On our arrival there were several boats in the water, one of which we assumed that we would be going in; a nice white cruiser type number with big seats and plenty of room. The others were long fibreglass boats that sat very low in the water and look quite shabby. So anyway we sat down for our morning coffee, said cheerio to our new "brother" Alex and waited to board our chariot.
The crowds were starting to gather and people started to board boats following shouts from individuals who seemed to work there. So the small fibreglass boats were filling to the brim (four people to every three seats) along with all the various things that they can chuck and strap onto the top of the boats (for example, huge boxes containing 40inch plus TVs!). Thank god we were not in one of those eh. Then one of the little fellas grabbed our gear and started towards the, what seemed like, very full boat in the water. Much to the amusement of everyone one we asked (or pointed and waived our arms about) "aren't we on this one??" pointing to the white cosy cruiser. Most people laughed their heads off and we were guided to the speed boat, gingerly hopped on board and wedged ourselves in place! Well, I guess we gotta do it like the locals!!
To be honest we didn’t exactly mind as we expect to have to go through things like this. It really does add to the experience and is part of the fun (more in retrospect sometimes!). The engine roared into life and off we went!
Our view from the front!
The boat journey itself took around 3 hours (ish), along with a stop on the way for food and drink.
We saw some cool stuff along the way as was our intention to do so.
These guys are using palm leaves as sails in order to help get them home!
This is what we assume to be a fishing hous. Whether people live on them or not we dont know, but we thought they were quite cool. They were situated right out in the middle of some of the lakes we passed through. The sticks in the lake bed formed a funnel towards the house and underneath there was what seemd like a net that could be raised up.
Albeit at the expense of a very numb bum we arrived in Teluk Melano safe and sound. Now for the bus!!
The area where we got off was very “hustle and bustle” with a lot of noise and commotion going on. Bags were being passed over head and people jumping off and between boats like monkeys. We managed to get all the bags off in one piece and started to scan the area for the bus we had been told about. We got plenty of attention (we got loads of attention being the only Indian and white people there. This was the case for 99.999% of the time in Kalimantan, which was really cool). We stood looking a little bit like dumb tourists as we couldn’t figure out where the bus station or pick up point was. Amidst the many voices in Indonesian came a lads voice in Basic English and he asked where we wanted to go. He led us away from the harbour and pointed us in the direction of a small Warung with a bus parked outside it. After complimenting him on his English we said thanks and goodbye to him and trundled off to the Warung. We rocked up and found out that the bus to Ketapang was due in about an hour and sat ourselves down with a fizzy drink, sweating all the way!
Now the reasoning for spending so much time on the boat was to miss out large sections of what Alex called “crazy roads”. Referring to the state of the road more than the traffic you would encounter. Notwithstanding that, after we boarded the bus (which arrived dead early, or maybe a late one from before) we found that there was still a certain amount of “crazy road” left to endure! We were going through sections that would force the bus into a 45 degree sideways tilt and then dip onto what can only be described as makeshift bridges with large holes and gaps a plenty! We were both stood up inside the bus as it was rammed and it felt lie we were taking surfing lesions!
After a while though the roads got better and we were very kindly invited to sit down when seats became free. Again, the locals here are so friendly, smiley and polite. In general they are wonderful people. We passed through some slightly more dramatic scenery and we were starting to get excited about what lay ahead.
After what seemed like a lifetime (about 3.5 hours) we arrived at Ketapang bus terminal where we were barraged by keen bike taxis and the like wanting our business (and grabbing our bags!). We were firm with the guys and it’s all done with a smile and a bit of a laugh. We negotiated with an Opelet driver and set off in his not to road worthy vehicle. We arrived at the hotel only to find out that the place where we thought we were booked in was full! So we had to get the taxi driver to drop us off at another more costly hotel. It was a bit of a pain but by that time we just wanted to sit, chill and raid the mini bar!
There aint much we can say about Ketapang really. We veged in the hotel room for most of the time watching probably the worst films in the world, but they were English so we didn’t care to be honest! We had two nights there and n the second morning we set off to the airport for our flight to Pankalan Bun.
We had to take a picture of the plane, check out the duck tape holding the windows in place!!
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