Monkeying Around in Indonesia

The Observation Lounge

Enjoying Happy Hour

Before I get to the travel logs, I thought I would share a little bit about how our life on the Villa Vie Odyssey has been going. In a couple words - pretty good. Since we arrived in Bali, Indonesia, we haven't had as many "sea days", where we slowly head to the next port. The new routine has been spending 2 to 4 days at a port, travel for a day or two then spend another 2 to 4 days at the next port. Of course, we're still moving slow to conserve the precious fuel and to time it that we arrive as scheduled at our next fuel stop.

Happy Hour Drinks for $11

The ship also recently started hosting a "happy hour" in the Observation Lounge. 30% off drinks. We've enjoyed visiting friends here, especially when we can get a 2 Cuba Libre and 2 Old Fashioned drinks for under $11.00! My Rum & Coke drinks are only $2.10 during happy hour.

Our chefs on the ship have also been having fun with the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables we picked up in Bali. The dining menu has been superb, and they've been giving us wonderful displays. A couple of the ports we've stopped at have been very welcoming, providing us with a show of local dances.

Warning - This video gets strange at 5:25 (5 minutes 25 seconds)!

Dinner Display in the Palms Buffet

More Than just a "Leg" of Lamb for Dinner

Dinner Display in the Palms Buffet

Wahoo Fish Display

Wahoo Fish

All Carved from Fruits and Vegetables

Our Cabin #3125 on the Villa Vie Odyssey
Here's a couple 360-degree photos of our cabin. Drag your mouse over the photos to move the view 360 degrees.

We brought 14 magnetic spice shelves with us to the ship. As you can see in the photos, they've been very handy! With metal walls, magnets are very useful!

On a couple of the sea days, the ship gave tours of the Bridge and the Engine Control Room. We weren't allowed to take photos of the bridge, but I did get some of the engine control room. Both tours were very interesting and woke me up to the details of what goes into operating the ship. Our crew of about 200 people do a wonderful job. The engine control staff is 39 people working 3 shifts around the clock. They take care of the 4 engines, 4 generators, water desalination and purification systems, the waste systems, and anything else mechanical.

The Engine Control Room

Deck 1 Corridor - Known as I-95

Travel Log for April 9th to April 15th, 2026

Entering Port Benoa in Bali

Bali Welcoming Us!

When we arrived in Bali, Indonesia, Connie and I had already booked a full day tour of many of the highlights of this island. With the island being big and with small roads, we could only see a small portion of what we wanted. The ship is scheduled to return to Bali on May 29th. I might try to see another portion of the island then.

We arrived in Bali in the afternoon and were welcomed with a water canon salute!

Our first stop was to the cash ATM located at the port. We needed to get some Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) for our many days we would be in Indonesia (not just Bali). Wow! I instantly became a multi-millionaire, and it only cost me $150! I got almost 3,000,000.00 IDR from the machine. You can get over 17,000 IDR for $1 USD. The next day we met our driver and guide for the day. We rented the private car from the Internet before we arrived. We got a good deal, but others waited until they got to the port and spent much more. Our car with driver cost us $90 for 8-hours. If we had another couple ride with us, that would have been a day tour for $25 each.

Weaving the Cloth

Batak

Our day of touring was in the area of the scenic village of Ubud. The drive through the village of Denpasar was interesting. Most buildings are very ornate and lots of scooters on the road. It was interesting to see what they carried on a little scooter. We saw them carrying goats, a family of 4, and a large kiosk/shop. Our first stop was at a shop where they made cloth using Batak, the traditional Indonesian textile art where patterns are created by applying hot wax to cloth, then dyeing it. The wax resists the dye, leaving behind intricate designs once the wax is removed.

After watching the demonstrations and exploring their shop, we headed to the ancient and holy "Pura Puseh - Pura Desa" village temple in Batuan. They've been able to confirm its existence at least back to 907 C.E. Being a sacred temple, they have some strict standards to show respect. One of these is everyone must wear a sarong. These are provided at the entrance. We marveled at the unique carvings and various monuments in the temple.

Coffee and Tea Sampler

Different Plants Used

Next, it was onto Lumbung Sari House of Luwak Coffee, a well‑known coffee plantation and tasting spot just south of Ubud. They graciously welcomed us and gave us a short tour and explanation of the various plants used in making the variety of coffees and teas. We learned how Luwak Coffee was made. The luwak is known worldwide because of kopi luwak, the coffee made from beans that have passed through the civet's digestive system. The enzymes in the luwak's stomach alter the coffee beans, giving the coffee its distinctive flavor. It's in these feces that the beans are retrieved and made into coffee. Yes, coffee from animal crap. While I don't drink coffee, Connie does. We purchased Connie a large mug of Luwak coffee. We also got a large sampling of 15 types of coffees, teas, and cocoa. The tour and sampling were free, and it cost 55,000 IDR for her mug of Luwak coffee (less than $3 USD). All of the coffee samples, cocoa, and tea samples were pretty good. Connie enjoyed her Luwak coffee so much, we bought some in the gift shop.

