Benoa, Bali

Bali is a small Indonesian island with a reputation as paradise.  It is actually a Hindu nation in a sea of Islam (the rest of Indonesia).  It has ‘everything’ - beach, surfing, swimming, sailing, boating, and a substantial mountainous region of tranquil beauty.

  Additionally, there are tiny islands off the coast of Bali.  One is mountainous with a big waterfall, but another called Nusa Lembongan Island is the Bali of 40 years ago.  All this handful of small islands are reached by ferries.  I wish we’d been here long enough to use the ferries and see beyond the tourist attractions.  That said, the tourist attractions were pretty spectacular.  

Entrance to Tanah Lot Temple

Uluwatu Temple

This temple is on the edge of the Indian Ocean.  [First time I’ve ever seen THAT ocean.]  Meet the Indian Ocean.  This cliff is across from the temple.  And, yes, the water is really this color.

This temple is located on the western tip of Nusa Dua, a little southern afterthought to the main island of Bali.  You can see it on the map.

This temple has an interesting twist:  The Balinese long tailed macaque monkeys.  There are 700 of them, including a miserable looking albino monkey in a cage.  All the others are small, free swinging thiefs!  The tour guide on the bus said THREE TIMES these monkeys have learned to pluck things off the heads of tourists and out of dangling hands - sunglasses, hats, glasses, cameras, phones, - you get the picture.  These animals willl jump on your shoulder to pluck something off of you.  That includes shiny earrings.  We convinced one woman to take her sparkling earrings off rather than have her earlobe ripped.  Speaking of pictures - here are the Balinese long-tailed macaque monkey

As you can see from the tail, it frees up those prehensile hands and feet, and assists in the getaway.

 

Their annoying interactions are the fault of the first tourists who gave these monkeys FOOD.  Now, they steal personal items to exchange them for food.  Nobody can say these monkeys aren’t smart.  This behavior has been learned by successive generations of monkeys from their parents.  

Here’s my personal anecdote about the monkeys.  As I noted, the tour guide was emphatic about what NOT to take out of the bus.  Of course, one man (who looked like he thought he knew everything) took a honking big camera with the lens that extends 10” from the camera.  He’s got it around his neck, so he feels smugly secure from theft.  As he begins to focus, he takes his glasses off his face and puts them on top of his head.  The monkeys see an easy picking and plug them right off his head.  Oh man, he’s stomping around informing everyone of his irreplaceable $1500 glasses that have every bell and whistle you can load on a pair of eyeglasses.  In my opinion, he deserved to lose them.  However, that’s not how life works in Bali.  They have monkey wranglers with calls and sticks who managed to retrieve the glasses.  I never heard him say thank you.  

Life in Bali is not really about attractions.  It’s about the harmony of humans, nature, and the gods.  Restoring the man’s glasses restored the harmony in the relationship with him and the others around him.  The Hindu religion is taken very seriously in Bali.  Everyone tries to achieve harmony and life balance.  Offerings are made daily to the gods.  Here’s an example:

This offering is sitting out on the sidewalk and is probably for three businesses/apartments.  Offerings are also refreshed every day in family temples which are behind walls.  One of the speakers on the ship 

talked about his favorite Bali hotel he likes to stay at when he visits.  The hosts spend two hours a day preparing offerings for all 22 rooms in their hotel.  

We visited another temple, Tanah Lot on a Balinese holiday.  Families were visiting here as we trooped around.  Here are two little boys enjoying their orange chick on the holiday:

The Tanah Lot temple was much more open than the Uluwatu Temple.  Plus, no monkeys!  We walked around the temple, and boy, was it hot and humid.  I looked like a tomato struggling with my sticks and trying to keep up.  I made it, but I was glad to rest a bit o the air conditioned bus.  These little boys were a delight.  They were just as happy as they look in the picture.

Bali has wonderful food and beautiful vegetation.  I haven’t seen birds of paradise growing since New Orleans or lobster claws since Jamaica. 

