Bali

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At sea on our way to Bali we enjoy a variety of games including pool volley ball in the small but adequate swimming area. The wave action combined with a slippery bottom surface adds to the fun and exercise. We also have golf putting and trivia contests plus a Service Club gathering to facilitate our Rotary makeups. Of course on Sunday we enjoy champagne and caviar. Last night we had a special dinner with two of the acrobatic entertainers from Estonia as they shared their lives with us and fellow diners. During the day a special tour of the ship’s bridge was a treat as the captain explained the inner workings of the facilities and what they plan to do to improve it in dry dock next year. We have noticed that they work very hard to maintain the vessel in top shape with constant painting and unseen efforts. While we were on the bridge the electrician was fixing some of the wiring in the complicated control console (for example they have the option of steering the ship by automatic pilot, steering wheel, joy stick, engine pod steering or after steering). The maritime version of ship identification is an excellent way to eliminate confusion as it mirrors the system used in aircraft that electronically report destinations, speed, ownership, and other details about the aircraft/vessel on a radar/computer screen. It does this sailor good to know they still have the “flag bag” (signal flags stored for easy retrieval) and a sextant onboard.
Anchoring in Padangbai we took tenders (motorized life boats) into shore for our Colors of Bali tour. Aboard our air conditioned bus we braved the narrow and curvy roads with motorbikes everywhere reminding us of some Central American countries. Our guide shared many facts about this country island and nation of Indonesia. There are 13,000 islands in the nation with agriculture being the main industry and rice being the principle crop of Bali, harvested 3 times a year with a several varieties including sticky, yellow and black. They used to be Hindu but have changed to Muslim with small temples and special rooms in each family housing compound. Elementary school is compulsory and free but families have to pay to send children to higher grads and college. The Dutch ruled this island nation until 1940 with a strong hand, depleting it of resources, until the Japanese invaded in the ‘40’s. Gaining independence in 1945 there have been a series of strong autocrats fostering corruption. The people just celebrated their New Year during which they don’t eat drink, travel, work, or cook (you don’t want to visit during that period!). There are temples everywhere with each village having a local one plus a regional one. We visit the 250 year old Batuan local ancient village Temple, wearing a sarong to cover our legs out of respect. The people have many celebrations with only the rich getting cremated since it costs $3,000. The temple has a bell rung for special notifications, such as the evening ritual of distributing free condoms to married men at 6 PM as part of the disease and family planning controls. No house may be taller than a sacred banyan tree or 15 meters. The traditional caste system of levels (Brahmin, royalty, bureaucrats and business people, and workers) is gradually disappearing as intermarriage for love takes over. Inflation is a problem with the rupee = 10,000 to the dollar.
We see a delicate Barong dance at the Batubulan Village Temple with portrayed animals, Chinese style dragons, beautiful maidens and good and evil characters. The Balinese music is full of bells and other oriental sounds without a solid beat or fixed ending. Next we visited an exquisite silver shop designed along western lines with display cases and proceed on to a western style buffet lunch with Balinese food overlooking rice paddies. An amazing wood carving “factory” in Kemenuh displayed all sizes of hand carved pieces from inches to 20 feet in height. The detail is magnificent in a variety of woods and styles. Our visit to the Royal capital of Semarapura and the Kerta Gosa, the ancient Court of Justice, reveals exquisitely painted ceilings on these open air buildings depicting ancient tales and moral teachings. Their museum has historic items laid out in un air conditioned splendor to educate the population on its history. We return to the ship aboard a tender after a warm and humid but fascinating day of exploration.
This evening the ship puts on an open air, pool deck buffet of grilled meats and fish, sushi, tables of vegetables and deserts and the ubiquitous beverages of all varieties. Since Bali is an embarkation day with passengers and staff leaving and arriving the late evening rain doesn’t help our departure schedule but the captain keeps to his schedule. We’ll be at sea for a couple of days before our next port of call, Manila.

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