jpalbny

Korimako, it's roughly 50/50 this cruise. Bear in mind that this will vary by itinerary. For example, on our first Corsica cruise, there were fewer than 10 Anglophones. Which was great - we often got very small group tours. And they looked out for us very well. Also, know that the Anglophone group is a big mixture. Besides the obvious American, Aussie/Kiwi, and British/Irish usual suspects, there are a number of German, Dutch, and Spanish speakers who use English as a second or third language. It's a fun mix! But no worries about being in the minority. Have been there and it was lots of fun!

They tow you behind the ship in one of the lifeboats.

Ok Ron and Ann! You two are making me LOL this morning! Spending a lazy sea day today after an 8-hour tour yesterday. Brilliant planning, Ponant! Tomorrow we are in Borneo to see orangutans.

Thank you! We're still on board until Thursday. Having a great time. Too much food and wine, but hey, it's vacation.

Saturday March 11th. Back on board. Jeep to bus, back to the pier. A scrum for the tenders but we made the first one, and were back on board before 6:30. Now to scrub off all that sand! Dinner was fairly empty at 7:30. Maybe people were full from the late lunch, and/or they weren't as quick getting ready. We got a nice outdoor table for our efforts. Tonight's menu. We have some OBC to spend so we got a nice Barolo from the wine list. First the amuse-bouche. Chris had the tuna tartare and I had the arancini. We both had the "chicken like a paella" which was very tasty. The sommelier had recommended the Barolo as a match for the chorizo sausage, and it worked well with the whole dish. Chris's dessert was a passion fruit and lychee macaron, and mine was the chocolate tart. We were ready for the dance show after dinner, but that was all. Off to bed after this full day!

Saturday March 11th, Probolinggo. We slogged upstairs and soon we were face to face with the bubbling caldera. Steam, noise, and sulfur smell hit you all at once. The view of our route here. Downhill will be much easier! We wandered the rim in each direction. Mainly to get away from the annoying vendors who got in your face trying to sell bunches of flowers for you to throw into the caldera. Pretty despite the smell. Eventually we decided that we'd inhaled enough sulfur dioxide for one day, so we started back. Crossing the sand sea. A small sandstorm was brewing. We made it back to our jeep. Now to await the stragglers. A much more intense sandstorm blew through a little later. Very glad we weren't out walking when that happened! Now we drove to the last stop, for a local buffet lunch. More small roads. Lunch was tasty. They had several chicken and seafood dishes, fried noodles, and satay. We ate heartily, as it had been at least 6 hours since breakfast. Incroyable! While lunch was served, there was some dancing as well. They had some elaborate costumes! I liked the kids watching. They seemed to be enjoying the performance as much as we were! One hamming it up for our cameras, and another on her cell phone. And the band, to the right. More costumes. The jaws were articulated, and with the proper flick of the head, the jaws snapped shut with a nice clicking sound. Eventually we had to start back to the ship. Jeep to bus to tender, the reverse of this morning's journey.

Hello from the Java Sea! It's Sunday morning, a relaxing sea day. We need it after yesterday's full day excursion. Saturday March 11th. Probolinggo. Today we had a full day excursion to a volcanic caldera. But at least it didn't leave until 9:30. From our cabin, we saw lots of evidence of vulcanism in the area. We had a leisurely breakfast, and tried to go slow, but still we were ready by 9:00. So we waited. There was a slight delay but we eventually loaded into the ship's tenders at 9:45. No zodiac ride today. About 10 minutes to the dock, then we got into large busses. It was a little over an hour to our first stop, Lava Hill Resort. This was a bathroom stop, and also the point where we left the busses and piled into jeeps. Onward! Great scenery, both natural and man-made. We were surrounded by lush greenery. Now we know why we couldn't stay on the busses! We arrived at our first stop, for an overview of the caldera. Is that a tower to climb? The overview. We are on the edge of a huge caldera. There are smaller calderas, and volcanic cones, within the larger caldera. Our hike will start at the bottom center, and climb the crater wall at the center of the photo. Chris is ready for a hike! Our jeeps await. And onward! This guy is going the wrong way. It looks a bit dusty here on the crater floor. They don't call it the "sand sea" for nothing, I guess. I guess we're going to get dirty. The hike was mostly flat but it got steep at the end. And the altitude was an added bonus. It was almost 8000 feet, so a little extra effort! And an occasional photo break, to catch our breath. A little more hiking to reach the stairs. There are 243 of them. Luckily my office at work is 139 steps up and i never take the elevator. We've got this. A perfect cone off to one side. Gunung Batok. Time for some stair climbing!

