Last trip with Baba

A 20,000 km bicycle tour returning my fathers ashes to China

A taste for the Australian Outback

Posted on June 4, 2015 by bodhitree

The last week has been spent getting acquainted to the remoteness of Australia’s Northern Territory. I pedal on roads that quickly change from asphalt, to dirt, to gravel and then back again and watch passing cars slowly fade away into the distance. There are very few mountains here and at night the headlights of the highway can be seen from miles away. The journey however has been a struggle against time and the elements, as I try to arrive in the southern state of New South Wales before my flight back to the states late July.

I have chosen a rather difficult route, which travels on 800 km of rough sandy roads, with towns spread at large distances. The upshot is that it saves me over 600 km on a busy highway, giving me more time to observe Australia’s Northern Coast.

I have quickly noticed that labor is difficult to find in these remote areas and I have already been asked several times for work. The minimum wage for a receptionist or bar maid starts at $25 an hour including accommodation and food! Most of the time however employers are looking to trade food and a place to sleep for 3-4 hours of work! The food is usually oatmeal and biscuits and sleep is dirty comfortable bed, my simple cooking and tent are far superior.

It is peak caravan season and I have met many friendly retire couples traveling about in RV’s, trailers and vans. At rest stops, (which sometimes have water) I am almost always offered a cup of coffee from these friendly travelers and after a bit of conversation usually a sandwich and cookies are thrown in! This hospitality surely makes up for the continual coldness of the locals in road houses where a few days ago I was declined tap water!

Going “Ultralite” All of the water I carry is pre-distilled to insure I am not carrying any unnecessary weight in terms of Total dissolved solids.

Winter began last Friday and the evenings have been getting quite cold. The days are hot though and distances pedaling into the wind leaves me exhausted after 100 km. On a few occasions I would set up camp to find myself too tired to cook, only to awake at midnight with an empty stomach keeping me from sleep.

I am at the start of a 500 km section of extremely difficult riding, Borroloola to Burketown on the Northern Hwy 1. I will touch base again when I can!

Hard days and Customers only (Cycling Australia’s Northern Territory)

Posted on May 29, 2015 by bodhitree

The size of Australia is quite shocking. Even the distances between supermarkets, gas stations and rest areas can be hundreds of kilometers. I am greeted each evening with the sight of kangaroos and owls along the roadside and awaken each morning by wandering hawks.

Buely falls. A few days of easy cycling and swimming in Darwin’s nearby Litchfield National Park. The park has the only safe swimming pools devoid of Crocodiles.

I the hospitality and generous nature of people has quickly vanished. On a daily basis I am kicked out (and into the hot sun) from road houses, gas stations and shady overhangs. I am constantly reminded “Customers only”. This even applies to the shade of a tree in front of a restaurant! Yesterday evening I stopped outside of a restaurant to rest in the shade, after a few minutes the chief walked out and cussed me out for using the veranda and not being a customer. I would be a customer but Australia is just too expensive.

Late afternoon sun at Wangi falls. Crocs are often pulled out of these pools but that doesn’t stop the locals as wells as myself from going in for a dip!

Last night while camping in the desert I was awoken at midnight by a caravan of drunk aboriginals. My tent was literally right next to their car shielded by a manzanita bush. They soon became quite belligerent breaking bottles and yelling. So I quickly packed up my gear and pedaled away into the night. There is a huge separation between the aboriginals and whites here. And both races seem to completely ignore the other. All the supermarkets and restaurants are filled with whites and the streets and parks are littered with aboriginals asking for money and cigarettes. Police guard the bottle shops and all cities in the Northern Territory have a strict enforcement against public drinking.

Don’t even think about going in for a swim or getting within a few meters of the local rivers! Crocodile heaven

I feel as if publicly I am seen as somewhere between the gentile whites and aboriginals. But at least people make eye contact with me, most the aboriginals can’t even get that.

The road to Cairns (Cans) is going to be rough!! Long sections of dirt roads with distances between water stops sometimes over 200 km. In two days my route diverts from the main road and it may be sometime before I post again. Wish me luck!!

