Day 46, March 23, 2013, Pangandaran-Tasikmalaya (Indonesia)
7 o clock. Andres was up, packed, and ready to go, before me(Andres is the slow packer between us)! He was clearly feeling better. We ate breakfast, said our goodbyes and started off around 9ish. I struggled up the small hill out of Pangandaran. My body was really feeling the lack of sleep, feeling weak and my heart rate got up very easily. We stopped for a juice about an hour or two into the ride and then made our way to the road junction. We ate Masakan padang, asked for the right road and headed to Tasikmalaya along a quieter side road that lulled up and down. By sundown, we were at the edge of Tasikmalaya, called our host Dewi and met her at an intersection not far along down the road.
We washed up and headed out to get some traditional Indonesian dishes and watch the Indonesia-Saudi Arabia soccer qualifying game. We cheered hard, but Indonesia couldn’t keep up and most locals left before seeing the end of the game. Saudi Arabia won. Off to bed.
Day 47, March 24, 2013, Tasikmalaya-Bandung (Indonesia)
We woke up early and ate some fruit and buiscuits. Dewi offered for me to cook something up so I made some eggs. I drained about 9/10’s of the oil out of the wok she set out. These eggs will be fried western style. We ate up and cruised out. Taking a few picture before leaving. Dewi offered for us to stay and check out the nearby volcano, but we all had our eyes set on goals further down the road. I felt bad for not staying, but I feel that way for every town!
We got second breakfast at 9ish and then started hill climbing. We got one decent climb out of the way, meandered back down and then had another bit of climbing to do up steep hill sections. Late lunch at the top and then we descended into Bandung. Bandung is big. Really big, sprawling throughout a big plateau, surrounded by mountains. Navigating it was a bit tough. We almost ended up on the tollway(freeway for USA peeps, motor way for others) But we heard “blah blah blah bersepeda(bikes)” Damn, they’ve spotted us. So at the toll gate we pulled off and asked how to get across town. We found an alternative route and cruised. amongst busy traffic. Surprisingly, we found our way to Abdyka’s neighborhood with relative ease. Asking people where the nearby university was and doing the stop-and-ask. When going on a overpass(flyover) we got a glimpse of the city, it looked like someone took a photo of the starry sky and placed it down on the hills surrounding Bandung. Little specks of light creeping up the surrounding mountain sides.
Near Abdyka’s we got directions to go straight saying “just do it, its okay” We were going the opposite way on a decent sized one-way street. Slower city traffic, though, but still wrong, I know. At one point I saw a motor-biker preparing to enter the road, hoped he’d wait, but should have shouted. We had a little collision as he clipped my back end as I skirted by. I went back to pick up my pannier and we both guiltily looked at each other and carried on.
Stopped at an Indomaret and called Abdyka, he walked us to his flat and we headed out to chat and eat dinner.
Day 48, March 25, 2013, Bandung-Sukabumi(Indonesia)
Woke up at 5 and Steve and I set off. Andres wanted a rest day in Bandung and had his eyes set on Jakarta; Steve and I were keen to get to the west coast. It took us about an hour or two to navigate the busy streets and find the right route out of Bandung. It wasn’t as straightforward as being on a straight-shot highway and people’s directions weren’t helping. At one point we got kilometer estimates of 10, 7 and 3 all for the same place, from the same location.
We had breakfast on the edge of the city and then knocked out a good 15 or 20 km on a descent out of town. We made it across the lowlands to Cianjur in no time. Masakan Padang at 12 and then we started climbing over the hill to reach Sukabumi. At 2ish, I passed Steve resting near the top but didn’t stop as I wanted to do it all in one go. I stepped it up and pedaled harder, knowing I was close. It started raining, so I pulled off for a minute, realized it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon and continued. I stopped at the Alfamart,confirmed that it was the top. At first people pointed way off, thinking I meant the top of the mountain, finally someone understood I meant the road. Yes, I was at the top. I snacked and waited out the rain. When it lightened up, Steve came up and we descended into Sukabumi.