Sounds tasty! We hadn't googled it yet so thanks for the info. Now we'll have to try one!

Friday afternoon and evening. March 10th. We were back on board in good time, and enjoyed the scenery while sailing away. Mt. Tambora was totally clouded over, so this morning's view was all we got. Time for lunch out on the back deck, in the open air. Today's menu. Chris had the canneloni and I had the barbecue plate. A lazy, restful afternoon. Here is the laundry price list if anyone is interested. We prepared for tonight's briefing by visiting the Blue Eye lounge. On the elevator down. We really like the ambience down here. Tomorrow will be a full day tour to a volcanic crater, by bus, jeep, horseback, and hiking. We dock in Probolinggo and end up at Mt. Bromo. We had pre-dinner drinks with our neighbors from the adjacent suite, then dinner together. Tonight's menu. Chris had the crab cakes and I had the mushrooms. Mains were orange roughy and rack of lamb. And the pistachio dessert. The dance show after dinner wasn't as good as the previous one, but the DJ played some decent dance music in the bar until 11:00. So we closed it down before going to bed.

Hope it warms up soon for you!

I'm slowly uploading a few videos of Komodo Dragons, and also today's water buffalo races. Here is a link to the album, once the uploads finish. https://jpalbny.smugmug.com/Indonesia-videos/n-GFzbXp

Friday March 10th. Badas (one "s"), Sumbawa. We gained an hour last night so we were awake for the beautiful sunrise. As we docked, we could see Mt. Tambora in the distance. The volcano responsible for "The year without a summer" back in 1816. There was a slight delay with disembarking because someone slipped and fell on the gangway. I understand why. It was very slippery! We boarded minivans for the 20 minute ride to Pamulung village. Once there we had a nice wander. Traditional houses. A man with his prize fighting rooster. Beautifully carved wooden chairs. More houses. Rice drying. Later we saw how the dried grains were processed. This little girl was adorable. I wonder if she posted our picture on her social media page? Pretty cats, though this one was shy. Rice pounding. And other pre-wedding rituals. Walking back to the bus. A "Badas" (only one S) police car. Somehow a Hyundai Elantra doesn't seem so "Badas" to me. More houses. We left the village and headed to the water buffalo racing grounds. But first, the wedding ceremony! It was so hot, even in the shade. How do they wear all of those clothes? Now it was time to race water buffalo. A pair of water buffalo was yoked together. The object was to run over the stick at the left of this photo. Most teams missed the mark. One of the teams was commanded by our captain! He was a muddy mess afterwards! I hope he has free laundry, like we do! Back on board for a nice lunch and a nap.

We're having a great time on our Ponant cruise through Indonesia. A couple of snorkeling stops, and a fantastic tour of Komodo NP so far. Here is a small sample. Impressively beautiful landscapes here. The time change has been tough but I think we're finally adjusted.

Me too!

Thursday March 9th. Evening. We were second in line for dinner and scored an outdoor table with a great view. The moon is nearly full. I played with the zoom on my phone. Can't believe this is a cell phone shot. Tonight's dinner menu. The amuse-bouche. Sesame croquette with tzasaki. That's how they spelled it. Such a nice setting. Just a little warm. Chris started with scallops carpaccio and i had the œuf meurette. The scenery kept getting better. Or was it the wine talking? Mains were King Morwong (a whitefish) and lamb curry for me. Peach manger and chocolate moelleux to finish. Tonight they opened the Blue Eye lounge. We got there early since dinner moved right along. Two lemon drop martinis for a nightcap. It got crowded and we shared our seat with a German foursome. Some broken French, English, and German was spoken. I played the Christoph Waltz clip of "long German words" for them. Lots of laughs but luckily we weren't out too late. And we get an extra hour tonight as the clocks move back.

