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Krakatau sunset

Krakatau sunset

20/5    We get to the ferry at lunch time, a lot earlier than we expected. Fortunately, we eat before boarding, as we can't even get drinking water on the ferry. It does feature live karaoke, though, and a prayer hall, complete with PA system, so that nobody misses out, no matter what one's religion. Arrived in Java, the roads and the traffic are every bit as bad as we had heard and read. At one cross road the cops had blocked off the road straight ahead, diverting traffic left and right, straight into major road works, where there is only one lane for two way bumper-to-bumper traffic. Instant traffic jam. The holes are huge, the driving crazy and we breathe fumes and eat dust. I had a destination in mind, but when we get to Carita it gets dark and starts to rain. Su understandably gets rather upset that I didn't stop sooner. So does my bike: just as Su turns around to head back to where the hotel is supposed to be my bike finally refuses to start. Some kids want to help me push start it, but first they demand money. I don't want to understand, but they can't push it fast enough anyway. Su has to come back and we tow it back to life, almost crashing in the process. The sun setting behind Krakatau was very pretty, though...

Main road out of Carita

Main road out of Carita

21/5    A visit to a local bike shop seems to confirm my suspicion: I diagnose a dead regulator. This means that the battery doesn't get charged enough to start the engine, especially in the mornings. A compatible regulator is not available here. I contact our friend Ivan, an Australian living on Bali and he promises to organise one from Australia, as a friend of his will be returning soon. Luck seems to be on our side. Seeing the state of the roads here and the amount of traffic, I'm determined to avoid all main cities and highways as much as possible. This turns out to be an excellent move. After only a short distance the road surface improves and we ride on reasonably good roads, some of them even excellent and often almost devoid of traffic. I can hardly believe it, after what we have experienced so far and all the horror stories I have heard. What helps immensely is a find on the internet: Local GPS enthusiasts have made some pretty good and free GPS maps.


We try to ride along the South coast  as much as possible. This makes for a much longer distance, but nice scenery.

At a lunch stop we meet a nice bunch of bikers from Jakarta. To my surprise two of the women also ride.

On both sides of the road sit men and women, turning stones into gravel by smashing them with hammers. The only other country where I ever saw this was Pakistan.

We don't have a lot of luck with visiting highlands on this trip. The Dieng Plateau greets us with thick cloud, then it starts to rain and it is cold. Under these circumstances we don't hang around for any sights. For a while we have to ride in the clouds, but once at lower altitude the rain stops and it's warm again.

One of the must-see sights is the ancient temple of Borobudur near  Yogyakarta, so we were told. Su, as always mistaken for a local, gets in at the Indonesian rate, I pay 10  times as much. It sure is impressive and there are good views from the top.


Shortly after Yogyakarta we take a shortcut and sure enough, the tar road runs out. The locals point us in the right direction, although Su at first doesn't want to go this way:

It turns out correct, though, and we are soon back on a proper road.

Don't ask what this is.

31/5 Seeing that the weather is rather cloudy we decide to give Gunung Bromo a miss. Very likely there will be nothing to see but clouds and rain, just like on the Dieng Plateau. Su has a close shave with a bus that comes the other way, overtaking a truck and she has to quit the road in a hurry. I vigorously give the driver the thumb down, but I'm sure he's wondering what I'm making a fuss about. At a gas station, while I'm not watching Su filling up there is a brief commotion: the occupants of a car discovered that she is not a man! When we ask them for the way they very kindly give us a detailed road map of Java and Bali, something that we haven't been able to buy yet. Thanks to the very kind folks. In the afternoon it rains again and when we check into a hotel it pours down, so the hotel yard gets flooded.

Gunung Bromo

Bromo teasing us