The Journeys ... The Current Trip

After two months of cycling through Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei), we have eventually arrived back in Indonesia, crossed the equator back into the Southern hemisphere and broken the 4'000 kilometers barrier.

In the two months, we cycled over 1'500 kilometers from the south-eastern end of Sabah to the interior of Sarawak (western Borneo). In the end, in the small town of Belaga, we eventually gave up and took buses and boats for the rest of the way to Kuching.
I already explained in my last log why we didn't enjoy Sabah. Sarawak was not much different. The cycling was an ever day slog and more of a duty than a privilege. We figured, we would head inland to the town of Belaga on the Rejang River to a) avoid the palm oil plantations of Sarawak and b) have a bit of an adventure. Belaga is not exactly on the usual cycling route.
But the adventure turned sour quickly with the ride being tough (it's VERY hot in there), Erika! having problems with her bike (we are now experts in fixing bike chains), being ripped off left and for good measure acquiring a mortal enemy in a small jungle town. It's a long story. Let's just say, he tried to steal from us, there was a misunderstanding and he eventually got the worse end which he couldn't accept and therefore was looking for a fight with me. Erika! and an elderly Chinese man prevented the fight in the end.
Like I said, it's a long story...

After spending some time in Kuching to fix Erika!'s bike and to wait out the mad traffic during Eid celebrations (the end of Ramadan), we started riding towards the Indonesian border and two days later crossed back into Indonesia.

I was a bit worried there for a while. During our suffering in Borneo, Indonesia sort of became the Holy Land to us. It was where everything would be good again. This was because on one hand, we have had a great three months in Flores and Sulawesi and on the other hand, it was just pure self-protection of the mind: we needed something positive to look forward to. But, this also meant our expectations were enormous. What would happen if Western Kalimantan would not be as good to us as the other two islands were? What effect would that have on our motivation and psyche?

But almost immediately after crossing the border, things were good again. While riding in Borneo, I had developed this philosophical believe system, that the essence of our bicycle touring was suffering and pain. That by the means of those two attributes, we would separate ourselves from the hordes that travel by bus from one cozy tourist destination to the next. I did this to make sure I wouldn't 'give up' or lose my mind.
After some 100 kilometers of riding in Indonesia, I have abandoned this train of thought and rekindled my love for riding. No, this bicycle trip is not about suffering. It's about the pleasure of getting close to a country. Close to a country's population, it's nature and animals. It's about freedom. The freedom we feel when riding through a forest with nobody around and neither the last stop nor the next matter. The pleasure of feeling the early morning sun, a pleasant breeze in the evening...and even the intense sun at mid day. This is what we are riding for - and in Indonesia I discovered it again.

So, what is so much better in Western Kalimantan than in say Sarawak, just across the border. I would say, that what makes the biggest difference to us is that there is life on the road. In Borneo, we would cycled for hundreds of kilometers in palm oil plantations and hardly see a soul. In Kalimantan, we pass through dozens of small villages. And the Indonesians are just great fun, inquisitive and friendly. I often find myself smiling or laughing because of their expressions of surprise. People overtake us, look out the window with a beaming smile and give us the thumbs up. Young guys on scooters slow down while overtaking us and have a short chat with us. Children go beserk when they spot us (especially when they're in groups). It's a great show for them and for us. We never felt like that in Borneo. There it was always just about reaching the day's destination. Here in Indonesia it's about the moment.

Wow, from being depressed to being euphoric in a few weeks, hu? I think, these days they call this bipolar. I call it life.

Currently we are in Pontianak, staying with a CouchSurfer (www.couchsurfing.com), which is always great to get a deeper insight into a place...and is cheaper to boot. We also have to organize our transfer to Sumatra, which is our next destination. At the moment there are a few variables which will affect when and how we will get there and how long we will stay. Erika!'s bike is still not working as it should and with the mountains that we'll encounter in Sumatra, that would be a problem. If we can fix the bike in Pontianak, then we'll probably head straight to Sumatra (i.e. flying). If we can't, then we will need to go through Jakarta. We will see. But we are both of good spirits again and are looking forward to head to Sumatra. Climbing mountains....yeaaaah.

As always, I have uploaded pictures since my last travel log, you can find them in the Last 50 Photos Gallery (at least for now) and we also have made a video of our 'Simple Life' for our Vlog on YouTube

I hope, all you people from the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying the end of the winter and to you Northerners - take a holiday during the long, cold, gray winter.

The next time, I'll hopefully write from Sumatra. Until then, stay safe. Adrian