Bali, Indonesia

We are spending about a week traveling through Indonesia, a chain of 17,508 islands, 16,000 of which are uninhabited.  The population of Indonesia (285 million) is 87% Islamic and only 1.7% Hindu.  But the Indonesian island of Bali is 87% Hindu, and our excursions on that island increased our understanding of the Balinese Hindu faith.

Life on Bali centers around its many small villages.  Most people spend their entire lives in the village where they were born, with married women typically moving to their husband’s village.  Each village is known for its specific vocational skill which is passed down from generation to generation.  As we drove through various villages, we found the streets lined with shops specializing in local products.  Specialties included batik fabric, silver jewelry, wood carvings, or roof-thatching.  Each village also has two important buildings: one a temple for worship and another for community gatherings.

The impression we got of those who practice the Hindu faith in Bali is that their daily lives revolve around spiritual practices.  We spent a day with a private driver and learned that he starts each work day by placing an offering on the dashboard of his car to ask for safety.  Everywhere we went, we saw offerings, some as simple as a square of palm leaf topped with a flower or a few grains of rice and meat, that people had left as symbols of their devotion.  We also saw women carrying much larger offerings: towers of fruits and flowers that they balanced on their heads and took to the village temple for a special celebration.

Dance is another expression of Balinese Hinduism.  Many dances are only done as part of sacred rituals and not performed for tourists.  One evening, however, we went to a dinner that was followed by the Kecak Dance, which was mesmerizing!  It started with dozens of men wearing black and white sarongs, seated in a circle on the floor and chanting in unison.  Elaborately dressed dancers entered the circle and interpreted the story of Ramayana, basically the struggle between good and evil.  I took a short video, but it may be too large to load here.  It would be worth Googling, however, just for you to hear the chanting and get a feel for the intensity of this ritual.

Our final stop on Bali was a visit to Pura Taman Ayun Temple, or the king’s water temple, in Mengwi.  Built in 1634, this UNESCO  World Heritage Site’s name means “beautiful garden,” as it is surrounded by lotus ponds whose pink flowers add to the  beauty of the setting.

Komodo National Park

Am far behind in my posts!  We left Darwin on February 19th, and it is now March 2nd!  There’s so much to see and do that the days pass quickly.  I’ve made good progress on my Hawaiian appliqué project, so at least I have that to show for my time.  Today is a sea day as we travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, a good chance to catch up…starting with Komodo (ko-MO-do) Dragons!

The largest lizard on earth, and sharing common ancestors with dinosaurs, Komodo Dragons can grow to 10 feet long and weigh 300 pounds.  They are aggressive and fearless predators with 60 razor-sharp teeth and a venomous saliva that can paralyze their prey, which includes water buffaloes!  They are mostly found on three Indonesian islands, and we visited one of them, Rinca.

Their largest population is found on nearby Komodo Island, but its neighbor Rinca was chosen as a more suitable destination for cruise ships and research teams, as encroachment there can be more carefully controlled.  Elevated walkways make for safer sightings even if the presence of humans has driven most of the lizard population to less accessible parts of the island.  What we lost in the number of sightings, we gained in the excellent visitors’ center at the end of the walkway.  There, we saw skeletons of both a male and female lizard and also learned about ongoing research and conservation efforts taking place on Rinca.

Darwin, Australia

There is a take-away from every place we visit, and it’s not always the one we expect.  Darwin is a prime example.  Although it enjoys a long and beautiful beachfront, it is not otherwise a beautiful city.  But what it has going for it is the grit of its people.

We visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, where there is a section called “Unruly Days.” As recently as 1911, Darwin was a wild and wooly frontier town, often ignored by the rest of the country.  The locals were exploited by people “from away” who brought in low-wage jobs in volatile industries.  That led to a people’s rebellion that brought unemployment to three-quarters of Darwin’s population.

 In 1942, during WWII, Darwin was the target of 64 Japanese bombing raids that killed 243 people and caused significant damage to the city.

On Christmas Eve, 1974, Cyclone Tracy left Darwin in ruins.  Wind gusts were measured at 135mph before the measuring instruments failed.  The city was flattened; not a single building escaped.  The severity of the destruction left people with nowhere to go; more than 30,000 were evacuated, most with just the clothes they were wearing.

In every case, these tough-minded people rolled up their sleeves and got to work rebuilding their lives.  Each of these events underscored the importance of resilience and strong community bonds.

Our visit to that museum left us with a greater understanding and appreciation of the folks who call Darwin home.  Even in their darkest hours, they have found hope for brighter times ahead.

Chocolate!

 The chefs onboard Viking Sky like to wow us with their talents and never miss a chance to throw a party.  On Valentine’s Day, it was the pastry department’s time to shine.  To wit:

All this plus live music and dancing under the stars.  What’s not to 💕 ?

Happy Valentine’s Day from Thursday Island, Australia

It’s February 14th here, (only the 13th there in the US,) and this Sacred Barn Owl joins me in sending fond greetings from Thursday Island.  TI, as it is locally known, is one of the many small islands clustered off the northeastern point of Australia. Although its area is only 1.4 square miles, and its population under 3000, TI is the administrative center of the Torres Strait Islands.   Archeological evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years.

We have paid a brief call here to break up the journey between Cairns and Darwin.  Very much worth seeing are its turquoise waters and beautiful beaches (which are off-limits owing to the presence of sharks and aggressive salt-water crocodiles.)

The consolidated high school of the Torres Strait Islands is located here, and its students and faculty played island drums, sang, and performed native dances for us in their community hall.

Cairns (aka “Cans”) Australia

Today was a great day even if it was not the day we had expected.  Arriving early afternoon, we snagged two seats on the first coach headed for the Cairns Aquarium.  Wonderful, wonderful with its dazzling array of sea creatures.  We especially enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef exhibit.

While Vann’s photos will be far superior to mine, the visit was spectacular, but it turned out not to be the most memorable part of our day.

Returning from the shore excursion, we decided to take an Uber in search of a rain jacket for Vann.  The past couple of days have been soakers, with more in the forecast, so a waterproof jacket is a must.   

En route with our Uber, we discovered that our internet connection was lost, and we wondered how, if ever, we could connect with a ride back to the ship.  Our dear driver said he would swing back by in 45 minutes to deliver us back to the ship.

Vann found the perfect rain jacket in a matter of minutes, so we were out on the sidewalk well in advance of our driver’s return.  A young woman passing by overheard our conversation and offered us a ride, but we decided to wait for our original driver.  We wondered if maybe that had been as mistake, but we had faith that our original driver would return as promised.  And he did.  The entire episode left us convinced that Aussies are the best ever!

Great dinner onboard with charming folks at the nearby tables.  Happy, happy!

Big day tomorrow with a 7-hour excursion.  Stay tuned!

Australian City Names

Now that you know about Mooloolaba and can say its name correctly, it’s time to tackle other Australian  city names that, according to locals, are often mispronounced by those of us “from away.”

Tomorrow the Viking Sky will dock in Cairns but, as in Bah Hahbah (on the coast of Maine,) the “r” is silent; it’s “CANS.”

Ditto Melbourne, which is correctly pronounced “MEL-ben” or even “MEL-burn; it’s the “o” this time that goes missing. 

Adelaide drops its “d” to become “AA-uh-laid.”

Canberra is “CAN-bra.

Brisbane is “BRIZ-bn”

A laid-back and friendly sort, Australians usually do not correct visitors who mispronounce their city names or, if they do, it’s generally in a light-hearted way.  But they also appreciate our efforts to say the names as they do and see it as a sign of respect.  Cans it is!