Kupang
15 August 2017
Kim
As anyone who travels knows, its one thing to read about and prepare for a trip to a foreign country, but its quite another when you find yourself suddenly and completely immersed in a different culture - with all of the sights, sounds and smells of a bustling city. Kupang, West Timor in Indonesia is nothing like our last port in Australia, its nothing like any of the countries we've sailed to since leaving Canada, and we're definitely not in Kansas any more!
Shortly after spotting land Tuesday morning, we quickly learned why its so important to arrive in daylight and to keep a sharp eye out for small fishing boats, fishing nets (some strewn across an entire mile), and floating bamboo shacks. As we approached the city, we listened to Muslim call to prayer amplified over loud speakers, set anchor in the harbour, and hit the sack.
The next morning we had an early appointment with Charles, our Agent, who explained that we needed to get an early start to complete the long and convoluted check-in process at four separate offices, with multiple copies of numerous forms. And wow, are we glad we had his assistance. A six hour process (in an air conditioned vehicle with a driver) could have taken days to complete on our own. The traffic in Kupang can best be described as organized chaos. Thousands of scooters loaded with numerous people moving in unpredictable directions and somehow managing to avoid collisions. Our first day was certainly an adventure - and the next morning at the Market was just as enlightening!