Voyage De Australia

Posted on May 24, 2015 by bodhitree

Cliffs and black sand beaches Uluwatu, Bali

Hindu Kecha fire dance

A week off of cycling and traveling Bali has ended, and it is time to begin again. I thoroughly enjoyed camping on the quiet beaches and visiting the mysterious Hindu temples scattered throughout the small island. Local markets, exotic fruits and roadside food stalls are all a thing of the past now, as I pedal past suburban shopping malls and tract house lots in the small city of Darwin Australia. It is going to be a long journey to Sydney (over 5,000 km). With a return ticket to California on July 21st I need to average close to 100 km a day in order to arrive on time. Public transportation is extremely expensive with a greyhound bus ticket costing close to $400 for less than 1,000 km.

Camping near the USS Liberty ship wreck

Once I leave Darwin I will be in the remote outback for many days. Local descriptions of the outback vary; landscapes sculpted by erosion, dry hot deserts and rolling hills similar to those found on the moon. I have been warned by many to take extreme caution with near water sources as crocodile attacks are extremely common and almost always result in death.

Another adventurous trip through the busy streets to the airport.

I am ready again for the open road and depart tomorrow. Hope to write again soon!

Respite in Bali

Posted on May 15, 2015 by bodhitree

Bromo volcano north eastern Java, cycling in here was like returning to the deserts of Jordan. However the consciousness of the local vendors was more similar to that of the Orangutans found in the Jungles of Kalimantan. I was so disappointed that I chose to pedal off alone on a small path, rather than climb to the observation peak.

Waking up to a packed sunrise, my tent was literally surrounded by 3 am

Waking up to a packed sunrise. I was standing in my tent when this picture was taken and was literally surrounded by 3 am. An old Chinese man had the nerve to wake me up, and tell me that my tent was taking up too much of his precious standing space.

Sunset Lovina beach, Bali. Another great camping spot on the beach in front of a 5 star hotel.

My local hosts, East Java.

Fermented Cassava, sold in banana leafs in a Indonesia store near you. You can find all sorts of lunch and snack products folded up and sold in these biodegradable bags from rice with chicken to noodles with beef. My favorite is the fermented rice, called Tapeh.

Mountainous vegetables on route to the Pasar

Root vegetables grown near Bromo mtn. En route to the Pasar

Hours after sunrise, Bromo Volcano. The morning after a steep 9,000 ft climb!

I am taking a much needed week off of cycling to explore the treasures of Bali. Camping, diving, hiking and eating. Tomorrow I head to the small fishing village of Tilamben to explore the US Liberty ship wreck. Next week I begin my adventures in Australia, and will be fly to Darwin on May 22nd.

Roti Panggang. Grilled cheese sandwich with caramel topping. Local Balinese snack found at the Pasar.

Terang Bulan. Brightmoon pancake sandwich. Filled with peanut butter, milk, chocolate, banana.

Borobudur: A long days night on the Java Sea

Posted on May 5, 2015 by bodhitree

Transit. 3 days, 1200 km, 6 hours of sleep. Boats, trains, motorbikes, and conditioned automobiles…..And the sunrise above Borobudur.

In the distance Mt Merapi and Merbabu

A few minutes later and a few steps back…..

My extensive use of public transportation took me from the southern Sulawesi city of Makassar to deep within Java, where I explored the central cities of Yogyakarta and Borobudur. A quick return to the westernized world I was soon surrounded by tourists watching the sunrise over Borobudur. I no longer had to worry about not being understood, and my little spoken Indonesian brought scores of complements and conversation.

Ancient Hindu temples of Prambanan, just outside Yogyakarta

Prambanan. Ancient Hindu temples outside of Yogyakarta city.

Jataka tales. These stone reliefs depict the previous incarnations of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (previous lives becoming enlightened).

Jataka tales. These stone reliefs surrounding the Borobudur temple depict the previous incarnations of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. I reminded myself that no matter how beautiful the reliefs were the Buddha was a man.

