Kulon Progo & Kalibiru

 

I was very fortunate to be invited by Andry Berlianto and 3M Adventours for a motorbike tour around beautiful Kulon Progo and its surrounding areas. Kulon Progo is a unique place to visit in central Java, it is blessed with some of the most spectacular scenery that can be found in the area but is not yet flooded with tourists. The tour took us along winding mountain roads that were perfect for riding and past iconic local attractions like Sermo Dam and Kalibiru. After stopping for some photos at Kalibiru we ventured further into the mountains and soon found ourselves riding steep, narrow roads surrounded by think vegetation, this added a real flavour of adventure to the riding. Perhaps the highlight of the day was visiting Taman Sungai Madal, we took a walk along the cascading waterfalls and went for a swim in one of the many natural pools. The tourist potential here has only recently been discovered by the local villagers and it was quite inspirational to see the local community come together to build a sustainable tourist industry and meet people who were keen to share the beauty of their backyard. Many thanks to Andry and all the other riders that joined me for the day and also to the many locals that warmly welcomed me into their community. www.facebook.com/kulonprogotour

Bali

Bali has been one of the biggest surprises of my trip so far, perhaps I had heard too many stories about the ugly tourist scene in Kuta but I was expecting to arrive at a tourist mecca that offered little in the way of exploring.  What I discovered was a little island paradise covered in natural beauty with a diverse variety of culture and a welcoming attitude from the locals, the beaches fuel a thriving surfing community that contrasts perfectly with the holistic feel of the towns and villages around the forested Ubud area. Ubud was the perfect place to base myself for the 3 weeks I spent in Bali, many view it as the cultural centre of the small island and despite being a tourist hotspot it has a peaceful aura about it. Most travellers visiting the area gladly embrace the local lifestyle and it seems many are on a journey of self-discovery that involves immersing themselves in Ubuds’ yoga and spiritual scene by day and hanging out in trendy bars and cafes at night while waiting for a spiritual awakening. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to ride the Balinese hinterland with some local friends and I felt as though I got to experience a taste of the true spirit of the island while visiting these more remote  areas, perhaps I was on my own journey of self-discovery, however I was happy to find what I was looking for while riding the dirt roads, beaches and black lava sand of Bali

Not being the type to sit around and relax for too long, I soon set about exploring the multitude of temples that Bali has to offer, each one was as impressive as the next and the task took up more than a few days. As with most other places I have visited having the bike here was a huge benefit, being able to explore at my own pace made the task much more enjoyable and having the freedom to go where I wanted meant that I got to see many of the lesser known but equally impressive sights. As spectacular as the temples and traditional dancing were, I was soon getting concerned that I was having a cultural overload…. the solution? Two days at Kuta beach. I must admit I didn’t over indulge too much in the hedonistic holiday lifestyle that Kuta is known for but I did enjoy more than a few drinks and a little bit of surfing practice. Kuta actually wasn’t as bad as many had described it but after a few days I was keen to get away from the throng of people and traffic and return to Ubud for a little relaxation. I ran into a bit of luck, a friend hooked me up with 2 free nights at Puri Sebatu resort, I believe it may have been where Julia Roberts stayed in the film “Eat, Pray, Love”, I have neither read the book nor seen the movie but nonetheless this was a spectacular place to stay, the bed room had impressive views over the rice terraces and the bathroom was palatial in size, one night alone was equal to a month at my homestay in Ubud.

Life in Ubud was great but I felt as though I was slipping into the routine and comfort of everyday life here, I certainly couldn’t let that happen, it was time to continue my nomadic 2 wheel vagabond existence and move on. It took me a little while to pack my gear because I had gotten quite comfortable in my modest little room but the bike was soon ready to go and I was feeling good about getting on the road again. All I had to do was pack up my bike cover and I was on my way, I was almost done when I smelt a horrendous odour, I looked down and realised I had dragged the cover through a steaming pile of dog turd….. Great! Apparently my landlady had decided that out of sight was out of mind and rather than remove the offending item she just sprinkled sand over it, instantly turning it into a well camouflaged booby trap. After half an hour of cleaning the bike cover as best I could it was time for take 2, I was back on the road and heading for Tulamben for a few days of diving before making my way to Java.

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 

 

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Lombok to Bali

After a few weeks of riding across some of Indonesia’s most spectacular islands and hiking up many of the volcanos I came across I was more than happy to spend a few days relaxing in the beach side town of Senggigi on the island of Lombok. It wasn’t long before I started getting itchy feet though and after a few days out of the saddle I jumped on the bike to explore the temples, waterfalls and forests throughout the island. I noticed a strange noise on the bike as I returned to the hotel and after a quick inspection noticed that the rear brake pads had almost completely worn. I must admit I was more than a little stressed, up until this point I hadn’t seen one mechanic in Indonesia that looked like they could work on a BMW or even know where to begin ordering parts for that matter. I had heard there was a new BMW dealership in Bali, I had no idea what to expect but I found their website, sent them an email and was pleasantly surprised to get a reply within minutes saying they had the correct brake pads in stock.

