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From the moment the first group stepped onboard our Singapore Air flight in Kennedy Airport, we knew our exotic adventure had begun! Warm, scented towels to refresh ourselves before our first of 5 on-board meals! Great wine, fabulous meals, personal on-board entertainment center, exotically competent flight attendants ..it made the long flights much more bearable! Once we arrived in Singapore, we had a short layover with free massage chairs available to ease our transition into the Indo-Pacific region! The glitter of the beautiful Singapore Airport beckoned us to the adventure ahead! After a short flight from Singapore we arrived at the Denpasar Airport on Bali and were greeted by our Indigo-Bali land representative, Suyasa, and welcomed to his wonderful country Balinese-style! After a quick orientation and money exchange, our luggage was loaded and we were transferred to Benoa Harbour where the M/Y Pelagian is berthed. Traffic jams are the norm on Bali; we learned quickly that no matter how far our destination looked on a map, it was going to take us AT LEAST 30 minutes to get there, sometimes much longer! Roads are loaded with motorcycles, motor scooters holding whole families, cars and lorries (trucks)! We were able to observe numerous temple ceremonial parades along our various routes with colorful offerings, costumes and floats. What an introduction to a fabulous culture! After a quick introduction by Capt. Peter Manz, our luggage was loaded onto the Pelagian, our group of six was introduced to our other four fellow travelers and the Pelagian commenced sailing. Crew introductions were made once we were underway and we were then shown to our cabins so unpacking could commence. The first dive site is a 17-hour sail from Bali so we had plenty of time to organize our dive and camera gear and get to know one another. After a great dinner and a fabulous sunset, everyone was ready for sleep in a real bed!
Diving commenced the next morning at Satonda Island and for the next 10 glorious
days we were treated to underwater vistas that defy comparison to any other
areas of the world. Diving is done from hard-bottom tenders with dive sites
no more than 10 minutes from the Pelagian. Some open ocean diving is done on
coral bommies that defy the average man to seek them out! Land excursions off the Pelagian featured a trip to the Wishing Tree at Satonda Island; a half-day tour through the National Park at Komodo Island viewing not only the famous Komodo dragons, but deer, pigs, cockatoos, orchids and other wildlife living on the arid island. We had a great opportunity to shop the Komodo Village Market and perfect our bargaining skills on carved wooden dragons, masks, pearl and wooden bead necklaces and other hand-made Indonesian crafts. The Pelagian moored for 2-1/2 days at Horseshoe Bay off Rinca Island where we did ten fabulous cooler water dives to world-famous Cannibal Rock and other dive sites in the area. While moored at Horseshoe Bay the swim platform was dropped off the stern & four kayaks were available for cruises around the bay and to the shore for beach-walking and creature viewing. We were treated to sightings of fish eagles, monkeys, deer, pigs and even Komodo dragons walking the beach! The first group was treated to dolphin encounters in Horseshoe Bay as well as manta cruising the dive sites and right under our tenders one trip back to the Pelagian! At the conclusion of the first 11-night Pelagian cruise, we sailed back to Bali where we started our three-night land adventure! Group number two arrived to join us at the Nusa Dua Beach Resort's fabulous Balinese facility. Cultural experiences, fabulous gardens, floating ponds and beauty were present everywhere and a smiling staff was ready to accommodate any request. After unpacking, we were picked up for our trip to Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak performance that evening. Ask me to tell you about the mischievous monkeys at the temple & their antics! It cost several of the group a few rupiah to recoup their personal items! The monkey dance or Kecak performance was a great introduction to the culture and history of Bali. Day two dawned bright and early for our group of 16; we started the morning with a fabulous breakfast at the Nusa Dua and then commenced our whole day East Coast Tour. We viewed the Old Court of Justice in Klungkung; visited Tenganan, a village that is the oldest village on Bali; had lunch at a seaside restaurant in Candidasa; visited Goa Lawah, the Hindu Temple at the Bat Cave; did a little jewelry shopping; swam in the beautiful water pools at Tirta Gangga, the water gardens and tried to get to one of the highest points on Bali, Putung, to view the coastline & sunset, but the water gods were not with us! It started pouring rain and we were in the midst of the clouds at that elevation! It was impossible to see anything in those clouds! One of our fellow travelers on the first boat, Ken Grant, is an American ex-pat living with his wife on Bali. He graciously offered to host dinner at his home that evening for our group of 16! He and his wife, Sherry, welcomed us into their lovely Balinese home with traditional dishes and we loved our evening with them! We were able to hook our laptop computers up to his big screen TV and view the digital photos taken by several of the first group of divers, so group number two had their appetite whet for their adventure to come while group number one were able to re-live their memories! Day number three called for a change of plans from the planned day's tour! We were all tired from our long day of touring the previous day, so a deviation was made from our Central Bali Tour! Suyasa, our tour guide, was so helpful in accommodating specific requests and changing our plans! After a stop in the town of Mas at a woodcarving factory, we were treated to a tour of a wonderful batik factory and then proceeded to Ubud, the artists' market area. After some great shopping and bargaining, we returned to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxation in the pool, some magnificent massages and just some general quiet time! Unfortunately, it was time for the first group to head back to the Denpasar Airport that evening for their return flight home ..the rest of us had a quiet dinner at the hotel in anticipation of our adventure commencing aboard the Pelagian the next day. On Nov. 20, group number two boarded the Pelagian to begin their 11-night adventure! We had a few crew changes to allow some of them some time off, but the itinerary for diving remained the same and even though the water was slightly warmer in the southern islands; great corals, critters and experiences were enjoyed by all!
From Peter Manz, our Captain; Dede & Brad & Chris, our divemasters & Cruise
Directors; Basri, Henki & Fin our tender drivers; Irma, Yanti & Nia,
our stewardesses; Wayan our chef; Bagus our assistant chef; Sukejdi & Bingtang
our engineers (who kept the The diving was fabulous, the culture incredible, the people were friendly & beautiful and we all had the time of our lives! Everything was so great, in fact, that I've rebooked the Pelagian for May 2005 doing their Incredible Eastern Indonesian itinerary encompassing the Raja Empat Islands! Watch the website for more details, only ten spaces remain! - Janet Czapski For more information: Contact Janet at (248) 442-2772 or by e-mail at: trips@divetravelservices.com For personalized diving in Bali, contact: http://www.balidivetravel.com/ Dive Travel Services, 29480 Ten Mile Road, Farmington
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