Beasts in Jungle

May 13th: Packing Up in Kuta

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Day 212

Today was spent preparing for the next leg of our journey. I washed the dirt off of our bags and trikes, since Australia is pretty strict about bringing in any biological hitchhikers and is known to check for mud on your cycles and camping gear. I also inspected our bamboo pannier frames and found that one piece had rotted and another had a hole that could allow insects into the tube. Using a serrated knife and a folding knife I was able to cut the new pieces to length and drill holes. I have read that Australian immigration is thorough but fair, so I will declare the items on arrival. Take note TSA.

Cher updated the blog in expectation of limited internet access once our tent becomes our primary shelter in Australia. We splurged on a meal that cost more than 4.50 USD person and mentally prepared ourselves for a much different kind of journey. With such an open arid landscape this will be more like unsupported backpacking with water as a major concern. At the last minute I found an application called Wiki Camps Au, which details all caravan parks and roadside rest stops along the way. Most importantly it lets us know where we can find water.

Cher is already dreading the loss of cheap readily available food, while I’m looking forward to doing some of our own cooking. Food in Indonesia has been plentiful, cheap and delicious but I miss the western treats that are comparitively expensive. A can of kidney beans costs the same as two meals and I love beans. Despite our gastronomical differences we are both looking forward to some open space.

May 12th: Padangbai to Kuta – 52.6km

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Day 211

Indonesia receives regular rainstorms normally in the envening. Ensuring that we had the full experience, we got dumped on today. The rain was  a great release from the heat, but I had just cleaned and oiled our drive train in preparation for our journey in Australia. All the oil was gone and replaced with grit and sand from the road.

We road quickly and were once again rushed on by the surge of vehicles that makes it impossible to stop.

We made our way straight to our favourite warung just as the heat of the day was setting in. Parched and hungry we each drained 2 mugs of home made ice tea and scarfed down two large plates of local delights. We would miss the copious amounts of cheap delicious food, but it will be nice to get out of the heat and crowds.

Marco went in search of his budget hotel and Cher and I went back to our high end bugdet hotel with airconditiiong. We would later meet for dinner and agreed to meet one last time before heading to Australia. We both had contacted a local host from Warm Showers, a cycle hosting network.

It is humbling that there is very little original in this world. If life were a tree we are more like a branch and less like seed. Which is one peculiar aspect of being on this trip. The longer we are away the more we think about being a part. At the risk at getting in too deep in philosophical waters I will stop there. Just know that we do think about life outside of this trip and we realize the importance of fulfillment of being part of something.

May 11th: Mataram to Lembar – 24 km; Slow Ferry from Lembar to Padangbai

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Day 210

Knowing we had a short day ahead, we made leisurley start and caught the 9:30am ferry back to Bali. Nothing changed. Same 5-hour ferry ride back to the same hotel we stayed at as we came in. We were to meet Marco as well and we also tried to have him crash on our floor but the hotel owner wasn’t having it.

Marco, whom we met on Gili Meno was flying out from Bali to Darwin on the same day. Surprising that on such a tiny island we would meet some one following the same route. Although we were on the same route and both pedaling, Marco was traveling in a much different style. Even at 25 USD per day as our total budget, we are considered high end budget and Marco is travelling on super low budget. We were impressed with the amount of Indonesian that he had learned and which he utilized to find some impressive bargains, even in some of the most touristy areas. While we stayed for 150,000 IDR, he would find a place for 50,000 IDR, with breakfast. He did confess that he drives a hard bargain and enjoys doing it. He also travels quite fast and made the same trip that we made in two days in one day. But since he is traveling alone, even traveling slow is worth the company and we agreed to head back to Kuta together the following day.

May 10th: Depart Gili Meno, Bangsal to Mataram – 30 km

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Day 209

We considered taking a speed boat back to Kuta but couldn’t rationalize the price. Either 700,00 IDR total for the speed boat or 150,000 for the slow boats and some peddling. We cut our trip by 3 days and prepared to retrace our steps.

Thanks to the calm sea and a little forsight, departing Gili Meno was much easier than arriving. Since we had our trikes and there were already enough people waiting to fill 2 boats. I asked if I could load our trikes early and they said ok. None of the locals seemed concerned that our trikes occupied the entire width of the boat as they worked there way around the wheels and pedals and took a seat without even showing a hint of annoyance. We are still amazed at the civility of the Indonesians in such crowded and hot conditions.

On our way in we followed the coast and on our way out we decided to go inland through the monkey forest. The inland route is 10 km shorter and much less hilly. Much of the road winds between the hills. Cher and I were grinning all day as we leaned into the sharp turns at the steep downhills.

