Singapore and Indonesia Cruise 2025

 Our included breakfast at the Amoy was at a restaurant in the covered pedestrian mall attached to the hotel. Slow service but good food. Karen and I both had the Kaya French Toast, which had coconut jam between the bread slices, and served with fried banana.  We then took a taxi to Fort Canning. We could have taken the metro, but for 4 people the cost was about the same. Fort Canning is now a park, and it's a lovely green space in the middle of Singapore. There are buildings dating from the British Colonial era, underground bunkers and tunnels, and lots of gardens and paths. The Heritage Gallery has a great history display from the 1300s to the present day. Lots of good exhibits, and it's free. The Spice Garden was very interesting as well, showing many of the plants, and explaining the history of the Spice Trade. It was a nice change to be off the streets and in a quiet green space! We caught a Grab (the local Uber) back, very efficient. Back at the hotel I had an iced coffe...

  It was a very easy and orderly dis-embark from the Westerdam. We were in no rush, and got off just before 9am. Breezed through Singapore customs. We hit a snag with our transfer, even though we'd had a message telling us license number etc, no one showed up, and no contacts worked. I'm thinking maybe AI customer support? Anyways we grabbed a cab to our hotel the Amoy in Chinatown by a bit after 10:30am. We checked our bags, then went for a walk around China Town. First to the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple, and then down the street to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Lots of really interesting buildings, and street markets in this area. Because it's Sunday, this area is much less busy than usual, and many of the restaurants aren't open. After a bit we went into an air conditioned mall for a cold drink and a relax, then to 7 11 to pick up some supplies. After that back to the hotel to check into our rooms. The Amoy is a bit of a quirky hotel. It's a boutique hotel on the...

  As always time on the cruise seems to speed up towards the end! So we're trying to fit in all the things we said we were going to do, and using up our shipboard credit. Ian and I have both caught colds so haven't been too energetic. The first day had several rain squalls, the second was sunnier. The first morning early we sailed past Krakatoa. I wasn't up, but Karen shared a picture. I've spent a lot of time catching up on my blog and emails, reading, having an occasional swim, walking the promenade deck, going to the show lounge etc. On my last night in the dining room I ordered the Morimoto whole crispy fish, which is an additional cost. It was excellent, and a great presentation.

  This is now the biggest city in the world, 24 million people in the urban area. There are some high rises but it's very spread out. The port of Tanjung Priok where we are berthed is huge too. And as usual, there is some entertainment at the port to greet us. Jakarta has the reputation of having the worst traffic in Asia, and since we had already experienced the 2nd worst in Bali, we decided not to take a tour. Especially since most things could be closed for the holiday. There was a shuttle that you could take to a mall, but as I'm not a fan I didn't do that either. Instead I had a lazy day on the boat, catching up with laundry, reading and swimming. This was another port where 1000 family members of crew were visiting, and it was fun to see them spending time with loved ones and exploring the ship. Karen and I went into the port terminal and checked out the shops there, they had some lovely things. We bought a couple of small things, but I'm at the point of life wher...

  We've again opted for a private tour, this time for Borobudur. It's an early start, the ship arrives at 6am, it's a fair distance, and traffic is reported to be terrible! And we are so glad we did!! By 6:15am we were off the ship, had found our guide, walked to the car and were ready to head out.  The reports had said average driving time was 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. Well our amazing driver did it in 2 hours! This despite it being a holiday (New Years Eve). The Central Java countryside is green and lush, with fertile red volcanic soil. There are a number of volcanos nearby, several we could see on our drive. And once again the weather was kind. Despite the forecast there was a high overcast with a few breaks of blue. Of course it's hot and humid. That is constant here! When you reach the Borobudur site the driver lets you out at the main office and you get your tickets (no waiting for us) You then take a tram closer to the temple site. If you have a ticket to climb up th...