Traveling with the Jones

This post was updated on April 29, 2021. The updates ar in red text.

In 2013, while sailing on a short segment of the Holland America Grand World Voyage, I visited Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The port city of Makassar is also known as Ujung Pandang — which is the name of the pre-colonial fortress in the city that dates to 1545.

The original fortress was built by the Gowa Dynasty. The spice trade drew Portuguese sailors to Makassar in 1511, followed by the Dutch in the early 17th Century. When the Dutch captured the fort in 1667, which they built over the existing structure and renamed it Fort Rotterdam.

Today, in 2021, Makassar/Ujung Pandang is Indonesia’s fifth largest metro in terms of population. The city is southern Sulawesi’s primary port, with regular domestic and international shipping connections. The port has fewer than 10 cruise ships visit each year. In 2022 and 2023, Silversea and Windstar have scheduled visits to the port of Makassar /Ujung Pandang.

I feel fortunate to have visited this Indonesian city via a Holland America cruise as it is a fasinating place that I would be unlikely to visit on my own.

Once in port, I explored independently with my friends Steve and Tom. We walked around the streets near the port area before deciding to hire a taxi to take us to a few sites that we’d learned about from Barbara, the Holland America port lecturer on the Grand World Voyage.

Traffic is intense in Makassar with a mix of cars and trucks, motorbikes, pete-petes (a minibus that has been modified to carry passengers), becak (pedicabs), buses and taxis.

While our taxi driver had little to understanding of English, we relied on a map to point out the sites we wanted to visit.

Our first stop was at the Al-Markaz Al-Islami Mosque, described as one of the most opulent mosques in South Sulawesi.

Without an English-speaking guide, we found the children at the Al Markaz Al Mosque knew some English, and were very friendly.

Wherever we went, the children wanted to be in our photos. Who could resist those faces?

Next our taxi driver took us to Pantai Losari, the “beach” waterfront area of Makassar. It home to a floating mosque, and is a good location for taking photo memories of the city.

Then we headed to Paotere Harbor, a scenic anchorage location for pinisi fishing boats.

The Lamba pinisi or phinisi (picture above) is a traditional Indonesian two-masted sailing ship, still used today mostly for cargo and fishing purposes within Indonesian archipelago.

Freshly-caught fish, drying on racks, were plentiful at the Paotere Harbor.

After a few hours of exploring, we headed back to the port and re-boarded the Amsterdam cruise ship. The view — as we began to sail away from Makassar, Indonesia — reminded me that this city is a unique combination of its spice trading history with its rapidly changing future growth and development.

Once I visit a place that I’ve never been before, I tend to pay attention when I hear about that place in the news. This BBC travel story, published on April 12, 2021 caught my attention. The BBC article focuses on the Bugis people, a powerful enthic group in Southg Sulawesi, Indonesia who sail the Prahu fishing ships into Makassar’s Paotere Harbor. Most unique, the Bugis people recognize five separate genders of people rather than just the male and female. Read the story of Asia’s isle of five separate genders.

Have you sailed on a world cruise? Do you tend to pay closer attention to news about places you’ have visited? 

You might be interested in these other out-of-the-ordinary destinations that we’ve visited via a cruise ship: 

• A Walk Around Alicante, Spain
• Highlights From Our Visit to Prince Edward Island Via Cruise Ship
• Overnight Trip to Bagan, Myanmar via Holland America’s Volendam
• Getting an Introduction to Yangon via a Shore Excursion from Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma)
• Exploring the Port of Malacca, Malaysia on Foot
• Views from Lerwick and surrounding areas in Scotland’s Shetland Islands
• Touring Goa, India by Taxi

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Juneau, Alaska’s capital city is located on the Gastineau Channel in the southeast part of the state between the Gulf of Alaska and British Columbia.

The heart of Juneau, a city of 32,406 residents, lies between the ocean and ice-covered mountains. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level below mountain peaks reaching up to 4,000 feet.  These mountains are topped by the Juneau Icefield, a 1,500-mile ice mass that feeds more than 30 glaciers including the 13-mile long Mendenhall Glacier that ends in Mendenhall Lake just outside of Juneau.

20 Interesting Facts about Juneau, Alaska

1. The Auke and Tuku tribes of native Tlingit Indians fished along the Gastineau Channel near Juneau for thousands of years before Europeans explored Alaska.

2. In 1880, local Tlingit Chief Kowee led prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris to Silver Bow Basin, where they discovered gold nuggets “as large as beans” at the mouth on a stream they called Gold Creek. This find was the first major Alaskan gold discovery.

