Rodney & Sheryl's Travels: 3/2 - Benoa, Bali, Indonesia

Great tour in Bali! We rented a van with two other couples - one couple that we share the dinner table with, Terry & Helen from Ontario, Canada, and another couple we met through them. Our tour guide's name was Ebu and he was great!

We started off at Tenganan Village, a little historic village where the tour guide explained the way of life. There were several small temples, a gathering place where they celebrated "potluck" style, as well as homes and buildings where they worked. There were a couple of people weaving sarongs, some basket weavers, and a few vendors.

Our next stop was at Candi Dasa Beach, a beautiful beach where we were able to gather our little bucket of sand. Then we headed to Goa Lawah ('Bat Cave') Temple, one of the most sacred temples in eastern Bali. Dedicated in 1007AD, it is a small, but auspicious temple - one of the nine kayangan jagat ('directional temples') that protect Bali from evil spirits.

We had a delicious authentic Indonesian buffet lunch at Mahagiri Restaurant, and then headed to Klungkung Kertagosa - a building designed and built in 1710 by some of the finest artisans in the country. The compound contains the beautiful Bale Kambang floating pavilion and the Kertagosa (Royal Court of Justice) with its elaborate ceiling murals, which are still in great condition.

Today was the last day that the CEO of Holland America (Stein Kruse) was on the ship. He joined us in Bali and over the last few days there have been a few "Mariner Appreciation" events to honor us (actually to honor our money, but whatever). Anyway, tonight's celebration was the big finale. The staff on board are mostly from Bali, so it gave them great pleasure to show off their culture. Over the last two days, they blocked off the pool deck and transformed it into a little Indonesian village that included a rice field, bamboo huts, a tropical rainforest, Batik and wood carving displays, and a festival of lights. Upon arrival back to the ship, we enjoyed Pasar Malam Indonesia ('Night Market') - more authentic Indonesian food, to include suckling pig, Indonesian music and dancers, along with plenty of free booze (our favorite flavor!). They were selling Becak (cycle taxi) rides and a special dinner in one of the dining rooms, collecting around $2200 for the "Rainbow Foundation", a medical shelter for children.

Needless to say, we were completely exhausted by the time we fell into bed, but we had a great day in Bali!