Darwin, Australia to Singapore - 1/18/11Dragons and Spice: 16-night itinerary, January 18 to February 3, 2011. Chairman’s Cruise with Dick and Leslie West
Join your hosts, Dick and Leslie West, for our final voyage through the Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is sure to be among the most exotic you’ve ever taken. From pink sandy beaches and Komodo dragons to an orangutan sanctuary and a sultan’s palace, this journey promises one “first” after another. You’ll learn the history of the islands, watch dance performances and explore an Indonesian marketplace before ending your unforgettable adventure in Singapore. Join Smithsonian Journeys Guest Speaker Kirt Kempter on this voyage.
|
|
|
|
|
Save up to $2,200/cabin
when you book and pay in full by March 26, 2010 | |
|
|
Past guests Save 10%
on this voyage and any voyage thereafter | |
|
|
|
|
|
Save 5%
when you book multiple voyages |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Cruise OnlyDay
01 | Darwin, Australia January 18, 2011
Arrive in Darwin, Australia and check into your included hotel. | Day
02 | Darwin, Australia January 19, 2011
Morning at leisure. Prior to embarkation, enjoy a highlight tour of Darwin en route to the ship. 
| Day
03 | Bathurst Island January 20, 2011
Depending upon local weather and tidal conditions, visit nearby Bathurst Island or Darwin-area locales to learn about some of the finely-crafted Aboriginal artwork produced only in the Northern Territory. Both artists and gallery owners describe the unusual techniques – some of it pointillist in design, and much of it reflecting themes from the Dreamtime spiritual heritage. The artworks – whether traditional paintings, fabric or wood-bark creations – historically used dyes found in wild plants of the bush. Today, the fine and detailed quality of Aboriginal art has a world-renowned reputation for its uniqueness.
| Day
04 | At Sea January 21, 2011
| Day
05 | Kupang, Timor, Indonesia January 22, 2011
Arrive in the city of Kupang, an important trading port in the Dutch and Portuguese colonial times. It was also the final destination of Captain Bligh’s epic 41-day, 3,600-mile drifting voyage in a lifeboat after the 1789 HMS Bounty mutiny. Enjoy a morning’s drive inland to visit several villages, including Oebelo where traditional dances are performed to the Sasando musical instrument. Watch a demonstration of ikat weaving, then continue to Pondok Cucur House to sample traditional cakes called Kue Cucur. Next visit the village of Nefokouk to be welcomed with the Adat greeting called Natoni by locals in traditional dress. Enjoy their time-honored dances, local crafts and free time before returning to the ship.
| Day
06 | Waingapu, Sumba / Pura Kanbera January 23, 2011
Land on Pura Kanbera Beach near the city of Waingapu for a traditional welcome by local horsemen displaying their equestrian skills. Sumba Island is famed for its splendid ikats, elaborate hand weavings made with an unusual method of tie-dyeing the weft and/or warp. Visit the village of Maudolung for a special welcome ceremony. Watch an arts and culture demonstration that includes ikat weaving and fishing net making. Continue to Prainatang, a traditional mountain village noted for its unique high-roofed houses and impressive megalithic tombs. (Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
07 | Komodo Island January 24, 2011
Take Zodiacs ashore to see the wild Komodo dragon! Fewer than 300 of this dinosaur-like reptile survive in the wild, now protected in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Believed to be extinct until discovered here in 1912, Komodo dragons go back to the Jurassic age. They grow to be over 11 feet long, weigh more than 300 pounds and can snap a goat in half with their saw-like teeth. Hike through the national park with local rangers to the dry riverbed where these prehistoric-looking giant monitor lizards congregate. View them at close range as they feed and bask in the sun – an once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. In the afternoon, visit Pink Beach, named for its striking mix of red coral and white sand. Enjoy the afternoon on the beach and snorkel in crystalline waters. (Zodiac landing or touring)
| Day
08 | Balobalong Besar January 25th
Spend a relaxing day on this tiny coral reef atoll set between the Flores and Java Seas. Explore the small traditional village and meet its friendly inhabitants. Snorkel over brightly-hued corals and marvel at dazzling undersea life. (Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
09 | Badas, Sumbawa / Satonda Island January 26, 2011
