May 6, 2026

Today we are in the second largest city in all of Indonesia, Surabaya.

The Port is huge and busy, as there are tons of freightors and ferries here. We had a warm welcome when we pulled in yesterday evening.

I didn't have much time to explore today, but here are some scenes from the Port.

Indonesians have an usual favorite beverage called Luwak Coffee, which is made from beans that are defecated by the asian palm civet or Luwak. These 2 young ladies, in the Port, were calling out to us all, to stop by and try it.  Many of our fellow residents did, but not I, as I don't even drink coffee. However, I have tried some other unique foods while in Indoneia. Surprisingly, the Durian chocolate was the best, good chocolate really mask the usual nasty smell of durian fruit. The big baby peach candy was like a liquid gummy shot.

The port / ship provided a shuttle bus to take us into the center of town to a giant shopping mall, Bosco & I just went and got some errands done and had lunch at a Wok restaurant.

My favorite treat of the day was a magarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Shopping & Fashion

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Shopping is huge in Manila - there are sooo many malls! Probably because it is so stinky hot! The air condition draws you in, plus the malls have everything - giant Hyper supermarkets, movies, entertainment venues, sport complexes, spas & medical services, tons of restaurants and every retailer you can imagine. SH Mall of Asia is the 5th largest Mall in the World! I went here 2 different days, first with the ladies- Anna Sherrie & Sarah. Then back the next day with Terri, mainly because I was now familiar with the layout, and could move faster and get what I needed quickly.

MAKATI, MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Nightlife

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Metro Manila is a massive urban jungle with a population of between 18 to 20 Million. Makati City, specifically the the neighborhood of Poblacion and P. Burgos Street is the heart of night life scene, this red light district is heavily concentrated with bars, pubs and go-go venues. I saw a Get your Guide VIP tour of some of the best clubs offered and Bosco and I, decided to check it out. When we arrived at the first venue, we found five other shipmates! We run into ship people everywhere! It's kinda nice, The Community is what we love about this lifestyle!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - INTRAMUPOS

By Pat Patrick • June 8, 2026
The Intramuros section of Manila, Philippines is the historic walled core, of this Capital City. Today, the surrounding stone walls are ringed by a golf course, in lieu of the moat from long ago. Below shows comparison from rendering 300 years ago, under Spanish Colonization to Today. Many of the historic buildings, churches, fort and prison remain. Kimberly and I walked it for over 4 hours, and we saw maybe a quarter of it. We sadly gave up due to the heat, humidity and our exhausted feet and missed the Corpus Christi procession to the Manila Cathedral with the Bishop, by just a half hour! If only we had known ahead of time!