through the mangrove forrest, where dinner will be soon served at the resort. Gepke enjoys a spicy dish, but mine has way too much ginger in it. All I can taste is ginger, none of the other ingredients, so I don’t eat most of it. We make up by having ice cream for desert.
Malaysia, Sunday 1 Dec
It’s my birthday today. According to the Dutch Government I am now eligible for the Old Age Pension. I am now officially an old fart. I celebrate this depressing fact with a light breakfast and a bathtub of coffee. We are leaving early today to head to Malaysia. The total ride will be about 8 hours, one of the longest travel days so far. At least we are in the newest of the two minibuses today. The ride should be more comfortable according to Gepke.
In actuality it took more, a lot more. There had been flooding in Malaysia so that would force us to take alternate routes. Routes which were totally clogged with vehicles. But I get ahead of myself. First we have to get to the Thai/Malaysian border. We had already requested an E-Visa ahead of time online. The confirmation in the form of an email is our proof we may enter the country. During our travels, we have made many border crossings over land, but this was one of the most efficient ones. Less than 30 seconds at the Thai exit window, followed by another 30 seconds at the Malaysia entrance window. These guys are efficient!
Entering Malaysia
On the Malaysian side of the border we got in a very large bus. Large enough for 30+ passengers. Our guide for Malaysia was waiting near the bus. He was with two of his colleagues that were on training. So with Ning too, we have three guides for the price of one. As it turned out this was not our bus, but we got to wait in there while our bus arrived, about 20 minutes later. Then came the long drive to Georgetown on Penang Island. We saw samples of the flooding along the way. Occasionally the bus had to wade through some deep water as well.
Around 7 PM we crossed a long bridge onto Penang Island. We moved our things into our rooms, then went out to find some street food. Ning had reserved a long table on a street corner, so we did not need to wait long for our food. The meal was finalized with a birthday cake for me, accompanied by singing Happy birthday!
Georgetown, Monday 2 Dec
We took a minibus today to the old town part of George Town. There are some older government buildings here from the time of British rule. We walk past the buildings towards the sea shore, and continue along the shore. We go past Fort Cornwallis, built in the late 18th century. It boasts one actual Dutch canon on the very far side. Too bad we don’t go inside, but we need to board the minibus again. The bus takes us no further than a few hundred meters, we should have just walked, oh well.
Here is the Chinese Chew Jetty Family area. There are a few Chinese neighborhoods in Penang/George Town. This one is mostly built on piers extending into the sea partway. We walk on the old wooden planks that form the narrow streets of this neighborhood. There are shops on either side of the walkway. Passing other pedestrians is a challenge, let alone passing people on mopeds that ride here too.
Long walk on long pier
Our walk ends at a pier where nets hang belonging to the fishermen that put out from here. There are no longer any other ships or ferries mored here, since the bridges to the mainland were built. Exiting the Chinese area we board the minibus again. We go to the Armenian art area where many murals and iron work depict situations representative of this area.
Onward our route goes, to the Kek Lok Si Temple. Following a very steep and curving road that takes us to the temple at the top of a hill. Much is under construction. The temple contains a huge statue of a woman figure, Guanyin the goddess of Mercy. It’s extremely warm out, and there is hardly any shade. The sun has not been out much this we. However, exactly here, where there is no shade, it shines down mercilessly on us.
Back to the hotel
On the way back we get out of the bus to walk on our own. We stop for some good coffee and people watching, before we carry on through the streets of George Town. Across the street is the Leong San Thong Khoo Kongsi. A Chinese family temple and museum with detailed architecture, murals and stone carvings. Afterwards we return to the hotel and rest a little.
In the evening we all take taxis to the Lagenda Cafe to have dinner. It’s our first opportunity to have real Malaysian Nasi Goering. With full stomaches we manage to find our way back to the hotel.
George Town, Tuesday 3 Dec
Today we get to enjoy another train ride, this time to Kuala Lumpur. We first take a minibus to the train station. Here we need to wait for train number 9107 which leaves at around 1 PM. Until then we wander around the station area. We can walk through a long hallway to what appears to be another Malaysian food court. The Malays love their food courts, but I prefer the street food.
At a quarter to one, we scan our tickets and descend to the platform where our train is waiting. We board wagon B where Gepke and I have seats next to each other. It appears all passengers have been organized by size: large next to small. In this manner Leslie and Alan, both relatively small in stature compared to some of us (i.e. me) are separated and matched to Merko and Kelvin. And so we are on our way for the 4-5 hour trip to Kuala Lumpur Central station (KLCC).
