Next stops on the around the world cruise...

With Bali now in the ship's rearview mirror, here are the next stops in Southeast Asia.

Bali, Day 2: Eastern Bali Heritage

My second day in Bali was to explore some of the culture and sights in East Bail; it is a more mountainous region known for the remains from the old Balinese kingdoms prior to the island becoming part of Indonesia. 

The first stop was Klungkung Kertagosa with its floating pavilion and Royal Court.  The artwork and carvings were beautiful, and one of the artists was working in the floating pavilion.

The next stop was Besakih or the Mother Temple of Bali.  There are 23 separate, but related, temples at the sight.  The most important is Pura Penataran.  This temple sits 1000 feet up on the volcanic slopes of Mount Gunung Agung. 

Lunch was next on the agenda.  The location of the restaurant (Mahagiri Restaurant and Resort) was pretty remote up on the mountain, but with the most wonderful view of the rice paddies below.  We had a quick thunderstorm, and it was nice to enjoy the view and listen to the sound of the rainfall.

The final stop was Puri Agung Karangasem which served as the home of the first king in the Karangasem Kingdom.  The view from the large Veranda of Mount Gunung Agung was amazing.

We're setting sail to our next Indonesian port of call as I write this blog entry. 

The view from the terrace at the royal palace of the 1st king of Karangasem.  That's Mount Agung in the background.



Hindu ceremonies often begin with cockfighting.  They are also part of the gambling culture in Bali.



The floating terrace of the royal palace of Karangasem. 



The floating terrace of Klungkung Kertagosa. 



The artist is recreating drawings at the Klungkung Kertagosa which was constructed in 1710.

These ladies were persistent in trying to sell the batik cloth.  Everything was $1.

One of the Hindu temples at Klungkung Kertagosa.

I'm not trying to make a fashion statement, but everyone who wore shorts had to wear this on the temple grounds of Besakih.

This is the oldest Hindu temple in Bali.  It's also the most important (Pura Penatan) at Besakih.

Hindus must give daily offerings, and here are a couple that were left at the "mother temple of Bali."

Here's a look inside the temple.  Only practicing Hindus should actually enter the temple.  We only visited the surrounding grounds.

The view from the restaurant where our group had lunch. It was great, but I'm not sure of some things I ate for the meal.

We had a downpour during lunch, and you can see those terraced fields work pretty well.

Benoa (Denpasar), Bali, Indonesia

Bali: Kecak & Fire Dance

I attended the Kecak and Fire Dance performance last night.  You can read about the story presented in the dance by clicking here. 

The dance begins at sunset so I had more video than photographs.

The story comes from the Hindu Ramayana which is an epic poem in Sanskrit.

The "voices" of the story enter.  The story is between Sugriwa and his Monkey Army and Meganada and his Demon Army.

 The story ends with the defeat of Meganada (the evil demon).  There's also dancing on embers from the fire they create.

Bali, Indonesia: Day 1

Here are a few of my shots from our arrival and a tour I took today (Thursday, Feb. 26).  I'll soon be off for a Balinese dance performance this evening.

A rainbow was clearly visible at our docking location as we entered the port.

Beautiful mountains (volcanoes) and black sand beaches are the norm in Bali.

Part of the tour today was to visit the monkey forest.  This mom and her children were happy to pose for me.

Here I am with the monstrously big bats found in Bali.  They eat insects so they didn't care about me being nearby.

This guy posed for me, too.  I loved that he had his feet clasped together.

Most people in Bali are Hindu (most Indonesians are Muslim), and this is the Tanah Lot Temple that "belongs" to the Indian Ocean.

We had tea and a light lunch at five star Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort.  The course is on the Indian Ocean and the caddies carry umbrellas to protect the golfers from the sun.

Another view of the Nirwana Bail Resort.

Even the fish were trying to get out of that hot mid-day sunshine.

Arriving in Indonesia (a homecoming for many of the ship's staff)

There’s so much excitement on the ship this morning as we make our way into Bali.  Our next two ports of call are in Indonesia, and most of the dining room and room attendants are from this area of the world.  Many are out on deck this morning admiring their homeland islands that they’ve been away from for quite a bit of time. 

Holland America provides an opportunity for families to be reunited.  In fact, the wives, kids, uncles, mothers, fathers, etc. get to visit onboard the ship.  Most guests have asked that their cabins not be serviced while we are in these two ports; this gives the staff the maximum amount of time with their families.

