2/10/10 - 2/11/10. Sengigi to Flores. The Great Ferry Fail and New Friends.

Mmm bakery bread picnic on the beach for breakfast. Morning swim. We made friends with minnows and watched a crab fight.

Steff and I took a short walk along the shore. Conversation we had with three different people:

Where are you from?
The U.S.
Aaaah, Obama!!!
Yes... Obama.. 

(editors note: we've now had about 10 people shout "Obama" at us in glee. We sometimes comment that he's better than Bush, and get "ah yes, Bush bad.. Very bad"

Time for our first long journey: Sengigi to Flores. 24 hours: a bus to a ferry to a bus to another bus to a ferry.

On the first bus we made friends with some great other backpackers. A couple from Canada, two French girls from Canada, two British guys, a girl from Sweden, a guy from Denmark, a girl from Holland, and two women from France. We all chatted about our lives back at home, and our current adventures on the ferry while watching yet another perfect sunset. This was in between watching an odd Indonesian TV show that none of us could understand, and pondering if the extremely rocky ferry was safe.

The next bus drove all night. Unfortunately, most could not sleep since the bus was freezing , bumpy, the driver drove like a maniac (which is quite normal here) and someone rear-ended the bus during the night. I didn't wake up once.

The morning bus ride was lovely going through the mountains. Everything was fine, going according to plan, we just needed to get on the ferry, and our journey was going to be done.

The ferry...Left us...

It seems the ferry leaves when ever it wants, not at the time given to us. When was the next ferry you ask? 24 hours later the next morning...

Cue: frustration, arguing with ferry workers, trying to find other boats, looking for hotels or ATMs, confusion.

"What to do?! What to do?!" said the 12 angry backpackers.

Our final solution was chartering a fishing boat. We will never forget that boat for the rest of our lives. Steff was mapping out who was who from the cast of Lost, as we were positive the itty bitty little boat would sink. The boat had JUST enough room to hold all of us on it's flat wooden deck under a tarp. The moter started, and sounded like a mix of 50 weed-eaters and jackhammers. Needless to say we couldn't talk or listen to music for the 6 hour ride. If you're wondering if there are enough positions to sit in to stay comfortable on a wooden board for 6 hours - there's not.

We survived! (yay)

Rustic bungalow hotel on a hill side overlooking the ocean and harbor = wonderful.

Fun fact: the same "ferry leaving disaster" happened to the group of people staying next to us. Apparently, this is quite common. Get it together Indonesia.

The French women went their separate way, but the other ten of us banded together and booked a two day boat to the Komodo Islands.

Dinner. Laundry in a bucket. Bed.

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