BALI AND LOMBOK

Bali, a name I imagine most people who read this would be familiar with (surf-heaven & holiday mecca, and the unfortunate night-club bombing a few years back). On the other hand the neighboring Lombok island (the “poor brother”) is not as well known and has a bit of a different character. But 1st, let me backtrack to where my previous report ended, Surabaya city on Java island. Our trip through Eastern Java was not too unpleasant, albeit unremarkable. All the time I was still trying to recover from illness, so we stayed over on a couple of occasions – otherwise I just had to grit my teeth and bear the discomfort. Leana was still itching to peer over the rim of a volcano, so while we were in the town of Probolinggo she took a side-trip to Mt Bromo. At 2 am that morning I remained firmly tucked into bed while Leana’s vehicle picked her up in time to reach the summit by dawn – unfortunately as it turned out, just about every foreign tourist in Java was also there! Once we’d done the short ferry crossing to Bali island, the difference was immediately noticeable. Most obvious was the religion – Bali has a local brand of Hinduism, apparently corrupted by traditional and other cultural influences. The architecture on the island is heavily influenced by these beliefs, and every building (house, office, hotel, etc.) has elaborate shrines and altars where incense is burned and offerings are made. In contrast to what I’ve witnessed in Indonesia thus far, there was comparatively little evidence of Islam on the island. Lombok island to the East, however, has some Hindu’s but there is once again the regular singing from the mosques – I found that I’d actually missed it! The lumbering auto-ferry takes 4 hours between the 2 islands, but I think the trip to Lombok is worthwhile. The place is far less touristy than Bali and has some beautiful areas such as Senaru village up on the slopes of the 3726m Mt Rinjani (another volcano). There are also some beautiful beaches in the Sengigi area where we stayed the first night on Lombok. A few days later we returned to Bali and cycled around the Eastern and Northern coast of the island, as well as across the hilly interior with interesting rice terraces. Earlier we’d cycled down the West coast on our way South to the capital, Denpasar, and to the very touristy Kuta Beach area – also staying over at famous surfing spots like Medewi Beach and Uluwatu Point. Why did we return to Bali? Well, the answer is that we’ve been granted Australian visas, and the cheapest way to get there is to fly from Bali to Darwin (all fees courtesy of Leana, as I’m bankrupt again!). So, after our little island tour we were back at the Kuta “tourist ghetto”, fortunately close to the airport – waiting for take-off to Australia on 10 August. During that time I managed to take some care of the bikes, but I mostly just hung around getting up to no good. Daily distances cycled since Surabaya have been as follows:- Pasuruan 67 km; Probolinggo 41 km; Situbondo 102 km; Gillimanuk (Bali) 91 km (& 1hr ferry); Medewi Beach 59 km; Denpasar 74 km; Kuta Beach 13 km; Uluwatu 28 km; Kuta 29 km; Padang Bai 61 km; Sengigi (Lombok Island) 40 km (& 4hr ferry); Senaru 85 km; Labuhan Lombok 68 km; Mataram 75 km; Padang Bai (Bali) 21 km (& 4hr ferry); Amed 56 km; Lovina 85 km; Tabanan 83 km; Kuta (3rd time) 36 km; and Darwin (to & from airports) 21 km. Total distance cycled since leaving Cape Town on 27 March 2007 is 60 507 km.

SEQUEL TO SULAWESI

Since my last report from Rantapao, Leana and I left theTana Toraja highlands and dropped down the steep mountain pass to the coastal town of Palopo. From there we gradually worked our way South towards the major city of the island, Makassar. The route was scenic and fairly easy to cycle, with lots of interesting things along the way. Local produce such as coco beans and rice were, as usual, being dried at the roadside – not to mention the cloves (kretek) with their distinctive aroma. We arrived in Makassar on a Monday, only to discover that the next ship to Surabaya was on the Friday. So we looked around the city a bit, taking “becak” (cycle riksha) rides to places of interest like the old schooner harbor, traditional fish markets, and the colonial Fort Rotterdam. During that time my illness came back to me with a vengeance, and for the second time in a couple of weeks I had to drag myself out of a sick-bed and onto a hectically overcrowded Indonesian ship. Needless to say, the voyage is one which I would like to forget as soon as possible. To crown it all, half-way into the trip the ship’s engines packed up, leaving us adrift for a number of hours while repairs were carried out. As a result we only arrived back on Java-earth late at night, and had to cycle the few k’s back to our previous hotel in the dark (luckily we knew the way this time). While in Makassar we also had to renew our visa’s – a costly affair as one has to find a “sponsor” in order to be granted the extension (I think our Makassar-hostel manager makes more money from “sponsorships” than from renting accommodation). Although I’m still unwell, it’s time to move on and tomorrow we should head in the direction of Bali. Due to my illness I’m losing my hair at an alarming rate, so perhaps I’ll soon be sporting an all-new “Kojak” look. Distances cycled since my last report were:- Palopo 65 km; Larompong 81 km; Sidenreng 123 km; Pare-Pare 35 km; Pangkajene 113 km; Makassar 56 km; and Surabaya (to & from ship) 12 km. Total distance cycled so far on this journey is 59 372 km, and total so far this year is 6 644 km.

