Friday, November 18, 2022. Our ship was due to leave Jakarta after lunch. Meanwhile we went on an included (free) tour that covered the highlights of Jakarta. Our first stop in our tour was the bank museum. When you think about the spice trade and the Dutch, there was a tremendous amount of money involved. The museum started out as a hospital, but was renovated and expanded into the Bank of Indonesia. Best part of the trip was walking into the gold vault. We also walked thru a colonial area of the city. We had been to the puppet museum the day before, so we skipped that.
The bank museumThe gold vaultJim lifting a gold bar. Masks were required in the museum. They are optional on our ship for passengers, required for crew. Walking in the old Colonial area of JakartaProtestersBy 6pm, our ship had not left the port. During dinner, the Captain made an announcement. Because we had a few Covid cases (12 I think) on board (all quarantined in their rooms) we were being denied entry into our next 2 destinations, Semarang and Surabaya. Details were being worked out, and we were going straight to Bali. When life gives you lemons, make filet of sole with lemon!!! Our ship departed soon after that.