It’s a beautiful road that cuts right through the jungle with the trees forming an arch over the road filled with shrieking monkeys. Before noon we were back at our original hotel and looking forward to our all you can eat buffet breakfast.

May 4th to May 9th: Vacation in Gili Meno

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Day 203 to Day 208

We could write a long detailed blog about how we loafed away the days like leaves of grass but all of that lying around would take a lot of pages. That is if we could even seperate the days into distinct periods between sun up and sun down. Our most stressing day involved moving 50 meters down the beach to a bungalow at Amber House that caught the rising sun and the ocean winds.

Following is an incomplete list of the things we did. We ukulelied and sang. We played many games of Chinese checkers, some of which I won. We ate cheap delicious pancakes, noodles, gado gado, urap uraup, and grilled fish at Yaya. We ate even cheaper sweaty lunches inland at a local warung run by a fit martial artist in his 60’s and his portly wife.

We swam in the ocean to cool off. We snorkeled where the steep morning light threw rods into the hard blue of a steep drop off. We snorkeled in the afternoon where the light soft and diffuse illuminated the swirling inhabitants socializing in their coral apartments; until a menancing barracooda brooding in the distance cleared out the city. We snorkeled in choppy waters and accompanied an enormous sea turtle nudging rocks and gliding over grassy plains searching for his evening meal.

We met Marco, a young gentle-souled Italian cyclist living with other down-to-earth travelers in a tent city. We chatted with the locals. We drank rice wine and watched the sun set.  We read in a hammock and watched the sun rise. We drank coffee and green tea. We slept in. We showered to in our salt water shower, when the ocean was too shallow or too far. We read. We sang. We relaxed.

Just a few details. Many of the the cheap places on the sea will soon be replaced by more expensive places. This was Amber house’s last season as a budget hotel, as well as the place next door. Although the higher end places will bring in more money for the locals and better rubbish removal and sanitation. We hear a desalination plant in on the way. Most budget places have salt water showers. Hopefully the quiet will stay in Meno, and the party will stay at Gili T and and Gile Air. Nonetheless, most places are still very affordable and peaceful. We recommend it, and Cher states she could live there.

April 28th: Indonesia Visa Extension Payment Day

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Day 197

Obtaining an Indonesia visa extension is a 3 part process. First you must go and apply, then 3 days later pay, and finally collect it another 2 to 3 days later. Today I had the honor to return to the visa office just to pay the visa extension fee.

Driving in Bali traffic is a bit like being in NYC traffic without the stop lights. Many of the roads have dividers so you have to drive past your destination, turn around in a traffic circle and double back. It took 3 trips, but today I didn’t get lost. I return on the 30th to pick up our visa and now we can flee the crowds and traffic for Gili Meno, where there are no motorized vehicles. We are both looking forward to some peace and quiet. We both are starting to wonder if our hearing is being damaged by the road noise. Either that or we hear each other so much that our own voices have begun to register as background noise.

We also learned that there is good snorkeling with an abundance of turtles in Gili Meno. Too bad we sent back our snorkeling gear with Cher’s parents. When we planned this trip we surveyed the long line of coast we would follow and imagined popping off to snorkel on wild untouched beaches, with the only problem that most beaches are not untouched. That and the water has to be clear as well. Looking back our perception was quite naive before we started this tour. Looks like we might be investing in some cheap snorkeling gear.

April 27th: Another Rest Day

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Day 196

We didn’t do squat. We attempted to do our writing for the blog but ended up doing our own “research.”

Cher, intrigued by Captain Phillips, began researching the reality of Somali pirates and I began looking into options for building our own house. Cher discovered that piracy is not just a couple of bandits, but a business involving entire communities. With financiers, hostage release negotiators, home contact businesses, which allow you to let your families know you are alive, and khat dealers, the psychoactive plant chewed by the pirates which supply the drug on loan, are dependent upon the income produced by the ransom.

I discovered that cob houses are best made for warm climates because the thermal mass transmits the cold from outside, requiring a constant source of radiant heat from inside to stay warm, i.e. a fire. And that traditional timber frame building, despite not having changed in the last 100 years is the best option financially and even environmentally, in the long run. Environmentally because of the amount of energy they can save after they are built. Stick houses are simple to build, easy to insulate, and are easier to resell after they are built. Here are two small houses that got my attention:

Rest days and procrastination. Sounds more like a work week and less like a world cyclng tour.

April 26th: Cher’s Visa Run to Singapore

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Day 195

Cher flew to Singapore at 7am in the morning and made me jealous by eating a burger on a croissant at Burger King in Singapore airport. She made it up to me by bring back a box of Dunkin Donuts in the evening.

