Lost in Sorong

So Wrong or So Right? From Boat Life to City Chaos

We were buzzing to be back in civilisation — and properly anchored for a while — after a five-week marathon with about twenty different anchorages. That’s roughly four new spots every week. Needless to say, we’ve seen a lot, but barely had time to digest any of it. We also hadn’t met many people or done much cultural exploring, so we were hoping Sorong would give us a bit more action. After all, it’s a lot easier to get ashore here.We even had this brilliant idea to hop off the boat for a couple of weeks if the skipper approved. Why not it’s not a paid position, we’re paying to be here after all.

Warwick, who runs the marina, is originally from Tasmania but has been here for over twenty years. Legend. He’s got a driver we could book for $10 an hour — cheap as chips — so we grabbed him for a supermarket run. Rookie mistake. Later we found out about the Maxime app — basically the local Uber. I also downloaded Grab, which works across Indonesia, and Gojek, which I later realised is for motorbike taxis only. Maxime’s the cheapest by far — our $10 supermarket ride would’ve cost $2. Classic.

The next day, Mark and I braced ourselves for a full day in town. We hadn’t heard great things about Sorong — also affectionately known as ‘So Wrong’ — and with the heat, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. But we wanted to check out the ferry terminal, and I was desperate for a pedicure.

I tried Gojek first, but no luck. Then another yachtie spotted us roasting on the street and waved us into his taxi. John, from Australia — absolute legend — gave us all the insider tips. He even dropped us off for free at a massive mall. Great start to the day.

I grabbed a Roti Boy bun. Then we hopped in another taxi to a second mall — I scored a fat chocolate croissant absolutely drenched in chocolate. After a cheese croissant, breadsticks, and a Roti Boy earlier, that made breakfast number three. Sugar and carb levels: heroic.

Next up: a 30-minute walk to the ferry terminal to work off the three-breakfast situation. Terrible idea in that heat. At the terminal, we asked about ferries to Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat — potential target for our future land escape.

Meanwhile, we were still trying to find a nail salon and an exchange service — but either missed them, couldn’t find them, or they were “too busy.” With no taxis showing up on Maxime, I flagged down a bright yellow local bus. Locals said it’d cost $5, but when we hopped off, the driver asked for double — for a five-minute ride! We’d clearly paid the “Bule price” (that’s “white foreigner tax” for the uninitiated). From then on, we stuck with Maxime.

The little exchange shop turned out to have terrible rates— and they’re super picky about notes. One bend or scribble and they won’t take it. I’d pretty much given up when I spotted a big sign advertising a nail studio — and noticed the girl serving us had immaculate nails. Turns out her friend ran the studio next door! What are the odds?

Next thing I knew, I was sitting in a cute little room getting my pedicure done while Mark headed to a barber next door. Not all was lost — we both ended the day with a bit of self-care and felt vaguely human again.

Money exchange though? Still a nightmare. We went the next day to the bank with the best rate, but of course, it was the day before Christmas. After two hours, the skipper gave up, handed us his cash, and left. We waited four hours in total — but on the bright side, I got chatting with a local who offered me a job on a liveaboard boat. A paid boat job — now we’re talking! Not the right timing, but hey, numbers were exchanged.

We even managed a trip to the fancy cinema and watched Moana 2 — the only English film showing, but totally my vibe. The popcorn came in five flavours, which is frankly the best invention since aircon. Afterwards, we had pizza by the waterfront — touristy, slightly pricey, but still cheap compared to home. It was just nice to eat out and people-watch.

We squeezed in a bit of sightseeing between boat jobs and even made a new mate. Our Uber driver, Raya, spoke great English, so we hired her as driver for the day while we explored and did the boat shopping run. We ended up taking her for drinks at a waterfront spot it was nice to get to know a local.

Our two-week getaway from the boat was eventually approved with some compromises (after enough drama for a soap opera) — ten days on land, here we come. Christmas rolled around before we could take off, and I decided to bake cookies. No one seemed impressed, so I ate the entire box of German Christmas biscuits myself. Zero regrets. I might’ve gone overboard on the festive spirit — the rest of the crew weren’t exactly feeling it, so by evening the decorations I carried for almost a year with me were packed away again.

All in all, Sorong’s not as bad as its nickname suggests. We found some great cafés and restaurants, met fun people, and got our land legs back — but now it’s time for the next adventure: our solo journey through Raja Ampat.