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur or KL for locals is a bustling city with a mix of all different cultures. After checking into our Hotel, the AnCasa, we are taken on an extremely fast walking tour. Through the city we go with our guides, James and Chandra. This walk is to give us some highlight of the city and how to get around. For this we use our feet and the different metros MRT and LRT. Everything goes so fast that most of us have forgotten it by the time we arrive and see the Petronas Towers all lit up in the evening skies.
We watch the fountain show briefly at the foot of the Petronas Towers. Then we head inside to find something to eat. Again underneath the Petronas Towers is a food court where we attempt to find a bite to eat. We hardly ever eat at a food court in the US. The food there is seldom worth eating and to be honest the same goes for food courts in KL.
The walk back to the hotel is just as speedy for us and just as confusing as the walk out. We are happy to put our heads down and look forward to tomorrow, when we can go discover the city on our own.
Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday 4 Dec
Breakfast at the AnCasa is buffet style. There are quite some articles to choose from. I stick to just some toast with a boiled egg, as Vesuvius is moving in my innards. At some point during travel that will always happen, you just accept it and try to work within the limitations. After breakfast we head out to walk a route I have set up yesterday.
First destination is the long Chinese street Jalan Petaling where everything is for sale. However non of it appears to be authentic. Nike, Adidas, Gucci, you name it. All can be had for a few Ringits, so cheap you won’t mistake it for the real stuff. I get myself two pairs of Sunglasses for about $8. I have similar at home that cost more than $25.
After Jalan Petaling we continue on to the Muslim area where there is a grand Mosque and a Museum of Muslim Art. We visit neither, but continue through the beautiful park like area we find ourselves in, near the main Police Station. Turns out it is the Botanical Garden and we take some time here and admire the location.
Planetarium
The road leads to the Planetarium. When we enter, we are accompanied by 100 or more school children in a variety of uniforms. Some are from a Muslim Boys or Girls school and are appropriately dressed in either Hajibs or Kufi. The rest of them are apparently part of an International school. Occasionally when they bump into us, they are very politely apologetic. The visit here was free. There is not really much to see, so we flee this noisy and chaotic environment. We walk back into the Botanical Garden and rest a while on a stone bench under a covered pavilion near a lake.
National Museum
The next destination is the Malaysian National Museum. We pay the 5 Ringgits per person to enter and admire the exhibitions. They start with prehistoric times and moved through time with different peoples and cultures. It ends at the time of British Rule and Merdeka: Malaysian Independence. It’s amazing how all the different cultures living in Malaysia at that time all came together. They all set aside their differences to become one nation.
By now we covered quite a few miles, so we head back to the hotel for a rest. In the evening we have dinner on our own at Irama Restaurant. This place is small and very cozy. The food was good and Halal, so no alcohol was served here, but it didn’t taste less good for it. It was relatively expensive for Malaysian standards, but still less expensive than we’re used to at home.
Kuala Lumpur, Thursday 5 Dec
Another travel day today. After breakfast and packing up our luggage, we set out in minibuses to the bus station. Here we are catching a bus to Melaka/Malacca today, out last stop in Malaysia before we go on to Singapore. Before we board, we hang around at the busy bus station. Again there is one of the many food courts in Malaysia. The bus we take is a public coach, very comfortable, with plenty of legroom in reclining seats.
When we arrive in Melaka we head for our hotel, the Ibis. Shortly after checking in, we follow our guides Ning, James and Chandra out into the streets of Melaka for a tour. Part of the tour is done in colorfully decorated tricycles called Trishaws. They are very narrowly built, but according to the rules wide enough for two people. I don’t agree, but consent.
Melaka
The tour is lead by another guide (they must grow on trees here). His name is Kamal and he is 82 years old. He shows us several sites along the way as we bike in our “Hello Kitty” decorated tricycle. The first stop is at the former Stadthuys or City Hall, built by the Dutch in the late 18th century. The square here is bustling with people, mostly tourists from all over the world.
Then we go on a little to the Bukit Melaka Hill. Here there are the remains of the gates of the city. They were of Portuguese origin, but mostly destroyed by the Dutch. The one remaining ruin of a gate still stands here, across form a huge indoor shopping mall. On we go to the Masjid Kampung Kling Mosque and end at a Chinese building. Everywhere we stop, Kamal talks and tells about this history other interesting facts about the area.
