Apr 3 - Today marks one year of travel. More on that at the end of the day.
Call a Grab at 6:00 for Sape, the ferry terminal on the east coast of Sumbawa. All sources agree that there is a ferry leaving at 9:00 (or later) to Labuan Bajo on Flores. It takes about 2.5 hours to go up over a few passes and down onto the east coast. Last night’s rain has made a mess of some areas.
This must be harvest time for corn, because there are many tarps by the side of the road on which the kernels are left to dry. At night the tarps are covered, and only now are people beginning to uncover them for the morning.
The ferry terminal is quiet but the boat is there. For the second time, we are obligated to use the ferry card payment system. No need to purchase the card itself as we already have them. IDR 96,000/person for the trip. Get some food at the nearby stalls and eventually make our way onto the boat. It is small, and when it finally leaves port at 10:45 there are many empty seats.
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The weather is perfect, no rain, little wind, and enough clouds that it doesn’t get too hot. The trip is slow (seven hours), as we pass around the north side of Banta Island and past many more, including Komodo Island. Labuan Bajo port is reached only after sunset. At night it looks modern and touristy, way more than we have seen since Bali. Off the boat, through a muddy parking lot, then grab a taxi for our hotel. It is up on a hill south of town and quiet.
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Today is officially one year of travel. A few relevant numbers I can throw out:
Total approximate cost (less airplane tickets) = $60,000. That is about $164/day.
Countries = 32
Border crossings (including fly-ins) = 38
Walking distance = 2290 km*
Distance by taxi or car = 14,261 km**
Distance by air = 43,045 km***
Distance by ferry or other boats = 1,090 km
Distance by bus = 11,765 km
Distance by train = 6,074 km
*This is guaranteed to be a lot less than the real distance. My phone does not track walking very well.
**Almost half of this distance was in Iran (guide driving) and in Saudi Arabia (me driving).
***The second six months saw more than double the air distance of the first six months.
Indonesia