Our search for hotels went bust when our cheapest option was 150k and the cheap place was “sold out”. They then referred us to the 400k/night place(I think they get a commission and the cheap place prolly isn’t sold out). We decided to put on our lights and ride out of town a bit. Soon enough we found a random place for 120, including breakfast. The building was unique, maybe an old Dutch vacation hotel or home? Unsure. But now it is a hotel and pretrified-wood-selling establishment. The staff were nice and there was even a bellboy to help us carry our bags up the stairs. Woah! And they had super awesome soap. Although, the receptionist told us there was nothing to eat nearby, a two minute walk revealed good noodles, fruit, plus other food stands. Weird. We picked up extra food for breakfast, chatted on the balcony and then hit the hay.
Day 49, March 26, 2013, Sukabumi-Cimaja (Indonesia)
We woke up early to eat breakfast, but I was hit with some bad stomach problems, so we waited it out. I popped some Loperamide and by 10, things seemed to have cleared up.
The route to the coast was beautiful, less urban, more landscapes and even some forest. Some rolling hills, but nothing terrible. Steve and I stopped for coconuts. Steve asked me to confirm the price as he couldn’t remember if it was 7k or 8k. Wrong choice. When I asked it was 20k for both. Steve spoke up and she reluctantly nodded. 15k it was. The bule tax is real.
At Pelhabuhan Ratu we stopped for lunch, just as the rain picked up. Once the rain subsided we did a short 20k jaunt to Cimaja and checked in at a hotel we’d read about. 75k for our own room, not bad. No breakfast, and kind of wifi. When checking the place we were told there was wifi, but after checking in and asking for the password, they divulged it was broken. Thanks. Steve and I hopped in the pool and relaxed(yeah. pool) Steve, myself and two Germans were the only guests. Again, the whole off season thing is kind of a buzzkill. Laundry next, then we went out for dinner, found the cheapest food option and bought breakfast for the next morning.
Day 50, March 27, 2013, Cimaja-Malingping (Indonesia)
We woke up around 5:30, prepared our stuff and set up breakfast. A good portion of time was spent figuring out Steve’s stove, priming it with a ton of gas and hoping the flame would catch. Finally we worked it out. A few eggs each and a lot of oatmeal. A proper, energy filled breakfast, rice just doesn’t keep you filled.
We finished packing and set our laundry out in strong sun. Left around 9 or 10. Whoops, a little late. A staff member at our hotel gave us a report on the road. He said the hills are super steep, holding his arm nearly vertical to represent the angle. Up and down on broken roads. On the map, it looks like a short, straight shot from Cimaja to Bayah, but it says 50 km. We’ll see.
Steve and I were’nt expecting anything too crazy. When people say Bromo is impossible, that 1km is too far to walk, and walking is a foreign act, it’s hard to think that the hills report holds much weight. We cruised along the beach, scoped the scenery and found out first hill, okay, fine, that was a bit steep. It wasn’t really short. We passed the turn off to go on the longer, mountainous inland road, but stuck with the coastal road. We went along a beautiful bay and once at the end, the road jacked up, Steve and I got out of saddles and cranked away. The hill came in sections, with a bit of flat and then a seriously steep section for 25-50m. It was like doing intervals Wait, it was doing intervals. Steve and I would power through each section and let our muscles drain the lactic acid at the each relief in the slope. We took a long break near the top at a rest stop, cooling off with an iced drink. A fellow gave report of the road. This was the first of 7 hills. Oh god. Once rejuvinated, we knew we needed to start tackling these other hills. The descent was a nice respite, but we couldn’t fully enjoy/utilize it due to its narrow width, winding turns, and potholes. Down into a mini valley and then back up again. This process carried on until we stopped for lunch at 2, learning there were only two more hills. Thank god.
The first hill had the worst sections, for sure. The rest of the hills were less steep but with longer sections. I lost my rythym a few times when my foot left my pedal and I was forced to push my bike until a flat section. Starting pedaling on a steep uphill is damn hard, especially when you are trying to aim for the side of the pedal without the clip for cleats!
One one hillAs I reached the top of one uphill section, school was just letting out and I was the spectacle. The first kid was obnoxious chanting “Hey! Money, money, money, money!” But the rest made up for him when one stuck out his hand for a high-five, *smack*. Then the next group of kids saw and all head out their hands *smack*smack*smack*smack* *smack*smack*. Everyone laughed and cheered and then the kids further down the line turned around for a high five *smack*smack*smack* then finally the last kid walking 50m ahead gets in on the action for one last *smack* It was awesome and gave me more energy and stoke then lunch. If only they sold high fives at Indomaret or Alfamart….