From the Chinese Temple, we walk together back for dinner. We split up at some point. Some go for street food, and we give into our need for some western food at the Hard Rock Cafe. With full bellies, we wobble back to the hotel to hit the hay.
Melaka, Friday 6 Dec
We can sleep in today, as we are on our own for the day. We put together a list of things and in which order we want to see them. After breakfast we head out on foot. The first stop is the Shores Sky Tower, which according to Google opens at 10 AM. But on the way, Gepke sees a barber shop, and figures it’s good time to get my vacation haircut.
Haircut
The barber places me in his chair, and gives me the once over. He agrees with Gepke, that this will require a number 3 and a number 2 cutting implement. He starts and wildly cuts my hair, as if he is mowing his lawn. As he progresses, he gets more refined and works on the detail areas. He checks again with Gepke if she thinks an oil massage is needed, but fortunately for me she declines. He still figures I have not experienced enough pain, and progresses to give my scalp a massage without oil.
He finds my neck unwilling, and decides my head needs to be turned beyond it’s comfortable limit. Something I have not experienced since I went to a chiropractor. Finally he really gives my earlobes a good yank. Then he sticks his fingers in my ears and makes a sound like a champaign cork flying from a bottle. Finally I am dried off with a blowdryer to get rid of loose hair and sent back into the street.
Shores Tower
We head out again towards the Shores Sky Tower. When we get there, the security tells us that only on the weekend it opens at ten. Today they open at 3 PM. No views for us, so Gepke takes some pictures of the area. In the meantime I examine the asphalt up close. This was done too enthusiastically, damaging my knee in the process. After using a tissue to get rid of the blood evidence, we carry on. I get a drink of Malaka Ice coffee to soothe the pain.
I’m thinking I have had enough torture for the day. However we head on to the Well, an area with many street murals. They are not too easy to find, but we find the back alleys in question. Then it’s on to the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum. This is the home of a rich Chinese/Malaysian family in the 18th century. The home is beautifully decorated with typical Chinese woodwork, furniture and wall decorations. There are also many Chinese style room divider panels and jewelry.
Dutch Square
After we leave the museum, we walk back to the Dutch square. Unfortunately the museum is closed because it’s Friday and closed because of Muslim prayer. We walk on instead, and climb the hill to the ruins of the old Portuguese church of St Paul’s. Here there are many Dutch grave stones. The Dutch fought the Portuguese for control of Melaka. In the early 17th century the Dutch took the church from the Portuguese.
The Dutch renamed the church to the Bovenkerk. It was fun for us to read the grave stones that all have writings on them in the Dutch language. One of them even mention a Johan van Zyl. He could have been an ancestor of my cousin with the same last name.
A Formosa
We go down the steps again to “A Formosa”, the leftover ruins of a Portuguese fort. We also hoped to visit the Sultanate Palace, but this too is closed for Friday Prayer until 3 PM. So we take a break at the hotel and then return to visit this museum anyway. It does not really capture my imagination as it is about people, times and legends I am totally unfamiliar with. The object in the museum can also not catch my interest; many costumes, swords and other weaponry. I guess I will have to read up on this Sultan when I get back again.
In the evening we have our farewell dinner at the Geographer Cafe restaurant. Good food, good people, good night.
Melaka, Saturday 7 Dec
A very early day today, as we leave at 6:30 AM to catch a public bus to Singapore. Breakfast in the form of doggy bags have to do for today. The bus ride passes mostly unaware for me, as I am asleep most of the time. But I wake up in time to get off the bus. It’s time to perform the Malaysian emigration rituals, followed by something similar for the Singapore authorities. Then we board our bus again and complete the remaining few miles to the Ibis Hotel at Bencoolen in Singapore.
Entering Singapore
Singapore is a most chaotic, in your face and yet very clean city. After resting briefly at the hotel we walk with our guide to some of the sights in the city. The main ones being the Raffles Hotel, the Marina Bay Sands. These are three tall buildings with a construction atop that looks like a large ship. Finally the Merlion, Singapores most famous sight. We end inside a large shopping mall. Here we walk around like chickens with our heads cut off, as we look for food that is not existing.
The walk ends at a light show at the Supertree Grove. Then it’s time to say goodbye to our clan of guides. We slowly loose our guide at stations as we take the metro back to the hotel. First James and Ning who take part of the group to China town. Then Chandra who returns to the hotel with us, but takes his leave from us. We have drinks at the bar before we too say goodbye to the remaining people of our group.
