Surabaya and Trowulan

Our ship made a stop at the port in Surabaya for the day.  Surabaya is the 2nd largest metropolitan area of Indonesia, behind Jakarta, with over 10 million people.  Surabaya has been one of the busiest trading ports in Asia for centuries.  Principal exports include sugar, tobacco, and coffee.  Surabaya has a strong financial infrastructure with financial institutions and an economy influenced by growth in international industries.  It is home to a large shipyard and specialized naval schools.  Surabaya is predominantly Muslim.  

We spent our day, taking a tour that drove through Surabaya, to Trowulan, an hour and a half to the west.  Trowulan was the ancient capital of the Majapahit Empire and the only city site of the Hindu-Buddhist classical age in Indonesia.  It is now an 100 square km archaeological site.  The Majapahit Empire ruled eastern Java from 1293 and maintained strong connections with ports and traded extensively with Southeast Asia and China.  The people of Majapahit practiced a blend of Hinduism and Buddhism, coexisting with a growing Muslim presence that later shaped Indonesia’s religious landscape. The city was razed in 1479 during an invasion.  Temples, tombs, a reservoir, canals, and a bathing place remain.  The city ruins were rediscovered in the early 1800’s by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of British Java, who was an enthusiast for the island’s history, and credited with founding contemporary Singapore.  Trowulan was submitted as a UNESCO site in 2009.  

We visited several temples, the Majapahit Museum, a reservoir, bathing site, and burial temple.  We saw a smoking volcano in the distance, with rice and sugarcane growing in nearby fields.  It was an interesting day, led by our enthusiastic tour guide, well versed in Majapahit history.

Day 2 in Bali

Papa and I took a tour today, Art & Crafts in Bali.  We made five stops, to visit a batik shop, jewelry maker, wood carver, paint artists, and a bamboo wood furniture maker.  Each was interesting and the products were beautiful.  I bought a batik scarf.  We enjoyed the drive around Bali too.  Our tour guide talked while we rode, telling us of his family, inheriting his family home compound and living with his brothers families there.  He is also a rice farmer and told us about life in Bali.  

Bali

We arrived in port in Bali this morning before 11, to the busiest waterfront of any stop we know.  We met our tour group at noon, for a drive through the city of Bali and the countryside, with stops at Ulun Danu Beratan on Danu Beratan Lake, and the Secret Garden for a snack and coffee.  We passed through the very busy religious city (full of Hindu temples), and countryside of agricultural fields and rice terraces.  It was a long day for us and not at all how we imagined.  Bali’s income is 70-80% from tourism, but 80% of the people work in agriculture.  The average monthly wage in 2024 was $160-320.  It seems that a large number of tourists stay exclusively in resorts, without much interaction with the locals.  Our tour was very informative.

Komodo Island

We arrived in the Komodo Islands this morning during breakfast, to calm seas and spectacular views.  Komodo Island - the largest in the national park is a UNESCO world heritage site, famous as the sole natural habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world.  The steep hillsides of the Komodo Islands are covered in green, many fringed in pink sand beaches.  They are beautiful!

We took a tour of Komodo Island with three guides, walking on well worn paths over 1.5 miles.  We saw 7 or 8 Komodo dragons.  Male Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds, and females are slightly smaller.  They live 20-40 years in the wild.  They are carnivores and eat wild pigs and deer found on the island.  They are quite intimidating.  We enjoyed our visit to Komodo.

Cocktail Party

We were at sea yesterday, and arrived in Kupang, West Timor this morning.  Kupang is a rather poor city of over 400,000 people, with its port playing an important role in trade for the island.  Fishing is also important.  The ship provided a shuttle bus from the cruise terminal into town, and we took it round trip, without stopping.  

This evening, we attended a cocktail party for guests that have cruised multiple times with Oceania.  The ship’s captain talked for a bit and complimented the crew of 780, from 54 countries.  The Oceania Vista ship carries 1200 passengers, from dozens of countries.  The two cruises we have taken in the past month have been the most international we’ve ever taken.  On both ships, the language of the ship has been English.  

Darwin

We cruised into Darwin mid-morning today, under partly cloudy skies.  Soon after our ship was docked, we joined the tour, “Darwin’s Military Past.”  We traveled by bus through Darwin National Park, to view several bunkers from WWII.  We visited Darwin Aviation Museum, housing one of Australia’s largest collections of military and civil aircraft.  

We visited the East Point Military Museum, filled with photos and artifacts of Darwin’s wartime history, plus a small holocaust museum.  On February 19, 1942, Japanese forces launched two air raids on Darwin.  At 9:55 am, 188 planes were launched from aircraft carriers in the Timor Sea, targeting ships in the port, and the town center.  A second raid by 54 land based bombers followed at 11:55 am, targeting the RAAF base.  At least 235-250 people were killed and 300-400 wounded, including Australian military, US personnel, and civilians.  Eight ships were sun in the harbor, and the town’s infrastructure was severely damaged.  It was the first and largest foreign attack on Australian soil during WWII.  There were 96 more air attacks on Northern Australia, lasting until November 1943.  

We saw wallabies playing in a park along the way, a beautiful beach - Mindil Beach, and we stopped at Darwin’s Esplanade to visit the Cenotaph, the primary site of remembrance for the victims of WWII bombing in Darwin, with a flame sculpture reminding us “Lest We Forget,” as we arrived.

We also learned of Cyclone Tracy’s devastation of Darwin in December 1974.  It hit on December 24 after 10 pm, with winds over 135 mph for hours.  Residents were celebrating Christmas and didn’t immediately acknowledge the emergency.  Sixty six people died, 70% of Darwin’s buildings were destroyed, including 80% of houses.  Over 30,000 people were evacuated after landfall, of whom many never returned.  Darwin suffered two devastating events within 30 years - bombing and a cyclone.  Darwin is remote from the rest of Australia and an interesting place, with a beautiful location on the sea.

We saw our ship from the Esplanade, with a storm brewing.  We arrived back at the ship just as rain started to fall.

Two Days at Sea

After leaving Cairns, we are making our way to Darwin, over 1200 nautical miles.  The weather is nice and warm, the sea is calm.  The sky is dotted with puffy clouds.  It is beautiful!