I tested out our new Ukulele and mailed some postcards, and a package to my grandma. Oh and I slept in until 10. It’s funny that the habits and routines which made us the responsible people we were when we had jobs don’t just disappear without the jobs. We have regular schedules, go to bed on time, wake up early, study, read, and write. The only difference between now and then is that we have a lot less possessions, and spend 5-6 hours exercising everyday. Oh and we drink less.

April 25th: Ukulele Hunting

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Day 194

We love each other dearly and that is why we have rationalized the expense of a ukulele. Humans need diversions. I’ve read that modern society couldn’t exist without alcohol, but alcohol is expensive. As a healthy outlet we splurged and bought a uke. We both spent a good amount of time playing and singing for our own enjoyment while we were at home, and we couldn’t resist the numerous uke sightings along the way. For now we have plenty of internet diversions but with the prospect of spending the majority of next year in a tent, we invested in a musical instrument. We decided to not buy a cheap toy and found a decently priced concert ukulele with a solid body, laminate top, and quality tuners for 38 USD. If I practice enough a youtube video is forthcoming.

Serenade me!

April 24th: Overpriced shifters, Under-priced Derailleurs

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Day 193

While western tourists are sucking down beers at mid day, surfing and laying by the pool, I got to work finishing up the maintenance on the trikes.

Cher has been wrestling with her shifters, sometimes having to use both hands to get it to shift. She has been stoic in dealing with her shifters and even suggested that she could just go with 7 gears since that all her derailleur would reach to with the current set up, and not use the two highest gears. However, having unreliable components compounds all the other day to day stresses on the road. Instead of returning the shifters, I went in search of a rear derailleur. A little research showed that Shimano rear derailleurs use a 2:1 ratio. I returned to Build a Bike, and found a Shimano Acera 9-speed derailleur from 2012 for10 USD, half the price on Amazon. It is the cheaper model but it works well. With regular maintenance it should last for the next year and longer. We will mail the extra parts back to Cher’s parents in China and I will use them to build another bike with horizontal handlebars.

In the end I replaced both of Cher’s shifter cable housings and my own fraying cables, both front and back. Both trikes are now shifting smoothly. I spent more than I wanted to, but our trikes are our sole source of transportation for the next year. More importantly as my high school Latin teacher used to remind us, if mama bear ain’t happy than neither is pappa bear. Thanks Mr. Kuprion.

April 23rd: Indonesia Visa Extension

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Day 192

Today I arrived promptly at immigration, visited the customer service desk, filled out my form, and took a ticket to have my form reviewed. I also managed to dress more like the princess and less like a go-go dancer, obeying the official dress code for visiting the immigration office.

Official dress code for Indonesia Immigration Office: princess OK, Rihanna not OK

An officer checked my form, took my passport and gave me a receipt to return and pay 3 business days later. I misunderstood and tried to pay then and the officer at the payment counter told me to get a ticket. I got my ticket, waited 15 minutes, and was then told I had to return to pay on the 28th. I have no idea why you have to pay later. Maybe it’s a ruse to get you to opt for the more expensive expedited service.

While I filled out my form, I witnessed a man from Spain being rejected because he waited to the last day to renew his visa. They require that you renew your visa at least 7 days before your expiration date. The immigration officer politely told him, I’m sorry you have to leave. He was stunned and asked, the office? No, the country, she replied. Indonesia is quite strict on this and will fine you 200,000 IDR, or 17 USD per day for overstaying your visa and bar you from re-entering the country. We would leave at our leisure which will which gave me time to finish my repairs on the trikes.

There was a reason I was making my 3rd trip in heavy traffic to an overpriced bike shop. In the past 6 months, I’ve had to replace Cher’s completely corroded cable twice, while I still have my original cables even though I regularly rode in the rain before we set off. I am using bar end shifters and Cher is using twist grips. I’ve come to the conclusion that Twist grip shifters when mounted vertically funnel water into the cable housing and dirt into the shifter. Tired of oiling, adjusting and cleaning them, I’ve been searching for another set of bar end shifters, and today I finally found a set at a well stocked shop in Kuta called Build a Bike. Without hesitation I bought them and only realized I paid about 1/3 more than they are worth when I returned to the hotel and did my research online. Then after setting them up I realized that Cher’s rear derailleur, an S-Ram X-7, has a 1:1 ratio meaning if I move the shifter 1 cm than the derailleur moves 1 cm. In short the new bar end shifter was not compatible with the old derailleur.

Balloon tire snow bike at Build a Bike

I spent all day testing whether it was the component or my mechanical ability. First testing her shifters on my trike then mine on hers. I spent 5 hours hunched over our trikes today and decided I would finish tomorrow.