Oscar and Jenny's Tahitian Honeymoon - a success!

Here is the wonderful feedback I recently received from my lovely clients following their Tahitian honeymoon.  Their comments really made my day.

Thank you so much Oscar and Jenny - I can’t wait to help with you plan your next vacation. You are beautiful!  Cheers!

Hi Judi,

As you already know, our honeymoon was extremely important to us.  We had very high expectations and very specific wishes for our Tahiti trip.  You had provided your invaluable experience, knowledge, and advice that far exceeded our expectation.  You were exceptionally professional, going above and beyond your duties in trying to satisfy our special occasion.  We absolutely appreciate every ounce of effort that you demonstrated throughout this process, especially the planning of our photo shoot.  We thought of you daily during our wonderful trip and would like to share several moments with you through our photos in the attachments.  We cannot thank you enough!!!  We will like to put your name in our wedding album for making this dream of ours come into reality!

With deepest sincerity,
Oscar & Jenny

steaming towards Kumai

On our third day we started to see signs of what we came half way around the world for - Camp Leakey - as we steamed toward the port city of Kumai.  

Entrance to the river which leads to Camp Leakey

We also saw signs of the major threat to the orangutan; removal of the rainforest to make way for palm oil plantations. This is 

not a good photo, but that is a really large barge full of what used to be trees in the rainforest and the lifeblood of the orang utan.

Deforestation on a large scale

We had to hold off for the tide to rise and allow us to cross the sandbar - it is a very narrow window of time. On arrival we heard speakers 

broadcasting the call of, and the natural sound of, hundreds of swiftlets arriving to enter the many large concrete bunkers lining the 

shore. These buildings provide a man-made place for the birds to nest and for those nests to be harvested. Normally these birds 

nest in deep caves which are very hard to get at and as such make for a rare and very expensive ingredient for Chinese bird-nest 

soup. The number of swiflets has dwindled significantly due to the steady harvest of natural nesting sites. As the demand and 

substantial income that can be earned from this commodity is growing some enterprising people came up with this makeshift solution. 

Is this a sustainable solution for the birds? It seems another case of humans messing with nature for profit. This provides a safe and 

accessible income for the people of Borneo, who have lost other sources of income, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the swiflet population and the balance with other species.

makeshift swiflet caves - bird's nest soup

We were warmly greeted by the people of Kumai along with representatives of Orangutan Foundation International. We were then treated to a wonderful performance by local youth of music, dance and martial arts. It was lovely.

local welcome

welcomed by OFI representatives

fruit and coconut treats while watching the show

the musicians

We were then treated to a wonderful performance by local youth of music, dance and martial arts. It was lovely.

and the dancers

and the martial arts

Borneo Expedition continued

Orion II has a multi purpose library/lounge. It is open early for continental breakfast and from 10 a.m. on for your beverage of 

choice. This is a great spot to while the day away: choose something from the wide selection of books; checkout a DVD for your

room; use one of the computers for email catch up; sit and chat with other passengers; order your favorite espresso drink; indulge

in afternoon tea and join in the daily Trivia challenge or just relax and sip cocktails.

meet the expedition team!

The main lounge on deck 3 is where the lectures, daily recaps, slide shows and receptions take place. On our second day we were introduced 

to the expedition team and learned about what to expect at Camp Leakey and that evening we had the Captain’s welcome with complimentary 

champagne and nibbles, followed by the captains dinner. Speaking of dinner - the selection and quality of food particularly at dinner was amazing!

meet the captain!

Taking a break in Bali posts - moving forward to my Borneo expedition

Borneo and Orion II Expedition Cruise

After our stay with Aman resorts in Bali and Java and a few nights at Four Seasons Jimbaran where we met up with our kids, 
we went on a 10 night expedition cruise to Borneo – a trip which for me was all about seeing Camp Leakey and the orangutans.

Orion II docks at Benoa harbor near Denpasar, a busy and bustling city in southern Bali between the tourist areas of 

Nusa Dua in the east and and Jimbaran in the west. There’s usually lots of traffic and so one should allow extra time for 

finding the ship; we almost missed the boat!

the ship - later in the journey

After checking in and a quick lesson in safety and lifeboat protocol, we unpacked and then gathered on the rear deck 5 

for champagne and a beautiful sunset sail away. The waters were incredibly calm for most of our journey - always a nice 

development when you are on the open seas.

sail away sunset

Our first two nights were at sea as we sailed toward Kumai for our Camp Leakey experience. On our first full day we 

crossed the Celebes Sea; apparently this is the second most pirated body of water. It is a good thing I didn’t have time 

to read about that before our journey; it may have given us pause! Like the shoemaker whose children have no shoes - 
this travel advisor's family doesn't always get the well researched travel which her clients do.

