April 7, 2026
Monday April 6th is another travel day for us on our destination to remote Raja Ampat. We started the day at 5am to make our 7am flight from Denpasar, Bali to Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in South Sulawesi for our brief layover to connect with our flight onto Sorong, Indonesia.
This cat was the most interesting artwork in Sultan Hasanuddin Airport but they did play a rather loud impossing Indonesian Raya at 10 am where everything stopped and people stood. The anthem is to foster nationalism, patriotism and unity, encouraging citizens to pause their activities to honor the nation's history and values.
We arrived in Sorong around 6:30 pm, checked into Aston hotel, got some dinner on their rooftop and had an early night. We had some time to walk the neighborhood this morning before leaving for the Ferry. This is the land of motor scooters! The kids were out in abundance headed to school and all want to pose for photos with big smiles and hi's!!
WOW!! I can't believe it has been two years of sailing around the World already for me and my fellow shipmates on the Villa Vie Odyssey! We left Belfast, Ireland back on September 30, 2024 and it has been such a great adventure to date! We have been to 201 different ports, some more than once, during those two years, with much more to come!
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.
I rallied for our last temple of the morning, because I heard this one was unique and I think it was my favorite. Ta Prohm was built starting in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to the king's mother. It was left mostly un-restored so that huge banyan and silk cotton trees grow directly over and through the walls. In 2001, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie was filmed here.