è Report on Week 7 - February 17 – 24, 2008 (six days at sea and stops in Indonesia and Brunei)

After leaving the dock at Fremantle/Perth, Australia, we were to have a more-or-less straight sail north, for three days, to reach our next port on the island of Bali, in Indonesia.  The threat of tropical Cyclone Nicholas, however, forced the Captain to navigate west and then north to avoid the worst of the storm.  As it was, we experienced 30+ mph winds and rather heavy swells that curtailed our daily 3-5 mile walks around Lower Promenade.  Aside from moderate sea-sickness, we arrived virtually unscathed and on time in Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday, February 20.

While the island of Bali is small, the country of Indonesia is huge, with more than 17,000 islands, spreading out over 3,800 miles between the Asian mainland and the northern coast of Australia.  Indonesians are predominately Muslim (88% of the total population of 242 million people), but Bali is primarily Hindu, with more temples on the island than houses.  We anchored in the harbor overlooking the city of Padang Bai and a short tender ride dropped us off in front of a swarm of smiling, eager Balinese vendors, who were closely watched by the shore police.  While it was a little unnerving, we had been well prepared for the onslaught during our shore excursion briefings on the ship.

Our all-day tour took us to what’s left of the Klungkung Taman Gili (Island Gardens), a palace designed and built in 1710, for the Klungkung rulers, and ancient Pura Kehen temple, in Bangli, a complex built in the 11^th century.  Everywhere we went, the vendors followed on motor bikes, hoping to make a sale.  Needless to say, we all bought something (carvings, batik, straw bags, etc.) and enjoyed negotiating with the locals.  Many of us handed out dollar bills to the children (we ran out way too early) who offered a flower in exchange.  Our guide told us that most unskilled workers make only $1, or less, per hour, so we know how appreciated our money must have been.  For lunch, a typical Indonesian menu was served by the staff of a lovely mountainside restaurant, where we had dramatic views of rice-terraced fields.  Everyone we met was friendly and willing to do almost anything to make sure we had a good time. 

The Bali stop was very important to a large number of our Indonesian crew from the ms Amsterdam, as family members, who could afford to do so, met them on the pier for the few hours that they had off (most only 3 -6 hours).  One of our favorite Indonesian waiters, Surono, met his wife and 2-year old son, who he had not seen for almost eight months.  There were lots of tears, but smiling faces when all but three (we were told) crew returned to the ship.  The three, we were also told, are in big trouble.

Indonesian history is complex and bloody and would take pages and pages to just highlight.  So for now, suffice it to say - - Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese control is long over and Soekarno and Soeharto are both dead and gone.  The country is a democracy, holding its first direct presidential elections in 2004.  Indonesia has a lot of problems and, unfortunately, continues to be in the news in recent years with the bombings in Jakarta (2002) and Bali (2005), some radical Islamic troubles, and ongoing separatist conflicts in Aceh and Papua provinces.  Even so, we were glad to experience a tiny bit of the culture and to meet some of the wonderful people of the tiny island of Bali.

After three more fun days at sea, we arrived in the country of Brunei, on Sunday, February 24.  At one time (1400 – 1500s), Brunei was a considerable regional power, controlling most of the island of Borneo and parts of the Philippines.  It was the British, who arrived in the 17^th and 18^th centuries who began to erode Brunei’s territory and just before is was about to be swallowed up entirely, oil was discovered.  The British kept control, but when their plan in 1962 was to make Brunei a part of the Malaysian federation there was a revolt.  The sultan suspended the constitution and opted for independence and a treaty was signed in 1971 making Brunei a protectorate until 1984, when it became independent.  Brunei is an absolute monarchy under Islamic law, located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, but divided in two sections, separated from each other by a portion of Malaysia’s Sarawak state.

The 29^th sultan, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, presides over the small kingdom of 375,000 people and the family dynasty which began in the 14^th century is the world’s longest-running hereditary monarchy.  His Majesty and his family are in control of virtually all government departments and a vast majority of the nation’s wealth, but you can’t find anyone who would speak negatively about the family or the government.  The “government and His Majesty” are directly credited for the high employment and standard of living, all driven by its massive offshore oil and gas deposits that have produced an economy envied by surrounding states.

Our all-day tour took us to Bandar Seri Begawan, or BSB, the capital of Brunei and the largest city.  We visited the open market, full of fresh food and fish and lots of strange smells.  It was then on to the Royal Regalia Building (opened in 1992) where we viewed a collection of the Sultan’s official gold and silver (lots and lots of it) articles, and items connected to his ascension to the Throne in 1967 and his Silver Jubilee in 1992.

Next, it was on to visit the gigantic Jame Asr’ Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (with its 29 golden domes), named in honor of the current and 29th sultan, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.  Everyone removed their shoes and every woman had to wear a black robe and cover their heads with a scarf.  Photographs were not allowed inside, but we did get some from the outside (one’s on the web site).

Our final adventure of the day, before returning to the ship, was a ride through the water village on pontoon boats.  The water village is a series of homes (some just shacks) on stilts over the water.  The Kampong Ayer water village is actually 28 separate villages that have grown together over time and are now home to 30,000 people.  The contrast of the village to the wealth displayed by the 1,000+ room sultan’s palace (only seen through the front gate) and the multi-million dollar mosque was dramatic and perplexing.  Even with the disparity, all the people we met appeared to be educated, well feed, happy, and captivated by their sultan, His Majesty.  By the way, his photo was on everywhere – billboards, posters, water bottles, magazines, cards, cups, plaques, key chains, etc. – you named it, he was there.

Check out Nick’s website - www.nide.smugmug.com - for pictures from Bali and Brunei (four each, due to slow speed of the internet)

The next report will be of Week 8 (February 25 – March 01), including three days at sea and stops in Manila, Philippines and Hong Kong, China (2 day stop)