At the end of the hills we were rewarded with a long, smooth descent looking down onto the flat coast ahead. Steve and I stopped in Bayah to get a cold drink and look into the hostel options. 3ish. It was only 40km to Malingping, and we wanted to be within striking distance of the west coast so we could go to the nature preserve Ujung colon. We hustled along the coast, arriving in Malingping just after dark. The first hotel was not worth the price so we checked out the next option, 70k with breakfast, not bad. The only thing is the bathroom wreaked of mold and mildew etc, and the room door was rotting, every time we opened it, the panels spread and a terrible odor wafted into the room. YUCK.
Before washing up I was outside of our room in my boxers. An old man sitting in front of the room next door motioned to my legs. I looked down, hoping he was not offended by my pantslessness. He then motioned to my arms. I looked there too and saw the distinct tan lines. I said everyday I bike for a long time, and laughed, he nodded. I went inside to grab my shorts to show him where they form the lines. He still motioned to my legs. I didn’t know what he was getting at until he got up and made massage gestures. Again, not the time or place, or person. I politely refused.
Dinner: Nasi goreng for starters, Sate ayam for seconds and mangosteens for dessert.
Day 51, March 28, 2013, Malingping-Carita (Indonesia)
We were a bit lazy in getting up this morning. After looking at a map and discussing our options. We decided to skip the national park as someone said the road is dreadful. I love biking, and thus I’d much prefer to be on my bike rather than push it. Intstead of cutting straight west. We decided to aim for Carita further north on the west coast and figure out a way to get to krakatoa island. We hit the road at 10.. whoops, again. It was a very mild uphill and then a lulling up and down, pretty easy day. Quiet with less traffic but super hot. We rested a few times before lunch to escape the beating sun.
The “Hello Mister!” rate jumped up a bit, I’m guessing not too many tourists pass through this way. A little bit of rain and we made it to Carita with an hour to spare before sunset. We saw Hotel Wira, it looked a bit too nice for us. But we decided to give it a shot. They have rooms for 300k, way over our price range. So we asked if she knew of other more economic options. The more economic option came in the form of 150k for a room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw buffet trays. Bingo. Steve, Andres and I have been joking about finding a buffet and letting our cyclist appetites go to work. Our goal to to have a venue change their rules to “No cyclists”. I pointed it out to Steve and he knew exactly what I was thinking. I inquired; 25k for 3 times of going to the buffet. The next question, will it be there tomorrow? Yes. I clarified all the information twice and thrice. 25k is steep for a meal, but we can eat 25k worth at a buffet. We confirmed that we could leave our bags, bikes etc there while we went to Krakatau and Jakarta. It was a bit expensive, but it was very clean, nice, had a buffet, and would store our stuff. We decided to check in right then so we could run across the street and jump in the ocean at sunset.
Next tasks were eat dinner and get a group together to go to krakatoa. The receptionist had a contact that charters his boat, so I just needed to go around town and try to muster together enough interested tourists. While eating dinner, a group of 9 people sat down next to us, a variety of people all speaking english. Halfway through our meal, I approached and asked if they wanted to get together to go to Krakatu. Turns out they had a boat and package deal set up already. I asked it we could hitch a ride on their boat and offered for Steve and I to fix our own sleeping and food. We just needed to get out there. They offered for us to join in on their package, we gratiously accepted and they called their boat captain to negotiate Steve and I going. Woweee, what luck. Steve and I were not expecting to get things together for at least two days, and here we are with a trip set up, leaving the next morning. I used wifi till the restaurant closed, finished reading The Hunger Games and then packed up for krakatau!
