Monthly Archives: May 2014

Day 202

Between the direct route through the mountains and a winding road along the coast line, we chose the seemingly more scenic coastal drive, and I was secretly hoping to avoid the steep climbs we experienced in the rest of Indonesia mountain passes.

Senggigi was touristy as expected, with clusters of high-end “Spa and Villa” along the beach. However it appears that there are some budget places in town. As soon as we were out of the town, there was barely any traffic, and the road became a roller coaster ride. Steep uphills followed by steep winding downhills, one after another. Much to Chopper’s surprise, I was very much enjoying the fun ride, rather than dreading the steep climbs in the heat. It was only because we were indeed on a scenic road. It was no doubt hot as hell, but the generous breeze on the downhills always gave us a break from the heat. The sharp turns and quick elevation drops added an extra dramatic element, as if the road was leading us to fly off the cliff and dive into the crystal clear blue water.

A quick Internet search revealed that the public pier in Bangsal is infamous for all kinds of scams and hassles so we mentally prepared ourselves to avoid the deceits and lies. As we reminded ourselves to be on guard, we drove all the way down to the beach and found the official ticket office without anyone trying to divert us or sell us tickets. We found a quiet spot to park our trikes, and Chopper went into the ticket office to get the tickets. Expecting the task to be full of harassment and confusion, I wished him best of luck and hoped he wouldn’t get robbed while I was guarding the trikes outside. Soon he returned, with two thumbs up. He got the tickets for the right price (25,000 IDR each, with no luggage limit) for the right boat, at the right time, on the first try. Chopper commented that buying a ticket was incredibly easy. Not only were the ticket sellers friendly and helpful, there is only one ticket counter and the prices are printed out and displayed.

Soon a teenager found us, and started chatting with us. Seeing him carrying a box of trinkets, we instantly thought he wanted to sell us things. But the sales pitch never came. He was just genuinely curious about our trikes, and told us that he was on school holiday and came here to chat with tourists to improve his English. By the time that our boat was supposed to leave, we were on the first name basis with a group of local loiterers and none of them lived up to the infamous reputation. Instead, they were incredibly generous and helpful and even gave us some packs of shrimp crackers to munch on while we waited.

Our boat was supposed to leave at 2pm. We were told that the ticket office would make an announcement when the boat arrived. However the announcements were all in Indonesian and many times we thought we heard Gili Meno. We waited next to a group of locals taking the same boat, but I was getting more and more anxious as our boat didn’t show up after 2pm. A dread-locked tour operator waiting for his client approached us and started chatting, and reassured us there would be an announcement once the boat came. As I watched people boarding other boats, my suspicion started to grow. Could he be distracting us from getting on the right boat, so he could be our “savior” to ferry us for a higher price? We had read about this happening. Once you miss your boat they get you to charter a boat for 250,00 IDR, instead of telling you that you’ll just have to wait until 2 and pay a bit more. Why did he keep telling us this was not the Gili Meno boat? Why was he so friendly? Half an hour later I learned that my anxious suspicions were unfounded and our boat appeared – it was delayed by the choppy water. We are slowly learning that we may need to let our guard down, which has been hard after a month of being on high alert, otherwise we will be the cynics giving tourists a bad name.

Getting on the boat was a challenge. The boat was barely beached in the choppy water and we had to somehow get our trikes into the rocking boat. Again, I was assigned as the luggage guard while Chopper manhandled the trikes – picking one up, throwing it overboard when the waves went down, and repeating the process for the second one. At this stage we did get some harassment from the porters, who appeared to be friendly and helpful without informing you that they would charge you a fortune for their services. We kindly declined the offer but a girl with a huge backpack wasn’t so lucky. The porter sneaked up on her and took her backpack while she was struggling with the huge waves, and 5 steps away in the boat the porter demanded 100,000 IDR for his 5 seconds of labor and wouldn’t settle for less. We were too occupied by our trike loading operation to help her.

We safely made it across but it was not a relaxing ride. Throwing an anchor off the bow, the ship pivots around its nose until the stern is facing the shore. Attempting to maneuver the boat between the waves the captain misjudged the timing and we were hit several times broad side by the waves. The cargo, a dozen of 19 liter water bottles, along with several crates of beers and other daily supplies, which were sitting on a platform on the stern all shifted from one side to another. There was a quick scramble as passengers rushed to the opposite side to balance the boat. I thought we were going to tip over several times and the water was literaly centimeters from going over the gunwales. Chopper recommended that we make sure to hold onto our small waterproof bag with our passports and cash if the boat capsized. Through it all, only the calm countenance of the captain gave me assurance that we wouldn’t need to swim for shore.

