Posts Tagged ‘Kenaman’

Day 344. 95km. Kenaman – Siburan

Posted: April 14, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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This morning I took my bike by the hand, and walked him down the aisle. I could almost hear the wedding march in the background. We have experienced so much together, it is time we tied the knot.

Going down the aisle

Going down the aisle

Across the border into Malaysia and, yet again, it feels so different. More people are driving cars, the roads are better, it feels more English. The ice tea comes with milk. We took the back road to Kuching, and slogged our way up and down through the steep and beautiful landscape. The mountains rise almost vertically from the road, dense with trees and forest foliage. The crickets and cicadas chirp in the background. We find ourselves sleeping in a town hall 30km from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak province.

Steep road

Steep road

Day 343. 108km. Ngabang – Kenaman

Posted: April 13, 2016 in Cycling, Indonesia
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Our mosquito net is erected next to the altar of the church in the depths of Borneo. The anchoring point of the net is the heavy altar bible holding down the attached string at one corner. The chocolate-bar sized bugs are zooming around the bright halogen lights with a low drone, bouncing off the walls and then the roof, above the line of pews retreating to the back of the church. Outside the cicadas and crickets are the backdrop to this old Christian missionary place.

Anchor point for the tent

Anchor point for the tent

Today the road was easy, and we took it easy, stopping for extended breaks talking and talking. We talked about the cigarette billboards everywhere promising everything to the young – sophistication, boldness, the flavour of a new generation, asking if they dare. Smoking is part of the Javanese culture and part of their identity. It also used to be part of life in Europe – but no more. Advertisements like these were banned in Australia 40 years ago and now almost noone smokes there. I think Indonesia will keep its smoking culture for a while to come.

U bold

U bold

Tomorrow we return to country number 29 – Malaysia.