Surabaya

 Our first stop in Indonesia, and the second largest city. There were dancers and a band to welcome us at dock side. The port area is very industrial, and it's about 5 km to the Old Town and City Centre. So you need to take a taxi or go on a tour to see anything. Because Karen and I are doing a long tour tomorrow we had nothing pre-booked for today. It's a little chaotic when you come out of the terminal building and run the gauntlet of venders. We decided to rent a cab for 2 hours to see a few of the sights. For the 4 of us, about 70USD or 1 million rupiah. It was a good choice as it's very hot and humid with crazy traffic, and the city is spread out. Also, we weren't sure what we wanted to see!

The driver took us to a number of diverse spots. This is known as the city of hero's, and they are very proud of their heritage. A square with plaques on the history of the city, the Red bridge which was the center of the fighting in the Battle of Independence in 1945, the Hero's monument and park area, then Chinatown, then the Arab quarter. Driving around we could see quite a mix of building styles from Dutch Colonial, more Oriental style, to Arab influence. It doesn't seem a town that gets a lot of North American visitors. People were friendly and some young girls in the market were excited to take pictures with us!

Then back to the ship for a welcome cold beer and light lunch. Because so many of the staff on this ship are from Indonesia, there were 900 family members visiting the ship today! It was heart-warming to see the families enjoying touring the ship and reuniting with loved ones.

Around 4pm the skies opened and there was a heavy rain and thunder storm. It didn't last too long, by the time we sailed away the rain had stopped and it was looking much nicer. 

For Christmas Eve in the Dining room they had a Gala menu from around the world. Karen and I both had the "Canadian" choice of Artic Char. Other options were beef & yorkshire pudding, jambalaya and goose. We managed a quick call to Australia to wish Alan, Rowena, Jenya & Iyla a Merry Christmas , and Alan a happy 70th birthday!
















Comments

  1. DimeacherDecember 24, 2025 at 9:12 PM

    After Covid that was a stop that wouldn't let outsiders visit yet. G;
    lad yiu were able to see the area.

    ReplyDelete

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