CYCLING SULAWESI

From Borneo Leana and I took the ferry East across the straits of Makassar to Sulawesi Island. Due to my illness and touristy side-shows we haven’t done much cycling since then. But first, let me continue where I left off last time. From Balikpapan in Borneo we continued North up the coast to the capital of East Kalimantan, Samarinda. Leana was keen on a boat trip to the interior, and in Samarinda we hired a guide and then took a bus up-river to KotaBangun where our water-trip began. The 3 days on a small long-tailed boat across a series of lakes and up remote jungle tributaries was rather interesting and enjoyable. Most of the villages and towns along our route are accessible by water only. We didn’t spot any Orang-Utang, but we did see quite a few of the indigenous long-nosed Proboscis Monkeys, as well as a variety of bird life (also Maribu Stork and large colourful Kingfisher). Overnight accommodation was in one of the village guesthouses, designed along the lines of one of the traditional long-houses of the region. Unfortunately I subsequently picked up a debilitating illness (perhaps Dengue Fever from the ferocious lake-land mozzies) – no sooner had we returned to Samarinda than I was confined to bed with fever and body pains. A couple of days later I dragged myself down to the ferry dock bound for Sulawesi – hoping for no more than just a place to lie down during the voyage. But it was not to be! As it turned out, our ferry was designed to carry less than 1000 passengers, but according to reports there were more than 4000 people aboard. As a result the floors were so packed with bodies that it was impossible to stand or walk indoors, so I eventually found a space on the open side-deck to roll out my sleeping mat (we sailed through a storm for most of the night, and we rode it out by wrapping ourselves in our ground sheets). To say the least, I was rather relieved to disembark at the port of Pare-Pare in Sulawesi 17 hours later. After a further 24 hours in a comfortable Pare-Pare hotel room it was time to move on towards the Tana Toraja region in the mountainous interior of the Island. Toraja is a popular tourist destination as the colourful locals have a distinctive “horned-roof” building style, there are various elaborate ceremonies (including funerals and harvest festivals), and the region is also very scenic. Now we’ve been in Rantapao – the largest town in Toraja – for 2 days already as I’m still trying to recover from my illness. We’ll probably move on tomorrow and make our way towards the city of Makassar, from where we should return to Java Island. Daily distances cycled since my last report from Balikpapan have been:- Loa Janan 126 km; Samarinda 13 km; Pare-Pare (to & from ferry) 3 km; Enrekang 86 km; Makale 80 km; and Rantapao 24 km. Distance cycled thus far in 2010 is about 6 100 km, and total distance cycled since Cape Town is 58 887 km.