Pulau Maselembo

In the afternoon we had a brief break in the rain and wind of the day and while the expedition crew scouts were unable to 
find good beaches on Pulau Maselembo we had the option of going ashore for a village visit or into the sea for some snorkeling.

The nature of expedition cruising means that stops like this are often finalized with short notice, but because of this and

the iffy weather and general laziness, I elected to stay on the ship. Our son went snorkeling and said that while it wasn’t his 

best snorkel experience, he did see a number of fish and a ray. Those who went ashore reported it was a worthwhile 

experience particularly because the villagers were thrilled by the visitors; they seldom have people like us stop by.

From Bali to Java and back

After our brief stay at Amanusa we flew from Denpasar to Yogyakarta, Java for a stay at the lovely Amanjiwo resort. As with all Aman resorts transfers and meet and greet service is provided. The hotel is about 1.5 hours from the airport. It is in central Java in a beautiful location overlooking the valley and Borobudur, the 9th century Buddhist temple, and surrounded by four volcanoes and the Menoreh hills. Although the island is home to almost half of Indonesia's large population, the press of people is not felt here.

view from our terrace - Borobudur is in the distance

Amanjiwo has a plethora of activities to offer their clients - the highlight of our visit was an early morning visit to Borobudur for sunrise. (and moon set). It was so peaceful.

moon setting Borobudur

and sunrise

We also went for a early morning hike in the rice fields to a small temple. On our return to the resort, the beautiful pool and a visit to the spa was just what the doctor ordered.

or go for a hike to see the rice terraces

at the top the little temple- Candi Selogriyo

After another wonderful sunset and dinner it was time to pack and set off for Aman #3.

Update - Bali and Beyond

It's been a while since I last posted. I have had a lot going on over the past nine months. Besides planning, and sending people on, amazing vacations to South America, South Africa, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand to mention just a few destinations, I have sold a house, moved and am preparing to move again. In the midst of all that we took a fabulous three week vacation to Bali, Borneo (with ORION) and Singapore.

We spent 10 days in Bali and Java - staying at the fabulous Aman resorts while touring the beautiful countryside. I can not say enough good things about Aman- the resorts are absolutely beautiful with excellent facilities, the service is impeccable, the food excellent and as a Virtuoso guest, when you book through me, you will receive amazing amenities and upgrades.

When you arrive at the airport you are met and assisted through immigration and to your transfer and your life immediately takes on an slower, easier pace. Anything you want to do the staff at Aman resorts can arrange for you and they will have suggestions to offer in case we have not done enough research or you just can't decide.

You may want to start your Bali stay at AMANUSA (peaceful Isle) located in Nusa Dua which is a resort community close to the airport and the port of Benoa. It is located on a rolling hillside overlooking the golf course and the sea beyond.

There are two restaurants - the open air Terrace restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and Thai and Indonesian food for dinner and is perched up high overlooking the pool and the intimate Italian Restaurant serving dinner only with the option of eating inside in elegant surroundings or outside by the  pool.

There is a boutique with a lovely selection of Balinese goods, a library, a small spa and conference facilities. There is a wide, golden sand beach (transfer, bike or walk down from the resort) with thatch roof bales. Light meals and drinks are available at the restaurant and the beach attendants will take care of your needs. There are two all weather night lit tennis courts and priority reservations for the 18 hole golf course.

Next post - AmanJiwo in Java and Amandari in Ubud.

Borneo, Orangutans, Birute Gladikas and Orion Expedition Cruise - booking deadline September 30th!

Dr.Birute and me discussing Borneo cruise at Virtuoso Travel Mart

Please be advised that space is filling and we have had to move the deadline for the group to the end of this month - September, 2011 for my February 17 - 27 Orion Expedition voyage.

This is your chance participate in an amazing experiential and learning expedition with one of the world's leading authorities on the Orangutan and the third  "Leakey" lady, Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas, who had been in Borneo since 1971 studying, rescuing and fighting to save from extinction these wonderful, gentle red apes.




Orangutan



In addition you will have access to Jo-Anne McArthur (her participation is based on full group booking) an award winning photographer and champion of animal rights throughout the world.

Add to this your experience of all the wonders of Borneo aboard a luxury expedition cruise ship of just 100 passengers with 75 crew.

Extend your vacation with a stay in Bali, Singapore or beyond; as your Virtuoso travel advisor I have an array of top notch properties and suppliers to choose from where you will receive VIP treatment and extra amenities others do not have access to (the cruise is Virtuoso as well).
There are a number of new and exciting properties like the Bulgari and Ritz Carlton as well as the highly regarded original Aman resorts - something for every taste and budget. I will custom design what is right for you.
Borneo is on every tour operators radar now - so my advice to you is to book this trip and not only will you have a trip of a lifetime you will beat the crowds!

Call or email me to book and I will add a special amenity as a thank you for your booking.