This last bush is a Jungle Flame or a Jungle Geranium.  It’s a sacred plant, so it’s not surprising it’s on the Tanah Lot grounds.  

As we drove around Bali, there are larger than life statues of Hindu gods and Hindu stories.  Here are some pictures of my favorite:

On one excursion this was the lunch:  lobster, whole crab, five large prawns, fried fish, chili sauce, grilled pineapple and grilled squid, and a cone of rice.

Having lived in New Orleans, I attacked this plate with gusto.  I was pulling out chunks of seafood with both my fork, my fingers, and a cracker.  I admit my weak hands just couldn’t get into the crab.  My husband who hates to dirty his fingers to eat was quickly tired of trying to crack shells and pry out meat….so I ate his lobster.  Both were delish!  My mother-in-law would have risen from the dead if I’d left any lobster on either plate.  It was her favorite food.

The lunch was in an open air verandah looking over the beach.

The woman running the lunch was bustling around serving food, answering questions, and trying to make about 60 people simultaneously comfortable.  I decided to try Balinese manners.  At the end of the lunch, I not only thanked her, but I bowed to her in Balinese fashion.  She broke into a big smile and hugged me.  I could feel the harmony.  

I don’t know how many pictures this horrible internet loaded, but hopefully, you can click the link and see more.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9rXgkeY3wzpjgHtb7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9rXgkeY3wzpjgHtb7

Komodo Island

Yes, this is a Komodo dragon.  That tree is about 8” in diameter, so this guy is about ten feet long.  He’s one of the big ones.  We saw five of six of these as well as one which was about three feet long.  These are fascinating animals, but they are very dangerous.  

Komodo dragons can run 20 to 30 mph when they are chasing prey.  They are completely carnivorous as well as cannibalistic.  They will actually eat any of their own young who are not fast enough to get from egg shell up into a tree.  The young then live in trees - the ones that make it….

This dead palm tree is the ideal hiding place for the youngest Komodo dragons.  They live in the trees for three years after hatching.  Otherwise, they are snacks for the big ones.  And speaking of eating, a full grown dragon eats about once a week.  He’s not fussy.  Let’s say he catches a wild pig.  He swallows it whole, hoofs, bones and all.  Sometime later, he will regurgitate the hoofs and some of the bigger bones.  Once they are full for the week, they don’t much stir themselves.  However, a hungry dragon will attack a person if not driven off.  Just last year, one tourist (obviously a stupid one) was bitten so badly, he died. He was wandering around the jungle without a guide.

The Komodo’s live on their own island, and the entire island is a National Park.  You are not allowed off a boat or ship without an experienced guide who has  additional protection with him.  This is Rocman - one of the protectors of our tour.  He hovered right beside me the entire hike knowing with my slow speed with double sticks would make me seem like prey.

Two protectors are assigned to each tour group.  See his forked stick?  That’s what he would use to trap a dragon around the neck, and the second guy with the same type stick would back him up.  If two dragons are fighting, usually over a female, they would use both sticks to pull them apart.  I think I would have felt safer if they had been armed with cattle prods.  However, the whole point is to not injure the animals.

Komodo island

The dragons live in a steamy tropical jungle that covers the entire island.  It is very verdant, with plenty of other animals for the dragons to eat including pigs, deer, and other small mammals.  The largest dragons do not move very fast to catch prey.  They wait for another animal to run something down and kill it.  Then, the dragons move in.  What animal in its’ right mind would insist on its’ own kill when a dragon wants it.  The Komodos  are almost like the jungle garbage disposals.  There are bout 1000 dragons on the island.

On our hike through the jungle to locate dragons, our minders were hypervigilant because one of the dragons needed to eat - its stomach was deflated.  They also use camouflage.  Can you spot the dragon?

And, sometimes they just THINK they are camouflaged…..

Rocan took my camera and got this shot.  He was right on top of this one.  

We took the ‘short’ walk because we were both worried about my ability to keep up on anything longer.  I’m discovering it’s not just my knees and back, it’s also the debilitating heat and humidity.  After time in the jungle, I’m bright red and pouring perspiration.  