It's Friday morning already and we're pulling into port at Badas, Sumbawa. Off to see a water buffalo race soon! Yesterday after Komodo Island, we repositioned to a pink sand beach for snorkeling. Some of the view along the way. It was a gorgeous sail. A salmon special for lunch. Delicious! Soon we anchored off pink beach. What a backdrop! Great corals and tons of fish to be seen today. They seemed more plentiful today. And an après snorkel bar! We took a stroll along the beach before going back to the ship. The pink sand is so pretty. Back to Le Laperouse for a lazy rest of the afternoon. We cleaned up and went to a Bachata lesson. Then briefing and a gorgeous sunset. Time for dinner! To be continued...

Good morning Mysty! So strange that the sun is just settling here... Sending it over to you now. We gain an hour tonight. Might stay up too late!

Wednesday March 8th. Gala Dinner. We were back from snorkeling around 4:30 and had a snack at "tea time" before the briefing at 6:00. Then we got dressed up for the Gala and dinner. The captain introduced his staff out on the pool deck (deck 3 aft) and then off to dinner. There was a beautiful near-full moon shining in the sky. Beautiful setting! We settled in for a feast. As usual, two fixed menus. Classic or vegetarian. The amuse-bouche. Lobster for the cold entrée. And the barramundi warm entrée. We got our filet rare. They cooked it perfectly! Dessert was "Mister Ponant" And of course, mignardaises to finish. The dark chocolate dusted with cocoa powder was incredible. The show started about 15 minutes late due to the long dinner. The dancers did a nice job and we enjoyed it. Then we went to the lounge for a nightcap but the music duo was done for the night. Oh well! So much for dancing away a few calories.

Jazz, that was two males wrestling/ fighting to establish dominance. Chris got video of them standing on their hind legs grappling. It was amazing to see! The females are about half the size of the males so it wasn't what you're thinking. Plus breeding season isn't until June. They are an interesting species. Males outnumber females about 4:1. They are also cannibalistic. When the eggs hatch most of the young get eaten. The surviving hatchlings live in the trees for the first 4 years of their lives, until they grow big enough to defend themselves and not get eaten. It's a dragon-eat-dragon world! But apparently this prevents overpopulation, which is probably a good thing.

Komodo NP, continued. Further down the path, more flora and fauna. Nice orchid. And this is a snail, in a "grenade fruit" tree. Can't remember the exact fruit name...they also called it some kind of apple. Back to the beach for some scenic views. Gorgeous. Hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins. It's really a beautiful island. But the sightings didn't stop here. A lounging lizard on the beach! And one more in the shade. Two very happy tourists. As we started back along the pier, another photo opportunity presented itself. Love their tongues. Our guide was posing with the dragon! Back on board before 9:30. What a morning! After lunch we will move to Pink Beach for more snorkeling. What a great trip so far!

Thursday March 9th. Komodo NP. We had a relatively early hike starting at 7:20. Time for a coffee first then we headed out. We were docked alongside the pier at Loh Liang. So no tender this morning. Very easy! A green turtle appeared at the pier as we walked by. After a quick safety briefing we set out. After a few minutes we saw a crowd. Wonder why? He showed us every angle. And just beyond this guy, there was another pair wrestling. The first guy wasn't interested in the shenanigans. He was pretty chill. Reluctantly we moved on. What a great sighting! More to come?

A quick bunch of photos from yesterday's snorkeling at Pulau Banta. Chris is ready to go! Lots of nice coral. And fish too. Back to more coral We used to have a fish like this in our aquarium. I was excited to finally use my underwater camera. It worked very well and I could upload the pics to my phone using Wi-Fi. A relaxing day otherwise. Last night's Gala Dinner was tasty and then the dancers put on a nice show. Pics of that later. This morning we are alongside at Loh Liang. Our walk departs in 20 minutes so time to finish my coffee, and this post, so we aren't late to see the Komodo Dragons!

