Tag Archives: Indonesia

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.