I did manage to get my pictures copied & a link created.  There’s a video which really shows a dragon off.  Click on the link.  Bali is our next stop!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qGDQGF78BJViZEzx8 

Cairns, Australia - The Great Barrier Reef

 

We took a shore excursion to Green Island which is a natural preserve about 50 minutes by ferry from Cairns (pronounced Canes).  The first thing we learned is it’s jellyfish season in the ocean around Cairns/Green Island.  Now, these are not big blobby jellyfish, these are ‘stingers’ which are as small as your fingernail, and their venom can be fatal to humans.  Every snorkeler or swimmer or scuba diver were highly encouraged to rent a full boy neoprene wet suit which included shoes and close fitting cap as part of the suit.  I could just imagine trying to get my fat ass into that suit.  

The alternative to snorkeling was to ride around in a glass bottom boat to see a glimpse of the reef.  You can guess which one I picked.  This picture is from late in the day.  It was totally cloudy most of the time we were on the island.

Swimming Beach - Green Island
(Notice how few people are actually in the water.)

Green Island is also part National Park.  There is a boardwalk trail through the tropical rainforest.  It has informational signs along the walk, and it’s so short even I could do

Pacific Reef Egret

This gives you a chance to see how impenetrable a tropical jungle can be

It was hard to imagine how such a diverse tropical rainforest could appear on what is essentially a coral cay composed of coral rubble.  First, birds arrive and defecate all types of seeds some of which sprout.  As more vegetation arises, soil is actually built from the plant debris on top of the coral rubble.  Gradually, a cay with no life becomes a rainforest like Green Island.  

Without even really trying I found several species of birds all of which are shameless beggars.  Of course, you are directed not to feed them, but people told stories of holding a sandwich in one hand, and a bird swooping down and snatching it midair.  The following bird, a buff banded rail, walked around and would try for potato chips as it angled closer and closer to the picnic table.

This bird, an orange footed scrub fowl is a ‘digger’.  It was digging a hole, looking for worms, snakes or I don’t know what.  I did learn they don’t nest, but rather dig down into the earth to bury their eggs.

Black Noddy

The black noddy is a type of sea tern.  It lives in colonies and nests in trees.  Of course, this colony chose an area right over the boardwalk and the walkway was dotted with white bird droppings - about every 2 inches!  We raced through this area since the chances of getting your clothes ruined or your hair full of bird shit were quite high.  

Finally, it was time for the glass bottomed boat.  

The view of the reef was a bit disappointing, but at least I was prepared for it.  The reef is only full of ‘colors’ when the sun is directly shining on the water and the reef isn’t too deep.  Of course, it was overcast the day we took this boat.  It was still impressive.  There were so many types of fish and coral even if they were not brightly colored.

This shore excursion was a real bust.  I wish we’d gone to the aquarium in Cairns, but we really wanted to see the reef.  We had about 1.5 hours of activity and a two hour ferry ride.  We waited around in horrible heat and humidity to the point I was afraid I was getting heat exhaustion.  We couldn’t get on an earlier boat back to Cairns and the ship because they were totally booked.  The upshot was we waited three hours to get off Green Island.  UGH.

Coming into Cairns Harbor.

Darwin - Shop til you drop

The title of this should be an utter shocker.  We all know I rarely shop at home much less ‘on the road’ or should I say ‘on the ocean’.  I usually buy souvenirs at art museums in order to support the museum plus I’m already there.

However, Darwin, Australia is the most northern point in Australia and is the disaster capital of Australia.  At one point Cyclone Tracey nearly wiped Darwin off the coast about 50 years ago.  They also have tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis and fires.,  

If that isn’t bad enough, the climate is beastly.  Think Houston, Texas which I’ve always contended is the worst climate in the United States.  It’s also relatively isolated from the rest of Australia - not like the deep interior, but it is a long, long way from any other place. 

On the plus side, they pay handsomely for any skilled worker.  A policeman in Darwin has 7 weeks vacation a year the day he signs a contract.  There is subsidized housing, and a vehicle for his private use.  Other professions have equally generous packages.

