Endless Hours and Quirky Ship Meals
Morning. I'm somewhere on a ferry, honestly not even sure if I actually slept or just blinked through the night.
It's August 8th. We're scheduled to dock around 1:00 or 2:00 AM tomorrow, which means I still have a solid 18 hours left on this ship.
First up: mealtime. I opened the provided food box and immediately had to laugh.
The sheer size of the packaging versus the tiny portion of food actually inside is completely disproportionate! But hey, that's the classic Pelni ship experience for you. I've been through this before, so I know the drill.
After wandering around the deck for a bit, I grabbed a cup of local coffee.
It's the traditional Indonesian style where the coffee grounds are brewed directly in the cup. By the time you reach the bottom, you inevitably get a mouthful of sludge. "Yep, still powdery," I muttered to myself. Oddly enough, I'm actually starting to enjoy this gritty, authentic texture.
The Ultimate Way to Kill Time at Sea
For lunch, I slurped down some Indomie Telur (instant noodles with egg).
Later on, they handed out another boxed meal, and this one was surprisingly fancy! It actually had veggies and meat to go with the rice. For Pelni standards, this was a massive upgrade—and honestly, it tasted pretty damn good.
As night fell, I started chatting with the locals sitting near me. One guy was even kind enough to go out of his way to buy me a Cup Noodle. Seriously, the people here are unbelievably warm and welcoming.
How do you kill time on a ferry with practically zero entertainment? It all comes down to human connection. Being the "mysterious Japanese guy" onboard is a massive advantage here. All it takes is a simple "Where are you from?" and you're instantly locked into a great conversation.
1:30 AM: Hello, Sulawesi
Around 1:30 AM, the ferry finally docked at a port in Sulawesi.
It was pitch black outside, but when I casually peeked over the edge of the pier, I was absolutely stunned. Even in the dim light of the streetlamps, the water was so incredibly clear that I could clearly see fish swimming around. You usually expect port water to be murky and polluted, so this pristine beauty caught me completely off guard.
I finally made it.
Seeing that pure, untouched beauty in the middle of the night made all the sheer exhaustion of the 18-hour journey wash away. I adjusted my backpack and headed straight into Palu city, my home base for the next few days.
