Indonesian ferry sinks in W.Timor

Indonesian ferries don’t exact set the standard for safety. Often times they are old wooden junkers, run by a bunch of local guys, who fly by the seat of their pants. I have been on fairly large vessels that had no electronic devices whatsoever. Navigation was basically ‘guestimation’.

Today a local ferry in W.Timor went down with 60 people on board, off of Kupang. Fortunately, all but 1 were rescued. In situations like this its usually other ferries and fishing boats that save people, rather than the coast guard. Indonesia relies on buses and ferries, the same way the US relies on the car. Needless to say there are many accidents. If you have to travel by ferry in Indonesia, I recommend traveling during the day, sleeping on the rear deck, instead of inside a cabin, and perhaps taking the time to locate a life jacket, or think about how you would stay afloat if you had to.