BIKING BORNEO

After the 22 hr ferry ride from Java, Leana and I were relieved to eventually wheel off into Kalimantan (Indonesian part of Borneo). The final part of the voyage had been up the Barito River to Banjarmasin, and even in the gathering dusk we could see that many people here spend their life on and around the water. As Leana was unwell, we spent a couple of days in Banjarmasin, an interesting city disected by a maze of rivers and canals. During that time we took a tour in a small open slow-boat to experience the legendary floating market at dawn, as well as a late-afternoon cruise along the canals amongst the stilted houses to see local life up close. Eventually we cycled away from there via a lesser road, following canals and rivers in a Northerly direction. There are still many places in Borneo which are accessible only via waterways, as roads do either not exist in those places, or are periodically impassable. Thus, we were somewhat alarmed when our small paved road suddenly degenerated into a dirt track. The tropical climate, as usual in these parts, brings with it the heat and humidity and daily showers. And so, true to form, on our first day out we were forced to shelter from a storm before proceeding in the persistent rain. The wet road was fine until we suddenly found ourselves “up to our necks” in mean clay. Not only was it impossible to cycle in the sticky slippery mess, but the bikes soon became so clogged up that the wheels wouldn’t turn! There was no suitable camping space around, so we pushed (and dragged and slid) gradually onward, arriving at the small town of Margasari well after dark. There we camped in the local police station – I’m surprised that they were prepared to accommodate us as we must have looked worse than any self-respecting Orang-Utang. We haven’t seen any of those animals here yet, although we have now cycled through jungle and over the mountains which separate the Southern- and Eastern provinces. Again, as in Sumatra, we had more than our share of never-ending steep hills! Currently we are in the East-coast "oil-city" of Balikpapan, on the shores of a large estuary (and/or bay?). Right up to the end it was no easy task reaching this place. After a long day on the road we arrived at Pananjang on the opposite side of the estuary. The ferry crossing took more than an hour, and we were dismayed to discover that Balikpapan city was still some distance away from the ferry dock. Twenty kilometers and a few hours later we had traversed the tricky hilly road in the dark, and we’d survived the subsequent crazy traffic to arrive in the city. However, we were not yet home and dry – it was Saturday night and there was no room at the inn! After hours of searching it was close to midnight before we could eventually slump down in the crumby room of a suspect establishment. However, every dark tropical cloud has its silver lining – there was a nice TV in the room with SA Supersport channels! (We've since moved to a better hotel, where we even get toast with chocolate on it for breakfast). I’ve been catching up on SA Rugby, Cricket, and of course the FIFA World Cup - I’m not the only one. Around here the locals are crowding around big screens and TV’s at pavement cafes to watch the football (and Indonesia did not even make it to the finals!). Everybody knows about South Africa now (Afrika Seletan) – even here in Borneo. As a South African I’d always imagined that the end of the earth was probably not too far away from Borneo, but then it all depends on one’s perspective. Earlier our local river guide, after a long silence, had confided in me that he thought South Africa was a very faraway place! Now, Leana is suffering from a knee problem, probably due to all the steep hills - as soon as she's able we should move North up this East coast of Borneo towards Samarinda. Daily distances cycled since my last report from Surabaya have been:- Banjarmasin (to & from ferry) 24 km; Margasari 81 km; Kandangan 54 km; Tanjung 97 km; Muarakomam 92 km; Kuaro 57 km; and Balikpapan 141 km. Distance cycled so far this year is 5 827 km, and total distance cycled since leaving Cape Town at the start of this journey is 58 555 km.

CULTURED IN JAVA

Indonesia is currently an Islamic country, but this was clearly not always the case. The city of Yogyakarta in central Java is probably the premier tourist destination of the Island, mainly due to the ancient cultural relics in the area. The largest Buddhist temple in the world (8th century) stands in amazingly good condition at Borobudur, about 50 km from Yogyakarta. What adds to the attraction of this region is the number of impressive volcanoes all around, including the active smoking Merapi which towers close to the city. We also stopped over to take a look at the ancient Hindu temples at Prambanan (Leana went to the temples on her own as there is a fairly stiff entry fee for foreigners at these sights, and besides I could feel a bout of "Temple-Fatique" coming on - reminiscent of Egypt!). Otherwise Leana and I seem to be getting back into our routine. We've become re-acclimatised to the tropical conditions, and Leana's arm seems to be more-or-less OK. As I've mentioned before, the traffic on Java Island is very hectic, and I won't be at all sorry to leave that lot behind. The night before last, after a rather long day on the road, we arrived at the outskirts of the capital of East Java (Surabaya)at dusk. Finding our way to the "cheap-room" area in the city centre took all our patience and a lot of luck. We had a rest day in Surabaya yesterday, but last night our nerves were rattled again by a massive explosion close by (a gas storage warehouse just down the road blew up). Now we're literally waiting for our ship to come in - this afternoon we board a ferry, and hopefully we'll arrive at Banjarmasin (Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo) some time tomorrow. Thanks to Leana for the ferry ticket. Distances cycled since my last report from Pangandaran have been:- Cilacap 93 km; Kebumen 92 km; Borobudur 87 km; Prambanan 71 km; Solo 51 km; Caruban 121 km; and Surabaya 159 km. Total distance cycled since leaving Cape Town on this journey has been 58 009 km.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

