Kupang is an alright place; more of a transit point than a destination. I only planned on being here for one night or maybe two but thanks to all sorts of things, I've now been here a week. Late in 2014 I travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Bali without flying, and this time round I wanted to do Timor-Leste to Bali without flying. When I arrived last week I opted to stay two nights at Conny's home since I was really tired due to the journey from Dili and Oecussi. Originally I planned on taking the ferry to Larantuka on the island of Flores but I found out about the ferry to Ende, which would save me some overland travel. It was supposed to leave yesterday but it was cancelled and pushed back to today at 11 AM. When I got to the port, the weather was horrible and the ferry was delayed to 3 PM. Coming here today I opted to book a car instead of a bike with the Grab app since the weather was fickle. Using the Grab and Go-jek apps in Indonesia will save you heaps of money because if you hail one off the street they will charge you about three or four times more for the same distance. A bike from Conny's home to the port (about 10 kilometres) costs only about 46,000 rupiah (US$3.25) and a car will cost about 70,000 rupiah (US$5), so getting around won't break the bank. I should know better than to wear thongs (flip-flops) on wet walkways because I took an ugly fall and landed flat on my back, and I'm very fortunate that I didn't hit my head.
By the end of this trip I'll have taken at least six or seven ferries, and Timor to Flores would be the longest stretch. The ferry showed up at 1 PM but I'd have to hang round for a good while before the ferry even docked.
When the gate was lowered to the vehicle deck I had to brave the rain to rush on. Like with the ferry from Dili to Oecussi I was the only foreigner on board, and I was like "hallelujah" when I saw there were proper sleeping mats. The captain, Andrew noticed I was the only foreigner around and said "do you want to sleep in the VIP room, there's air conditioning." and I thought "yes!" Within seconds, one of my worst horrors was confirmed: cockroaches were absolutely everywhere! Immediately I got to work trying to kill as many as I could but, as legend has it, cockroaches can survive a nuclear holocaust. Two other passengers brought their own bug spray but it seemed to be having no effect. To make matters worse, they were crawling all over my belongings! Andrew gave me a small lunch of beef, rice, and veggies with chili but I had to make sure not to set my food down anywhere. I went up to the bridge and I asked Andrew for some bug spray, and he also said he'd have a couple of guys clean the room.
"Depression is like a stormy sea; life isn't all smooth sailing. Regardless, you're still at the helm, and you must keep a firm grip on the wheel." -Me
That's a personal quote that I made up immediately after returning from Antarctica, and I couldn't think of a more perfect photo for that metaphor.
Five minutes later I went back to the room, and roaches had reinvaded quickly! I collected my belongings and sat up in the bridge as the ship pulled away from the harbour. 15 to 18 hours I would be at sea, or would I? With cockroaches all around, the main toilet being flooded, and the ship rolling back and forth, this truly felt like the gates of hell in the middle of the Savu Sea. About two hours into the journey with a massive storm a-brewin' an announcement was made in Bahasa, and when I asked what it was they said the ship was turning around and going back to Kupang! Great God, I must have set myself up for pure torture. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I saw two large rats scurry across the main lounge area. When I went to have a look at the VIP room again, the cockroaches just kept getting bigger!
The ship pulled back into Kupang at 10 PM, and Andrew ensured we all received a refund. I recommended that the ship receive a complete fumigation from the keel to the bridge. Whilst my plan was to get to Bali without flying, that plan will be dashed as I'm booking a flight to either Ende or Bajawa for tomorrow or Saturday. The silver lining to this journey was that Andrew was very helpful, offering me the VIP room and inviting me to the bridge. I was given a couple of free coffees as well, but in the end it was just too much.
From west to east, Indonesia is longer than either Australia or the conterminous USA, and for the longest time I've considered a journey from Banda Aceh to Jayapura without flying but with the state of some of these ferries I'll have to reconsider. Back at Conny's home, I stored my bags outside as I'll be cleaning everything top to bottom tomorrow. The "ick" factor is really overwhelming when it comes to cockroaches, as I can deal with most other creatures. Back in Kupang, a much needed shower and a good sleep were in order after my journey to the gates of hell at sea.
