Posts Tagged ‘Cycling’

Day 367. 110km. Siboa – Labuana

Posted: May 17, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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With ten people watching in the hut in front of the idyllic beach I set up my hammock. I fail – the ropes are too close, then too far. Everyone laughs. Matthew, the great two left-handed adventurer laughs it off. Well, tries to.

Cleaning our place to stay

Cleaning our place to stay

Then Clement pulls out the photo of me and Will bare chested together on the tiny Equator monument. Will bans that one from making its way on the internet. You’ll just have to imagine how intimate it looked on such a tiny concrete block.

The equator

The equator

Today was equator day, Clement’s 35000km day, and a day of coconuts and the most amazing beaches. Our resting point tonight couldn’t be more beautiful – a bay with a big white, sandy beach, lined with coconut trees and crystal-clear, mirror-calm waters. We watched the sunset sitting in the water as the clouds merged and transformed before our eyes.

What a warm welcome in the village. Again, we had an evening with amazing food and people. Thank-you!

Beautiful road

Beautiful road

Our evening beach

Our evening beach

Approaching our evening spot

Approaching our evening spot

Our kaili friends

Our kaili friends

Day 366. 108km. Tompo – Siboa

Posted: May 16, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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We passed flat plains with villages, and in between amazingly steep forays into the mountains above sandy white beaches. Today was a day of swimming, hello mister villages and a spectacular lunch in a little village.

Sunset

Sunset

We were stopped near a sandy white beach for photos, and then invited back to the village. After a quick swim, we found ourselves dining on cooked jackfruit, pumpkin in coconut milk and sardines. Very ‘enak’ (delicious).

A little swim

A little swim

Amazing lunch

Amazing lunch

Our friends

Our friends

The windy road

The windy road

Morning view

Morning view

We’re staying in a little house next to a beautiful beach – still waters reflecting the orange sunset rays. Coming out of the water is a feast for the mosquitos and sandflies. We were chased under the mosquito net where we are safe.. ☺

Day 365. 60km. Kalemo – Tompo

Posted: May 15, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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What a spectacular place. White sandy beaches with clear, blue, cool water. Fisherman villages with houses on stilts. Amazing views at every turn. Hello misters abound. We swam, snorkelled, ate fresh coconut, picked and ate fresh cloves, and we all changed our brake pads – the steep, muddy, rocky piste did it. Sulawesi.

Our idyllic beach

Our idyllic beach

Sulawesi beach

Sulawesi beach


‘Terrorists.’
Our host mimed pointing a rifle at us.
‘They’re in the mountains, and along the other coast.’
Our road is OK. All roads crossing to the other side are out of bounds, as is the main road on the other side of the peninsula. It’s hard to believe – this place is so tranquil and the people are so lovely.

Here are some photos. No more words to describe cycling in paradise.

Mountain reflection

Mountain reflection

Boy in Sulawesi

Boy in Sulawesi

Steep rocky road

Steep rocky road

Steep rocky road

Steep rocky road

Bay

Bay

Our friends

Our friends

Day 364. 64km. Tolitoli – Kalemo

Posted: May 14, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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‘Can I say I love you?’
The little Ema pulled us away from the main road and into the village to visit her school.
‘You are very sexy. Can I hug you?’
Clement hugged her. So did I. She held her gloved hand up to her mouth to hide her giggle. At her school, we greeted the teachers and played chasee with the kids. Our first day in Sulawesi was amazing.

Clement and Ema

Clement and Ema

Mountains loomed just behind Tolitoli, and after 10km of flat and good road surface, the road degraded and started its up and down through the most beautiful landscape. The hills were covered with a tree we didn’t recognize until we looked closely. Yes! They are cloves. I ate one – an explosion of flavour. In each village the cloves were drying in the sun, and the air was perfumed by the lovely aroma.

Cloves

Cloves

The road passed through the mountains, and past flat plains – I think covered in water half of the time. The road was tiny with almost no traffic. When we stopped, the sound of silence was deafening. We were alone in this beautiful tropical paradise.

Clement

Clement

Water fields

Water fields

The evening saw the rain come, and we struggled up and down through the forest in the rain before retiring in a little collection of huts near the sea. We talked with everyone from the village in the light of the kerosene lamp inside the tin roofed wooden hut on stilts.

Day 363. 11km. Aki Balak – Tolitoli

Posted: May 8, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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I lay swinging in the hammock looking out into the night as the ferry steamed forward. My abode was in a quiet corner of the boat, above the people layed sprawled on the ground a few metres below. And then, I saw her again – the southern cross. Throughout the night she rotated, staying framed in my small ferry window, telling me how close I was to home.

Sunset

Sunset

The ferry was much smaller than I expected – and apparently new and much bigger than its predecessor. People were lying on the floor everywhere, and densely packed in the sleeping quarters which were hot, stuffy and a bit smoky (but not as bad as I had feared). The television was running there 24/7, and the karaoke was a form of entertainment in the main area. It was going to be a long trip – 28 hours or so. We headed for the roof, which, even though it was covered, was blisteringly hot. Clement had the bright idea of setting up my hammock in one of the remote areas of the ferry up a little ladder. We took turns staying there – a very cool location with a nice fresh breeze.

Passengers

Passengers

Our pre-departure morning was fun. The kids at the school were waiting outside our room very patiently and politely. After a talk with the lovely headmistress, I was told to inspire the children. I did my best..

Talking to the school children

Talking to the school children

Then we went through a very orderly round of selfies, one class at a time.

Class selfie

Class selfie

We were escorted to the boat terminal by four guys from the Tarakan cycling club, and each given a jersey. Great people! Finally, we were interviewed by the local Tarakan newspaper before waiting 3 hours for the delayed departure.