Darwin is also closest to aboriginal communities, and because Darwin is on the cruise ship route, the art galleries and souvenir shops partner with aboriginal artists to sell their artwork.  I was thrilled because in an earlier blog I stated I was so enthralled with aboriginal art.  Thus, the majority of my purchases involved aboriginal art.  

I got an original painting as well as an original piece of jewelry with aboriginal themes.  Of course, I bought notecards and stationery (with platypus’ designs).  I got two t-shirts with Australian themes, and two pairs of sox.  Drake even got a shirt, and claimed one pair of the sox.  

Three hours of shopping, and we headed back to the ship.  I just couldn’t find anything close enough to see.  There’s a National Park, but it was too far to go since the ship left at 5:30pm.  We’ve learned that Holland America will wait for their own shore excursion groups, but not for anyone else’s.  

This is goodbye to Australia.  It’s been like trying to see the United States in ten days.  It’s just not possible.  I’ve said this trip is about getting the icing on the cake without ever really seeing the cake.  Well, Australia has been about smelling the icing!  I would hope to return, but that 20 hour flight is a big deterrent.  On to Komodo Island.

I managed to get a link of Darwin photos, but they aren’t much.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kUA3rCwC98E4JjQf6 

Magnetic Island, Australia

 

Townsville is on the western side of Australia.  This is the start of the Great Barrier Reef which is more like a passage between islands you can see above the water and reefs below the water.  This is where the ship is required to take on a specialty pilot whose job it is to guide a ship through the intricacies of the reef.  

Our excursion choice was to take a ferry to Magnetic Island from Townsville.  Lt. Cook, yes, the young man who eventually became Capt. Cook, named this island because he was sure something on this island was messing with his compass.  Not true, but the name stuck.  

Today it is mostly a National Park with Mount Cook in the dead center.  The British were as eager as the Americans to attach their names to places which already had names for thousands of years.  

Basically, we did a bus tour of the island because we were looking forward to getting up close and personal with koalas.  Just our luck, the koalas were sick, and we couldn’t visit them.  I’m glad we went to the Toronga Zoo in Sydney to see koalas.  Koalas are actually very shy in the wild, and they are hard to spot.  

On the plus side of the Magnetic Island excursion, we did get to see Rock Wallabies, and as a bonus, saw joeys in situ (in the pouch).  These animals hop like kangaroos, but are much smaller.  They were as tall as around your knee.

Since I can’t get a multiple picture ‘link’, here are some rock wallaby pictures.

Our tour guide brought sanctioned food, so we were surrounded!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a8lb3VmiwEGva18gKDOWp2UQ

(The above link is supposed to be a video, but I don’t know whether it will work or not.)

On to more pictures:

Notice the joey peeking out?  It is about 6-7 months old.  They start leaving the pouch at about 9 months old, but stay close to mom and dive back in for warmth or if they feel they are in danger.

The moms ate all the treats - carrots were the favorites.

We landed at Nelly Bay, a very small settlement on the fringe of the National Park.  The island is very hilly.  Mount Cook is a shade under 1500 feet high.

There were also interesting birds on the island.  It’s hard to get pictures, but this curlew was posing.

I also took pictures of some trees and plants on Magnetic Island

This is a beach vitex and was a sand holder all along the shore line.

This is a flowering evergreen.  Its common name is horsetail tree, and it’s a beach tree.

The beaches on Magnetic Island and the coastline of Townsville are sea turtle hatching sites.  These are sacred animals to the First People, and all Australians protect hatching sites.

The tall trees are ‘gum’ trees which is what all Australians call eucalyptus trees.  There are 900 varieties of gum trees spread over Australia.

There are huge gray granite boulders all over Magnetic Island.  Norwegian pines were introduced here, and the climate must be perfect because they are huge.

Back to Townsville (ship dock), and the harbor.

And, we’ll finish up with Drake

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xFR4a4zhQ417QdBo8