In front of the Prambanan temple dedicated to Shiva. Unfortunately all the Icons inside have been removed. (You can probably see them on exhibit in Germany, the UK or the States)

Entrance to Sewu, 2nd in size to Borobudur. This Buddhist temple was built right next door to he Hindu temples of Prambanan

Old rock entrance and long dark hallways

Countryside surrounding Borobudur. Its sad to think that the locals who live here could never afford to visit the monument.

Countryside surrounding Borobudur. It’s sad to think that the locals who live a few km away could never afford to visit the monument.

Sewu temple. When walking the grounds I remembered visiting the site as a child at my father’s side.

Cliff Tombs and Black Coffee (Tana Toraja and Southern Sulawesi)

Posted on May 2, 2015 by bodhitree

Tana Toraja's prized Arabika coffee plants. The red beans are ready to be picked, dried and roosted.

Tana Toraja’s prized Arabika coffee plants. The red beans are ready to be picked, dried and roasted.

Guest of honor down a long, steep dirt road, the village of Panici in Toraja.

The roads in Sulawesi are in far better condition and in many ways seem flat compared to those of Kalimantan. Leaving the lake side city of Palopo, in central Sulawesi, I was surprised to find the 60 km climb to Tana Toraja rather enjoyable. The heat quickly gave way to thick fog, and I climbed almost effortlessly passed wild coffee plants and small villages. Soon a unique house-like structure began popping up in each village, and I began to wonder what was inside. Tana Toraja is a large, mountainous area consisting of two cities Rantepao and Makale and many villages. Famed for its ancient burial traditions, cliff tombs and coffee I pedaled on looking forward to a few days rest out of the heat and in the seclusion of the jungle.

Alang. Torajan structures found throughout Tana Toraja. I at first thought these contained human remains but quickly found that they are used to keep and dry rice grain.

Empty offering bowl to the gods beside the closed Alang (rice storage structure)

Close up of an Alang, many of these structures are elaborately decorated and sometimes contain several tons of rice.

The busy city of Rantepao gives a rather poor impression of what Tana Toraja has to offer. From entrance to departure, it is a typical Indonesian city; loud, stinky and filled with street vendors selling tourist trinkets and overly priced maps to unknown grave sites. Christianity is the dominate religion throughout Toraja making pork the main staple. I soon began to see sign after sign advertising the local favorite Bakso, a pork ball soup usually accompanied with noodles and lots of chili sauce.

Street vendors selling Batu Aki on the streets of Rantepao (Gemstone rings)

Street vendors selling Batu Aki (gemstone rings) to government officials on the streets of Rantepao

Burial mountain in the Torajan village of Kete Kesu. There must have been hundreds of bodies buried in this mountain, many in unmarked graves.

After many conversations in broken English and Indonesian I learned that when a Torajan dies the body is immediately injected with a preservative preventing further decay. The body is then place either in the home (with the family) or in a separate building nearby where the body rests until the funeral. The funeral often take place many months or years after death away, giving the family and friends of the deceased an adjustment time to deal with the loss. This is practiced by most of the Torajans in the area, however there is a small percentage of Muslim Torajans that have stopped following the tradition.

Bones and human remains were scattered all over the steep climb to the central tomb, cigarettes were placed next to some of the remains as offerings. ( I actual wonder how many of the deceased died of lung disease or smoking related illnesses)

Bones and human remains found inside wooden coffins, cigarettes were placed next to some of the remains as offerings. ( I wonder how many of the deceased died of lung disease or smoking related illnesses)

Mobile rice processing across the street from the Kete Kesu tomb.

Beautiful brown rice on it way to becoming white.

I passed this old lady on the road. She must have been close to 80! preparing fuel for cooking dinner.

I passed this old lady carrying fire wood. She must have been close to 80! Just another day in Tana Toraja.

More roadside ladies, they were returning to their village from a long day in the fields

More roadside villagers, these ladies were returning home after a day in the fields.

Rice fields in the upper mountains of Toraja.

I met a few locals in the village of Panici, who invited me to stay the evening. This was breakfast the next day, fried pork fat and rice.

I met a few locals in the village of Panici, who invited me to stay. This was breakfast the next day, fried pork fat and rice. Agrei worked for the local coffee plantation and is pictured here with his daughter.

