Sensing failure in Sanur

15^th – 20^th April 2015

So it was back to Sanur for the Bruvs with Blisters. After our good experience a week before we unimaginatively checked back in at Yulia 1 Guesthouse as we knew the rooms were clean, there would be cheap food around the corner and it’s only a short taxi ride to the marina. Storm was due to return to Bali the following day and we awaited the call to start work with baited breath. For months the big question we’d been asked about our travels was “How do you intend to reach Australia without flights?” and finally we had a solid, confirmed plan in which to complete our quest. There was really nothing else to do but find a nice spot to sit back and wait. So we picked up our feet and hit the beach.

The not so spectacular Sanur beach

Sanur beach is never going to win any awards but any sand is good enough for us to waste a day away on. After all we’re English and have whole photo albums full of holiday snaps on beaches that fail to live up to expectations. Whether it’s wearing wellington boots and a raincoat in Hunstaunton, paddling through sewage at Blackpool or helping our parents set up a wind breaker in Newquay with gale force gusts we have always learnt to make the most of it. In contrast Sanur was nothing like past holidays. Sure there were rats amongst the rocks instead of crabs but at least we were always guaranteed a 30 degree heat.

Catching small fry so their fathers have some bait for the fishing boats

Back to the avery (yulia 1)

As our time in Bali was limited to a few days both of us wanted to avoid visiting the banks before vacating the country. This meant seeking the budget eateries and luckily Sanur has a fantastic option. The cheapest place to grab food in town is the night market on the northern end of the main strip. Stalls are erected at around 6pm until 11pm and sell all the typical Indo and Balinese favourites at rock bottom prices. 20,000 IRP (£1) will get you a good helping of satay chicken with rice or a bowl of the best noodles in Bali. There really is no need to eat anywhere else.

 

At least bird flu isn't an issue here

With the urgency of a couple of sloths we enjoyed a basic day to day life of resting and eating for four whole days until we realised Storm was still nowhere to be found. His Indonesia mobile wasn’t working which meant he was still in Australia and he was not responding to our email messages. Our plan was falling apart at the seams and with our visa running out fast we had to consider the possibility that this was the end of the road for the overland quest.

The rocks here are inhabited by crabs in the day and rats by night

20^th April: packed up and checked out of Yulia 1 we were prepared for two options. If there was no response from Storm by midday we would grab a cab to the airport and catch our backup flight to Darwin in disgrace. If by some miracle Storm called us we would grab a cab to the marina. In a desperate attempt to keep our plan together Jono and I set about ringing, texting, emailing, even checking facebook and linkedin to get hold of this last ditch lifeline. At 11:50 we were resigned to notify our followers that we had failed. 16,000 miles through 26 countries without a flight and with one more stretch of water left to cross we had finally met an unbeatable barrier. Our grandparents had almost emigrated to Australia by boat in the 1960’s and although their decision to decline the trip ultimately meant we were around today nonetheless it frustrated us that back then anyone willing to catch a two month ferry could avoid flights to Oz. Deflated and pissed off I set about quickly researching hostels in Darwin whilst Jono booked the cab. But just as he reached the reception desk his mobile suddenly rang…..