What I’ve Been Up To On Vacation (November 24-30)
What a week! I’ve been on vacation onboard Seabourn Odyssey since November 23, cruising down the eastern coast of Indonesia (from Singapore to Bali).
It has been a grand adventure so far. I’ve visited the ancient temple sites of Prambanan and Borobudur (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites), the busy industrial cities of Jakarta and Surabaya, and trekked to Mt. Bromo from Probolinggo. Definitely a trip of a lifetime, one of many I’ve been lucky to make thanks to all who have made my travels possible.
I’ve been trying to keep my Indonesian adventure master page up to date with the latest. This week I added content on two hotels – the Grand Hyatt Singapore and the Manohara Resort Center for Buddhist Studies. (Yes, I do catch the irony of “resort” and “Buddhist studies” being in the same name – I guess it’s a new interpretation on nirvana?!)
The question came up (indirectly) in the comments on one review this week as to whether my master reviews page was the whole of my hotel experience? LOL… no, it’s definitely NOT! That is JUST the list of properties that I have both stayed at AND reviewed since June 2014 (there are a handful I’ve stayed at and not reviewed just in the last few months… and literally hundreds more that aren’t on that list from two decades of traveling). I don’t think it’s fair to go back and retroactively review properties I stayed at (or flights I took or lounges I visited) more than a couple months prior. Jetsetter’s Homestead has only been around for a few months… but the traveling started long before that! If you’ve ever wondered how I approach hotel reviews, here’s a bit of a guide to my thoughts on the subject.
I gave away a vintage Ipa-Nema Cathay Pacific first class amenity kit this week – congratulations to our winner Evan – and I’ll do it again next week.
My friend who is traveling with me shared a guest blog post on Cathay Pacific first class. (I always like seeing one of my favorites through fresh eyes… and she has very high standards, so it was an interesting reality check for me!)
Also related to cruising, I shared my thoughts on small ship cruising and why I like it. A great example of “why” are the Seabourn moments like I experienced on our Jakarta sunrise sail in.
I also talked about Singapore taxis. One of the things I love best about reader interaction is how much I learn from others after a post. One of my readers shared amazing additional content in the comments to that post. I know I will be referring back to it the next time I visit!
Speaking of reader interaction, I had my first “famous in airport lounges” (as Gary Leff refers to them) moments here on board. I’ve been playing team trivia (a fun cruise-long activity that is beloved by Seabourn regulars) when a gentleman leans over to me and says “I read your blog”. Made my day! I honestly write because I enjoy it – writing in journals or for personal correspondence has been a pleasurable hobby since I was young – but I love the reader interaction too!
More to come this week – I’ve got so much to share about Indonesia. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow my social media feeds for daily content and more up to date musings and snapshots of my whereabouts!
xoxo