Near by Panici was a large coffee plantation. The company mainly exported to Japan whole, unroasted Arabika beans

A tour of the coffee plantation. The plantation is owned by a Japanese man who exports most of the harvested beans.

Inside the coffee plantation. Each bean is individually inspected by a local Torajan! Only 10% make it into coffee.

Inside the plantation. Each bean is individually inspected by a local Torajan! Only 10% make it into a cup of this plantations top notch coffee.

Classification of beans

Fresh roast, I bought 4 pounds of coffee which now fills the majority of my rear right pannier

Fresh roast, I bought 4 pounds of Arabika coffee from the store house of the plantation at an expensive local price of $3 a pound. The grounds now fill the majority of my rear right pannier

Ever heard of “Tuak”? Local alcohol made from the juice of an “E-Ju” tree. This is the local brewer’s house, he gave me a complementary bottle.

"E-Ju" tree and bamboo ladder apparatus. The brewer slowly collects the juice from the tree which is fermented into a wine like beverage. Tuak can be sold in two forms "Tuak Manis" which is sweet and contains were little alcohol and "Tuak Alcohol" which is similar in concentration to wine. While staying in the village of Panici I drank a bottle of Tuak alcohol that was infused with durian.

“E-Ju” tree and bamboo ladder apparatus. The brewer slowly collects the juice which is then naturally fermented into a wine like beverage. Tuak is sold in two forms “Tuak Manis” which is sweet and contains were little alcohol and “Tuak Alcohol”. While staying in the village of Panici I drank a bottle of Tuak alcohol that was infused with durian.

Bamboo ladder used to climb “E-ju”/Tuak tree

Village kids playing on a temporarily blue sky

Village kids playing under a temporarily blue sky

Lower hills of Tana Toraja, Corn drying in the sun.

Tomorrow I leave the remote and exotic island of Sulawesi and begin my travels on the central island of Java. I will head to the Buddhist monument of Borobudur then pedal towards Bali. Touch base again soon!!

-Julian

Northern Sulawesi (The big blue sky)

Posted on April 24, 2015 by bodhitree

Local Indonesian’s at a Hindu festival

The overnight ferry to Sulawesi was a very Indonesian experience. Wanting to see how the locals traveled, I purchased the “ekonomi” class ticket earlier in the day for 1,333,000 IDR ($10). By night fall the once typical looking Balikpapan port had transformed into a street bazaar with temporary stalls built out of bamboo and plastic lining the road to the terminal office. It was loud, smelly and a world away from my experience with the taking the overnight ferry from Busan, Korea to Fukuoka Japan. Vendors were selling the ever so popular Gem rings and necklaces, pit bbq’s were constructed out of bricks and were roasting various meats and people were squatting on the sidewalks packing/unpacking large crates.

Young dancing girls

The scene was something out of movie and I pushed Gaby through the chaos toward the large ferry waiting at the dock. The large boat looked rather nice, like a large cruise ship, with fresh paint and several stories of patios with wooden decks. As I got close to the ship I noticed a long line of passengers carry large boxes on their heads. There was a queue at a steep mobile staircase that was three stories high, the stairs were so narrow that luggage had to be carried overhead. There was no way I would get Gaby up into the boat without making several trip so I waited for the rush to die down then slowly making several trips got all my gear up and inside. Once inside personnel inspected my ticket and said “You no first class” “Ekonomi” I said which resulted in some laughter. A security office instructed me towards the economy section of the boat, and told me I could park my bike beside a wall of wooden crates filled with unripe Dragon fruit.

Lake Poso, North Sulawesi

There were few people sleeping on cardboard boxes near the fruit crates, so I took all my panniers with me in search of a place to sleep. The “ekonomi” compartment consisted of a north and south wing, each filled with rows of connected beds. At first glance it almost looked like a hospital, as the passengers occupying them looked like they had ” moved in”. Laundry was hanging from make shift ornaments in the ceiling, boxes of clothes, medicine and toys were open and spread-out near the corners of the room and on beds, people were cutting their nails, combing their hair, and scrubbing their bodies with extremely worn Gucci/Ralph Lauren towels. The smell of fish and curried chicken filled the room and was being consumed everywhere. Large plastic bags filled with white rice were passed around, while meat products were eaten out of instant noodle Styrofoam bowls. Water bottles filled with soy sauce and chill paste were used to liven the flavor. Some passengers were selling bottles of water and cigarettes which almost gave the room a prison like feel.