Singapore, Sunday 8 Dec
Time to sleep in late today. From here we will need to find our way to the Cruise Terminal Port. Well, find is a big word, as we will use Grab which is the Southeast Asia equivalent of Uber. Since we cannot check into the ship until 1:30 PM. we hang out in the hotel room as long as possible. But at 12:00 we have to check out, or risk a late fee, so we call for Grab to send us a car.
The driver of the Grab is Choy. He kindly helps us lift the luggage into the back. Then we head out towards the South, where the Noordam is already waiting for us. For some reason we totally miss the spot where we can drop off our check-in luggage. We are forced to haul it with us everywhere.
Boarding the Noordam
The terminal hall is the standard picture of organized chaos. The way we are lined up reminds me more of a cattle feed lot than a place where people are respectfully processed. It’s just something we need to go through, before we can enjoy the amenities of cruising. Once on board however, we find our cabin quickly. Along the way we are greeted by Gede (pronounced as G’day), who will be our cabin steward on this trip.
First we, meaning Gepke, unpack everything and put it away in closets and drawers. No need to live out of a suitcase for the next two weeks. Then we need to get the formalities out of the way. That entails watching the safety video in our cabin. Then we find our muster station and get our room key scanned to prove we know where the muster station is.
Pretty soon it feels like we’ve never been away, and settle into the everyday ship’s routine.
Surabaya, Wednesday 11 Dec
It’s been a few days where I have not written anything. The first two days of our Indonesia cruise consists of so called sea days. So not much to report. I did take an inventory of our environment here.
The Noordam is getting up there in years, and it shows. There are gurgling noises in the walls, the toilet occasionally flushes with a delay or not at all. In the cabin the carpet looks very worn and there are dents in the floor that makes one trip. Only 4 of the 14 TV channels work and then only intermittently. You cannot control the temperature in the cabins individually. The thermostat does absolutely nothing whether set to awfully cold or awfully hot.
But aside from all these first world problems we made it to Surabaya on Java, Indonesia. We were both awake far before the breakfast in bed we ordered for 7:30 AM. After taking our time consuming this, we set out to disembark. Outside we summoned a Grab, the alternative to Uber here in Indonesia.
Our chauffeur took us to the House of Sampoerna, which belonged to a wealthy cigarette manufacturer. When we got there, the gates were closed and a quick check on Google confirmed it: “Temporarily Closed”. Never have known what “temporarily” exactly means: five minutes? and hour? a day? for good? No idea.
Dutch colonial buildings
So we move on to the next destination: the Javasche Bank. This building is in an area with many old Dutch Colonial buildings. Many of the buildings here have texts on them that remind of their Dutch origin. The same goes for some of the streets and bridges, such as the Roode Brug.
As we peruse the neighborhood, our eyes are drawn to a place called Saat Seduh Coffee. On the door is a sign “Buka”, which means “Open” in Indonesian. Sounds like an invitation to me.
Warm walk
After consuming a salted caramel ice coffee and enjoying the coolness of the coffee shop, we are forced to go out into the oppressive heat of the city again. By the time we arrive at the “Museum Sepuluh Nopember”, sweat is flowing freely on our backs. We welcome the visit to an air conditioned building with enthusiasm. Oh yeah, they also have interesting history on display.
However, the history as displayed here is confusing to us. We sort of expected that we Dutch would be the bad guys in the story about Indonesia fighting for independence. Let’s face it, our forefathers were not exactly kind to the locals during the colonial period. But the history as told here refers to the Western Allies as the bad guys. The British are mentioned frequently but there is no more than a footnote about the Dutch. No singling out of the Dutch, even though they were officially in charge?
Chinatown
Confused we leave the museum and wander in the direction of Chinatown. This sure is a poorer version of Chinatown than the ones we’ve seen recently in Malaysia and Singapore. That is the general impression we get from everything here in Surabaya. It’s the standard southeast Asian chaos, with a lot of extra poverty.
As we walk on we arrive at the Roode Brug. Here we decide to hail a Grab again to return us to the ship. Grab works as smooth as Uber in the US, and with a few minutes we are dropped off at the ship again. A distance of approximately 5 km costs us about $2. We messed up the address a little. The chauffeur kindly went out of his way to take us closer to the ship. We rewarded him with a tip that was nearly as much as what the whole ride costs.
