Live from Ponant Le Laperouse, Intriguing Indonesia! March 7-16 2023

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

That wrestling looks much less refined than anything our Welsh dragons would get involved in JP. Your trip looks absolutely awesome. 

I was thinking that that 'wrestling' may explain why there are so many Komodo dragons!  🤣

[jpalbny]

39 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I was thinking that that 'wrestling' may explain why there are so many Komodo dragons!  🤣

 

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. 

[jpalbny]

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. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

42 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

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. 

OK, my mind is officially ratted out as living in the gutter...  😉

[jpalbny]

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...

[jpalbny]

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.

[Jim_Iain]

Loving all the pictures.   Since we will shortly be taking our first Ponant cruise especially enjoying the menus and the mouth watering pictures of the actual dinner.   You have me drooling.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Those menus are very reassuring.  Our Ponant cruise in Iceland in 2019 had fewer choices of mains, IIRC.  More like the first half of the dinner menu [lamb or lump it – which is actually ok by me, but not by many others...]  You had a very wide selection, and I could have gone with any of the choices that you and Chris made.  Looking forward to our Ponant Azores cruise next month!

[jpalbny]

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.

[jpalbny]

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

[jpalbny]

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.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I know you didn't have it, but do you know what is 'Faux filet de boeuf' aka 'Scotch fillet' ?  Is this anything like 'Welsh rabbit'???  😅

[AussieBoyTX]

34 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I know you didn't have it, but do you know what is 'Faux filet de boeuf' aka 'Scotch fillet' ?  Is this anything like 'Welsh rabbit'???  😅

You’ll be disappointed to find that’s what the French call a rib eye steak. (Or a scotch filet if you’re from the antipodes.)

[jpalbny]

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

[AussieBoyTX]

10 hours ago, jpalbny said:

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

I will be interested to hear how it is. When I’ve had it, it’s been hit-or-miss — sometimes thinly sliced and IMO more tough than I expected. Others, really quite good. When I’m in the mood for steak, I experiment at lunch. 😛

[jpalbny]

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! 

[jpalbny]

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. 

Edited March 12, 2023 by jpalbny

[AussieBoyTX]

They’re really working you hard. Impressive!

[jpalbny]

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!

[Eldy90066]

that cruise look amazing by now you may havve disembarked hope you ha a wonderful time!!

[jpalbny]

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

[Korimako]

In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned Anglophone and Francophone.

Could you tell me roughly what proportion of passengers were Francophone?? I'd prefer it if I wasn't in a tiny minority!
Thanks

[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!

[jpalbny]

For those who have heard, Mt. Merapi in central Java is erupting with some vigor. We were on Java Island Saturday, the day the eruption began! Luckily we were 200 miles away, at Mt. Bromo. 

 

Here is a map. We're currently on the south coast of Borneo (blue dot). Mt. Merapi is the red mark. The gold stars 200 miles to the east mark the location of our tour.

 

 

Now back to the cruise!

 

Sunday March 12th. At sea, relaxing.

 

A lazy sea day after the long tour from Probolinggo. We had a leisurely breakfast in the restaurant, then sat outside in the shade for most of the morning until lunch. Just sun and the Java Sea from our veranda. 

 

 

We had lunch inside to cool down. The grill looked nice but we were warmed up enough already.  Today's menu. 

 

 

 

The mini pizza starter was delicious! 

 

 

Mains were great too. Mushroom risotto and osso bucco. We had one of each and shared.

 

 

 

We gave back the hour that we'd gained in Komodo, at 2PM. So it was now 3PM, and time for a lecture. We stayed awake...

 

After the lecture, more sluggishness ensued, and it's rumored that napping was observed as well. Time for the briefing! Tomorrow we're searching for orangutans in Borneo! 

 

 

We are very happy that we're in the green group! Some people have an early wake-up call, but we just have an early lunch. 

 

 

Tonight was "white night" so we are all dressed in white. They opened the marina deck for apéritifs. A nice view. 

 

 

As it got darker, the stars came out. Orion was in full glory.

 

 

We joined our neighbors and another couple for a fun dinner. Some bottles from the premium list made an appearance as well.

 

Tonight's dinner menu. 

 

 

 

The amuse-bouche, an orange concoction with ginger.

 

 

Starters were crab, which wasn't that great. It tasted canned and almost like tuna fish. The calamari were delicious though. 

 

 

 

For the main we both had pork. Beautifully cooked, and juicy. The potatoes with olives were a bit unusual. 

 

 

This went well with a bottle from the reserve list. Or maybe two. After all, we needed something to go with the Black Forest cake!

 

 

There was "dance night" in the bar after dinner, which was great for us, but terrible for those on the early tour tomorrow. We had a dance for them too. Still in bed by 11PM so not too late a night. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

44 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

For those who haven't heard, Mt. Merapi in central Java is erupting with some vigor.

Of course we [in the US] haven't heard – the March Madness brackets were announced today!  [Or in a different month it could be the NFL playoffs, or ... in Tom Lehrer's famous dig at the San Francisco Chronicle ... baseball season!]