There are no motorized vehicles on Gili Meno, only horse carts, bicycles, and now, tricycles. We unloaded our trikes, and off we went to search for our den for the next 2 weeks. The narrow path was solid enough to ride on in the inland area, but the soft sandy walkways around the beach were not good news for us. At times, we had to got off and push, while all the tourists and locals watched us struggle. Luckily we soon found a cheap little bungalow by the sea, and fulfilled our fantasy of jumping into the clear water after a long hot day of travel.

Day 201

The ferry connection between Padangbai and Lembar runs 24 hours, and the ferry leaves every hour. The ferry ride is 4 to 5 hours long, depending on the weather conditions. Then ticket costs 57,000 IDR for each of us, including our trikes.

Car ferries are always the easiest way to transport our trikes. We drove on, parked, and had the usual chat with locals and the crew, who are always curious about our trikes, and soon found ourselves sitting in the air-conditioned passenger hall. The hall has bench seats as well as a designated sleeping area on the floor. The ferry was not full, so we took a row and lied down for a nap. There is a food kiosk on the ferry, selling instant noodles as and snacks. We got two nasi bungkus from a lady before the ferry left port, so we managed to avoid the overpriced cup of noodles on the ferry.

4 hours later, we arrived in Lembar, Lombok. The ride was lovely at first, but as we got closer and closer to Mataram, the capital city of Lombok, the traffic grew thicker and thicker. We decided to stay in Mataram for the night, so we could avoid staying in Senggigi 15kms further ahead, as we learned that it is a very touristy and expensive area.

After circling Mataram for almost 30 minutes looking for a place to stay, we could only found either very cheap fan rooms with mandi showers, or very expensive modern hotels. We were not in the mood for a fan room since the temperature was quite high, nor did we want to splurge on a hotel room for no reason. Eventually we found an exceptional hotel for the middle ground price of 200,000 IDR, and moved in just before the afternoon rain storm.

Day 200

We each packed a small bag, and our ukulele for the trip to Gili Meno. Out hotel agreed to store our remaining luggage for free since we promised to come back to stay for another couple of days before our flight to Darwin on the 14th.

Just like that, we were back on the road again, only with much lighter loads and very well rested legs. Knowing that our vacation destination lie ahead helped a lot with our morale in the heat. More importantly the journey also improved and the road got better and better as we got further away from the major towns. For a long stretch we even had a smooth shoulder to ride on.

Nearing Bangsal we followed the shortest way into the town according to Google Maps. How Google Maps found this “road” or even decided to designate it as a “road,” we would never know. It started out as a dirt road, but soon turned into a hiking path in the woods. In the spirit of true adventure we refused to backtrack. Confronted by a steep uphill we pushed our trikes up the broken path. Once we reached the summit we found that our path turned into a steep, washed out, ravine leading to several flights of stairs dropping down into Bangsal. We were so close that we could hear the lively noise from the town, and see the port 200 meters away. Yet we were so far away, separated by an incredibly steep downhill. There was no turning back, so Chopper man-handled each trike, picking them up and carrying them down one by one, while I held the bags, watched and gave him moral support. Packing light was working in our favour.

Several liters of sweat later, we reached the bottom. A few hundred meters away we found a quirky little guesthouse to stay for the night. It was a two story house, tucked away at the back of a garden. The first floor was dedicated to a bathroom and the staircase leading up to the second floor, which was the bedroom and a porch. For such a lovely little place, with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and free breakfast, it was only 170,000 IDR. Looking out over our balcony into the tidy garden we already began to feel calmer. Everything was beginning to move just a touch slower, like a hint of a autumn when you no longer hear the buzz of insects but don’t realize it yet.

Day 199

Somehow we went to bed late last night and didn’t even pack. Waking up late, we also found out that Chopper was supposed to pick up his visa at 2pm. So much for our quick escape plan.

Something old, something new

I accompanied Chopper to the visa office. According to the ticket machine, we got the ticket for “visa pickup” and waited patiently. One hour later, we realized that people had been called to the counters by names, rather than by the ticket numbers. For visa pickup, you can go straight to the counter and hand in the receipt, then wait for your name to be called. When the officers handed over the visas, they made sure that everyone gave them a positive rating on the feedback machine in front of the counter. I wouldn’t say the entire experience with the visa office was completely negative, but forcing a positive rating out of every tourist was probably the reason why the service hasn’t improved a bit after the many complaints we saw on the travel forums.

