2023 Viking Bali toThailand
Viking
Beginning in Bali, Indonesia and ending in Bangkok, Thailand
Trying something new this time - click on the date to see pictures from that date!
April 4 - we are on our way to Newark for a 9pm flight!
No problems parking the car at the Renaissance Airport and a quick shuttle to the airport, arriving at 4:30 😂 George is still giving me the “side-eye” about leaving so early …. Newark has updated Terminal A and what a change! Actually a pleasure to walk around and “wait”!
Arrived in Toronto at 11:10pm - now we wait …. Next flight is at 1:45 am for Taipei ….
2:08am and Currently on board Eva Air - excellent service so far!
Arrived in Taipei at 630 am - will continue to Bali at 10 am …. This is a huge airport - lots and lots of shops 😜
After leaving Newark, NJ on April 4, we arrive at our final destination via Toronto and Taiwan. Not too much happening - boarded the Viking Mars around 5pm, unpacked and grabbed a bite to eat then went to the 9pm show, where both of us could barely keep our eyes open 🫣.
Ok - Friday already and our first excursion is a Market visit and trip to a Hindu Temple. This afternoon we will continue to catch up on our rest a bit, which I’m sure means “steam room-polar plunge” to some and deck chair-sunshine “ to others …
85 degrees with showers 😎
First stop - Museum of Bali - then to the market … lots of interesting sites and smells … interesting, not necessarily good 😜 … we were blessed by the holy man at the Hindi temple. Lots of up and down steps, but not a lot of walking.
Cast off at 2pm and I think it’s time for a little relaxation before the port talk at 430pm 😎
An early dinner then lost tons of money at blackjack … good thing it wasn’t real money 😂 headed for the Captains reception in a bit, then off to dreamland …the heat is REAL 😂
Had a wonderful nights sleep - finally feel somewhat normal 😋 we will dock around 11am and head off for an overview of the area at noon. We “lost” an hour last night, so not only am I struggling with the date, but now the time as well.
Another hot day in the low 90’s …. and considering how much I’ve hated the dreary weather at home … I will not complain … much 😎
The trip to/thru Surabaya was underwhelming. There were moments - such as the dancing and musicians at some of the stops, but not a lot to see in this area of independence.
Happy Easter to all - HE IS RISEN! (Even in the land of Muslims, Hindi and Buddhist)
Headed out shortly to see the sites of Semarang - expecting heat and lots of walking.
Interesting day today - saw Rainbow Village … a slum that the government painted all colors and now it is a favorite tourist photo stop🤣 …. We visited the oldest Protestant Church in Indonesia and also the Chinese temple, shared by Muslims and Buddhists. As we were coming into port this morning, there were bamboo structures and people standing in the middle of the channel on what must have been a sandbar - it looked as though they were standing on top of the water fishing 😊
As we are getting closer to Jakarta, there are what I assume to be, fish boat houses dotting the water. It’s like a floating fishing community.
Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, for the time being. It is going to be moved to Borneo, as the island of Jakarta is slowly sinking into the ocean.
Today we saw the home of Indonesia’s President - the monument of their independence, the “elephant” museum and also the puppetry museum. Our guide provided so much information that I nearly fell asleep - it’s difficult to follow non native English speakers and even more so when it’s hot 😂 although I’m not complaining, I keep reminding myself. 🤣
We will be in this port overnight and most of tomorrow. I think Indonesia in Miniature is on the schedule for tomorrow? Tonight, there is local entertainment on board - that’s usually a treat!
Indonesia in miniature was a pleasant surprise! It was a representation of different styles of houses from various islands. Most were quite ornate and detailed with wood carving. Finally got the “feel” of the native area.
Jakarta is a huge city and this was one of the largest ports we have been in.
Today - we moved the clocks up an hour after moving them back two days ago - way to keep me confused 😂 we will cross the equator around noon, on our way to Singapore. King Neptune and the “kissing of the fish” ceremony.
George was able to take a tour of the galley - I missed it because I can’t tell time 😬. He did take pictures, which I’ve included. Quite a bit of activity going on below the restaurants 😉. Menus are the same on all Viking ships and the menus are rotated every two weeks. Escalators connect the floors.
Arrival in Singapore this morning at 8am. Looks to be fairly overcast - our excursion begins at 915.
Immigration went quite quickly and as long as we don’t spit on the sidewalk or chew gum, we should be able to remain out of jail!
Tolerance and inclusion seems to describe Singapore. A mosque, Hindu temple, Buddhist temple and a Methodist Church exist happily on the same block. A Jewish synagogue is being built as well. All children are taught in school about their friends beliefs with visits to the various houses of worship so that they have more tolerance and understanding for those who believe differently than themselves.
We arrived in port at 8am, leaving for our excursion at 930. An hour bus ride into Kuala Lumpor, with lots of commentary along the way, explaining the history of the area. A visit to the National Museum, twin towers, a mosque and a national monument.
You can buy a new car for $5k 😳 and gas is only $2 a gallon … minuses - the government controls EVERYTHING. You have an ID card, which acts as your ID card, bank card, voting card, driver’s license, etc. With CCTv … it’s like the program “numbers” 😳
So far today, we've had breakfast and sat in the sun and are now on the way to the thermal spa. Rough life, right? Actually, for those of you who know George and his go go mentality, sea days are indeed a little rough LOL Probably not much more to write today or tomorrow nor will there be many picturces prior to the 17th. We just found out today that we have to disembark at 2AM on the 18th in order to go to the airport for our 7:55 am flight home.😒 Such is the life - it is a 2.5 hour ride to the airport.
It has been a good trip - learned a lot about this part of the world, which is always the goal. Don't believe that we will be venturing back this way again.
Sun and more Sun 😎
Today we toured Bangkok and had lunch - being that we were 2 hours from the port, not a lot of time was spent off the bus, but no complaints because the real feel temps were over 100 degrees!
2:17 am and we’re off! The first leg of our flight was uneventful and we both slept through most of it. Changing planes in Istanbul - wish we actually could have spent a couple of days here - I think George would have been happy to spend a couple of days in the Turkish Airlines Lounge LOL Lots of food, comfy chairs/lounges and the rest of the airport was AMAZING!
We leave on April 4 for a Viking Cruise "Bali to Bangkok". We will arrive on April 6 after 24 hours of flight time and 2 flight changes!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
ReplyDeleteThis is great! And love the quote by Twain.
ReplyDeleteSo glad George was blessed! 🤣
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