South East Asia Cruise - from Benoa - 128821

Benoa is a traditional fishing village in the South of Bali. At the entrance to the port is the Pura Sakenan temple . It is linked with the pilgrimage of the Buddhist saint Dang Hyang Nirartha and is particularly important during the Galungan Festival celebrated every second year.

Makassar, which until 1999 was called Ujung Pandang, is not only the capital of South Sulawesi, but also a flourishing trading city and hub for air and water transport between the western and the eastern parts of Indonesia. Makassar has a population of almost 1.5 million. The inner city boasts many sights, including e.g. Fort Rotterdam, countless beautiful old houses, Chinese temples and an orchid garden. The nearby resort of Losari is excellent for shopping with particularly lovely gold and silver work, silk sarongs and fabrics, seashells and all kinds of carvings.

The busy little port is the main port of the federal state of Sabah on Borneo, which is part of Malaysia. It has a forestry museum providing an overview of the country's plant species as well as the famous Sabah Orchid House with a magical collection of rare orchids. The Gomantong cave complex, home to the thousands of swallows that build the nests which are used to make the Chinese delicacy of bird's nest soup, is also worth a visit. Not far from Sandakan there is also a crocodile farm, with over 1,000 animals. It serves mainly for breeding purposes; wild stocks are boosted with young animals from here.

The busy little port is the main port of the federal state of Sabah on Borneo, which is part of Malaysia. It has a forestry museum providing an overview of the country's plant species as well as the famous Sabah Orchid House with a magical collection of rare orchids. The Gomantong cave complex, home to the thousands of swallows that build the nests which are used to make the Chinese delicacy of bird's nest soup, is also worth a visit. Not far from Sandakan there is also a crocodile farm, with over 1,000 animals. It serves mainly for breeding purposes; wild stocks are boosted with young animals from here.

Muara is the port of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei. The most important sight in Bandar Seri Begawan is the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin mosque built at the centre of an artificial lagoon with golden domes and a 54-metre-high minaret that towers over the city. Other sights include: the Churchill memorial with the Churchill Museum; the Hassanal Bolkiah Aquarium; the splendid "Lapau" with its throne room - the stage for traditional royal ceremonies. The Sultan's residence "Istana Nurul Iman" is also worth a visit, as is Tasek Park with its pretty waterfall, the Tamu Market, the Brunei Museum, the Malaiian Museum of Technology and the tomb of the 5th Sultan Bolkiah, who was known as "the singing Admiral" due to his love of music and conquest.

The metropolis of Manila, which has a population of around 1.7 million, is the capital of the Philippines and is considered to be a very important port. The city lies in Manila Bay, Luzon, and consists of 7 main areas. Manila has several universities, an international airport, many shopping centres, oil refineries and other industrial trades. Sights include numerous Baroque churches, which were granted World Heritage Site status in 1993, "China Town", a magical area of Manila, the Chinese cemetery, "Intramuris", the oldest part of the city with many churches and ancient buildings and "Mataki", an ultra-modern and luxurious shopping centre.