The Tarakan cycling club

The Tarakan cycling club

At last we are on Sulawesi island – the most coolly shaped island in the world – and from all accounts a beautiful island. Our first impression is a nice one. We were given a warm welcome for the night in the restaurant opposite the ferry terminal. Now its time for a stationary sleep – athough I can still feel the ground moving…

Day 362. 29km. Pantai Amal – Aki Balak

Posted: May 7, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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Today we had nothing to do. No distant place to reach. So, we just relaxed, watched an amazing sunrise, caused laughter at my inability to open a coconut and to tie agar agar onto a rope, were invited for some wonderful meals, and cycled with the Tarakan cycling community. Not bad for a day of doing nothing.

Sunrise

Sunrise

I opened my eyes to see the first light from our sleeping place in an open hut on stilts above the beach. The water was calm, the clouds were incredible and it was getting lighter. The clouds transformed before our eyes, grew and moved, and changed colour to orange – one after the next. On the horizon was a big storm, which moved slowly across the sea, before our eyes.

We had visitors in our hut – a bird trapped inside the mosquito net (so clearly the net could only stop very big mosquitos), and lots of people from the village. They helped us get some coconuts from the trees, and watched on with amusement as I tried to open the coconut with the machete.

As we were leaving, we were invited by a group of women to join them. They were sitting around a pile of seaweed, and were tying it to ropes. The people from the village harvest the seaweed, and dry it in the sun. The women were preparing the next generation of seaweed – these ropes were to be placed in the sea, and will be ready for harvest in 2 weeks.

Harvesting seaweed

Harvesting seaweed

Will is staying in a hotel in the town, having some alone time. Clement and I met him for a few hours for lunch before continuing to.. destination unknown. We ended up in a little village half way to the ferry tomorrow, meeting the whole village, being introduced to the cycling community, receiving a new cycling tricot as a gift, and having a lovely meal of smoked fish. We are sleeping in an empty room at the school, all ready to meet the students tomorrow morning and possibly be interviewed by a TV news crew.

Tomorrow is (finally) the boat to Sulawesi!

Clement is a superstar

Clement is a superstar

Day 361. 57km. Tawau – Pantai Amal

Posted: May 6, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia, Malaysia
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‘Let’s wait.’
‘No, let’s catch the boat a little south of here and continue on south in Borneo.’
We all changed our minds back and forth like the light of a firefly. All the options were not optimal, and it took us all morning to discover them. Chaos boat travel in Indonesia.

Indecision

Indecision

‘Besok (tomorrow)’
‘Not from here.’
‘At 6 in the evening.’
It has taken 4 days to get from Tawau to Tarakan (which takes 3 hours with a fast boat). We waited 2 days in Tawau, then caught a boat to just over the border in Indonesia – Nunakan. We waited there a day, cycled to the other side of the island, and took a night ferry to Tarakan. We then cycled across the Tarakan island to find that the next boat to Tolitoli in Surawesi leaves in two days. All the way we were told all sorts of different information. Anything could be true.

Going with the flow, we find ourselves camped in a little hut on the beach on Tarakan island next to Borneo. Hopefully the boat to Sulawesi will leave the day after tomorrow.. ☺

Near our humble abode

Near our humble abode

Near our humble abode

Near our humble abode

Our own private concert

Our own private concert

New video: Cycling in Java and Borneo

Posted: May 5, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia, Malaysia
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Waiting in Tawau for the boat to Indonesia has given me time to put together a video of cycling in Java and Borneo. I hope you like it. 🙂

Day 360. 98km. 10km from Kalabakan to Tawau

Posted: May 4, 2016 in Cycling, Malaysia
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‘Do you want this? My chicken is too spicy?’ Will pushed his meal towards Clement to eat.
‘It’s fish,’ replied Clement.
Will blushed. In the last week he has mistaken both pork and now fish for chicken. They must have interesting chickens in Ireland.

Endless palm plantations

Endless palm plantations

Today I passed 32000km from Eindhoven. I’m getting dangerously near the end..

32000km

32000km

Palm plantations, palm plantations, as far as the eye can see. Covering the rolling hills to eternity. The road remained challengingly up and down until 30km before Tawau, so a sweaty affair, cooled off once by a torrential downpour.

Endless palm plantations

Endless palm plantations

In Tawau it was time for an air-conditioned hotel, and a day off waiting for the boat to Indonesia. Bliss.

Day 359. 47km. Mile 33 Kalabakan – 10km from Kalabakan

Posted: May 3, 2016 in Cycling, Malaysia
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‘If you want to see the endangered species, you need to go to the logging areas,’ he said. ‘There are security guards there, and the poor people can’t poach the wildlife and send to China for medicine.’
Sitting on the balcony looking over the organic farm in the middle of the Borneo forest, we were nearly brought to tears several times. Our time in Borneo never ceases to amaze.

Our lovely host

Our lovely host

We heard of kidnappings and criminality near the Phillipines. We heard of sustainable logging, palm plantations and how they are bringing people out of poverty. We also heard stories of arranged marriages of very young women – personal stories that touch the heart.

Today was also a day of scaling great heights. For me, the modest ascent to a tree house perched at the top of a very tall forest tree. For Clement and Will, the more adventurous climb to the top of a telecom tower.

The tree house

The tree house

View from the top

View from the top

Looking down

Looking down

Clement at the top

Clement at the top

All in all, we didn’t cycle much, but the kilometres done were hot and hilly. We found it getting dark in the middle of the palm oil plantations before the coast, and are sleeping in a plantation village, drenched in sweat in the sweltering heat.

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