Episode 7

The populous, rarely-visited Indonesian island of Sumatra remains one of the wildest and most unexplored places on Earth, covered with dense rainforest sheltering rare and endangered wildlife. Travelling through, teams will endure an ad-hoc transport system, limited accommodation options and virtually zero English spoken.

Before they begin the next leg, there is time for the teams to mark Owen’s pending 21st birthday the traditional Indonesian way, with a splattering of egg and flour. Owen spends his birthday in Padang with a local fisherman and his family, who take him and Alfie into the heart of their community, giving them an unforgettable experience and prompting Alfie to reflect upon his hopes for the future. The friends take a chance on the roads along Sumatra’s southern coast, trusting they will help them maintain their monumental lead. But in a country where transport and roads hold little guarantees or reliability, will this prove a bad move?