He's Nocturnal

Shelling the Luwak Coffee Beans

Sleeping Luwak

Beans from the Luwak Crap

Luwak Coffee and our Free Sampler

Luwak Coffee Beans Cleaned Up

Rice Terrace

Moving on, we stopped at a popular rice terrace. Here, we were not impressed. It was popular as a tourist attraction because of the variety of "rides" you could pay for. There were large swings where women rented flowing dresses to take a video for "TikToc" and "IG". They also had zip lines and a place to ride a bicycle across a cable.

We asked our driver to take us to a nice place for lunch, where we wouldn't get "Bali Belly" (gastro problems). I don't recall the name, but it was perfect. Quiet, pretty, good food, and affordable. Then it was on to our next stop, the Ubud Monkey Forest. We had been warned about the monkeys in Bali. They've been known to steal glasses, hats, and phones from people. While this happened to several friends on the ship, we didn't have any problems. The theory is the monkeys are trained to "barter" for the stolen items. If you pay an attendant for food, the monkey will give you back your property in exchange for the food. We spent about 90 minutes walking around the jungle filled with over 1,000 Balinese Long‑Tailed Macaque. I greatly enjoyed seeing the monkeys with many babies. We also watched a short dance. We think it was called the Frog Dance, but we didn't watch the whole dance.

Lunch Stop

Rice Terrace

Stag Horn

Lunch

Stag Horn

Relaxing Warung for Lunch

Rice Terrace

Our final stop for the day was at the Pura Tirta Empul. Pura Tirta Empul is a Hindu Balinese water temple dating back to the 10th century and is one of the holiest in Bali. The temple pond has a spring which gushes fresh water regularly, which Balinese Hindus consider to be holy – Tirta Empul means Holy Spring in Balinese. Again, sarong's were provided for us to wear. The entire temple was very interesting, as was the holy springs. People were lined up for the purification ritual.

Pura Tirta Empul

Stag Horn

Pura Tirta Empul

The Water Purification Ritual

Pura Tirta Empul

The Water Purification Ritual

The ritual starts on the left and moves to flow on the right.

Pura Tirta Empul

By now, we were getting pretty tired from our day of events. We decided it was time to head home (back to the ship). Just in time for another happy-hour.

Since the ship had to change its itinerary, Connie also had to change her itinerary. Originally, she was going to return to Los Angeles on the 20th. However, she had to change her return date to April 13th. Bali was the only location with an International Airport. We sadly said our farewells as she headed off to the airport in Bali. She flew to Hong Kong first and changed flights to continue on to LAX. She arrived safely and figured out how to catch an Uber to her mom's house.

When the ship's itinerary is firmed up, we'll need to reschedule her return. We're hoping for early July, but we'll see where the ship will be and what ports she can return to. I'm staying on the Odyssey and will be touring solo for a while. Miss her already!

Travel Log for April 16th to April 22nd, 2026

After just one day at sea, we arrived in Waingapu, on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. When we arrived, the port was very happy to see us. It's a small village and port. In 2025, they only got 3 cruise ships to visit them. This year, we were the first and they threw a welcoming party for us. I left the ship early for my tour and missed some of the party.

I had done a little research and hired another private car and driver. I originally started to join a few others who planned a private car and day trip. 4 of them were paying $360 USD. I hired the car and driver and only paid $70.

My private car started off rocky. I had ordered it through messaging, and all seemed well. At first, I couldn't find the car. Nobody spoke English and I walked around in the heat trying to find him. Eventually, we found each other. Then I discover he doesn't speak English. We started using Google translate pretty easily. Once we got going, I discovered he didn't have air-conditioning in his car. Oh well! It was all part of the adventure. I was glad Connie wasn't with me. She wouldn't have liked not having the A/C.

We drove through the village of Waingapu, which was far different than Denpasar in Bali. The buildings and streets weren't ornate or nice looking. This was a pretty rural area. Unfortunately, since we had a language barrier, I'm not sure of the names of the places we went to. Our first stop was at Wairinding Hills, a panoramic overlook. It was a 30-minute drive from the village, giving me a good look at the countryside and rural Indonesia. I paid the 20,000 IDR ($1.20) for the two of us to walk up to see the views.