Eventually I came across and open bed that was covered in ripped and torn laminate plastic with random cigarette burn-holes. There as room under for my panniers and as I slid them under I noticed that there was a small family of cockroaches living underneath. I took out all my clean clothes and made a huge pillow by wrapping them around my valuables then lay back to rest. I looked up at the ceiling and noticed cockroaches crawling in and out of the cracks, as I looked around the room I noticed more and more of them crawling on the beds, walls and on luggage, people didn’t seem to mind and many were bare foot. Soon I saw a huge rat running under the beds, no one seemed to react. A loud-speaker came on and the captain speaking Indonesian explained that there was no smoking on board and that we would soon depart. There were at least 10 people smoking in the room.

There were a lot of really interesting looking people on board. Most were extremely dark Indonesian men wearing colorful sarongs with long beards and Muslim caps. Women were fully scarved with large earrings making their ears sag. I soon overheard that after stopping in Sulawesi the boat would then head to the city of Sorong in Papua. Most the passengers in economy class were headed there. There was also a rather large group of Yemen pilgrims, one of them saw my Jordanian headscarf and started talking to me in Arabic.

Police force Poso, The chief to my left was a classic Asian alpha male! He bossed everyone around then gave me one of his rings

Police force Poso, The chief (to my left) was a classic Asian alpha male! He bossed everyone around, making his subordinates wash my clothes and serve me food, he then gave me one of his rings!

Sulawesi
It was just after 9 am when we I arrived at the port city of Palu. A very similar picture to what I had observed in Balikpapan the port was chaotic and getting Gaby off the boat was just as difficult. From a distance Palu looked like a Norwegian coastal city, with a backdrop of steep mountains touching a turquoise tropical sea. I had been warned earlier about this city as recently violence between radical Islamists and local police had led to the deaths of several people. I packed up Gaby and pedaled toward the interior of the country looking back at a busy harbor beyond and beautiful sea. A steep 30 km climb took me to the center of the island. If you look at the shape of Sulawesi there a several areas in the north and south were the island is no more than 50 km wide. I was in one of these places and from the top of my climb I could look west to see the coast of Palu and east to an unreached coast. The jungle is must thinner than that of Kalimantan (where in many occasions I could see nothing but a small bit of blue sky) and I can see the mountains far off into the distance and this is always a huge view of the open sky.

Slippery slides, local waterfall near Poso lake

The eastern coast gave me my first taste of Hinduism in Indonesia, as I passed temples and mausoleums erected to the avatars of Shiva. One afternoon, while pedaling through a village I heard the sound of an Indonesian Gamolan followed by clapping coming from a small auditorium. I quickly pedaled inside and found to my surprise a large group of Hindu Indonesians celebrating a holy day. The sight of me pedaling into the festival caused quite a stir, and I was quickly invited to watch the dancing and Gamolan performance followed by an afternoon feast.

More locals at the Hindu festival

The festival is underway

Later that evening I arrived in the city of Poso (another city I was told to avoid) just before dark. The city seemed like any other city I had passed in Indonesia but in the center near the police station was a large billboard with pictures of local terrorists. I stopped only to refresh my stock of fresh fruits and vegetables then pedaled 10 km out of the city and camped behind a small school.

Gates to the Hindu ashram

The next morning I was awoken by a group of 5 military officers carrying machine guns. It turned out that what had looked like an elementary school was actually a military building. My bags were searched for weapons and for a few minutes I thought I was in trouble. The military called the police and I was told to take all my stuff to the police station, where I was detained for a few hours. Once at the station I was given a cup of coffee and told to wait for the police chief to arrive, no other words were spoken and my passport was taken. After close to an hour of waiting a man wearing a uniform with several badges and gold medals walked in to the room. He came over to me and shook my hand. We had a quick conversation in Indonesian, (which mostly consisted of eye contact) but verbally I told him that I was on a world cycle tour and that I had heard that Poso was dangerous so logically I camped in what seemed like the safest place around.

