I dropped in this morning to the ferry booking office, just to confirm tomorrow’s sailing details. I’m really glad I did, as it turns out the sailing is 5pm today not tomorrow.
That changed things up a bit! I then spent the morning in a flurry packing and repacking the bike’s panniers. Got that sorted in time to keep the lunch appointment we’d made to connect a few people – Alex, Patrick and Tracey. Alex is a German whose post-school gap-year started in New Zealand in 2019, and appears still to be in process. NZ morphed into Australia in time to get stuck in Covid, while he worked his way around the country as a farm hand. He’s now bought a bike and riding back home to Germany. Patrick is a Swiss, who rode a motorbike from Canada to Australia in 2016, and then started a ride from Aus back home to Switzerland 4 years ago. He got as far as Timor, had delays getting his bike (sound familiar?), got dengue fever the day his bike arrived, then of course Covid and delay on delay (including “but the house cat needs me!” – go figure 
)… and 4 trips around the sun he’s not left Timor’s shores.
I’m on a ferry donated by Germany, built in Indonesia, and traveling from one corner of Timor Leste to another. The “exclave” Oecussi is under Timor Leste sovereignty, but all land borders are shared with Indonesia’s West Timor. The only way to get to Oecussi without first entering Indonesian territory is either by plane or ferry. I’ll be “sleeping” on a chair tonight as we travel. I hope to be rested enough to turn on charm as required at the border post into Indonesia.
2 Comments
Sounds like movement, at least. All the best.
If you’re sleeping in a chair, don’t forget to do leg stretches to avoid DVT. It’s a thing ! Even travellers on the Spirit of Tasmania get☹️🦵🏼🦵🏼💺
You’ve endured big delays, may the adventure you dream of be much smoother now my friend