The Perfect Storm: Setting Sail for Bunga Bunga

20^th – 23^rd April 2015

April 20^th:

     Jono took a look at his ringing mobile. The call was from an Australian number and Storm was at the other end of the line. He apologised for not getting in touch sooner but delays at work had knocked his plans back a few days. Storm was due to land in Denpassar at around 6pm that very afternoon along with his good friend Josh and asked if we were still keep to join them on the voyage we could meet up at Linga Longa Bar (a now regular watering hole) in the evening. Relieved that our prayers had been finally answered we agreed to ignore our planned flight to Darwin in favour of meeting up for beers (Liverpool FC were playing that night anyway, so we didn’t want to miss that).

     Storm touched down at 6pm and me us at Linga Longa two hours later. As skipper Storm introduced us to fellow crewmember and joint owner of the Strikly Bizness, Josh. In typical Ozzy fashion Josh broke the ice immediately by asking “How’s it going you pom bastards”. Naturally we responded with the typical riposte of “not bad you filthy, inbred, convict” and from that point we knew here was a crew we would get on with. Despite the naturally sporting conflict (which we were always going to lose thanks to the current state of English cricket) one thing we have noticed with Australians is that unlike our American cousins they have managed to retain that old British sense of sarcasm and piss taking which means that neither party takes offence no matter the extent of line crossing. The evening of April 20^th 2015 will always bring up memories of celebration and hope for us. The uncertainties of the previous day had dissipated and in our beer filled stupor both of us knew we could well achieve what seemed impossible a month ago. The boat was pushed out (excuse the pun) and to compliment the alcohol Storm arranged for a real Balinese meal. The dish of Babi Guiling is listed in the Lonely Planet guide as cuisine to try before leaving the island and needless to say the spiced suckling pig roast was the perfect feast on our last night in Indo. For once Jono never needed to use his now familiar and overused catchphrase of “I’m still hungry”. Oh yeah the only low of the night was that Liverpool lost, typical.

The Strikly Bizness anchored at Bali Marina

 April 21^st:

     On the day our visa extension officially expired we vacated Yulia 1, said farewell to the resident “guard” dog, had some breakfast at the Swastika Restaurant (I really think the name isn’t doing the owners any favours) next door and grabbed a cab back to Bali Marina. Storm & Josh were already supervising the clean-up operation in preparation for immigration and there was plenty to do. The Strikly Bizness had been at anchor in the marina since January and the previous owner had kindly left the ship with a plethora of perishable food stuffs which ultimately meant we had the joy of clearing a cockroach infestation. Josh and Storm left Jono and I, now known as the “soap dodgers” to the cleaning while they set to sorting out the important immigration paperwork.

     With the guys away we also had the opportunity to settle into our new living quarters which consisted of a cramped bunk bed. To be honest this was the best we could hope for as our room was the only part of the ship void of the resident roaches and I kind of reminded us of the cabin room we lived in for five days on the Trans-Siberian. The way we saw it was we were only going to use that room to sleep in and we were likely to spend most of the day on deck enjoying the view and sea breeze.

The marina would be a picturesque place if it wasn't for the islands only landfill located on mangrove habitat.

 

     Storm and Josh returned a few hours later looking a little pissed off. It turned out the Indonesian authorities would not be able to let us leave due to some bullshit about a new form, meaning we were unlikely to set sail early the next morning. Conveniently the delay’s meant that we would have to pay a day more for our visa overstay and Storm would have to pay additional fees too and although the officers assured us they have a no bribe policy, they couldn’t confirm where the fees were going. I’m not Sherlock Holmes but I guess the final destination of that cash would probably be their back pockets. Sadly delays are something all travellers have to expect in Indonesia and we had little choice but to except it and move on.

     At days end the final member of our crew arrived. Ben, a good friend of Storm’s would be the 2^nd in command during the voyage. Like Storm, Ben has also circumnavigated the world sailing and would talk us through the daily tasks on board. Ben had been on holiday with his girlfriend for the last week but decided to take the more exciting and enjoyable route home. He also showed unnecessary praise and interest in our own travels. For the first time on our travels our boasting rights seemed a little flimsy with two round the world sailors and adventurers on board but the guys were kind enough to acknowledge our travels as an achievement few people strive for let alone complete. I was beginning to think that the celebrations were a little premature as we still had quite a big barrier to cross.

April 22^nd:

     We all awoke bright and early to crack on with the remaining tasks. After a marina breakfast we cleared the ship of unnecessary, rotting and pest ridden crap before heading out for the BIG SHOP. Judging by the final array of shopping items it seems the old stories of sailors surviving for months on mouldy bread & rum weren’t complete bullshit. Sure there are a few modern comforts today to complement the rum and bread such as pot noodle, beer, eggs, vegemite, bacon, tea, coffee and water but the foundations still remain.