School kids who gathered round to watch me patch a tire

He smiled and seemed to understand. Then yelled something to the officers in the nearby room. A few minutes later, a new clean shirt was brought to me, my dirty one was given to the officer to clean, and a tray of rice, noodles and vegetables arrived for me to eat. Soon I was eating breakfast in the police station wearing a clean new shirt with one of the officers hand washing my dirt one outside. After breakfast the chief took off one of his gem stone rings and gave it to me followed by a handwritten letter giving me permission to camp at any police station in Sulawesi.

“Warung” or local restaurant. These are found along the road and serve instant noodles, fried rice and coffee.

I didn’t make it to a police station that night but camped near the beautiful Lake Poso. Within minutes of setting up camp I heard a loud sound in the trees and within seconds it began to pour. I quickly shoved all my gear inside, and prepared for the worst. The worst however didn’t come from the sky but rather from the lake, soon mosquitos started making their way through the storm and underneath my tent fly. Hundreds of large hungry mosquitos covered the outside of my inner tent and the sound of their buzz almost drowned out the rain. I ran outside to shake the fly to get them to disperse but even outside in the rain they flocked to my arms legs and face and bite every open part of open skin. I ran back inside, and spent the night too scared to unzip the tent. The rain battered on a soon water was flowing underneath me. I tried to sleep but my bag and mat were soaked and all night I listened to the buz of hundreds of mosquitos waiting for me to unzip my door.
I am now in southern Sulawesi and will travel to the tribal and historic village of Tana Toraja tomorrow.

North and East Kalimantan: A cyclists overview

Posted on April 17, 2015 by bodhitree

There is no disguise even in local attire, (Maybe its the Notre Dame jersey). I am close to twice the size of the locals!

There is no disguise for me even in local attire, (Maybe its the Notre Dame jersey). I am close to twice the size of the average Indonesian!

Tonight I depart on the midnight ferry for the island of Sulawesi, about 200 miles east of Borneo. The road from Tanjung Selor (Capital city of North Kalimantan) to Balikpapan (Capital city of East Kalimantan) was probably one of the hardest routes I have cycled. Hills on par with “Los Gatos De Luz” (a super steep almost never ending hill in my home town of Murrieta) encountered on a daily basis, under a magnifying glass like sun in 90% humidity. The Indonesia people however have made the difficult journey rewarding and have treated me with such kindness and generosity that I often felt like family! The Arabic word “Musafir” often comes up in conversation which formerly means “guest” but usually refers to Muslim pilgrims who are en-route to Mecca. I was often offered home cooked meals, with a room to sleep in for the night. Lunch was often packed for me the next day and on several occasions I was offered money. I posed for average of 5 photographs on a daily basis and was constantly greeting by passing trucks and motorbikes.

I do hope the roads of Sulawesi offer some respite from the physical hardships of the last two weeks. But as always I am patient and open to experience what lies ahead. It may be a while until I can post again, but will do as soon as possible. My route in northern Sulawesi will begin in the city of Palu and head south to Makassar. From Makassar I will then head to Java by ferry, exploring Borobudur, Surabaya and Bali before flying to Darwin Australia . I will mostly travel on the newly completed trans-Sulawesi highway so the road conditions should be a lot better than Kalimantan! .

Indonesian Durian Instant coffee (4 in 1)

My hosts in the village of Kelay

The largest Islamic center in Asia, Samarinda City

Gaby loaded on another speed boat destined for the jungle

Local Bob Marley Van. People love Reggae here!

Bob Marley Loire. The headlights even had Marijuana leafs painted on them!

Indonesian dragon fruit

Es Campur, Indonesian roadside desert. Ice, tapioca, coconut milk, fruit and bread

Es Campur, Indonesian roadside desert. Ice, tapioca, coconut milk, fruit and wonder bread

Ever seen a dragon fruit plant? These were growing all over the roadside, and I never would have guessed had I not seen the fruit. The plant is actually a type of succulent.

