60hrs Travelling

---

It was time to finally leave Malaysia after two month to discover Indonesia! So exciting, but i had a lot of traveling to do to get to my first destination Rantepao in Tana Toraja. Aiming for the 930am bus from Semporna i was told this bus no-longer left even though it was advertised, good start! But after asking around a bit more i found out there were mini buses that left when full so i headed for them and after waiting half an hour it was full enough to depart to my first stop Tawau.
The two hour bus journey was bumpy, hot and uncomfortable, we got stopped my the police and the driver got a ticket and then one of the passengers wanted dropping off inside an army base so we got stopped by the army too. However finally i arrived in Tawau around 1130 in plenty of time for the boat to Nunukan departing at 1400 (ish). The driver pointed me in the right direction but it wasnt as easy to find as it should have been!
I eventually came across the ferry trouts selling the boat tickets and after taking my passport i received a ticket for 60rm and after having a mild panic attack that i had lost my money i paid for it and was told to clear customs around 1400, depart around 1500 and arrive around 1700. After walking around Tawau and having lunch i waited for the boat and of-cause got put to the front when it came to clearing customs (one of the few goo things about been a foreigner). There computers were broke so it took a while! Then it was nice to sit and watch them load up the top of the boat. I still find it amazing how they can carry a 50kg bag of rice on their shoulder another in their hand then a suitcase in their other hand and walk down a steep slippery ramp. I wonder how much practice it takes? The boat eventually departed for Nunukan around 1530.
About 20mins into the trip we got stopped and searched by Maritim. They came on the boat and checked all of our passports and then spent about 30mins searching the top of the boat the men had spend so long loading up. They removed kg after kg of 'sugar' i was told, not sure why, but i really needed to be in Nunukan by 1800 at the latest. Eventually on our way again and the guy next me trying to talk to me about who knows what we arrived in Nunukan at 1730 and were greeted by hundreds. After clearing immigration relatively easy i found the pelni desk and asked the directions for the ATM.
Having no-idea where the ATM actually was and only having an hour left until i had to purchase my ticket to Pare Pare i went into a nice looking hotel to ask and after a bit of discussion he gave me a helmet and took me on his scooter to the ATM : ) Money in hand i went back to the Pelni desk to buy my ticket and was told to buy it at the boat, so walking down to the boat the coast guard picked me up on his scooter and dropped me there. He then took me to where i could buy a ticket and came back a few minutes later to check i had got one ok! I paid for 3rd class but when i got on the boat ended up in 2nd class no idea why, but i wasnt complaining.
Second class was a six berth cabin which i shared with three other ladies. Finding the restaurant i met Eliza and Johannas who i had met in Semporna and Lea and Andy, we were the five white people on the boat with the trail of fascinated children following us and knocking on the cabin door from 5am. Other than play cards, read, chat and take photos with the kids there wasnt much else to do. The Indonesians were interested in watching us play cards, i dont think they play. The first night on the boat i was woke up about 430 by the ladies in the room. Lights on and talking like it was the middle of the day in a busy cafe! After tossing and turning for two hours and slowly getting more annoyed i finally dragged myself into the 'shower' at 610. Surprisingly even with the state of the bathroom and that i preferred the squat toilet to the western it was that dirty i came out of the shower feeling marginally cleaner until i had to walk through all the water to get out of the bathroom anyway. We arrived in Balipapan around 2000 and were greeted by thousands, its was so busy, we watched as they brought there boxes of luggage up the ramp onto the boat. Most of these passengers slept all over the boat, mostly on cardboard or sleeping mats around the stairs or anywhere there was space.
The second night i slept in Elisa's cabin hoping to not get woke up at 430am but even when i went into my cabin to get some things there was a mattress on the floor and bags high in front of the lockers! Then i still got woke up by the kids knocking at the door shouting 'Good Morning' from 430 for 3hrs! Finally we arrived in Pare Pare about 1330 after some difficulty getting into the port.
The five of us plus Meena fought through the crowd that greeted us in search of a bus to Rantepao. We found a guy who happily took us to a station but the buses didnt depart unitl 1700 and with a 5hr journey we didnt want to arrive in Rantepao at 2200 so we took a bemo to the main but station where the buses came from Makassar. It was empty and didnt have a bus departing until 1800 so we headed back to book on the 1700 bus. We were told it was full but still managed to get tickets for it and it finally departed around 1600 ish. But it was the most uncomfortable bus ever the seats were not made for two adults and only adults had tickets but there was so many children on it a bus for 30 had around 50 people on it!
But even though it was bumpy and hot the Indonesians are lovely people they shared there local fruit with us and sang, which after 60hrs of traveling was a nice relief. The bus finally dropped us off at our hostel about 2100 and a hot shower was at the top of the list!

---