Quilt Explorations: Batiks of Bali

Dear Quilters and Friends,

Join us on this unique opportunity to experience the fabric haven of Indonesia! This Quilt Explorations exclusive cruise and tour will sail on Holland America’s Noordam.

This trip of a lifetime begins and ends in Singapore on a 14-day cruise. Visit the Indonesian ports of Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Probolinggo, Komodo Island and experience the magical Bali. Tours along the way in the ports will show you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Indonesian fabric industry.

We will visit the biggest textile market in South East Asia, Tanah Abang Market, on Jakarta. While on Java, we will not only visit traditional markets, but observe the process of making batiks. Once you’ve observed, step in and learn from a batik expert as they guide you through designing and creating your own hand-made batik to bring home! While in Bali, visit the center of Balinese hand-woven fabric, and find streets dedicated to fabric!

Round out the cruise with a tour to Komodo Island where you can visit the amazing Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat.

With shopping time and surprises along the way, this will be an unforgettable trip of a lifetime!

There’s something wonderful awaiting you in every port of call! You can play tourist, choosing your pleasure whether it be walking, touring or shopping! Experience the batik making process and purchase batiks in local markets on our EXCLUSIVE and INCLUDED tours. Onboard ship you will have the opportunity to join us for plenty of “sewcializing” events including games, parties and gatherings with your fellow quilters.

Singapore – Singapore is the 5th most visited city in the world, and when you step foot in this modern, culturally rich city you’ll see why! Foodies will delight in both the affordable hawker markets and Michelin star dining throughout the city, and shoppers will love ducking into one of the many shopping malls or independent markets for goods. Make sure that you take time to take in the green beauty of the city – Gardens by the Bay and UNESCO World Heritage Singapore Botanic Gardens aren’t to be missed!

Surabaya – A booming city of over 3 million, Surabaya offer good shopping centers and entertainment. Its well stocked zoological garden include several species of Indonesian fauna like “orang utan”, komodo dragon and a collection of nocturnal animals. Surabaya is known as the City of Heroes thanks to the important role it played in capturing international attention during the country’s revolution in the 1940s. Surabaya is home to Indonesia’s only synagogue as well as the largest mosque in East Java. And colonial-era buildings sit just a short stroll from glitzy new shopping centers. Visitors have much to experience, whether taking in the extensive artifacts in the Museum Mpu Tantular, seeing where Indonesia’s clove cigarettes got their beginnings at the House of Sampoerna or venturing into the city’s green lung with a boat ride through the mangrove forests of Wonorejo. You’ll feel transported to a Middle Eastern bazaar at the Pasar Ampel, where the vendors hawk spices, sticky sweet dates and imported carpets. And a visit to Kenjeran Beach, right in the city, offers the chance to spot fishermen showcasing their fresh catch or take in views of one of Indonesia’s longest bridges. Obviously, deciding where to spend your time will be your main conundrum in Surabaya.

Probolinggo – Probolinggo is a pretty port town on the north coast of East Java that’s home to the ethnic minority Tengger people. The city garners mainly tourist attention as a jumping-off point for visiting Mount Bromo. One of Indonesia’s most spectacular volcanoes, Bromo is best viewed at sunrise but makes a strong impression any time of the day. While the top has blown off, the 2,329-meter-high (7,641-foot) peak contains a cone that’s still active. And views of the surrounding volcanoes from here are just as thrilling. If you opt to stick around Probolinggo, a town of roughly 217,000 people, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. There are none of the stifling crowds and pollution of Jakarta here. A pedicab tour is a fun way to get around to see the city’s Chinese temple, pleasant city square, churches and museum. But the main sites are just as easily visited on foot. There are beautiful beaches, temples, waterfalls and bamboo forests to see in and around Probolinggo. And just seven kilometers (four miles) from town at Bentar Indah Beach, you can go for a swim or stroll along the white sand. Before leaving, shop for a typical batik from the region to take home as a souvenir.

