Rhapsody on the Blue: Visa Run - A Necessary Part of Slow Travel

One of the less glamorous realities of slow travel is that eventually a country politely asks you to leave for a while.

Our Indonesian visas were expiring, so we had to leave Sorong, in far eastern Indonesia, and fly to another country while immigration processed our new visas. Since Sorong is not an international airport, this meant first flying all the way to Jakarta or to Bali before we could even begin the actual “leaving the country” part of the trip.

Singapore would have been the easiest option, but having already been there several times, we decided this was our chance to explore someplace new. We chose Western Australia and flew into Perth for what would become a ten-day visa run adventure.

The tricky part was timing. Indonesian immigration estimated six to seven business days to process the visa. Estimated being the key word there. We had to decide how long to stay, when to buy return tickets, and how much faith to place in government paperwork moving efficiently. In the end we bought the tickets and hoped optimism would prove to be a sound travel strategy.

Arriving in Perth was a bit of a shock to the system. After months in Indonesia, Australia felt cold. Not “Canadian cold” or “New York cold,” of course. Friends and family back home would probably describe the temperatures as “pleasant.” But after living in tropical heat, we were suddenly digging through our bags for long sleeves and feeling perhaps we had become soft.

Australia immediately felt both familiar and slightly off in charming ways. Everyone seemed wonderfully relaxed. “No worries” was not just a phrase but apparently an entire national philosophy. Flip flops were called “thongs,” which never stopped sounding funny to us, and greetings like “G’day” and “How’s it going?” somehow sounded more cheerful with the accent.

Having a rental car gave us the freedom to explore at our own pace, though driving on the left side of the road always requires a period of mental adjustment. Traffic circles became exercises in concentration, and more than once we walked confidently toward the wrong side of the car before realizing one of us was about to attempt driving from the passenger seat.

We also became oddly entertained by the elderly crossing signs. The silhouettes looked so hunched and cautious that we found ourselves laughing and wondering if perhaps we should request one for our own future use.

One thing we quickly noticed was the wildlife. We kept spotting unfamiliar birds and plants everywhere we went. The magpies had beautiful markings and an unmistakable call that became part of the soundtrack of the trip.

These are all different types of Banksia

We were fascinated by the banksia plants as well, so many different varieties, all looking completely different and yet unmistakably banksia.

And then there were the kangaroos.

Having previously seen Eastern Grey Kangaroos on another trip to Australia, we were surprised by how different the Western Grey Kangaroos looked, darker, smaller, and somehow slightly more serious in demeanor.

Sadly not my picture! Credit to @cruzysuzy

Originally we had hoped to see quokkas, those famously photogenic little marsupials that always appear to be smiling. Unfortunately, getting to them involved paying for transportation to the ferry terminal, paying for the ferry itself, and then paying a nature fee once arriving on the island. By the time we added it all up, we realized we were approaching “luxury wildlife encounter” pricing. As adorable as quokkas may be, our budget eventually won the debate.

Not every accommodation experience was successful. One Airbnb turned out to be spectacularly cold. It was a newly added section of the house, and the owners casually informed us that the heating unit would be installed “in about two weeks.”

This information would have been far more useful before we booked three nights.

We layered every blanket we could find onto the bed and still spent the night feeling like two improperly prepared campers. By morning we fled at dawn, much to the irritation of the owners, who were even less enthusiastic about refunding the unused nights. After some negotiation, they finally agreed, although not happily.

Thankfully, our next stay more than made up for it.

We booked a large glamping cabin near the Margaret River area, surrounded by forest and complete with a wide wraparound porch. It somehow managed to feel both cozy and spacious at the same time. Large windows looked out into the trees where Western Grey Kangaroos rested below our bedroom window like sleepy neighbors.

Mother and Baby resting outside our bedroom window

We spent our days hiking through forests, along beaches, and through botanical gardens around Perth and Margaret River.

On one trail we stumbled across a series of natural art installations made from rocks, twigs, eucalyptus seed pods, and motorcycle helmets. Some were whimsical, some surprisingly beautiful, and all felt wonderfully unexpected.

And somewhere in the middle of all of this, our visas quietly came through with time to spare.

By the end of the ten days we felt relieved to finally have the paperwork settled, grateful for the unexpected Australian detour, and excited to board the plane back to Indonesia, this time headed for Bali.

That, however, turned out to be an entirely different adventure.

Bonus photos: