Indonesia

SINGAPORE: (1/2 day: only over night), flight to
INDONESIA: (1.5 day on the island of Bali, very good evening show of Kechak dance, a day tour around this Hindu island with many interesting stops including one at an active volcano), flight via Hong Kong to
PHILIPPINES: (1.5 days: sightseeing of Manila the capital, then the active Taal Volcano 70 km from the city, which rises from the middle of a lake), flight via Taipei, Seoul and Honolulu to Los Angeles.

Travel Office: Perci Tours (trough May Company Travel in Carlsbad)
Who took part: 26 travelers, a leader from Perci (a lady) and local guides

On July 9 I am in Jakarta on the Island of Java with a new guide, driver and a car. In the morning we drive to the city of Bogor 50 km south of Jakarta. There is the famous Botanical Garden founded 1817. In the 19th century it together with the Kew Gardens in London made from many tropical plants industrial products. Some 400 species of palms are grown in this garden. Next to it is the Summer Palace of the president originally built in the 19th century for the Dutch governor. In the afternoon we visit the “Mekursur Amaising Turism Park.” It is a park of tropical fruit which one can taste and also buy there. The following day is sightseeing of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. In the morning a visit to “Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.” It shows all the provinces of Indonesia with their full-scale traditional houses, regional handicrafts and even a mini-scale Buddhist Borobudur and Hindu Prambanan. Museums, theatres and restaurants are scattered throughout the 100 ha areal. Then we drive to the oldest part of the city called Kota. It was the place, under the name Batavia, from where the Dutch ruled for over 400 years this gigantic archipelago known as Indonesia now. From here to the Chinatown. Last is the city center with a Catholic cathedral, a mosque, government buildings and a National Monument on the Merdeka Square. Later in the afternoon I fly from Jakarta do Yogyakarta also on Java.

Morning on July 11 a trip outside of Yogyakarta to the most important Buddhist Temple, Borobudur. It was built some 1300 years ago. The temple has 5 storey and its walls are covered with scenes from Buddha’s life. On the way back to Yogyakarta I see additional 2 smaller temples. In the city there is sightseeing of the Kraton Castle of the local sultan. In the afternoon is a visit of Taman Sari (water castle), which looks like a city inside a city. Next day another trip from Yogyakarta this time to the biggest Hindu Temple on Java, Prambanan. It is mainly Shiva temple, but it has also temples of Brahma and Vishnu forming the triumvirate in the Hindu religion. In front of their temples are temples of their corresponding animals. From the Prambanan Temple we drive to the town Solo to view another palace of a sultan. Before independence the Muslem Java was covered with sultanates and there were many sultans. Current sultans do not have any political power. In the afternoon a trip into the mountains to Sukuh Temple. On our drive back we see number of destroyed villages due to recent volcanic activity.

Very early on July 13 flight from Yogyakarta via Surabaya (both on Java) to the city of Makassar on the Island of Sulawesi (Celebes). As everywhere I have a new guide, driver and car. We have 338 km from Makassar to Tana Toraja in the mountains. The following day we drive to a place where is a funeral of an important man. He died 2 years ago, but only now they collected enough money for a dignified funeral during which they kill some 30 buffalos. In the afternoon I see tombs chiseled from the living rocks several hundred years ago. Then some tasting of palm wine. Later a beautiful village with traditional houses. Next day more tombs in the rocky mountains with tau-taus which are a wooden effigies of the departed. Then another village with the traditional houses. Day after is the return back to Massakar to see a fortress from 1667 there. Then to the airport.

A couple hours after midnight, already on July 17, I fly from Makassar on Sulawesi via Biak Island and Jayapura to Wamena all three in an Indonesian province Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) on the Island of New Guinea. Still that afternoon drive through Wamena and a visit of a market. Besides my guide there are two local practically naked men with us as my additional guides. Their cloth is only a penis sheath. They are Melanesians as all the original inhabitants of New Guinea. However, in Papua things are run by people from other Indonesian islands which are of other races. Next day is a visit of several Melanesian villages outside Wamena. There are only the almost nacked men and children in the villages, while women work in the fields. The third day in Wamena more sightseeing of the area around the town. Morning on July 20 flight from Wamena to Jayapura (Dutch called it Hollandia). After landing there is a sightseeing of the city including a boat ride on Lake Sentani.

In the morning on July 21 flight from Jayapura via Timika in south Papua to Denpasar on the Island of Bali where early in the afternoon. Still that day a trip to a Hindu Temple outside the city and then a little sightseeing of the city itself.

On July 22 I start a 3 day trip by air from Bali to Island of Flores to see Komodo Dragons. In the town Labuanbajo on Flores I get my new trio, a guide, a driver and a car and do some driving around. The following morning a boat ride, where I am the only passenger, to a small island with the Komodo Dragons. With a local guide I walk through the jungle looking for these monitor lizards. Most of them are near the park headquarters. The third day I return by plane back to Bali.

Before noon on July 25 I fly from Bali to Dili, the capital of TIMOR LESTE, the newest independent country of the world. Here I have a guide who also drives a car. In the afternoon we make a trip about 50 km along the coast to a fort. My guide expains me the sad history of 24 years of Indonesian occupation of the originally Portuguese colony in eastern part of the Island of Timor. During return we stop at a gigantic statue of John Paul II. commemorating his visit in 1998. Next morning is a sightseeing tour of the capital Dili and its vicinity. First we go to view the gigantic statue of Christ above the bay. Back in the city we see Indonesian, Catholic and Chinese cemeteries. From a “Castaway Bar” there is a beautiful view of the coast and the sea. From a mountainous highway we see the Presidential Palace. In mid afternoon I leave Timor Leste and fly to Singapore where I stay in an airport hotel.

Very early on July 27 I leave Singapore for Tokyo and from there I continue to Los Angeles. Due to the 180th meridian I reach LAX in mid afternoon the same day. I rent a car from Budget Rent a Car and drive home to Vista where in the evening.

What a journey!

Travel office: Indonesia Explorers arranged my Indonesia trip, while Singapore and Timor Leste I prepared myself over the Internet.

Who took part: I traveled alone with a guide, a driver and a car in each place in Indonesia and Timor.

The second part of our cruise started with evening departure from Sydney on November 18, stopping south of Sydney in Eden, NSW and after spending a day on the sea we visited Hobart in the southern tip of Tasmania. Then 2 days across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand and the Milford Sound. A day later we were sightseeing Dunedin on the southern coast of the South Island. So far so good. After that we accounted a storm raising waves to 10 and 13 ft (3 to 4 m) and the ship could not land in harbors of Akaroa (for Christchurch) and Picton both on the South Island of New Zealand. We took an aim to Napier on the North Island. But we were not allowed to land there. So after 2 days on the rough sea (South Pacific Ocean), when the storm subsided, we landed in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. We saw this beautiful city under the sunny skies. From there we sailed to Napier and day later to Tauranga, from there I made a bus trip to Rotorua in the heart of the North Island. After another day on sea and 14 days of sailing from Sydney we ended our cruise in Auckland early in the morning on December 2.
I spent another 3 days in Auckland sightseeing this very appealing city. On December 5 I shared a taxi with friends I made on the ship to get to the airport. A Boeing 787-9 took off in the mid afternoon and after 12
hours of flight brought the full plane to Los Angeles before 7 AM the same day (again due to the Date Line). I picked up the prearranged car at Hertz and drove home to Vista where after 11 AM.

Travel office: Though I found the cruise on Internet, I let Spiekermann Travel Service to do the arranging.
Who took part: I joined the cruise as an individual with other more than 1000 passengers.