Okay, the blog is back. My computer crashed in Purwokerto, so I had to leave it at an Acer repair center and pick it up a few weeks later from a connection in Jakarta. What a hassle. So my logging lagged, and thus my blogging fell even further behind. I’ve rewritten my log for all the days after my recent post and have been trying to catch up on writing posts for y’all. So here ya go!
Day 32, March 9, 2013, Saturday, Malang- Nganjuk(Indonesia)
After nearly a week off the bikes, it was time to hit the road. Heeding the advice of Thea, we woke up at 5 a.m…..okay, Hengky woke us up,… and calorie loaded on an awesome farewell breakfast from Thea (THANK YOU). Waffles, toast, some fruit. Ugh, it was hard to stick with the idea of leaving. After gorging, we prepared our panniers and got our bikes ready to go. I was hit with some stomach problems, not what I want as I’m going to put in some miles after a week-long break. Leaving the vicinity of a proper restroom and comfortable home, was less and less appealing. But we had to go.
Sonny, Thea’s and Hengky’s friend, came over to guide us out of town; At 6:30 in the morning, Thea, Sonny, Andres, Steve and I climbed our way to Batu. It was a bit of a rough start, and I was getting really hot. I was feeling a bit queezy, so I put my bike in easy gears and carried on. Wasn’t quite sure how stoked I was to be back on the bike. Thankfully, I was feeling better by Batu, where we said farewell to our friends and finished off the climb. From the pass onwards it was a very easy day, thank goodness. We cruised down hill for a few hours, stopping for a coconut juice.
photo: view from our rest stop, there are often little snack or drink stops along mountains, a great place to relax and take in the view
photo: the view
We descended into the flatlands of Java. The road was straight, flat and actually decently paved so we knocked out good miles with the help of the long descent.
photo: out of the heat
photo: Steve and Andres
At 2, we rested, out of heat and decided to aim for the next town. We hammered out 30km to Gnanjuk. It was really easy to fly down the road, as it was straight, flat, and paved. I can’t tell how to rate the riding; on one hand it had less traffic, the roads were better than mediocre, it was flat and straight. All things push me to say it was one of the safest, best days, but we also experienced the other extreme: Indonesian bus drivers. They skirt by you like they’re formula 1 race car drivers, and worse, they’ll over take traffic coming straight at you. Like, get your heart pumping, looking for an exit, literally squeeze yourself onto the edge of the road, taking a big breath and holding your shoulders up to your eyes, searching for any spare millimeter to put between you can the oncoming bus. I hold up the middle finger. The bus driver waves. Frustration.
We pulled into Gnanjuk at about 4:00 pm and stopped for a juice. We debated pushing on, which would make it our first Imperial century (100miles), but Andres had a bit of a headache, so we decided to turn in and find a hostel. Our first stop was a 60,000rp ($6)/room with a sign admonishing drug use, the mattresses looked a bit grimy; we decided to check out one more place. #traveltip, always check out more than one option. We headed a few blocks away and found a marginally better hotel for 70,000rp ($7). One of the guests at the hostel kind of chatted with us, covering the basics, but then he kept pointing and repeating the same word, all the while with a goofy, creepy grin. We never totally figured out what he was trying to communicate. Settled in and hopped next door for dinner and then a lil’ walk down the street and found Onde. Onde, yessss.! I was out of the room and again, ran into the same guy, he repeated the same words, same grin. I just said I didn’t understand. He came closer, repeated the words and palpated my arms.. Ohhhhhhhh, massage. No thanks. I shook my hand dismissing the offer. Earlier I was saying I’d take the next massage I get offered. Nevermind. I went back out to buy fruit from the fruit seller. Some apples and dragon fruit, a little expensive, but screw it, I wanted fruit.
Went to bed way early, as I stood at our door in my boxers, the same guy passed down the hallway, still grinning and he motioned up and down his arm, again offering the massage. I just shut the door. In bed early to get up early. It was 8 or 9, I think it was a bit too early as I woke up quite a few times in the night. ready to go, feeling rested.
Day 33, March 10, 2013, Sunday, Gnanjuk (Indonesia)
Woke up early, ready to go, but there was a hang up. Steve had been having stomach problems through the night, so we decided to hold off on riding. I worked out, meditated and read a bit since we weren’t leaving yet. Steve was definitely under the weather and had a fever so we decided to wait on putting in any miles today. Andres and I walked around while Steve rested. Just around the corner we found a Nasi Pecel stand, score. 3,000rp($.30) double score! Cheap, and one of the best pecel’s we’ve had. After we walked to the town square looking for a money exchanger and saw a strange sight. Closed stores. Pretty much all the stores were closed. Sunday was actually a rest day here, weird. As a consumer it was inconvenient, but I was stoked to know that people aren’t working seven days a week. We work too much back home.
We checked back in on Steve, no progress was made, so we decided to definitely stay put. We got him a cocktail of medicine at the local apotik(phramacy) and then went out back out for lunch. At a near-by warung, Andres and I ordered two dishes and 4 juices. It tasted good and was warm, +2 points. I totalled our bill, collected our money and went to pay. Though, the owner and I had different tabs in mind. I asked to see the bill. 15k for an item listed as 10k. I pointed to it and she started speaking “Oohhhh, I know *the rest she switched into Indonesian*” I shook my head and she changed the price. Then I pointed to the 4 juices, 5k instead of 4k. She changed that too. It wasn’t too hard to argue the prices back down, so my gut feeling is that she was simply trying to skim an extra 9k off us. No way. #traveltip Eating at places with menus make pricing very convenient, you know if you’re being scammed. We bought Steve a juice, for 4k, and headed back. I went back out to a barber shop to trim up my facial hair 1,000rp($.10), and I probably could have paid less as it took about 10 or 15 seconds.