3. On October 18, 1880, Juneau and Harris marked a 160-acre town site where soon a mining camp appeared. Acting as recorder, Mr. Harris named the new mining district Harrisburgh after his own name.

4. Upon learning of the gold discovery, the U.S. Navy sent a detachment under the command of Lt. Com. Charles Rockwell to keep order 30 miners arrived by Christmas of 1880. At one of the first town meetings in February 1881, the residents decided there were too many other American cities called Harrisburgh, and changed the town name to Rockwell in honor of the Navy commander.

5. In late 1881, the miners met again and renamed the town Juneau, after Joe Juneau, who was rumored to have bought more drinks for those voting on the city name.

6. Across Gastineau Channel in the community of Douglas (now a part of Juneau) the Treadwell and Ready Bullion mines operated from 1882 to 1917, producing $66 million in gold in its 35 years of operation.

7. In 1916, the Alaska-Juneau gold mine was built on the mainland and became the largest operation of its kind in the world. The Alaska-Juneau (A-J) mine produced more than $80 million in gold before it was closed in 1944 during World War II.

8. In 1906, the capital of the District of Alaska was moved to Juneau from Sitka. The move of the capital city followed the gold-rush fueled growth of Juneau combined with the decline in whaling and fur trade that had given Sitka its earlier economic prominence.

9. In 1911, the United States Congress authorized funds for an Alaska Territory capitol building; World War I, however, delayed construction until September 8, 1929. The Art Deco building was dedicated on February 14, 1931, and became the state capital in 1958 when Alaska gained statehood.

10. A 14,400 sq. Alaska Governor’s Mansion was completed in Juneau in 1912. The governor resides on the second floor of the 6-bedroom, 10-bathroom and 8-fireplace mansion when he or she is in Juneau for official business.

11. Juneau is the only U.S. state capital to border another country (Juneau shares its eastern border with the Canadian province of British Columbia.)

12. While Juneau is located on the Alaska mainland, there are no roads that connect the city to the rest of Alaska or North America due to the rugged terrain that surrounds it. All goods arrive and depart by plane or boat. Cars arrive to Juneau via the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System — the floating roadway for Southeast Alaska.

13. Tourism is a large part of Juneau’s current economy in addition to government and fishing. Nearly a million visitors experience Juneau each summer via a cruise ship.

14. Tourists visiting Juneau via a ship is not, however, a recent development.  Wealthy travelers first sailed north to sight-see Juneau via monthly voyages on the Ancon and the Idaho by the Pacific Coast Steamship Co. of San Francisco as early as 1881.

15. The Taku River, just south of Juneau, was named after the cold t’aakh wind, which occasionally blows down from the mountains. Juneau residents occasionally experience the Taku winds—which can gust up to 100 miles per hour—between October and March.

16. The State Office Building is affectionately called the “S.O.B.” by locals. Visitors should check out the restored pipe organ, totem pole and eight-floor observation deck with great views of Juneau and Gastineau Channel.

17. The Mount Roberts Tramway whisks visitors up nearly 2,000 feet from Juneau’s waterfront to the mountaintop in just six minutes, providing both a stunning view and access to hiking trails.

18. Juneau has more than 130 miles of hiking trails.

19. About 20,000 bald eagles reside in Juneau.

20. The Aurora Borealis (also known as the Northern Lights) can be seen occasionally on clear evenings between late August and April, usually above Mt. Juneau.

Do you want to learn more about Juneau?
Juneau

Do You Know Juneau? A Kid’s Guide To Juneau, Alaska

Are you visiting Juneau via a cruise ship? This is a good guide for all of your Alaska ports:
National Geographic Traveler: Coastal Alaska: Ports of Call and Beyond

Check out these “Fun Facts” posts on Alaska destinations:

• 17 Fun Facts About Kodiak, Alaska
• 12 Fun Facts About Dutch Harbor, Alaska
• Visiting Alaska? 22 Fun Facts You Might Want to Know
• 21 Fun Facts About Ketchikan, Alaska
• 28 Fun Facts About Anchorage, Alaska

Other posts on cruising Alaska: 

• Cruising Alaska This Summer? 10 Tips for Planning Your Time in Port

• Experiencing the Rainforest Canopy & Zipline in Ketchikan, Alaska
• 10 Tips on What to Pack
• Packing Advice for a 2-Week Land+Cruise Tour to Alaska 
• Glacier Bay, National Park and Preserve, Southeast Alaska
• Spectacular Do-It-Yourself Port Day in Haines, Alaska 

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Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.

The Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition was of the most exciting adventures that I’ve experienced in Ketchikan, Alaska.

I booked the shore excursion via a Holland America Line 7-Day Glacier Discovery cruise sailing from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia.

This zip line and canopy tour is located near the Tongass National Forest, which is a rain forest.  First you transfer from the Ketchikan cruise port about 8 miles to Herring Cove, where everyone boards an all-terrain 4×4 vehicle.

As you would expect, it rains frequently in this environment. We experienced cloudy skies but only a mild drizzle. 

The drive to reach the canopy chalet is a bumpy ride up a steep hillside through the rain forest. This forest is home to bald eagles, black bear, and a variety of other wildlife.

Finally, the vehicle arrives at the canopy chalet that leads to the first zipping platform.

First though, you meet your guides and get outfitted with safety equipment in the chalet. There is also a safety training prior to zipping from the first platform.

The harness and guide lines are quite a contraption. This is a much more intense experience that other zip lines such as the Dragon’s Breath zip line on Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s Private Resort in Haiti.

The first zip line is actually a test. You have to prove that you are strong enough to slow yourself as you “zip” into each platform.

This rainforest canopy challenge features eight ziplines and three suspension bridges strung over 6,000 feet of high tension cables.

The guides ease you into the forest canopy along cables ranging from a short 100 feet to the 750 foot pulse pounding “Ben’s Revenge”.

Each zip is over a dual-cable ziplines between lofty tree platforms. Participants are divided into small groups with two guides per group. While traversing each zipline, you are connected to the cables at four points with lanyards and trolleys.

Only one person can traverses a zipline at a time.  One guide “zips” to the next platform. Then each person in your group takes their turn sailing between platforms.

The double cables “droop” as each person speeds over them to the next platform. The more you weigh, the faster you “fly.” To participate, you must weigh between 90 and 250 pounds, and be at least 60 inches tall.

When all of the guests reach the next platform, the second guide follows. The guides clip your lanyards one at a time at each platform, so that no one is ever un-connected from a cable during the entire adventure.

In addition to the eight ziplines, the course includes walking over three sky bridges.

You are still harnessed to a cable over each skybridge, which is comforting, as the bridges do sag and sway as the group walks across them.

If you are brave enough to look down 135 feet below, you can see breathtaking views of the forest and Eagle Creek below. Some guests see eagles and bears from the tree platforms. I didn’t but perhaps I was a little focused on the task at hand.

You can only take photographs from the platforms, and any video and still cameras must be approved and attached by a guide.

You use both hands in heavy gloves to make each “zip,” so there’s no taking of iPhone selfies en-route. Closed toed shoes are required, and long pants and layered clothing are recommended.

This zipline and canopy adventure does require a high level of fitness, with full use of all limbs required. Pregnant women and guests with injuries/seizure disorders not allowed. Minors must be at least 5 feet tall, and must be accompanied by a “zipping” adult.

As you get closer to the end of the route, the views from the platforms change. Here you get a stunning view of the base camp and the countryside around Ketchikan, Alaska.

The last zip line ends at the viewing tower, which is 55 feet above ground. You climb down these stairs and head to the base camp, where you get to take off all of your harness gear.

 

The base camp also has a gift shop where you can buy photos of your Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition.

This shore excursion is quite expensive, costing between $179 and $200 per person. But it is a 3.5 hour-long unforgettable, if nerve-racking adventure. Participants who complete the course receive a medal.

Have you participated in the Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Tour in Ketchikan, Alaska? What did you think?

Check out these other posts on cruising Alaska: 

• Cruising Alaska This Summer? 10 Tips for Planning Your Time in Port
• 10 Tips on What to Pack
• Packing Advice for a 2-Week Land+Cruise Tour to Alaska 
• Glacier Bay, National Park and Preserve, Southeast Alaska
• Spectacular Do-It-Yourself Port Day in Haines, Alaska 
• Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Alaska

Check out these “Fun Facts” posts on Alaska destinations:

• 17 Fun Facts About Kodiak, Alaska
• 12 Fun Facts About Dutch Harbor, Alaska
• Visiting Alaska? 22 Fun Facts You Might Want to Know
• 21 Fun Facts About Ketchikan, Alaska
• 28 Fun Facts About Anchorage, Alaska

Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook

Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.