Episode 7 Recap - Bukittinggi to Jakarta
As the penultimate stage the teams hit a weird mix here, wanting to get into a good position for the final leg, but also trying to maximise their money remaining, so they can take the fastest transport to the finish line. This focus meant no real stops for sightseeing, and (like last week) all teams worked at least one job during the trip.
The route was especially hard as the route towards Jakarta was less of a tourist trail as some legs have been, with most people speaking no English and accommodation limited to saying in homes that people open up to travellers.
The race was made more urgent for the trailing three teams as Alfie and Owen were just shy of 24 hours ahead, giving them a solid head start and the potential for a really big lead by for the final stretch.
Thankfully the other teams had turned up before the boys set off allowing a birthday celebration for Owen before departure. With the celebratory spirit they set off with a plan to follow a coastal route, via a fishing job in Padang, followed by an 18 hour bus ride to Bengkulu for another job cleaning surfboards.
In general the boys seemed to have a good week, getting on well and aside from concerns they might miss the bus because of their fishing job, all seemed to work out. It was also nice to see them engaging with the locals, messing about with the kids and relaxing a little more than they have been, happier with their strong lead.
Far less relaxed and much more competitive were Stephen and Viv and Eugenie and Isabel. With a single minute separating them, but 23.5 hours behind the boys they were all keen to get going, although Eugenie’s stealing of Stephen and Viv’s taxi was not well taken by the older couple, and also seemed to bother Isabel.
But after that the mother and daughter duo seemed to have a very solid week - less frustrated with each other then in previous episodes, they took advantage of a Sumatran homestay, working twice to help top up their already pretty healthy funds.
Their biggest problem was in leaving Palembang when their more expensive taxi turned into a group share that overloaded the car with passengers.
Their travel problems however would have been leapt upon with glee by Betty and James who clearly had the worst week. Originally pleased they’d made up the hour they were behind Stephen and Viv they were all less happy with their seven hour leaky bus ride to Sungai Pagu, which left their bags soggy.
With the lowest budget the siblings went to work building bricks, trying to understand an employer with no english. The lack of language also meant after the job they ended up travelling three hours backwards to a bus station, before getting a long bus journey that ended in a flat tyre. Followed by another bus journey to a job in a tofu restaurant that also got a flat.
The combination of bad luck started really getting to James, and led to a heartfelt moment as Betty opened up about her MRKH diagnosis. Seeing James overcome and getting a hug from their following camera crew is probably going to be the defining moment of this series, and I think even if the siblings don’t make the finish line first, they’ll likely consider they already got what they needed from their journey.
Also making personal discoveries were Steven and Viv who after a happy homestay in a grand traditional house, took a second homestay before a job on a cinnamon farm.
Viv seemed very taken with the differences in their lifestyles, both between the homestays, and with their own lives, and it all felt a far cry from the start of this race in the much more industrial Japan.
Meanwhile far ahead Alfie and Owen were already getting a taxi to the ferry terminal at Bakuaheni, confident in their lead. And after several series of the show seemingly editing teams to look closer than they really are, we now got a close race where neither team seemed to even realise! Somehow travelling a whole day quicker Eugenie and Isabel were now neck and neck with the boys, each team trying to find north to locate the checkpoint location in Jakarta.
It ended with the boys arriving first, oblivious to the girls hot on their tail, and Eugenie and Isabel delighted how much time they’d made up.
Presumably still closer to a day behind, Betty and James and Steven and Viv have yet to check in - and while the budget board has yet to be revealed some estimated values put Stephen and Viv in an incredibly strong position with their last mentioned budget at 24%. Although that also put them over 1,000km away - so it’s hard to say if that will help!
Think you can predict who’ll win? This week you’ll get two points for every token you put on the winning team from the last 8 weeks! Are you going to go with your gut or play it safe and make sure you’ll get some points whoever wins?
Get your prediction in before 9pm when the show airs!
