- Jul 16
The cruise started from Bali, so we flew in a few days early. Bali has many high end resorts around its spectacular coastline, with rooms costing much less than the same level of resort in America or Europe. The Balinese people are incredibly welcoming, the service was amazing, the food was very good, and while we were there the weather was cooperative for several pool and beach days.
We had intended to explore more of the island, but like many visitors to Bali, we did not leave our resort until time to check out, which in our case meant a transfer to the cruise port to get on our cruise ship, the Seven Seas Voyager - the same ship that took us to Antarctica last year!
Our first stop on the cruise was Surabaya, west of Bali on the north coast of Indonesia. We took a guided excursion that took in the Sanggar Agung Temple and Heroes Monument. The dragon sculptures at the temple were particularly impressive. The Heroes Monument is dedicated to the many who died in the Battle of Surabaya in November 1945, a battle that would eventually lead to independence for Indonesia.
The final stop in Indonesia was at Semarang, where we visited Lawang Sewu, the newly restored headquarters of the Dutch East India Railroad. Lawang Sewu means "A thousand doors" in Javanese, which is a slight exaggeration, but all the doors, windows and floors are made with teak wood. The buildings also have a flooded basement which served as early air conditioning, keeping the buildings cool in the tropical heat.
