Paddling to Bali

The very idea of paddling to Bali in the first place was so crazy that many times we wondered if we would ever achieve it. We might now be heading in the opposite direction to what we had originally anticipated but for us, paddling to Bali would be an achievement.

What we didn't expect as we made a 4:15am departure from a small black beach on Java's volcanic eastern shore, was the violent headwind and tearing current that was waiting for us in the Bali Strait. The busy shipping channel separating the mountainous masses of Java and Bali is a narrow funnel, crisscrossed daily by hundreds of ferries, container vessels and boats carrying whatever to wherever.

According to the trusty GPS, we were to expect about 24km of paddling, a small day under benign conditions like those that carried us up most of the coast of north QLD. But these conditions were anything but benign, and as the sun rose it became evident that this was going to be an epic paddle - the details of the trees on the beach we had left still clearly visible despite nearly two hours of hard paddling.

Paddling into wind and current is like riding a pushbike up a steep hill. As soon as you stop cranking the pedals you'll cease to move forward and roll back down the hill. Taking a hand off the paddle for long enough to dip into a hatch for sunscreen, a camera or a bite to eat will result in your boat being thrust backwards, and turned perpendicular to the wind and waves making your recovery arduous and exhausting.

But press on we did, despite the bursting blisters on our hands, the aching muscles and the exhaustion we could not escape. For seven hours we slogged into the strengthening wind, waves checking our progress as they washed over our boats and crashed into our chests. Seven hours at full throttle - we were shattered. The beach finally crunched under the bow of our kayaks, our beaten bodies barely able to flop into the warm water beneath us. This 'small paddle' had turned into one of the hardest, most exhausting days of our lives.

But what a spot we had chanced upon - paradise! Once we had refuelled, rehydrated and rested we were able to fully take in this beach on Pulau Menjangan, a small island just off the coast of Bali. The coral shelf extends for about 80m from the shore before dropping steeply into an endless abyss. The walls of reef harbouring an abundance of life, corals, fish, sponges and all sorts, that would make any tourist brochure look dreary. Acres of underwater garden extended as far as we could see up and down this glorious beach.

This adventure, Archipaddlo, was fuelled by a desire to see parts of the world that other people don't, to push ourselves hard, to be self sufficient and to do it together. This paddle, from Java to Bali, summed it all up in one day. We feel exhausted but truly alive. This paradise is the stuff that dreams are made of, the place people go to when they retreat to the 'happy place' in their head. But we are here, and we deserve this paradise.

Just for safe measure, we took an extra day to recover and explore Pulau Menjangan and its brilliant coral chasms. No point rushing these things.

Picture: Lain soaking up the tropical rays as we relax and recuperate in paradise.