Day 198

We planned to leave for Gili Meno as soon as Chopper picks up his visa extension, which will be ready tomorrow. The Indonesia visa extension was quite a long process and during the time being we were trapped in Kuta. The traffic, the aggressive street vendors and stifling heat kept us in our little sanctuary – our hotel room. We tried to be proper tourists by going to the famous surfing beach in town, and we were not inspired to join the surfing crowd just yet. Chopper got dirty stares from the local guys hanging out on the beach, probably mistaking me as a local girl being lured away by the white man.

The good thing about being stuck in a populated place in Asia is the infinite choices of cheap food. We found a little street stall selling egg, scallion, and mushroom stuffed deep fried pancakes, as well as thick dessert cakes topped with condensed milk, sugar, butter, chocolate chips and cheese. Needless to say we had enormous calorie surplus from this meal.

All the crowding and hassles made us excited for our getaway to Gili Meno. From what we have learned, among the three Gili islands, Gili Meno is the smallest and most quiet one. Without the party scene and huge tourist crowds, the accommodations are cheaper and the pace of life is slower. Before our flight to Darwin, Gili Meno would end our journey in Asia on a high note.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Day 191

BIMC Hospital in Kuta is one of authorized penal physicians to take and review chest x-ray for Australia visa application. We showed up on time, and found a very clean modern hospital filled with only tourist patients. A local told me it costs 10 million Indonesian Rupiah or 860 US dollars per day to receive in-patient treatment there. He expected me to be astonished by this but I told him, that’s about normal for the United States, he was astonished. Our x-rays cost 560,000 IDR each (48 USD), that included the doctors inspection and communicating the results to Australian Immigration. All we had to do was wait for now. So we moved on to extend our Indonesian visas at the immigration office near the airport.

We have discovered that most Indonesian government services are not easy to navigate. The government webpage will onoy reveal a web address with nothing there and a twitter account with an incorrect physical address, (they added an extra space), which I found unsearchable. A search for “Imigrasi”, or immigration on Google Maps will give you the old location at the airport, (I added a review there to help people out). I ended up asking for directions at a local Travel Agency and we were directed to the new immigration office. The new office is listed as a government building on Google maps as “Ka 0849”.

New immigration office in Kuta

Once inside the building, you should go straight to the customer service desk. You will get your visa extension application forms here, which are in English. Then take the ticket from the machine and wait for your number being called. Cher was told that since her visa on arrival was free she can not get it renewed. Cher would have to do a visa run to renew her visa. I was told I would need proof of departure, such as an airline ticket. For expedited service the cost is 700,000 IDR, while normal service which requires 3 trips over 8 days. Expedited service fees differ depending on the location and we have read that it’s only 400,000 IDR in Mataram, on Lombok. We would have loved to go to Mataram but the location of the Hospital and the only available times for our x-rays meant we would be staying here in touristy Kuta for a while.

We originally intended to island hop to East Timor and fly from there. However, having no idea how long it would take to process our Australia visas nor exactly how long it would take to get to East Timor, since ferry schedules show that the ferry we would need from Bima to Kupang only runs twice per month. I realized it would be best if we flew from here.

Cher had to leave the country and re-enter to extend her stay in Indonesia. The cheapest flight was to Singapore and it would be a 2 and half hour flight one way. It was a huge expense and we paid for our crappy research. On the bright side our change in plans will make up for the difference in cost. We have decided to visit Gili Meno, an island off of Lombok, for 2 weeks and then fly from Bali, instead of island hopping to East Timor.

Flights from East Timor to Darwin cost 288 USD, not including excess baggage fees, while our total cost, including tax, fees and extra baggage from Bali to Darwin is just 163 USD. Cher’s round trip to Singapore was 150 USD. Our total travel costs are just slightly more than one ticket from East Timor, and this doesn’t include the long ferry ride we would have taken. We won’t see some of the least inhabited islands of Indonesia, but we also won’t have to rush before we start the next leg of our journey. Most importantly I think we were both ready to move on and two weeks on a sparely inhabited island without any mechanized travel is right about what we need at this moment. This also puts us in Australia at the right time. Any earlier and we would have ended up in the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney in the dead of winter. Everything seems to have worked out for the best, as has the majority of our travels over the last 6 months. It’s hard to believe that we may spend as long as another year on the road.