This morning visit Sumbawa, a magnificent volcanic island where Mt. Tambora exploded in 1815 with four times the force of Mt. Krakatoa’s famed eruption. Go ashore at Badas and travel through the countryside to Pamulung Village for a traditional welcome ceremony. Meet the local people and visit their homes to see traditional activities such as rice-pounding and weaving. Watch a demonstration of a wedding ceremony and an exciting Sumbawa buffalo race. Visit the former Sultan’s Palace of Dalam Loka to view ancient royal ornaments. Return to the ship and cruise to volcanic Satonda Island for an afternoon of hiking, swimming and snorkeling. The hardy can trek up the volcano's cone. Explore Satonda's remarkable volcanic beach, made of frothy pumice pebbles, and enjoy spectacular snorkeling. (Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
10 | Padang Bai, Bali January 27, 2011
Enjoy a full-day Bali Arts & Culture Tour on this legendary island, world-renowned as a tropical paradise of unmatched beauty. Bali is called "The Island of Gods" because worship colors every facet of life among its Hindu inhabitants. Experience Bali’s rich cultural traditions and spectacular panoramas ranging from mist-shrouded volcanoes to terraced rice fields. Visit the magnificent Kerta Gosa, the former Royal Courts of Justice built in 1710 in Klungkung. Admire its beautiful Bale Kambang (floating pavilion) and elaborately decorated ceiling in the wayang painting style. Meet living legend Bali dancer Ni Ketut Cenik and watch ceremonial dances performed by her family of Balinese dancers. Visit villages to watch artists at work – painters, wood carvers and other artisans. Enjoy a Balinese lunch, then stroll through a sacred monkey forest sanctuary. Explore Ubud, the island's preeminent center for fine arts, dance and music. Visit Puri Saren (Ubud Palace), residence of Ubud kings dating from 1800, and the adjacent traditional market. (Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
11 | At Sea January 28, 2011
| Day
12 | Semarang, Java January 29, 2011
Discover the magnificent Buddhist temple complex of Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Ultimate Explorers Experience. Travel inland to the Ambarawa Antique Train Museum to view its colonial-era locomotives. Then board a vintage steam train for the mountain town of Bedono. Continue by motorcoach to Borobudur, built by Buddhist Kings of the Sailendra Dynasty in the 8th century. Lost to the jungle for centuries, Borobudur was rediscovered by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814 and restored during the 20th century. It is both a shrine to Lord Buddha and a Buddhist pilgrimage site. The massive complex is a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular stories and three circular terraces topped by a central stupa – the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The main dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas. Borobudur has perhaps the finest examples of Buddhist reliefs in the world. After touring, enjoy a Javanese lunch with traditional gamelan music and dance performances. Then return to port via one of the island’s famed cafés for traditional Java coffee refreshments.
| Day
13 | Karimun Jawa Island January 30, 2011
Step onto the white powdery beach of Menjangan Kecil, an islet in the chain of 27 coral islands forming Karimun Jawa Marine National Park. Enjoy a morning of idyllic snorkeling. swimming and beach walking. Tour the village by becak (three-wheeled bicycle) or visit the shark and turtle breeding areas via local boat. Enjoy a private beach barbecue lunch and performance of Reok, a local traditional dance. (Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
14 | Kumai, Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Borneo January 31, 2011
Take an extraordinary excursion up the Sekonyer River in Indonesian Borneo to visit Tanjung Puting National Park and see orangutans in the wild. Travel by local boat, stopping at Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tangui and Camp Leakey to view orangutans, supported by the efforts of the Orangutan Research and Conservation Program. Learn about these intriguing creatures at the visitor center and watch as rangers feed them at one of the stops along the way. Also watch for bizarre-looking proboscis monkeys with “Jimmy Durante” noses and seven other primate species. The park is home to two species of crocodiles, three species of deer, banteng (wild cattle), clouded leopards, civets, Malaysian sun bears and over 220 species of birds, some of which you may glimpse. | Day
15 | At Sea February 1, 2011
| Day
16 | Tanjung Pandan, Belitung Island February 2, 2011
Explore Belitung Island in South Sumatra Province and experience a traditional Indonesian farewell ceremony here. Visit the bustling morning fish market in Tanjung Pandan. Watch for bugi, traditional inter-island trading boats. Transfer to Tanjung Tinggi, a white sand beach studded with unusual granite boulders. Enjoy local dance performances, swimming and snorkeling. Then observe the farewell ceremony conducted by the Belitung Regency Leader. Return to Tanjung Pandan this afternoon to re-join the Spirit of Oceanus.
(Zodiac landing or touring) | Day
17 | Singapore February 3, 2011
Disembark from the final leg of the Voyages of the Great Explorers at mid-day for homeward flights. |
All meals are included aboard the ship. |
|
