March 3rd - Semarang, Indonesia

Today was another exciting day on the roads through the busy Indonesian
traffic.

First stop was to a Chinese temple built to honor Sam Po Thay Jin who came
from China to Semarang in 1401.

We then headed to Ambarawa and visited a Train Museum and boarded an old
steam train for a scenic ride through the "Rawapening Swamp" arriving in
Tantang. Feeling very lucky, again our rain shower came while traveling to
this destination.

Last stop was the Tlogo Agro Plantation where the primary crop is coffee,
but they also grow rubber, and various fruits, vegetables and spices.

There is a resort in the middle of this plantation where we were served some
of the local treats and their very own coffee.

It was a long ride back to the ship, so I just sat back and enjoyed some of
the beautiful countryside. We were late getting back again, but this time
we arrived before sail away time!

March 2nd - Jakarta, Indonesia

What a day! What was supposed to be an 8 ½ hour tour turned into almost 12
hours. The ship was supposed to leave the port at 5:30 and did not end up
leaving until after 7:30. I think the captain had us untied and at sail
within 15 minutes of our return to the ship. I was very thankful that I was
on a HAL excursion and that they waited for us (I think the fact that there
were five busloads probably had something to do with it).

The tour took me to Taman Safari Park where the animals live in natural
habitats and many roam about freely throughout the park – I loved this –
reminded me of Bear Country in South Dakota, but with different animals.

We then headed on up the mountaintop of Puncak and had a wonderful lunch
overlooking the valley. The elevation here is 5,000 feet above sea-level,
which is a lot when one considers that Jakarta is at sea level. The millions
of tea plants growing along the hills on the way up made for beautiful
hillsides.

The best part of the trip was really the ride up and down the mountain as we
weaved in and out of traffic. It was the longest and one of the most
thrilling amusement park rides I have been on, dodging the oncoming traffic.