It took 2 days from Cape Town back to Bandung for Leana and me to resume our interrupted journey, and it took another 2 days before we were out of Bandung. We’d only taken the bikes with us, so I was a bit concerned about the rest of our gear which we’d left behind (stacked at the end of a passage in the hotel to where we would return). There was, however, no need for concern. Even though we were a week overdue our things were still neatly in place - exactly as we’d left them. Before we left the city we also paid a visit to a good bike shop where we both needed some last-minute work done to our bikes - see photo (amazing how big brand components such as Shimano can cost a fraction of the SA price elsewhere?!). More than a month of the leisurely gluttonous life in Cape Town had taken its toll. From the moment I heaved my fattened and softened backside out into the tropical sunshine I knew there was trouble, and the heavy pm showers since then have further helped to bring us back to earth. Just to rub it in, our budget accommodation on the first night turned out to be a brothel (not unusual), so we had the privilege of being kept awake by the mosque on the one side, and by the sounds of the “working ladies” on the other. For the past couple of days we’ve been cycling on small roads in an Easterly direction along the scenic South coast of Java. The other night we were relaxing in our simple room in the tiny beach resort of Cipatujah, when the walls and floor started moving around (also not unusual in this area). According to reports there was a 5.4 earthquake not far out to sea – fortunately no major damage or injury. Regarding our stay in Cape Town:- Thanks to everyone who had a part in fattening me up! It was good to see friends and family again – apologies to those I didn’t get around to. Thanks to CMC for the free labour on my bike, and thanks to my sister Olga for funding the rest of “Old Saartjie’s” needs (parts). Thanks to Dave for lending me a motorbike, and for notifying Tabletalk about the “aliens in town” (see photo of article). Thanks to West Coast AC for inviting me to give a presentation on club night, and thanks to all those individuals who gave donations (I bought a much-needed camera out of that money – now christened the “WC-Eye”). And of course, thanks to Leana for many things including the rather expensive airline ticket. Distances cycled since Bandung have been:- Cicalengka 46 km; Tasikmalaya 83 km; Tasik city 16 km; Cipatujah 75 km; Batukaras 77 km; and Pangandaran 36 km. Total distance cycled is 57 335 km.

A BREAK AFTER A BREAK

Leana broke her arm, so we've flown back to Cape Town for a break while she recovers (that's the basic info - for those who only look at the pictures). After leaving Jakarta we cycled South and spent a day in Bogor ("Rain Town") where we visited the amazing historical botanical gardens. Then we aimed East along the interior of Java Island, climbing a mountain pass along the slopes of two 3000m volcanic peaks. Those hillsides are a scenic tea-growing area, with continuous villages, food-stalls, and hotels (called villa's there) lining the mountain road. I was still suffering from Bronchitis, and after sheltering from a heavy afternoon shower I waited outside with the bikes while Leana went out back to inspect the rooms at one of the "villas". Then one of those crazy things happened (in a place where there is always a good chance of being knocked down in the traffic!). Returning from the rooms out back, Leana slipped on the wet concrete ramp and broke her arm - not even on the bike! For the next 2 days we struggled on (me on the bike, and Leana and her bike in mini-van taxi's), to the city of Bandung where she could consult an orthopedic surgeon. There was nothing much to be done, except to take a recovery break - and she bought me a plane ticket as well (for the benefit of those who are wondering where I suddenly got so much money!). Thirty-five hours after leaving our room in Bandung, we were home in Cape Town (17 hours in the air). Our bikes are just about our only luggage (for a decent overhaul at CMC). The 8th was my birthday, and I paid a surprise visit to my mother on that day (my mother is 86 with a weak heart, so it was almost a funeral as well as a birthday!). In the next 3 weeks I hope to visit my sister Olga in Sedgefield, as well as my friends around Cape Town. As usual I'm short of money, and as usual my bicycle is my means of transport (so if you live more than 150 km away, don't expect me to reach you in one day!). Fortunately many of the countries where I've recently traveled have been quite cheap, so I'm shocked by the prices of consumables here in SA (it seems that prices have more than doubled in the 3 years I've been gone!). The bit of cycling which I've done since Jakarta is as follows:- Bogor 57 km; Cipanas 41 km; Cianjur 25 km; and Bandung 63 km. Total distance cycled so far on this journey is 57 002 km.