2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 59/105 - Jakarta, Indonesia - 59 days and countries
Today is day #59 of this trip. Indonesia is the 59th country that we've visited. Coincidence? Karma?Kismet? We will visit three more countries before going home, but only two will be new to us.
We awoke this morning as the ship was preparing to dock in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jakarta is currently the capital of Indonesia. There is a plan to move the capital to Nusantara starting in 2024 and completed by 2045. Indonesia is made up of somewhere between 14,000 and 18,000 islands, depending on who is doing the counting. Five main islands host the bulk of the 278 million folks that call Indonesia home. Jakarta has about 12 million residents.
The captain wanted to show off his fancy parking skills as he backed the ship at least 1/4 of a mile, perhaps farther, into the port area and snugged up to the dock. Modern cruise ships are amazingly maneuverable.
Once again, we are in an industrial port.
Indonesia provided a warm welcome with dancers and music.
We chose the included tour today, Jakarta Highlights. The tour included three stops: Museum Bank Indonesia, The Jakarta History Museum, also known as Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum, and Merdeka Square to view the National Monument. Our guide explained that Indonesia has four distinct weather seasons: hot, hotter, hotter still, and humid. I’m not sure which we’re in now, hot it was definitely hot and humid.
The drive gave us a glimpse into Indonesia. There seem to be areas of wealth and areas of severe poverty. The condition of some of the buildings where people were living was terrible. But then, right next door, a beautiful structure that was nicely finished and clean. It was an interesting dichotomy of lifestyles.
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| The massive Jakarta International Stadium |
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| It is a soccer stadium with a retractable roof |
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| From a distance, you really get a sense of how massive it is – it seats 82,000 |
Museum Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia is a major bank in this region. The museum walks you through the financial history of Indonesia including severe financial collapse and recovery. Today, their currency, the Rupiah, is struggling, with $1 US = 15,700 rupiah, depending on the exact exchange rate at the moment. The planning for this excursion was not good as there were multiple Viking buses there at the same time. This meant multiple guides all talking to their groups as we moved through the exhibits. It was crowded and difficult to see things.
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A large group of school kids were there today |
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| They were simultaneously shy and curious with lots of smiles and giggles |
There were displays showing elements of the spice trade and financial trading that took place early on in Indonesia’s history.
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| This was behind tempered glass, so no, it isn’t real gold |
The Jakarta History Museum
Next, we walked out into the square facing the front of the building. This building has a colorful history serving as a city hall, jail, and courthouse.
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| Colorful bicycles lined the square – it appeared anyone could ride them |
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| Si Jagur cannon - note the fist |
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| In Indonesia and The Netherlands, this gesture is said to represent sexual intercourse – why on a cannon is anyone’s guess |
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| Arlona, sassing the cannon |
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| Si Jagur cannon and the Jakarta History Museum |
We boarded our bus and headed to our last stop.
Merdeka Square
We arrived at Merdeka Square and took a 15-minute stop for photos around the area.
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| Not sure what this means but the sculpture was cool |
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| A mosque peeking out over the trees |
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| Supreme Court |
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| The National Monument |
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The 137-meter National Monument
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| The 14.5-meter flame is bronze and is covered in 32kg (70.55 pounds) of gold leaf |
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Merdeka Palace – one of six presidential palaces in Indonesia |
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| Zzzzzzz..... |
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| Istiqlal Mosque's huge minaret |
As we made our way back to the ship, we passed a huge mosque and oddly enough, a catholic cathedral. The juxtaposition of these two religious buildings is a source of pride among Indonesians. It showcases their attitude of religious acceptance and freedom.
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A mosque dome on the left and cathedral spires on the right |
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The minaret is enormous |
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| Istiqlal Mosque – the largest in Southeast Asia – we’re going there tomorrow |
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| Jakarta Cathedral |
We continued our journey back to the port.
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| Some of the water areas were filthy, but we saw two men on a small barge-like boat, manually scooping trash out of the water, cleaning it up |
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| The entry to a golf course |
We found today’s excursion disappointing. Part of it was the guide. We felt he offered little along the way. The planning for today was poor as the venues simply could not accommodate the throngs of people that Viking threw at them. Staggering departures might have helped. With the extreme heat and humidity, long walks, and close quarters, the day wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been. Throw in the fact that it was oppressively hot and humid today and it all added up to not the best excursion. Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
We were both feeling hot and uncomfortable so after a late lunch, we decided to hit the pool and hot tub outside on the Aquavit Terrace, deck 7 aft. We floated in the pool a bit and then hit the hot tub.
As we exited the water, the sun was setting. Here, you can enjoy a short series that I call, “Sunset Behind Cranes”. 😊
After returning to our room and showering, we felt somewhat refreshed. We went to the Explorers’ Bar for a bit and enjoyed listening to guitarist, Indra. We decided a light dinner was in order. Arlona had a couple of small crab legs and I had a couple pieces of the thin-crust pizza.
Tonight, Viking brought in another destination performance, Angklung Music Performance. The multi-piece band played instruments from various areas in Indonesia, creating a really interesting sound. The dance troupe performed a series of five dances, each with its own style and flair. It was a very entertaining show and showcased Indonesian culture.
Tomorrow will be a long day. Our excursion meets at 7:30 a.m. so that means an early alarm and breakfast before heading back into Jakarta to see the mosque and Chinatown.
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