Steve got a bit of an appetite back and we went around the corner for dinner, buffet style padang food. Then got some fruit, and headed to bed.
photo: hotel decor
Day 34, March 11, 2013, Monday, Gnanjuk-Tawangmangu (Indonesia)
We left at a reasonable time, 7 am, and paid a visit to our favorite Nasi Pecel seller.
photo: awesome nasi pecel
Today was easy again, straight flat and good roads. A few juice stops a rest at the foothill of our big climb for the day. After resting up, we began the climb. We got our sweat on and it felt good to be cranking away, as it had been a while. After 2 hours of climbing we stopped off for lunch, it was time for first lunch.
photo: view looking back
photo: still going up
We had a good break, and learned we were near our stop at the lake. We ate over-priced chicken(the woman confirmed grilled with us) and hit the road. I settled my bill and thought it was off by 1k, but wasn’t sure. Steve reckoned with her and found she charged us for the ice with our drinks. Steve pointed to it and said “Tidak(a negation) normal” and they kept telling him it was for the ice. We know, we just don’t agree we should pay for it if we didn’t ask for it. Steve got the ice off his bill; I was tempted to stay and get mine back, but I just wanted to finish the climb.
Soon we were at the turn for the lake and we had a choice. Stop here, knowing we have a hard 10 km to finish the next morning or just follow through right then and there. We finished the climb. So we trudged up for another 2 hrs, zig zagging back and forth up the mountain road. I probably doubled the distance. The climb was hard, especially being at the end of the day versus the middle or beginning;. However, we were rewarded with awesome views and cool temperatures. Around 5 or 5:30 we rendezvoused at the top and then started the descent.
photo: the top!
photo: I wish my camera could capture how awesome this view was.. it was brilliant
photo: mountain top town
photo: too steep to have fun
photo: braking the entire time
photo: still braking
This descent wasn’t fun, it was roller-coaster-steep. Holding the brakes the whole time, stopping every little bit let the rims cool off. I must say it was one of the most gorgeous views we’ve taken in on the trip.
We found a hotel and did our best to bargain. If it were anywhere else, we’d bike around and check out the other places, but it’s kind of impossible here, once you move on, downhill, there’s no turning back. We tried to get them down, weren’t succesful, but 100k per room and wifi isn’t too bad. Sate for dinner, Internet for dessert.
photo: view from hotel
Day 35, March 12, 2013, Tuesday, Tawangmangu-Solo (Indonesia)
We slept in. Considering we were starting mid mountain, we knew we would have an easy day into Solo. I worked out in the morning, moved my wash into bright sunlight and meditated. Once all three of us were awake we ate Nasi Pecel next door and walked through town. It was a quiet neighborhood with a beautiful view and a decent number of posh villas and large homes. I’m pretty sure this is where many have their second home-away from the lowland urban hustle and bustle of Java’s dense cities.
photo: street in Tawangmangu
photo: someone’s nice vacation home
photo: looking back up towards gunung Lawu
We packed our bikes and Andres discovered a malfunction in his rear brake. The limit screw popped out and he only had his front brake to stop his fully loaded bike down these steep hills. We talked through different options. Andres didn’t want to take a bus or cab to the bottom of the hill, I offered to take his bags to decrease his intertia so he tightened up his back brake to where it constantly provided resistance and we started down the hill. With in 10 minutes, the solution proved to..not be a solution. Not enough braking power and his rim was getting warped from the intense friction. I put half his bags on my bike and we rediscussed. Andres decided to walk the downhill sections and ride the level sections. Bus still wasn’t an option. Steve and I cycled further down and stopped at a restaurant to figure out the best plan. I thought of stopping a driver and asking them to give him a ride, but whenever I waved them down, they just waved back. I thought about writing a note and having an ascending driver give it to him. After 20 minutes of discussing, waving and thinking, Andres arrived just as I was preparing to stop a driver to deliver the note. Andres cycled on as Steve and I ate lunch, had a juice and took a few photos. We started on the hill, again and it was super fun, decent pavement, good slope, so I leaned into my drops and sped down. in about 10 minutes caught up with Andres walking his bike. We agreed to meet at the bottom of the hill. The bottom wasn’t too far down and within 5 or 10 minutes we rendezvoused at a restaurant and decided to get to Solo.
photo: view from our rest stop
An hourish of riding got us to Solo. Juice/direction time. We cycled through the town square, passed the biggest textile market in Java and then eventually found a lonely planet recommended hotel.
photo: old dutch style hotel in Solo
photo: science experiment?
Andres and I went out to a buffet style restaurant and loaded up. Really good. (I love serve yourself because we can skimp on the rice and fill up the plate with the good stuff!) Then we hung out at the hotel and went out for a second dinner, ordering steaks(we broke down) They weren’t good but also impossible to compare to back home. Thin pieces, fried. With some vegetables. After steaks, Sonny called us! So we met up with him and he took us out to get a local soup dish(soup?). If you think I’ve mixed up mutiliple evenings, you are wrong. Indeed, this was a 3 dinner evening. We ended the night at a place that still has my heart. A milk bar which all sorts of flavored milks. Okay a tall glass of plain California dairy would be nice. But I can’t complain here. We topped up and I was in bliss. (For those of you whom I am less familiar with, I absolutely love milk, and non-chemically-rich-milk is impossible to come by here, ahh!) Stoked on the milk, Jogja tomorrow.
photo: second dinner
photo: Sonny at our hotel
photo: Andres truing his wheel
photo: third dinner