Singapore! We have a lunch reservation for the 16th. If you and Myster fly out I'll add you to the reservation.

We are on board! It's now Wednesday morning and we're steaming ahead to Pulau Banta for snorkeling this afternoon. Sounds like it will be fun! Tuesday, March 7th. Embarkation! We spent another lazy day at the resort yesterday. A late lunch before packing up and checking out at 3:30. Our car was ready and we arrived at the port a little before 4PM. This was followed by probably the fastest embarkation ever. We handed the rollaboards to a porter and went through security (no line). Then we handed our health forms in and showed our covid vaccine cards (one couple ahead of us). Next we handed over our passports and got our cruise keycards. Then we walked up to the ship, where we got a cold towel and an escort to our suite. We were in the suite at 4:05, seven minutes after we'd arrived at the terminal! Wow. Luggage followed quickly and we were unpacked by 4:30. The cabin layout is familiar. We wandered to the bar for a glass of bubbly and took a quick tour around the ship to refresh our memory. A briefing at 5:15 with the bilingual staff who alternated between French and English every other sentence. There are only 134 passengers and 133 staff on this voyage (capacity is 182 pax). We hear a bit more English being spoken on this trip. We sailed at 6PM. A nice sunset view from the bow. Off in the distance, a smaller local boat like the ones we'd seen in Jimbaran. This picture is way overzoomed but the digital zoom makes it look like a painting. So I liked it. Time to clean up for dinner! Unlike the last cruise, they actually seat you at a table (last cruise, you seated yourself). The menu: We both had beef carpaccio to start, followed by the red snapper. It was a nice portion and nicely cooked so that it was very moist. We only had white wine tonight, the Ventoux. It went well with both dishes. For dessert I had crème brûlée and Chris had the pastilla. We finished quickly and were ready for bed. After not sleeping well last night we were both exhausted so we were sound asleep by 10. *** We were up a little before 6 and out and about by 6:30. Coffee and a pastry in the deck 3 bar to start. A few ship pix - while it's empty. Pool and outdoor area, deck 3 Main bar/lounge, deck 3. Morning coffee spot! And the reception area also on deck 3. We spent some time out front on deck 6 watching flying fish and the occasional dolphin. The sea breeze was perfect and made the temperature very comfortable. Then a 9AM briefing followed by more coffee and distribution of snorkel gear. Looks like a fun voyage ahead of us! It seems like about half Anglophones - they let the Francophones sleep late, as their briefing wasn't until 10AM! We are heading to salsa class at 11:15 so that's all for now.

Tuesday morning, March 7. Embarkation day! Yesterday afternoon was very relaxing. After the walk on the beach we lazed around in the villa, dividing time between the pool and the day bed. This is the life! The Amex benefit for this property was a complimentary massage for two. Not usually our thing but after the long flights it was actually very enjoyable. Glad it worked out that way because it's not something we'd do on our own. Suitably relaxed, we headed to the beach bar for happy hour. Some view! A nice sunset. Reluctantly we tore ourselves away and got ready for dinner. A table outside, with chicken satay to start. A fast-moving rainstorm appeared as we were gettting ready for the main course. Everyone moved indoors in a flash. The grilled seafood platter came with us! We slept until about 3AM, then off and on after that. Woke up for good at 6AM and had a swim as morning's first light appeared. Then a walk on the beach while it was still "cool" at only 80 degrees. Everyone else must have had the same idea, as the beach was very busy at this early hour. Here we are at the southern end of Jimbaran Beach, where the Four Seasons resort is located. We hadn't seen these mountains in the distance yesterday as it was too cloudy, I guess. Or we were too tired to notice! Breakfast at the hotel. Crepes stuffed with coconut and jackfruit. Yummy! And more tropical fruits. Rambutan, dragon fruit, and mangosteen. Fountains everywhere on the hotel grounds. This really is a beautiful property and I'm glad I found it. We never come to a resort and stay put, but after the ridiculously long trip to get here, it was just what we needed. Cruise tickets are printed and health questionnaires completed. Nothing to do but relax until our ride leaves for the port in about five hours.