Line of cars waiting at a remote jungle gas station. Some people had been waiting in line for close to 4 hours to fill up!

My Indonesian hosts in the city of Samarinda. I asked the gentlemen on the right for directions at a busy intersection he then invited me to his home and invited me to lunch with his family. He gave me a sarong when I left.

"Gado Gado" lady. She walks around the city of Balikpapan with this tray on her head making fresh peanut sauce, with rice cake and vegetables

“Gado Gado” lady. She walks the streets of Balikpapan with a large wooden tray on her head making fresh peanut sauce, with rice cake and vegetables to the owners of small businesses.

Derawan Island, Kalimantan Indonesia

Posted on April 17, 2015 by bodhitree

Aerial view of Derawan Island

Somewhere on the remote Indonesian road between the cities of Tanjung Selor and Berau I met a group of government officials eating papaya at road stand. Three men wearing black uniforms offered me fruit and a place to rest out of the hot sun. They didn’t speak a word of English so we conversed in my newly learned Indonesian basics. Each of them were wearing copious amounts of jewelry with large stones on rings, bracelets and necklaces, and they smoked fragrant clove cigarettes. The leader of the group was a tribal looking man with a stone the size of an I-phone around his neck and after learning that I was from America invited me to stay at the government office in the city of Berau 30 km away.

My Kalimantan Government friends. The boss is on the left with his wife and daughter

It quickly became dark, and I contemplated pedaling the rest of the way to Berau. From previous experiences I had a good idea of what my night would look when I got there and knew that I would probably spend the majority of the evening being a “exhibit”. Whatever the drawbacks I liked the bosses style as it reminded me a lot of what my father in the past. Even though it was dark and I was tired, I decided to pedal there.

Arriving at the Derawan pier

At night the city of Berau becomes a maze of motorcycles, restaurants and mosques. The evening call to prayer began just as I approached the city limits and I swerved and dodged pedestrians, dogs, idle minivans and mopeds. The streets were covered in mud and pot holes and as I pedaled on the city began to come alive. Traffic in Indonesia, like Malaysia, Brunei and Japan drives on the left, but since many of the city roads have cement barriers keeping traffic from colliding many cars and motorbikes often drive on the right side of the road to reach small businesses and driveways. I quickly learned the Indonesian driving rule of thumb: If traffic is coming towards you pedal on the right side of it, if you are going with traffic pedal on the left.

Sunset from the village

Sunset from the pier

Finding the government building in the center of town I arrived to a warm welcome and was quickly given similar jewelry from a large glass display case in the lobby. Within minutes my fingers, wrists and neck were adorned with large stones on rings, bracelets and necklaces. I was given new clothes and I posed for about a dozen photos before jumping into the back of a police pick truck. I was with a group of about 15 officials sitting on a bench welded to the back of the pickup truck. They all smoked the same fragrant cigarettes and were completely decorated in gemstone jewelry. We drove around the city and I watched the red moon came out of the clouds. It would eclipse in less than an hour.

Derawan Island during low tide

We came to a stop in front of a busy restaurant that took up the entire sidewalk. Tables were spread out everywhere and all sorts of Indonesian cuisine colored the white table clothes. A large table was brought out and soon learned that I was the guest of honor. “Makan Coto Makassar”? ….. “Sure” I said Not really having any idea as to what I was being asked. I was soon brought a large bowl of white colored soup filled with cow stomach and intestines. After the soup there was fresh fish, fried chicken, and rice all eaten by hand, with each person given a small bowl to wash between courses. Throughout the meal the boss kept telling the other officials at the table to give me their jewelry! So slowing as I turned from appetizer to main course I had more and more rings and bracelets on my hands.

Coto Makassar

Afterwards they drove me to the outskirts of town where the boss owned a karaoke bar/harem. The place was filled with locals yelling, dancing and singing and quickly the boss called all the ladies to our table.

“Which girl do you want”? he asked. “I would rather sign a few songs” I said in broken Indonesian.

High tide, abandoned presidential estate

Low tide a few hours later

He laughed then called a few of his minions over to the table. The night went on, I lost track of my hosts, but always seemed to have a cold beer on the table as well as an unopened pack of cigarettes at my disposal. I sang duets with the girls at the bar, danced and waited for sleep. Finally close to 1 am my hosts returned and asked me if I was ready to go back.

