2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 63/105 - Benoa, Bali, Indonesia
Today started epically when Chef Shaji made us biscuits and sausage gravy. It’s always a good way to start the day. Since we don't dock until 1 p.m., this morning is like a mini sea day and that meant Baggo and trivia. It was a final battle of the sexes and the men prevailed once again, coming away with a winning record for this segment of the journey.
Trivia today was Assistant Cruise Director, Harry's way of saying, "Thank you" to the guests - "thank you" in 15 different languages - we had to guess the language. Some came with hints, some with choices, and some we just had to guess.
- Grazie
- Grazzi (Mediterranean language)
- We guessed Greek, but it was Maltese ❌
- Dankejewel
- Kamsahamnida (Mongolian, Cambodian, Korean)
- We guessed Cambodian but it is Korean ❌
- Köszönöm (Ukrainian, Moldovian, Hungarian)
- Gracias
- Arigato
- Efharisto (Mediterranean language)
- We guessed Turkish but it is Greek ❌
- Terima Kasih (Filipino, Bahasa, Turkish)
- Bahasa (or Indonesian or Malaysian)
- Merci
- Xie Xie
- Shukran (Arabic, Russian, Swahili)
- Danke
- Obrigado (Portuguese, Zulu, Afrikans)
- Salamat
We netted 12/15 correct and the winners had 13/15, placing us solidly in our sweet spot of just one point out of the mimosas.
After watching us dock, we grabbed lunch and a few photos from the ship. We are docked in Port of Benoa on the island of Bali, Indonesia. As we sailed in, the difference between Bali and Java was immediately apparent. Tourism is huge here and the money it brings in is evident.
Our tour today, the optional Garuda Wisnu Kencana & Uluwatu Temple tour took us to two destinations. Before we left, I snapped a few photos from the ship.
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We are right on the approach to the airport |
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| We saw this and had to figure it out – it is the statue at our second stop today |
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| A mosque – even though Indonesia is 90% Muslim, Bali is 80% Hindu |
Uluwatu Temple
Uluwatu Temple is one of Bali's six key temples. But when we arrived, there simply wasn’t much to see at the temple.
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| The swastika remains a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Hindu |
There were nice views of the ocean.
The most interesting thing to see were the rhesus monkeys that live there.
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| This one stole a purse |
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| Mama, carrying a little one |
Garuda Wisnu Kencana
From their website:
According to Hindu mythology, Garuda is a divine bird and the mount of Lord Vishnu. The bird is believed to have the ability to change its size and shape at will, and is revered for its strength and speed. The legend of Garuda and Vishnu is one of the most popular stories in Hindu mythology, and has been the subject of countless works of art and literature. The idea for the Garuda Wisnu Kencana sculpture was inspired by this myth, and was meant to serve as a symbol of Indonesia's rich cultural heritage and connection to Hinduism.
The main statue is 400 feet tall and was completed in 2018 as a means to draw cultural tourism to Bali.
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| A small model of the larger statue |
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| Aww…a baby turtle |
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| How to make a baby turtle |
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| Wisnu |
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| Hey – I can see our ship form here |
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| Garuda |
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The main 400-foot statue of Garuda and Wisnu |
Things we spotted as we returned to port.
We decided to keep it a custom food day and had the pizza
chef whip us up a pie.
After dinner, we were able to provide the ceremonial booting
off the ship to our friend and travel Consultant, Hâmed, off the ship as he
leaves tomorrow for a well-deserved vacation. We’re
sad to see him go, but happy he gets to spend family time as he prepares for
his wedding in February.
Tonight, Viking arranged another destination performance of Balinese traditional dance. It was interesting, but not our cup of tea. The facial expressions and looks that the dancers used were, OK, I’ll say it, creepy. Still, it was interesting as was the music and instruments.
Every time I want to say something nice about Viking’s improved internet service, I have a night like tonight. The internet was frustratingly slow. We have been on much larger ships with three times the passenger complement where I could stream 4K video. It is 11:26 p.m. as I write this because I’ve been fighting for the last two hours to get photos loaded and get this published. The bottom line is that Viking does not purchase enough bandwidth to support 930 passengers. Period. It is a shame.
Tomorrow is another day in Bali with an 8:30 a.m. tour. The afternoon will be spent trying to find a place to buy a wireless Qi charger for my phone because my Samsung S22 Ultra seems to think there is moisture in the charging port, even though there is not. Therefore, I cannot charge my phone unless I get a wireless charger. Grr…
Tomorrow will be here way too soon. Time for bed.
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