Enough comfort.

Dust forms a layer on pretty much everything in the tax office in Larantuka, and the thick layer that covered our kayaks at least suggested that they had been left alone in their storage room for the last couple of weeks.

Larantuka is not a town accustomed to tourists and it is a challenging place to visit - a test for all of our senses. Indonesian social life seems to revolve around the road so whenever we are walking anywhere we are yelled at from every direction - 'Halo Mister', 'Buleh' (foreigner), 'and touts for all sorts of transport and other services. "Mau ke mana?" (where are you going?) is screamed from every passing vehicle and every stationary individual.

Jumping into a 'bemo' here, the standard form of transport around town, involves cramping into the back of a tiny minivan with several people who are smoking clove cigarettes and a stereo pumping out bad techno with enough base to register on the Richter Scale, while the teenage driver does his best to break the land speed record, dodging chickens all the way. The olfactory senses are treated to a wondrous feast of stimulation when walking through the main 'pasar' (market) where huge fish are being chopped to pieces with machetes in the baking heat of the tropical sun, the stinky fish blood running in thick sheets down the streets and gutters.

All this is assisting us with the motivation to get back out of our comfort zone and back into our kayaks. We have had a couple of weeks out of the boats to zoom around some of the areas of Indonesia more frequently visited by tourists. We snorkelled with turtles, sat in hot springs and under cool waterfalls, paid off the police (what 'international licence'?), swam through a shipwreck, walked on a volcano and in rice fields, fed monkeys, drank too much beer and ate delicious food - sounds like the makings of a comfort zone to me.

Talking about the Richter Scale though, we were fortunate enough to be in Bali when an earthquake rattled the buildings around us - something we have both been hoping to experience in this volcanic country. It was a bizarre and exciting experience to feel the ground beneath our feet that has always felt so solid, move with a strange liquid shaking. For once we were a long way above sea level though, so tsunamis were low on the list for these happy paddlers.

We are now working to a new schedule. There are only two boats a month capable of taking us and our kayaks from eastern Flores back to Bali. In order to send our kayaks back to Australia in time to fulfil our red tape commitments with the Indonesian Government we need to return to Bali at the end of November. In total we now have just over four weeks left of the Archipaddlo Expedition - just enough time to cut a quick 600km lap of the Alor Archipelago. The first hints of wet season are starting to show though so hopefully the odd shower will make a small dint in the 35˚C that assaults us every day.

It is hot, I am not looking forward to more noodles, and we have some challenging currents to negotiate. No more air-con, cold drinks, or restaurant meals. The short break from our kayaks has been great fun but I am looking forward to jumping out of this comfort zone and back out into the ocean. Bring it on.

Picture: Lain enjoying the last day of comfort zone - a 'padang' meal in a roadside restaurant in Larantuka.