The next morning a car prepared to take me to Tanjung Batu where a boat was waiting to take me to the island of Derawan. I was told to leave everything behind but I packed my tent and sleeping bag and hoped into the company limo for a 120 km drive to the port. Along the way the boss bought all sorts of fruit for me to eat while on the island, and even let me drive the mountainous jungle roads in the company car. When we arrived in Tanjung Batu the boat was waiting and the boss put money in my shirt pocket. I waved goodbye and the boat speed into the sea.

Derawan

The island of Derawan is extremely small and consists of a small village with a few restaurants and shops. It took me 30 minutes to walk all the way around the island and in that time I was passed by several locals riding motorbikes. It seems the people on the island think they need motorized transport on an island the size of a suburban cul de sac. Half of the island is completely undeveloped with palm trees, forgotten coconuts and a long white sand beach. There is an abandoned presidential estate on the eastern corner of the island which made a great campsite and I ate coconuts and swam in the clear warm water completely isolated from the rest of the island. The sea near Derawan is so shallow that the tides drastically change the scenery. When the tide is low swimming on the north side of the island is close to/if not impossible. The sea fades away and exposes the ocean floor giving it an almost desert-like feel. When the tide finally returns the water becomes almost unbearably warm, and feels as if swimming in a Jacuzzi.

Hanging with some Java friends

In my 4 days on the island I did not encounter another western foreigner, and no one spoke any English! The island definitely remote with no nearby airport and the closest city close to 4 hours away. The diving was fantastic with so many turtles that they soon became common place! Some are so large that they almost look like Volkswagen beetles.

North, undeveloped side of Derawan

While writing this post on Derawan I came across a multitude of questions regarding travel to and from the island as well as where to stay. Since I was traveling with locals I was able to get a good idea of the normal price for transport.

A few notes/tips for anyone heading to Derwan Island:

A minivan from Berau to Tanjung Batu (the nearest port to Derawan) costs 100,000 IDR (local price)

A speed boat from Tanjung Batu to Derawan costs between 60,000 -100,000 IDR (local price). The trip takes 30 minutes, find a speed boat with 1 engine it will use less petrol and can be bargained to a cheaper price.

Camping can be found throughout the eastern and northern part of the island and unless you pay the $100 US for a beach resort room it is a lot nicer than any of the local guest houses.

Don’t make any reservations with the dive companies found online, their prices are close to double that of the local price.

Equator

Posted on April 13, 2015 by bodhitree

Local ladies on the speed boat to Tanjung Selor

A puddle roads of Kalimantan

I am 30 km from the Equator, and completely thrashed from the last 7 days in the jungle. The roads wind and seem to climb forever and the sun has become unbearably strong. My skin burns and each night I feel the heat absorbed through my clothes. There is no shelter here. In the shade I am bitten by potential Malaria carrying mosquito’s, biting flies and large fire ants making the sun the only place I can hide. All day I watch motorbikes pass and climb the steep hills with ease, the drivers and passengers wearing clean, sweat free clothes that still smell like detergent, they smile and honk as they pass. I pedal on drenched in sweat that is of little help in such a humid place.

Banana buffet, these bananas are too small to sell are are left to the flies, ants and hungry passing cyclists.

I am two days away from Balikpapan, (the capital city of East Kalimantan). If I keep up the pace I should arrive in time to catch the monthly ferry across the Makassar straight to the city of Toli-Toli Palu, in Sulawesi. Once there I can rest and pedal at a normal rate, not having to worry about connecting with transportation. Although physically this route has been extremely difficult I have had a very reflective and memorable journey through North and East Kalimantan. Sometimes the climbing seems endless, and I think of the cool deep waters of the Philippines to keep me going. There is more to tell and will post again when I reach the city.

A bouquet of Rambutan, a sweet lychee like fruit. This bunch was handed to me by a local as I passed through his village.

Trip to Derawan Island, A remote tropical paradise TBC

A surprise trip to Derawan Island….