Sorong

4/12/16

We left the hotel for the airport at 5 AM in our motorcade.  It felt very presidential! The trip there was much shorter than the trip to the hotel, and in no time at all we were checked in and through security.  Our airlines recently reintroduced an additional baggage allowance for scuba gear, so this saved most everyone a couple hundred dollars in overage fees for baggage! They were all understandably very happy!

The hotel sent us with boxed breakfasts. Mine wound up being pastries while most others had the bigger box which was fried rice, a hard boiled egg, and something meatish. I went to a place called Coffee Bean and got an orange muffin. Yum!  

While there I chatted with a married couple from Long Island. Both are in law enforcement and remind me of some people I love at home so I'm calling him the honorary third Scholl brother. 

When we flew in over Sorong, I couldn't believe the mess and the poverty.  It was worse than Manado and looked like a hurricane had hit.  It was just messy and crowded and rustic, but not in the nice Montana way.

They took us to our boat.  As we got out of our car, we were immediately assaulted by the smell of rotting dead fish baking in the sun.  I cannot describe the cringing feeling I got and it did cross my mind that this was all a terrible idea and please get me out of here!!  I looked longingly at the airplanes flying overhead!

 

Man sweeping away rotten fish so we could walk.

Thankfully, this was NOT our boat!

 We waited until they could come take us to the boat in an inflatable boat. First our gear and luggage, then us. 

The ship was a good size. Smaller than I had imagined but decent. I don't think it would be fun to have 14 people on here.

We found our rooms and got settled in. I am hitting my head going up and down the stairs, so I imagine it is going to be difficult for rest of the group!

The diesel fumes, heat, and lack of sleep finally got to me and I had to go sleep in cool room. Thank goodness for air conditioning! I slept very well and headed back up.

We met the owner and waited and waited for the harbor police to give clearance to sail.  It sounds like a wishywashy process, perhaps a bit corrupt. I found my way up to the upper deck where there was a breeze. We just wait until we are free to go.

This is a bit of a shock to my Western type A system! Thank goodness for the lady, Darlene, who keeps saying how things are nice and she's loving everything. I'll try to see things through her eyes.  She's traveled a lot and said the Philippines is far worse. Oh my!