Day 52, March 29, 2013, Krakatau (Indonesia)
Woke up early to grub on buffet breakfast. Back to the main hall only to find empty serving trays. No! We asked the young man at the front desk about buffet breakfast. We tried to explain that a day earlier staff said there was buffet breakfast… it didn’t look like he was understanding and he pointed us to the restaurant area outside. Okay, maybe it’s there. Nope. Only a regular menu of overpriced items was available. Blast! We’ve been duped. We were hyped up to unleash the hungry cyclist in us, a power only held back by our budget. We chalked it up to a loss and started walking to the restaurant next door. On the way, I saw the receptionist from the day earlier, stopped her and told her there was no buffet breakfast and that she lied to us(I’m not very good at being stern and angry). She said “Oh well the buffet is for another group” I called her out on telling us otherwise, 25k for 3 helpings. “Noooo, 25k for breakfast and 125k for 3 helpings.” she replied. “That is totally different from what you said. That is so mean. You lied to us. I asked you multiple times if there was buffet breakfast. We wouldn’t have stayed here otherwise.” She kind of nervously smiled, understood I was upset and gave me an “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sorry Mister.” Hotel Wira is NOT getting a good review on tripadvisor. We ate next door, same food as the night previously(Masakan padang restaruatns just cook bunches of food and stack them up in bowls in the window. The food stays until its served) It was tasty last night, but this breakfast paled in comparison to the buffet breakfast feast Steve and I dreamed up.
I went to the front desk to leave my bags in the front office and in the main hall I saw stocked food trays. In. I walked up like it was no one’s business took two plates(they were so tiny), loaded them to the max capacity and walked out back toward the room. Past the staff, past the recently arrived tourist group, through the pool and feasted on the buffet breakfast that almost wasn’t(Okay didn’t really feast, the plates were tiny, but still)
Steve and I cycled to the nearest ATM, no luck. So Steve used the money-back option at the Indomaret. Then we met our friends at the restaurant, a few minutes late, but luckily they were on Indonesian time as well. We hopped in cars, then onto the boats and headed to Krakatau.
In about 2 hrs we made it to a remnant island of the original krakatau. This is where I figured out that snorkeling is awesome and I understand why people dive (Mom, Dad, David H, David L, you’re right, diving would be an awesome activity)
After an hour or two we made our way around the island to where we’ll set up camp. Right when we rounded the corner and saw anak krakatau erupting a dark cloud of ash and gas. It was an impressive. We’d heard that anak karakatau was acting up, which might even change our camping plans in the area. I sat on the front of the boat and snapped photos(This was a time I wish I was in complete control of the boat and everything so I could drive around to find the best angle and not have the other boat in the shot etc etc etc. Oh well) Our captain navigated closer, I got more shots, and then closer, and then closer, Why are we getting so close to anak krakatau? We then landed on it, because apparently we were camping ON anak krakatau. “Wait, we’re camping on anak krakatau? On it, on it?” Debbie, one of the group members confirmed “Yeah, sorry, maybe we should have said that, we’re camping on the island.” My western safety standard alarm bells were sounding, looking for an exit, maybe a boat back to Java? Apparently, if we really shouldn’t be camping on it, then we wouldn’t, but there was no official warning, so we were. I still had to wonder what insites an official warning… I guess there’s an embankment that would prevent lava from flowing to this side of the island. Thank god, right?
Set up camp, eat lunch, swim, walk around. Things seemed alright. That afternoon we hopped in the boat and snorkeled off Anak Krakatau. Then back to swim and walk around some more.
That afternoon we took a hike up to the view point and I had to turn off my western safety standards, again. Hiking up the side of a recently active volcano? Okay. Let’s just do this. The guides showed us a few mini craters made from 40lb rocks being spewed into the air and coming back down, a few of which he said were from the night before, yikes! One huge rock and pit was a “lava bomb” a massive blob of lava shot into the air. We made our way up to and it was quite worth it. Spectacular views of the smoking peak of anak krakatau(the eruption had subsided by now) and a great view looking back towards java and the other remnant islands of krakatau.
While up there, I did find out one thing about Steve. He is not to be trusted at all. Apparently, he’s full of hot air on everything he says and does. I have the photo evidence to proove it.
Back down to hang out, swim, that evening we ate a fanatastic fish and squid dinner. That evening, we took a hike halfway to the viewing spot, to hopefully get a peak of lava pouring down the sides. No luck. Sat by the bonfire, and then decided to sleep out on the beach. It was very comfortable(It’s warm enough here to sleep in just boxers on the sand) I fell asleep the soonest of everyone on the tarp. Some time in the wee hours of the night, it started raining and we all scattered to our respective tents, where we stayed the rest of the night.