I’m off to get ready for two tours today:  a tour of a temple (Tanah Lot Temple) and a fire dance (Kecak) tonight. 

I took this shot about 6:30am as we made our way to Bali, Indonesia.

Getting a little closer to the island, you can make out one of the volcanoes that still rumble in this part of the world.

"Bali Labeled" by Flominator - Created by Flominator Based on Image:Topography of Bali.jpg Information included from [1]. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bali_Labeled.png#mediaviewer/File:Bali_Labeled.png

 

Another formal night…

It was another formal night last night on the ms Amsterdam.  There are 17 of these events on this voyage (just too many).  Last night we were joined at our table by the Chief of Security for the ship and his wife (who’s on vacation from another HAL cruise ship).  The dinner is always great, and when an officer is at your table they provide the wine pairings for the meal. 

Today (Wednesday, Feb. 25) is Day 51 of the 114 days of the journey around the world.  The ship is almost to the mid-point of the journey.  It’s been fast, but it seems like the trip to Quito, Ecuador, was a long time ago. 

We arrive in exotic Bali tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Dessert Time on formal night: Nicole, Dennis (chief security officer), Margaret, Mike, Didi, and Penny

Seas too rough to tender in Geraldton, Australia

The seas were just too rough for the tender port of Geraldton, Australia, this morning.  The captain had warned us about this possibility during our drill yesterday.  It's a tender port, and it can be tough transferring to a boat from the ship to make the trip ashore.

The journey shifts to a totally different culture region.  The next segment will be in Southeast Asia. 

Here are the upcoming ports of call for the ms Amsterdam.

Fremantle/Perth: Day 2

I took a tour that gave me a little more time at a few of the popular spots in Fremantle and Perth today.  It was a beautiful Sunday. 

The ship has its second emergency drill at 3pm, and then we'll be off to our last stop in Australia (Geraldton). 

For my Rotary Club friends: 

The Rotary Wishing Well was first constructed in Kings Park in 1949, and is reflective of a number of other wishing wells constructed around Western Australia in this era. The wrought iron scroll work above the stone well had deteriorated over time, and there was some thought given to possibly updating the original design to reflect a more contemporary artwork.  Here's the refurbished fountain as it looks in February 2015.

A view of the Royal Perth Yacht Club.  This was shot from the overlook that those living on millionaires row see each day. 

Here's the Rotary Wishing Well that was placed in the Kings Park by the Perth Rotary Club.

This is what you see as you peer into the wishing well of the Rotary Club.

One more shot of the Perth skyline from Kings Park.

The beach was busy on this Sunday afternoon.

I had to do it!  I took a quick dip (only to the knees) in the Indian Ocean, and the water was cool and refreshing on this warm Sunday afternoon.

So long, Fremantle!  The people lined up in boats and others parked along the lighthouse road to wave goodbye to our ship as it departed the port.

Touring Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia

I spent the day taking a tour of Fremantle and Perth.  Fremantle is a harbor that serves this area, and Perth is a modern city of two million a short distance up the Swan River.  The tour included a river boat cruise from Perth back to Fremantle.  Here are a few of my shots from my Saturday in these two Western Australian cities.

A view of Fremantle from the ship.  I visited the Coles, which is like a mini version of WalMart, to purchase a few items.

Here's the famous Cottesloe Beach.  There's also a large dog beach, and it was very popular today.  The Australian actor Heath Ledger surfed here and his ashes were spread on Cottesloe Beach when he passed away.

Here's a view of the war memorial for those who served in the various foreign wars.

Here's the modern skyline of Perth from Kings Park that overlooks the city.

I am standing at the lookout point in Kings Park.  That's Perth and the Swan River in the background.

Another view of Perth and the Swan River.  

T

The "water police" were practicing drills of approach to ferries.  They approached the ferry several times as a drill.

There are many beautiful homes on "millionaires row" on the drive between Fremantle and Perth.

Freemantle, Australia: Rottnest Island Sea Swim

Well, the ship got into the Freemantle/Perth area early because of the Rottnest Island Channel Swim that is slated for today (Saturday).  It was amazing to see all of the boats headed out before 6am for the event.  Click here and here to find out more about the contest.

We will be docked in the area for the weekend, and I'll post additional pictures as I discover more about the area.

The sun was making its daily appearance as the ms Amsterdam entered the port of Freemantle.

Massive numbers of boats were exiting the harbor as we entered on this Saturday morning.

You can see the convoy of boats heading to the Rottnest Island Swim.