Probolinggo, Thursday 12 Dec
We have no tours scheduled today, so we’re going off on our own again. Probolinggo is a relatively small town, at least for Indonesian standards, only 200,000 people. Because it’s small, we cannot dock in the harbor, but instead need to use tenders to get ashore. That wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for the narrow channel that can’t handle many ships. We have to wait nearly an hour before it’s our turn to board a tender.
Still, we make it to the town and disembark. There many men on trikes and bicycle rickshaws are waiting to take tourist to town. We bravely wave them off as we are going to walk. I’ve walked a lot in these hot southeast Asian countries, but this town takes the crown. Sweat is running down our backs within just a few minute walking.
Too warm to walk
Still we soldier on and visit the points of interest on our list: Central Park, a Chinese Temple and the Red Church. We find the scenery along the way to these point of interest better than the destinations themselves.
After a 4 mile walk we call it quits and head back to the ship again. By now it’s still a mile away. I am literally feeling miserable. Where’s the rain they promised? I’d rather get soaked from rain than sweat, but we have no such luck. We make it back, though afterwards I feel like I’ve walked 15 miles instead of 5 miles. The heat and the humidity here was really oppressive.
On the ship we drop all our clothes and head under the shower. This is much better, though my muscles still hurt an hour later and I have a headache. I assume I’m dehydrated, even though I drank more than I normally do.
The online reviews about Probolinggo were right; don’t bother. Unless it’s just to take a tour to Mount Bromo, a volcano nearby. I was not impressed with the town itself.
Benoa (Denpasar) on Bali, Friday 13 Dec
When we awaken today, we see land not far from the ship. It is sailing into the harbor of Benoa, Bali. Breakfast is consumed in our cabin today, as we want to get an early start for our tour today. We are on a tour to discover East Bali Heritage.
Bus ride
The bus carries us along with another 50+ passengers to the first destination Klungkung Kertagosa built in the 18th century. This is described as a floating pavilion temple, though I missed the floating part. Yeah, there were some ponds with fish. Some swimming, others floating belly up.
The gardens looked beautiful, and I discover many new (for me) plants. There was also a museum here, but it’s still a mystery to me what the museum was about. Not what the documentation says; which is the history of the palace and their colonial past.
Purakehen temple
We spent a few more minutes here to take pictures. On we went then to our next stop at the Purakehen temple complex built in the 11th century. This is a Bali Hindu temple that required some climbing to get to the different parts.
First area featured an enormous Banyan tree, where a large bell was placed halfway up. To get there, monks would climb up the roots of the tree. However we saw there was a ladder, so I guess the monks found an easier way.
Another few steps lead us to the next higher level, where there are several human sized shrines. During ceremonies important people sit in these, and perform their stuff. What that all entails is shrouded in mystery as far as I am concerned. Religion is something I do not understand, but I respect whatever other people wish to believe. I just walked around and admired the stone carvings and the stories told in paintings that looked like comic book stories.
Gepke get a closeup of rice
The bus then took us to a restaurant for lunch. After we got off the bus, we walked along a stone path that lead to the restaurant. On either side of the path were beautiful rice paddies.
Gepke found these so interesting, she went to get a closer look. She took a photo of one of the paddies, while taking a step back into another … 3 feet lower. After laying down briefly in the wet rice crop, she tried to get up again. Not easy as rice is planted in 2 feet deep mud. I kindly offered my hand to lift her out. Of courseI forgot to take a picture of her in her muddy state. I think even she thought it was funny.
Lunch
I figure something like this was bound to happen: today is Friday the 13th. As Gepke spent some time rinsing the mud of her beautiful floral dress, the rest of us had a lunch. It consisted of a variety of dishes local to the region, and all very delicious.
By the end of the meal Gepke had dried up enough to almost be able to enjoy everything again. We walk back to the bus, this time all taking care not to step off the stone path.
Ubud
The bus moves on again to Puri Agung Royal Palace in Ubud. The palace was built around 1570-1600. We are welcomed by a local Balinese Guide, though we learn later he is actually from Java. Close enough for us.
He tells stories, and entertains the guest by making them sing “Tjak”. One group must sing 3 Tjaks, the next sing 5 Tjaks, and unfortunately for me I’m in the 7 Tjak group. You understand I keep losing count.
After singing we continue through the gardens, that are of botanical quality. Many more new species for me to discover. Here, there are many stone and wood carvings of deities and demons. As before, comic stories against the ceiling of the pavilions tell the story of this place’s history. I found the comics could be interpreted quite different, depending on who read them.
