Day 57 - Monday March 11, 2024, Surabaya, Indonesia

Arrival: 10:00 All Aboard: 17:30 Departure: 18:00

Many ships are anchored outside the port of Tanjung Perak, Surabaya. I count at least thirty ships waiting to enter the harbour. On the starboard side of the ship several oil platforms dot the landscape.

The pilot came aboard at 07:35 to navigate Insignia into the port to our berth. It is the second busiest seaport in Indonesia only behind Jakarta at the other end of the island of Java. More cargo ships can be seen (too many to count) as we make our way closer to the cruise terminal.

As we tie up to the dock a large statue can be seen in the naval yards near our location. Surayaba is one of two main naval bases for Indonesia. The other large one is in Jakarta. The statue is called Monument of Jalesveva Jayamahe. The total height of the building and statue it is attached to is over 60 meters. The statue depicts a Commandant of the Indonesia Army staring out to sea.

It is 10:00 and passengers are gathering in the reception area anxious to leave the ship. We haven't tied up yet. At the port a group of dancers are anxious to welcome us to Surabaya as a red carpet has been rolled out for us to walk into the terminal. A Welcome sign can be seen. At the last minute a rolling bridge gate used to get off airplanes was brought to the ship. The dancers do not look impressed.

We have a private tour through Viator today so Janice sends an email to the operator that we will be a little late. No problem. There are two other couples from the ship on the same tour.

All of us board the van with the guide and a driver. We can call the guide Nita as her Indonesian name is rather long and hard to pronounce. The driver is Mr. Jeffrey.

Our first stop is to the Buddhist temple in China Town where they performed a puppet show for us. At one point the two puppets were fighting with one arm each. It reminded me of the Black Knight from Monty Python Flying Circus - it's just a flesh wound. Janice got to try her hand at the puppets as well!

It is now on to a traditional spice market not far from China Town. It is an old building with stalls that sell the same products, mostly chives and small onions. You could easily get lost in here.

As we drive to the Heroes Monument we see a Russian Submarine in dry dock. The submarine was used by the Indonesian navy until it was decommissioned in 1990 and then set up as a museum in the city. Nita thought about taking us here, but it had narrow passageways inside the submarine and mobility issues would be a concern for the other passengers on our tour.

At the Heroes Monument statues of the first president and vice president of Indonesia have been erected. It is a sacred ground therefore we were not able to walk within it. There are plaques representing the conflicts of the Indonesian people over the years found here.

It is now off for a traditional Indonesian lunch which included cod fish, fried rice with chicken, white rice and vegetables.

With a few hours remaining in our tour our guide took us to Al Akbar Mosque that has a separate minaret hovering 99 meters above ground. Excellent views of the city could be seen from here as we make our way to the top by elevator. We were able to take a few pictures of the inside of the mosque but were unable to go as the Muslims had just been called to pray. This mosque can hold up to 59K people at one time. Janice didn't believe me so she googled it herself.

Our last stop was to a small part of the city which has been recognized as the cleanest area in Surabaya for the last seven years. Here residents collect plastic water bottles to be recycled instead of throwing them out. Their pedestrian lane between the houses has a lot of greenery and beautiful paintings on the houses. An interesting fact is that this is a government subsidized neighborhood where the residents are very proud and grateful.

In Surabaya you can also use empty plastic water bottles as a means of payment to ride buses rather than cash.

It was an excellent tour and the guide Nita provided important information on Surabaya. She was also a very interesting person and Janice definitely picked her brain. The following is info from Janice. Although born Muslim she doesn't practice and is very independent, a single mother of three children. She was married at 15 in an arranged marriage but said that her kids will be free to choose their partners and marry for love. She also chooses to not wear the hijab unless she visits her parents. She also wears her hair loose and big jewelry. She said that because of her lifestyle and independent values she is shunned by all around her and has very few friends but feels at peace living with her progressive values.

Our next port of call is Muara, Brunei, 741 nautical miles away.

As we leave Surabaya many people are on the top of the cruise terminal building to say goodbye. Crew members' family were allowed to visit on the ship so perhaps some of these people are their family's saying goodbye. There are quite a few crew members from Indonesia, so it was nice of them to get a day off and visit their families.

Remember when we left Bali we turned the clocks back one hour. Well tonight we turned the clocks forward one hour.

Tonight was also a tape delay of the Oscars. It was fun and Janice and I dressed up for the evening eating Superbowl food lol.

Ramadan began on March 10 to April 8. During this time Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset.

Also, goodbye to our friends, Bev and Glenn who left the ship in Bali to return to Canada. It was a nice to have you on the ship for several months. Our Trivia team misses you.