Ticket Machine Chaos at the Port
Today (August 18th) is the day I finally head from Bitung to Ambon!
I spent the morning chilling at my hotel and headed to the ferry terminal around noon, only to be greeted by an absolutely massive line.
Here's a major lesson learned: even if you book your ticket online, you still have to queue up at the terminal to print a physical boarding pass. To make matters worse, while I was waiting, one of the ticket machines completely froze on the loading screen and stopped working. Classic!
It was a great reminder that unexpected hiccups are just a normal part of traveling here. I'm so glad I decided to arrive 30 minutes early, or things could have gotten stressful.
Boarding the Massive PELNI & Hitting the Cabin Jackpot
I finally made it through the chaos and boarded the PELNI ferry. This ship is seriously huge! I always love admiring the sheer scale and shape of these ferries from the outside.
But the most important part? The cabin. And this time, I hit the jackpot!
Usually, you get stuffed into a massive shared dorm with around 100 people. But today, I was assigned to a smaller room on the second floor with only about 30 beds. It feels so much more spacious and comfortable.
As always, the local guys around me were super friendly and struck up conversations right away, keeping the good vibes going.
Stunning Sunsets and a Surprisingly Good Dinner
We eventually set sail, and the sunset view from the deck was just breathtaking. Looking back at the port glowing in the evening light, that view alone makes the boat trip worth it.
Shortly after, it was time for dinner. Honestly, today's meal was a pleasant surprise!
Normally, the portions are pretty tiny—maybe just two small side dishes that leave the food tray looking half-empty, along with barely any water. But this time, the food fit perfectly in the tray, and the portions were actually decent.
While wandering the corridors after dinner, I stumbled across a free phone-charging station set up by PELNI—a small but surprisingly welcome discovery on a ship this massive.
I also heard they screen movies somewhere on the ship, but I have absolutely no idea where the "cinema" is (laughs). Guess wandering around to explore this massive ship will be my mission for tomorrow.
29 Hours to Ambon
From here, it's a solid 1 day and 5 hours—about 29 hours in total—until we reach Ambon. We're scheduled to arrive around 1:00 PM tomorrow.
Time to sit back, relax with the rhythm of the waves, and get excited for my upcoming adventures in Ambon!