This was the last stop on our tour and we head back to the ship, through heavy traffic. Southeast Asia may be very varied, the traffic is pretty much the same everywhere. Complete and utter chaos…
Day 2 on Bali, Saturday 14 Dec
Another tour on Bali today: Seminyak and Tanah Lot. The skies are not looking too good today, dark and overcast, but at least it’s dry. The bus takes us to our first stop at Seminyak, where we got in a shuttle to go to Seminyak Square. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of those modern shopping malls, where they sell stuff no one really needs. There were some more local shops around, but neither of us was in the mood for their offerings.
Instead we sat down at the first coffee shop we saw and ordered Ice Coffee. We had the option to wait for the rest of the group to return to the shuttle drop-off, or head back to the bus on our own. Two guesses what we picked…
Walking again
The walk back to the bus was not very far, but it was very hot and humid today. We walked through narrow streets that gave us a much better impression of local Bali, than the eternal shopping stops. I guess I belong in a different category of person, as I despise shopping. The bus was waiting patiently. Since none of the others had returned yet, we took the time to look at the beach.
The bus took us to another site, this time Tanah Lot. This is a Balinese Temple perched on an outcropping just offshore. The high tide cuts this temple off from the main land, so we could only admire it from afar. We took pictures and walked around in the area. If it weren’t for the many, many tourists here, this could be a peaceful and serene spot. Of course I am a tourist myself, but wouldn’t it be nice to just wander around these places all by yourself?
Taman Ayun
Next we drilled through the heavy Balinese traffic to the Taman Ayun Temple. Here a local guide showed us the 4 court yards of the temple. He explained about the history of this temple since the 17th century. By now it was clear that we would not stay dry very much longer. Droplets started coming down and by the time we got back on the bus the heavens truly opened. OK, so this is what the monsoon looks like.
In the pouring rain and through ever increasing traffic jams, we drove back to the ship. After 2 hours, the driver was able to park right next to boarding entrance to the ship. In this manner we only were drenched a little by the rain that still wasn’t letting up.
Komodo Island, Sunday 15 Dec
Today’s tour is something we both have been really looking forward to: Komodo Island, and its Dragons. The ship is anchored not far from the beach where our tour will start. After meditating my way through the tender ride we can get in line for a walk through the forrest. I cannot say it enough: I hate little boats, including tenders.
The guide is adamant about everyone staying with the group. In the last 40 years they have only fed 2 tourists to the Komodo Dragons. They are not looking forward to handing them any more. After this introduction, we set out into the forrest.
Show me the dragons
The guide talks about the trees here, and other animals like the deer that the Komodo Dragons like to eat. On the way we actually see a young Komodo Dragon. He barely moves and is about 2 feet long. Well, at least we can say we’ve seen one. According to our guide, not every group is lucky enough to see the Komodo Dragons. We do see several of the deer he mentioned that are the meals of the Komodo Dragons.
Then as we get near a clearing in the forrest we are in luck. There are not one, but two very large Komodo Dragons hanging out near the watering hole. They too are hoping to get lucky, but more in the way of a decent lunch. Either a deer or a tourist. They are not picky.
Too close for comfort
We can actually get quite close to take pictures. The guides distract the dragons, so we can safely take photos from a distance. Now and then they move sluggishly in one or another direction, and we respectfully stay out of their path. Apparently the deer have also decided to avoid the area, so no lunch for the dragons right now.
We walk on as the guide talks more about the people that live on the island. Yes 2 tourists have been killed by Komodo Dragons in the last 40 years, but also 35 island people. According to our guide, it is a sad thing that happened, but in every case it was the victims own fault.
Heading back to the ship
By now we reached the beach again. We are about to head to the jetty to catch the next tender back. Out of nowhere a Komodo Dragon slowly crosses our path in an effort to head to the beach. He, or She, crawls through the sand to the water. Their forked tongue slithers out to smell the sea water. In order to walk back to the tender we are forced to take a detour,. We have no interest in getting too close to the dragon.
Fortunate for the local business people, our detour forces us right into their beach front stalls. They have set them up in such a way as you see in an Ikea store. There is a way in, but only one way out, and that is past every local merchant on the island.
Gepke is so intimidated that she buys a wood carving of a Komodo Dragon so not to offend the merchants. However, she still haggles over the price. We make it back to the cruise ship before the rains starts pouring down again.
