Viking Sky was not scheduled to arrive in Jakarta until noon today, so Tim and I did not have to rush this morning.
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| We Have Been Passing Oil Rigs for the Last Few Days |
We did attend Sandy Leong’s lecture on “Stamford Raffles and Singapore.” I knew very little about the founder of Singapore, so this was a great introduction to a city we will be visiting in a few days.
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| Stamford Raffles and Singapore |
Our arrival in Jakarta was delayed by an hour or so since our berth was not quite ready for us. As we finally approached our dock, a traditional Indonesian dance troupe and two singers were waiting on the pier to welcome us to their city. What a pleasant surprise! Even better, they were performing almost directly in front of our balcony. Tim and I had a ringside seat!
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| Welcome to Jakarta |
Tim and I were both scheduled to take the included excursion, “Puppet Collection at the Museum Wayang,” but I decided to remain on the ship, and the day turned out to be a very special one for me.
When we were docked in Bali and Semarang, I was on excursions and missed seeing the reunions between the crew members and their families who live in the area. Because I had decided to skip this morning's excursion, I was able to see similar reunions on the ship today.
It was so touching to see the extra happy smiles of the crew, several of whom I had not yet met. It made no difference. I watched them showing their spouses and children where they worked and enjoyed meeting many of them. Seeing all the smiling faces after so many months apart was heartwarming. Virtually every crew member has the same goal, to make life better for their families. Reunions like today’s help provide renewed motivation in that regard.
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| So Many Happy Families |
I was so proud of Viking in how it made special accommodations for these crew members. Families were invited on board to tour the ship and enjoy a special lunch. Crew members were also given time off to spend the night at home. I happened to run into Restaurant Manager Antonio early this evening, and he was even double-checking to make sure that everyone from Jakarta had been given permission to leave the ship for the night.
Although I’m sorry I missed my excursion, my experience on board today was priceless.
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