View from Wairinding Hills

Wairinding Hills

View from Wairinding Hills

Wairinding Hills

View from Wairinding Hills

Driving Through Indonesia

We then drove to Walakiri Beach, which is supposed to be known for their famous mangrove "dancing trees," and shallow reflective water. It was a quiet, pretty cove. However, the beach wasn't so appealing as the shoreline was full of washed-up trash. I would have wandered out into the water, but I wasn't prepared to get wet.

I ran into a few other residents from the ship. They also had a car and driver who didn't speak English. However, they picked him up at the port after we arrived. They paid $190 for the day. We sat under a palapa. For 10,000 IDR (60 cents), I tried fresh coconut water. The locals cut open a coconut and served it to me with a straw and spoon. I was surprised how much water was in there, but I was also disappointed. It was okay but didn't taste like coconut and wasn't sweet like I expected.

Not too far away was our next stop at the Prailiu Traditional Village. This ancient village, once home to the local tribal king, is steeped in history and tradition. It was interesting, but there wasn't any type of information boards or explanation of what you are looking at. A local who lives in this little village spoke some English and was very friendly. I learned that about 150 people live in this village. He didn't know how old the village is. The tombs are still used; some are only 15 years old.

I met another group of residents here who were on their own private car tour. They also picked the driver up at the port and had to barter for the price. They ended up paying $200 USD for the 4 of them, but they also got a guide who spoke English.

My final stop for the day was supposed to be at Tanggedu Waterfall (The "Grand Canyon of Sumba"). This is what I asked for when we made the booking for the car. However, somewhere along the lines, the waterfall I was taken to was different. I don't even know the name of it, but I won't soon forget about this experience!

It was a lengthy drive down a dirt road and we were following another van. They almost got stuck in some mud but made it through. When we arrived, it was at a small kiosk and trailhead. Not knowing what to expect, my driver and I started hiking down the concrete stairway. It kept going down the steep mountain. The stairs stopped and the trail turned into an asphalt trail, still going further down the mountain. I started doubting myself if I should be making this hike, but I really wanted to see the falls. At this point, I didn't know we weren't at Tanggedu Waterfall.

Eventually, the trail turned into dirt/mud with tree roots used as the steps. The trail was pretty steep now, with a rickety bamboo railing to help provide support. I was really doubting myself and worried about making the long, steep climb back out. But we'd come this far, I might as well finish what I started. We finally got to the end of the trail. We arrived at a small pool and creek with the waterfall around the corner. We couldn't see it, as you needed to go across the creek and up steps carved into the rocks to get to the last part of the trail to see the falls. I took off my shoes and socks and started to wade across the creek. It was extremely slippery and I was already very tired from the hike down. We rested for a while and tried again. Within 2 steps, I slipped on the rocks. They were EXTREMELY slippery. At this point, I realized we weren't at the falls I expected. This was no "Grand Canyon of Sumba Island". This was going to be a small waterfall of about 10' high.

Okay, my common sense came back to me and I told my guide, "That's it - we're heading back up." He wasn't even willing to try the slippery steps carved into the side of the rocks. It took many rest stops along the way, but I survived the steep climb back up. Another adventure to remember!

View From The Trail

Steps to the Falls

The Trail

View From The Trail

The Trail

Pool Near the Falls

Tender to DIli

Dili, Timor Leste

After a couple more sea days, we arrived in Dili, Timor-Leste. A new country - literraly! After several conflicts between Indonesia, Portugal, and Timor, Timor-Leste became an independent nation in 2002. Dili is this nation's capital.

There's not a port large enough for us in Dili, so we're anchored in the bay and are using tenders (lifeboats) to shuttle residents back and forth to the shore.

I decided not to go ashore but later regretted that choice. My research showed there really wasn't anything to see here, unless I wanted to go to a beach. There was a $30 USD (they only accepted US cash) visa fee, and we only had a few hours to clear immigration. It was after the deadline to clear immigration that I wished I had chosen to go ashore. Maybe this is a lesson learned.

People who did go ashore say I didn't miss much. Even those who went snorkeling came back disappointed. The beaches are full of trash. I see trash floating all around our ship.

We just pulled up the anchor and are now making our way to Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. I have exciting plans here to visit the Komodo Dragon Island NP and make a beginner's attempt at snorkeling. That's where I'll pick up in the next BLOG. Happy and Safe Travels!

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Our Travel Adventures - Cruising Fulltime

Monkeying Around in Indonesia

Travel Log for April 9th to April 15th, 2026

Travel Log for April 16th to April 22nd, 2026

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Our Travel Adventures - Cruising Fulltime

Monkeying Around in Indonesia

Travel Log for April 9th to April 15th, 2026

Travel Log for April 16th to April 22nd, 2026

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