Lembar, Lombok Monday 16 Dec
Breakfast in the dining room, for the first time on this cruise. We have some time before our tour leaves around 10:15 AM. The bus heads out into what appears to be a breath of fresh air as it relates to traffic. Hardly any traffic on this island, especially compared to Bali. Our first stop is Banyu Mulek, a village known for their pottery artisans.
Horse and buggy
After exiting the bus we get into what is called a Cidomo, as horse and carriage. They look like they were built from spare parts lying around. An old axle, some leftover wood and a metal bar here and there. They are pulled by a cross between a horse and a pony. Perhaps a horse can pull a heavier load than a man. However, I still felt sorry these animals had to drag along us heavy tourists.
The ride was fun though. As we cruised through the streets where every child would be yelling “Hello, Hello” to us. We dismount at a neighborhood where the villagers show us how they make their pottery. They show the ingredients and their tools. A piping hot kiln is used to fire the pottery. Of course the tour ends in the store where we can buy the pottery and other nicknacks.
Back to the bus
Afterwards the Cidomo’s take us back to the area where the bus is parked. Here too is a larger store where we can see and buy pottery. It’s beautiful, but I’m not sure we can get it back home in one piece.
Next stop is Kuta beach, where we have lunch at the luxurious Pullman Beach Resort. We are here with about every group that is currently cruising Lombok. It’s really packed and busy. It has also started to rain a little, which is not a good sign for the following stops.
After lunch the heavens open up again, but we continue on to Sade-Rambitan, a traditional Sasak village. Most of bus passengers are wrapped in plastic rain coats, and we have our compact umbrella’s with us. In the pouring rain we walk the muddy paths of the village to an open square. Here we can sit under a thatch roof out of the rain.
A show and some rain
While we sit there, the villagers perform a show of drums, dancing and stick fighting for us. They seem unfazed by the fact that it’s raining cats and dogs. We’re watching in awe, until they motion us to move on. They show us how the floor of their huts are made. A layer of mud and cow dung is rubbed into the floor until it shines. Apparently this combination of mud and dung is a good mosquito deterrent.
Once the dung is dry you apparently no longer smell the odor that is currently penetrating our nostrils. I take their word for it, for now I just want to get away and breathe some fresh air. I am happy to sit in the bus again, on our way to Sukarara.
On to Sukarara
In Sukarara women make woven fabrics with intricate patterns. Only women do this work as according to our guide. Men lack the patience to sit and do this type of precision work. Aren’t we lucky? Of course again we are given the opportunity to buy anything and everything our heart desires. That is the one constant on these tours. It’s like when you visit a museum: “Exit through the shop”.
We can now sit back as the bus takes a little less than an hour to return us to the ship. It’s always a relief to see it’s still there. I think arriving in the harbor and watching the ship leave is my worst nightmare. But they always wait until all their official tours have returned before casting off.
Semarung, Wednesday 18 Dec
I have never seen a case of mass tourism, of which I myself was part of, until today. We ate breakfast in our cabin, then piled with about 500 others into 10+ buses. All went to Borobudur. Of course, it’s the only site worth visiting in this area. It’s high on everyone’s list, but this was ridiculous in my humble opinion. Perhaps I exaggerate, as Gepke did not see it as being so bad.
First we went to a stop along the way. As the average age on these buses is about 75, so there are many small bladders. There was not much to see at our piss stop, sorry, pit stop. We just had some coffee and snacks, and used the facilities. We all piled into the buses again, and went on to our destination for the day: Borobudur Temple.
Borobudur
This temple was re-discovered in the 18th century. Mostly Raffles is the person given credit for this. Only because he was the British governor of the region at that time. Of course others put in the actual effort of finding this place and restoring it back to its former glory. Some of those people were actually Dutch, so some of my ancestors may have taken part.
For the entry our bus was split into the right and left side. This gives the impression we were only with a small group. That was also the case with the other 14 buses. The result was many “small” groups gaping at the Borobudur Temple. Yes, it’s an amazing structure, especially when you consider it was built back in the 8th century.
Many stupa’s and as many statues of Buddha ornate the temple. Many of these Buddha’s had lost their heads, but were craftily match to bodies again to make a full statue. Too bad they got it wrong the first time. In a later restoration the correct head was matched to the correct body.