Finally setting sail even if the sails aren't set

    With the big shop complete and on board Jono and I had a little bit of time to relax whilst Storm, Josh and Ben set about completing the necessary immigration forms, again.  Once again we thought it would be a quick and painless procedure but naturally it took around six hours. In the end it wasn’t our expired visas that was the issue. It was the yacht documents apparently. For a second time in two days the guys had to negotiate a fine based on pure guess work even though there are listed fine’s online. The problem is that because the fines are never listed at the immigration offices the staff can play fast and loose with the truth claiming recent changes have occurred. Finally though after almost a whole day of delays with the “clean” cops paid off we were given the all clear to set sail at around 1700 hours. This meant that our planned day voyage to Lombok in the sun was now an overnight trip. Not ideal when you have no sailing experience but at least the guys had the experience to help us through.

    We had around an hour of sunlight left as we edged out of the marina and the day’s heat was slowly beginning to die, although with virtually no breeze you hardly noticed. With Storm at the helm Ben and Josh issued everyone with their lifejackets and talked us through the safety briefing and ship rules. The ship rules were pretty simple:

1.       Do as Storm and Ben do.

2.       Try not to fall in the sea.

3.       Drink and eat as much as you like, when you like.

4.       Make sure you stay awake when on watch (probably strongly linked to how much you follow rule 3).

5.       Have a laugh and enjoy the trip.

     The safety briefing really brought the trip into perspective and kind of added to the slight sense of danger. I strongly feel that adventure is very closely linked to the extent of risk in a journey and that is the real difference between overland travel and taking flights. On flights the safety briefing is carried out by permanently tanned hostesses waddling around pointing unenthusiastically toward the exits because they know that the majority of passengers aren’t paying the slightest bit notice. The passengers are reading newspapers and books bought from the newsagent’s, others are enveloped in a game of Angry Birds or Candy Crush, some are just asleep or wondering how long before they can order a gin & tonic and it’s because there is no sense of danger or excitement. Sure there have been a few high profile incidents of flights crashing or being shot down but these are few and far between. In stark contrast our safety briefing was just as simple but we both hung on every word because at the end of the day if you ignore the rules or failed to listen you inadvertently put the lives of other crew members at risk. We all hoped that the voyage would be calm and without incident but after ten months of relatively straight forward public travel this shit was getting real.

With the sunset behind us we set course to Bunga Bunga land

    Once out into the between Bali and Nusa Pendia and with the setting sun bathing the island in a golden sheen Storm finally announced the watch rotation. Storm and Ben would rotate together to ensure there was always an experienced sailor on watch. Josh, Jono and I were on a four hourly rotation in the following order:

Josh: 10 -2 (am/pm)

Jono: 2-6 (am/pm)

Ross: 6-10 (am/pm)

    As it was early evening I took the helm first alongside Storm whilst the other cooked up some dinner and cracked open a few beers. It was an easy watch really. In this part of the world the weather is generally calm early evening and with no breeze we were forced to use the ships engine. Our course towards Lombok meant we sailed around the southern shore of Nusa Pendia hugging the intimidatingly steep and high cliffs. The calm conditions changed as the ship passed the southern tip of Nusa Pendia as we hit a northerly breeze and strong current which pushed the Strickly Bizness south away from our goal. Unable to head straight against the elements we had to zigzag a little to edge forward.  

 By the time I handed the helm to Josh and settled in for the night the ride worsened. With waves splashing onto the deck we were forced to shut the window hatches to the dorms. The motion of the yacht combined with stuffy, diesel fumed surroundings needless to say my first night at sea was a little unsettled but a lack of sleep was nothing compared to Jono’s first watch. The poor sod had the graveyard shift from 2am to 6am and had to work hard to fight against the tide. His only one consolation was that he and Strom managed to reach our first anchorage point at around 4am on April 23^rd on the shores of Bunga Bunga bay in South-West Lombok.

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…..

Slow boat back to Bali

8^th-11^th April 2015

     We left Kuta in convoy with Alberto. He was on the same scooter he had been renting from Bali and we caught a cab. The journey is pretty straightforward and the newly built bypass connecting the south coast and east coast to the islands international airport means that visitors are presented with the best maintained stretch of road we have seen in Indonesia so far. The views aren’t bad either with fertile rice fields laying under the shadow of the islands volcanic creator Mt Rinjani.

Lembar may be a dump but the surrounding bay is breath taking

     The main ferry terminal of Lembar is the gateway for all supplies in and out of the island. Most overseas backpackers and holidaymakers opt for the much quicker but overpriced fast boat connection from the Gili’s but if you’re on a limited budget or want to transport a scooter from Bali the slow boat is your best option. It takes around 4 hours to reach Padang Bai and for 40,000 – 60,000 (£2-£3) a ticket (a little more if you have the scooter) you can’t go wrong. As the name suggests the ferry seems painfully slow at times but if you’re like us and in no hurry it’s quite a pleasant trip during the day. The communal lounge area has an effective A/C and the not so soothing soundtrack of Indonesian pop tracks playing full blast on a loop. Feeling a little peckish then approach one of the many food vendor selling super noodles and fizzy pop.

Lembar bay is dotted with small atoll like islands

Word of Advice

When you reach the terminal in Lembar avoid the guys at the front gate offering to sell tickets. Many of these chaps are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and plenty of travelers have been conned into parting cash for a false ticket. Just politely ignore them and continue walking towards the toll gate (there is a booth for pedestrians on the far left).

Back to Bali

     For the second time on our travels we arrived at the now familiar ferry village of Padang Bai on Bali’s South East coast. After a quick bite to eat we parted ways and said our final fair wells to Alberto as he set off for Kuta before grabbing an early morning flight to Kuala Lumpur. We wish you all the best and your travels bud and hope you enjoy The Asian loop as much as us. We opted for a quick one night stop at Padangbai to take advantage of a good fill of freshly caught tuna steak at a locally run warung and grab a Bintang in the shack bar by the market square (they have a great, overly friendly but utterly useless guard dog that reminded us of our border collie “Zac”).

The not so stunning beach in Sanur



Miner birds are popular pets in Bali

Orvile as we called him was outside our room most days

    Thursday 9^th April 2015 we arranged a cheap cab to the popular holiday resort of Sanur and our first impressions weren’t great. For months we have done our best to seek out destinations that would make our mates back home ask “why the f**k did you go there?” but Sanur seemed the sort of generic “holiday paradise” we detest. As Bali’s first holiday destination (now seen as a quiet alternative to Kuta) Sanur is dominated by large and often unsightly hotel complexes that act like a black hole swallowing up any remnants of culture, history and open space and turning it into a bleak, unidentifiable entity. In fact if you took a photo of the beachfront and asked a room of people back home to identify the location you would probably receive answers like the Costa Del Sol, Corfu, or even Bournemouth on hot day. It’s little wonder that the place is overrun by package holidaymakers wallowing like hippos around a watering hole, eating the same crap they enjoy back home and treating the locals like second class citizens. Rant over!

    

Jono working on the blog, I think?

Despite its flaws Sanur still retains a sense of tranquility if you have the time to find it. We booked into Yulia 1 Guesthouse at the northern end of the main strip and it was a real oasis. The owner is an avid collector of birds and the traditional Balinese home complex is awash is birdsong all day long (if this is the sort of thing that annoys you try somewhere else and relax to the sound of traffic from the main road). The free breakfast is disappointing but with so many cheap restaurants around its best to opt out and save a few quid a night. Our cheap fan twin room was more than suitable as we spent most of our time chilling by the pool anyway.

Locals taking advantage of the cooler temperature at sunset

     Our decision to visit Sanur wasn’t entirely due to recommendations from the Lonely Planet guide, we were here on important business. For a while now our plans to reach Australia has been dependent on our efforts in finding a boat and most of our research had been devoted to sites like findacrew.com and crewbay.com. Sadly the number of yachts heading from Indonesia to Australia seemed nonexistent. We therefore had to turn to more traditional forms of getting the word out. Twenty minutes south of Sanur is the main marina in an area known as Benoa. We had been advised to try around here by Tom Foster a fellow overland backpacker we met in Jakarta a month earlier. After a frustrating search asking local workers who seemed less familiar with the harbor layout than us we stumbled across the aptly named “Bali Marina” and placed a poster on the notice board. Bali Marina is the main anchorage point in southern Bali for private yachts and it was our hope someone looking for volunteer deckhands would stumble across our details. Luckily for us the posters weren’t required in the end as Tom (now in Sidney, Australia) was contacted by a yacht owner who had noticed his poster on the same noticeboard a few days earlier. Tom was kind enough to send the skipper our way and after a brief email we arranged to meet up at “Linga Longa Bar” for a few beers. The skipper introduced himself as Storm at which point I couldn’t help but shout “pull the other one mate. I know were a couple of land loving poms but even we’re not that gullible”. It turned out that Storm Henderson had recently purchased the yacht “Strickly Bizness” in Benoa and was looking to return to Bali in one weeks’ time with the intention of heading to Brome with a few experienced sailing mates and they required two deckhands. It was fair to say that Jono and I were hit by disbelief. Never in a million years did we think an opportunity like this would come along, but here was a guy crazy enough to want to complete amateurs as part of a five man crew. We had little option but to jump up and grab the opportunity with both hands.

 



Sanur hosts a famous kite festival every year and most locals
had their favourites in storage

     After a night of celebrations we left Storm with the guarantee that he would call us in a week on his return to Bali to sort out the relevant arrangements. With seven days to kill we headed west to the notorious holidays destination of Kuta, Bali.