For our English-speaking friends - Highlights of Indonesia

Selamat datang! Welcome!

Around five weeks we spent in Indonesia and even if it was "a bloody long way" it was well worth the effort.

On "Sumatra" we go to see the "Orang Utans" at "Bukit Lawang's" Rescue Centre and also learn about palmoil and rubber being harvested. We meet a really nice monkey lady and "Biting Mia". A fantastic experience!

At "Bukittinggi " we are shown round by "Amoy" and "Dony" to see the beautiful traditional houses of the "Minangkabau" culture. We also learn about the cultivation of rice. Thank you for the interesting day, careful driving and your cheerfullness!

The "Family Riders Club" of "Banko" and the young bikers from "Sarolangun" give us a very warm welcome and remind us, that is is essential to have "stickers" of your club with you when travelling. We willl next time - promised!

We take a few days off at "Lubuk Linggau" and nearly instantly are known all around town. "Ahmad and Vivin" take care of us, popping in every day, leaving local delicacies. Thank you for the beautiful fabric and the walk to your favourite place naer the water!

Driving through the hopelessly overpopulated nothwest of "Java" is a nightmare. Its volcanic centre though, is as beautiful as beautiful can be. Most of the farming on the steep hillsides is still done by hand - hard work that is!

We visit the famous temple of "Borobudur" which is built of 2 Million stones and looks like a huge "stupa".

"Mount Bromo" and its neighbouring peaks invites us to explore the different craters and we walk along their calderas. The early morning hike to the sunrise lookout is rewarded with the most wonderful views.

After months of sweating we enjoy the fresh and a lot cooler air up there. But look at the locals: even if it is raining and relativly cold, they still don't wear socks or proper shoes! Just a woolen hat, a scarf and gloves. How do they cope?

On "Bali " we decide, that it's time for a holiday again. In the small fishing village of "Amed" we finally find what we are looking for: lovely staff, delicious food, great views, the beach at hand, reasonable prices and - massages. Our little paradise!

From there we want to explore the island and visit different places. We start with the temple of "Tanah Lot", which is beautifully situated on a rock close to the coast. But this first daytrip takes a lot longer than we had assumed it would, so we skip all further plans and just enjoy.

The further east we get, the more we get slaves of the ferry timetable. So we don't se much of "Lombok" unfortunately. And only because we get drowned in a heavy afternoon rain we get to know "Radiah" and his wife who run a homestay somewhere off the main road. We are tired, wet, hungry and think we will never make it there. Finally we find the place, lit only by a lantern because of a power cut. But luckily Indonesians have gas cookers, so we get a cup of sweetend tea and a hot meal.

"Radiah" invites us to accompany him to the local market the next morning. What an authentic experience!

We don't have more time for "Sumbawa" either, but while waiting for the nightferry, Elmar walks around the village of "Sape" and takes some nice shots about what it is like to live on an Indonesian island.
On the ferry we meet "Mirthe and Maarten", two dutch pushbikers. We spend the crossing together, swaping news.

The ferry reaches the isle of "Flores" in the early morning hours. And because all the beds are occupied by people who will take the 8-0-clock-ferry or the 10-o-clock-flight out, we have to wait for them to check out. Bjoern and Elmar lie down in the garden and try to get some more sleep. Annette and Joerg sit down in the restaurant and enjoy an early breakfast with a breathtaking view.
Later that day we meet M&M again. Their landlord helps us to get reliable information about the timetable of the Flores-Timor ferries. His wive suggests, to only drive down to "Aimere" and get on the ferry there. That would save us more than 200 km of driving! Great news!

Now we can "afford" a trip to the "Komodo National Park" to see the world famous dragons.
Nobody knows, why they can only be found around "Komodo". But what is known, is the fact that they are no relics of the dinosaur age. "Komodo dragons" are monitor lizards. They feed on other animals. Their saliva contains potent bacteria. Their bite is fatal. Within two weeks of time their victim will have died - time for them to dig in. What a feast!

At "Aimere" we notice with great relieve, that there is indeed a ferry terminal! At the ASDP office we are told to come back at 7 o'clock the next morning to purchase the tickets. The boat should be leaving at ten. The officer on duty ushers us to his friend's "losmen" (homstay) and negotiates the price down a bit. The afternoon we spend fooling around with the children.

When purchasing the tickets the next morning, we are informed that the ship is late and probably won't turn up before noon. Ok, there's not much to do but wait. So we sit down, read, are stared at and watch the hustle and bustle around us.
By 10.30 the vessel has finally arrived and we can go aboard. There are only a few scooters and another 4 vehicles. The rest of the cardeck is immediately taken by local passengers. They roll out their mats, use huge rice bags to build around them and get themselves organised. We do the same and soon everybody is busy reading, sleeping, talking, eating, watching children or playing cards. A great atmosphere! There are even chicken and a pig on board!

After 26 hours we reach "Kupang" on "West Timor". This is where the famous "Captain Bligh" got set ashore by the mutinies crew of the "Bounty". Not a bad place, we think!

From here it is only another day's drive to "Dili" in "Timor Leste".
The border seems to be right in the middle of nowhere and we ask ourselves if we have - by accident - crossed the green border! The borderpost itself is more or less upon the beach! Wow!

We have no troubles at all leaving Indonesia. But the lady at the immigration office of "Timor Leste" only wants to grant us a 15 day visa for our 30 $.
"That's because it is your first time entering", she says. "You can easily extend your visa in Dili. " "And how much is that going to cost us?"
"35 $."
"It's all about money, ey!"
"Well, you must be reach if you come here on your own motorbikes."
Of course, how foolish we are! When we ask her collegue to show us the corresponding document, he says, that if we could prove, that we had money, he could grant us 30 days for 30 $. No problem. We take out or credit cards and that's it - we get our 30 day visa! Welcome to "Timor Leste"!

In "Dili" we stay with "Tracey", some more mates and 5 cats. It is a pity that we do not have much time together, but we are busy organising the shipping of our bikes to Darwin, Australia.
Thank you nevertheless for your hospitality! There's always cheese and cold beer in fridge - how do you know? It's been a delightful stay and next time we'll be the winning team at the quiz!

The presence of the UN is more than obvious. Despite independence in 2002 the country still struggles with all the destruction by the Indonesian army on their leave in 1999. By 2006 old rivalties among the former politicians lead to a civilwarlike situation. Now the UN helps setting up basic infrastructure as well as legal and social systems and trains the staff for challenges to come.
At the moment locals and UN members are living separate lives. But if you consider that a local lives of 0,85 US$ a day and a beer in a "white" bar is about 5 $ you stop wondering why.

"SDV" the o n l y possible agent for "Perkins Australia" is not sympathetic at all and international definitions of shipping seem not to be binding to them. We do finally get along, but we have to pay more money than necessary and get papers denied for no reason whatsoever. But as there is no other agent for the Dili-Darwin route, we have to cope with situation as it is.

The great saviour in a desastrous situation is "Troy". He runs a business that cleans trucks for the Australian army. He's a professional! Without his help and personal effort we would not have made it! He even organises food, a lift back "home" late at night and the transport of the bikes to the container the next day.
Thank you mate! You've been great!

After an 16 hours day of cleaning the bikes to satisfy Australian standards of quarantine we are completely exhausted but leave "Dili" on 30th May on the socalled "early flight".

Here we are guys, we finally made it to Australia!