Lines everywhere
We can only circle the structure, as it has suffered too much in the past from people climbing it. Nowadays, you may only climb on it, if you donate an additional amount of money and are willing to get in a long line. A line that starts online and ends in a physical line at the temple.
It’s very warm today: 88F and similar humidity. My weather app tells me it feels like 106F and I believe it. My annoyance with the massive amount of people had just subsided a little. Then I had to sit down for lunch with my fellow travelers. Too many for me, so I decide to just sit and watch everyone else chew their food.
Heading to the shadow puppets
I am happy when we can board the bus again for the trip back. The heat has not even really got to me. We head back again, and this time the pit stop is a shopping stop (of course). There is also a very, very loud Indonesian puppet show. Gepke went in long enough to watch part of the show. I fled the loud environment and waited peacefully for her to return.
Then we headed back to the ship. I forgot to mention the fact that during the whole ride, we had a police escort. They managed to keep most traffic away from us. On the way back to the ship we were the bus following right behind the police car. He had his siren on nearly all the time. It apparently worked as other trucks and cars moved to the side to let us pass: Cool!
We made it back in time before the heavens opened up. The ship was waiting for us, as we were about 20 minutes late. Not the first time this trip.
Jakarta, Thursday 19 Dec
Jakarta, I had prepared myself for a busy city. 35 million people living in a city the size of London. But nothing can prepare you for the experience that is Jakarta. Immediately after boarding the bus, we got stuck in traffic. Mostly trucks moving containers from the port and a myriad of scooters and mopeds. Step by step we worked our way through this towards the highway. Finally that would carry us into the hart of Jakarta.
Batavia
We made it to the old town center of Batavia, as this city was known in colonial times. There are still a few buildings that remind of that Dutch era, carrying names like “Nederlandsche Handelsmaatschappij” or “Het Gouveneurskantoor”. With our Dutch background we could hardly miss them. Large white washed buildings of which the ground floor was for the ordinary man. The higher floors were adorned with the offices of the colonial masters.
Little mention was made of those days directly by our guide. He admitted that relations between the ordinary natives and the colonials in charge was strained at best. Nowadays we know that people like Governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen was not a nice man during his reign in Batavia. His statue in Hoorn is considered misplaced and many feel it should be removed. Hindsight is 20:20, but in the days of the VOC, he was considered somewhat of a hero. Especially for the “Heeren Zeventien”, the board of the VOC and in all practicality the political leadership of Holland then.
At last: the puppet show
We are dropped off at a seedy looking building that as it turns out houses a puppet show. Not an ordinary puppet show, but one with the cut out Indonesian puppets that put on a shadow show.
They say in the olden days, these shows could last 9 hours, but our was summarized to about 15 minutes. The story was adapted to the level of knowledge present. So instead of beautiful princesses and princes, the characters mentioned were Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie. It was entertaining still.
National Museum
We walk in the oppressive humidity across the square and reminisce about old colonial times times. My family in those days may have been sailors on the ships that sailed to the East Indies. I know they came from Amsterdam, but not sure what jobs they held. I’m a romantic, so I like to think they were in the thick of it. Hoisting the main sails, scrubbing the decks and probably getting scurvy from lack of vitamins.
The bus picks us up again and drops us at the National Museum. Now I love museums and I also love to take my time taking it all in. But our guide rushed us through the museum in about 10 minutes. He wants to beat traffic, so we get back to the ship on time.
Traffic
We thought traffic on Bali was bad. Compared to here that was a walk in the park. But we made it back on time, and in reality the ship left almost an hour and a half too late, so we could have spent more time at the museum. Sometimes it’s better to be on your own and be much more flexible.
Singapore
We ended our vacation in Singapore, where we stayed a few days longer before flying back to Greenville. Singapore is a beautiful, but expensive city. Large malls sell everything your heart can desire, but at a price. Outside of the malls the city is beautiful. The whole area could be mistaken for one of the largest botanical gardens in all of Southeast Asia. But in Singapore they also have an actual Botanical Garden that is definitely worth a visit.
We chose a few well known areas to visit, such as the Marina Area with the Merlion that is forever spouting water from its mouth. We also had drinks at The Raffles Hotel which insides have hardly changed in 100 years. Our hotel was near where we stayed when arriving in Singapore, but on a higher floor with a balcony. The room space was actually smaller because the space of the balcony was subtracted from the room.
More photos of this trip on our photo page.
Geweldig mooie reis hebben jullie gemaakt. Ik heb genoten van het verslag!