Bali – A magical place like no other, the Indonesian island of Bali charms visitors with its ancient culture and exotic environment.

Join us on our Included EXCLUSIVE Tour: Discover the Batiks of Bali where you will visit a batik-making factory and have an opportunity to purchase batiks at bargain prices! We will also visit a town famous for Balinese hand-woven fabric. You will visit a factory and have opportunity to observe the process of how to make endek weaving. Strand by strand the fabrics are woven on back strap looms, and the finished products are intricate and beautiful.

Komodo Island – Indonesia is easily one of the most exotic destinations on Earth. But coming into port in Komodo—located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, in the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago—feels like arriving on an entirely different planet. The major draw here is, of course, Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and biosphere reserve since 1992. The region is home to roughly 5,700 Komodo dragons, which are, in fact, lizards—and the largest lizards in the world at that, growing to lengths of three meters (almost 10 feet).

Join us on our INCLUDED Tour: A Glimpse of the Dragon where we will journey ashore, for a visit to Komodo National Park for a walking tour in search of a fierce and rare species of reptile, the Komodo dragon. water is available to you at the ranger station and reception area. The monsoon forests of Komodo teem with activity of other wildlife, particularly in the morning before the sun is at its peak. Squawking cockatoos flock in often-leafless trees, disturbing large green imperial pigeons, black-napped orioles, sun birds, flower peckers, and noisy friarbirds, while shiny black dragoons and enormous crows soar nearby.

Lembar, Lombok – Lombok remains largely under the radar, offering a look at Indonesian life on an island without large resorts or tour buses. Mataram, Lombok’s largest town, has a few sights, the most notable being the temple-mosque complex of Pura Lingsar. Dominating the entire island is Indonesia’s second-largest volcano, Gunung Rinjani, and even if you don’t attempt to reach its summit, a walk along its trails offers glimpses of birds and monkeys and views of the entire island. Finally, the beautiful Gili Islands, even smaller and more off the beaten path than Lombok itself, are worth the journey to reach them.

Semarang – Semarang is one of Java’s major commercial centers. There are textile and shipbuilding industries, and tobacco, sugar, rubber, coffee, and kapok are exported. Home to over 1 million people, Semarang occupies a strategic location on Java’s north coast and is among Southeast Asia’s most interesting ports. The city’s colorful patchwork of colonial architecture, Chinese temples and striking mosques tells the story of the diverse cultures that wrote Semarang’s history and speaks of its present, too.

Join us on our Included EXCLUSIVE tour: Semarang Full Day Batik Exploration. You will have the opportunity to observe the process of making batik cloth and will be given a batik course, coached by a batik expert who guides you through the entire process. At the end you have your own hand made batik for your memories. This tour also explores the highlights of the city as well as shopping opportunities at local batik shops.

Jakarta – Jakarta positively buzzes—with people, cars, motos and the sheer kinetic energy of a megalopolis home to nearly 10 million people. It’s best to break the city down into bits for any chance at digesting it. Jakarta’s old town—the former Batavia, now called Kota Tua—is a heritage area with decaying but beautiful colonial buildings and atmospheric restaurants. Visit Sunda Kelapa Harbor to watch fishermen hauling in their fresh catches and admire the pretty, high-prowed Bugis boats docked there, called phinisis.

Join us on our Included EXCLUSIVE tour: Full Day Jakarta Textile Explorations. We will visit the biggest textile Market in South East Asia, where you can find many retailers and wholesalers for textile goods. Lunch will be served at a local Indonesian restaurant and afterwards you will visit the National Monument of Indonesia.

For all of you that have sailed with us before, welcome back! For those of you that are new to us, we look forward to getting to know you and to sharing our Batiks of Bali Quilt Exploration cruise with you! We are really looking forward to experiencing Indonesia and all things BATIK on this journey, and we hope you can join us!

Sincerely,

Alisa VandenBosch
Amy Ross
Quilt Seminars at Sea