The R1200 GS has a semi integrated front and rear brake and I didn’t want to risk any damage to the brake disc so I decided to remove the caliper completely and cable tie it to the rear foot peg, not the safest solution but it got me to the ferry terminal, across to Bali and to the BMW dealership. Upon arrival, any concern that I had about the dealership quickly disappeared, it was one of the nicest I had seen, the only thing more impressive than the selection of bikes in the showroom was the huge array of brand new GS’s in the workshop. After a quick chat to the guys in the parts department I was introduced to the mechanics, who to my amazement set time aside to fix the bike straight away along with showing me a few maintenance tips. I was completely won over by these guys, this was the best service I had received from a bike shop but it was about to get even better. Duncan the shop owner had heard that I was travelling through and took the time to swing past to say hi, after a long chat he organised a tour guide and mechanic by the name of Kadex to do some off road rides around Bali on the GS and also invited me to a trail ride on the weekend with some local off road riders, I even got to borrow a 449 Husky!!!

It turned out that Kadex was a local legend, he was a great off road rider, a BMW and Husqvarna mechanic, had been to the BMW training facility in Germany and was a qualified GS tour guide. We were both on R120 GSA’s and headed out to Serangen National Park, a small island just south of Bali, we were also accompanied by some local dirt bike riders, a few of whom were even riding off road scooters. It was one of the best afternoons of riding I’ve done on the Beemer, the track took us over single track, fire trails, beaches and a few water crossings, it goes without saying we had the big bikes sideways as much as possible.  We stopped halfway at a popular surf beach to have a bite to eat at a local warung restaurant and watched the surfers as the sun went down. The ride home was fantastic, we did a lap of a long levy bank with the headlights on, racing all the way and once again sliding the bikes around every corner and getting a little air over every bump we could. We finished the days riding with a roadside coconut juice, I couldn’t think of a better way to end such a great day of riding.

I was impressed by the afternoon of riding on the GS’s but I was about to have my mind blown away on the weekend by the trail ride that Duncan had planned. Kadex and I rode to Duncan’s house where we met up with over a dozen riders on Husqvarna’s and Sherco’s, I hadn’t ridden a dirt bike for a few years but it all came back very quickly and I was loving throwing the light bike around. We headed out through a mixture of backstreets and dirt roads until we were well into the forests of Bali, I had no idea that this small island had such great riding to offer. We rode through dry riverbeds, up technical climbs, long stretches of beach and best of all a section through what I think was a quarry that resembled a lunar landscape and allowed some excellent side by side racing. Not only was the riding amazing but the scenery was spectacular, we’d finish a climb and overlook a volcano or end a forest single track and stare out across vast valleys covered in rice fields. We rode all day and didn’t get back until dark, we rode across Bali and back and only occasionally stopped for a bite to eat, fuel top up or bike maintenance, I must admit I was sore but I couldn’t enough, I would off kept riding well into the night if I could.

I had no Idea that Bali offered such amazing riding, it certainly rated as one of the best places I had ridden a motorbike, best of all though was the motorcycle community I had met while I was here. From the riders on the trails who were all very supportive and enthusiastic about meeting a new rider to the guys at the BMW dealership who took the time to make sure that myself and my bike were looked after. Many thanks to Duncan for your generosity and Kadex for your time and help, it just proves that it’s the people that make a place great.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Sumbawa and Mount Rinjani (Lombok)

I was quite thankful that it was a simple process to catch a ferry from the island of Flores to the island of Sambawa. I jumped on at the Labuan Bajo terminal and 6 hours later I was riding the bike off the ferry at the Sape terminal, with not even the slightest hassle. I had been told that Sambawa was quite conservative and that it was a scenic island with a great road system but it offered little in the way of tourism, with that in mind I decided to head straight from Sape to Pantai Lakey, a world renowned surf beach. Pantai Lakey was full of surfers from all over the world and quite a large percentage were Aussies, many stay for a few months at a time to take advantage of the cheap lifestyle and the consistently good waves. I arrived in Lakey in time for New Years Eve and it was a great place to be celebrating, there was a strange mix of surfers and a huge amount of locals that swarmed there for the celebrations, with a few of the beach front hotels playing louder and louder music in competition with their neighbouring establishments. I had met a rider by the name of Rohan when I was in Darwin, he was riding to England on a Yamaha Tenere and I was lucky to of caught up with him for New Years in Pantai Lakey. We spent a few days hanging out at the beach and then rode together for the trip across Sambawa.

 Rather than follow the highway all the way we did a detour to ride around the base of Mount Tambora, its eruption in April 10^th 1815 has the reputation of being the largest volcanic explosion in human history and the resulting ash cloud caused what was known as “the year without summer” throughout Europe and North America in 1816. The detour was worthwhile, it took us on a road that felt like real adventure riding, it had a mixture of muddy mountain passes, smooth winding asphalt, creek crossings and off road sections, the scenery was spectacular, with the imposing mount Tambora always looming to our left. We spent the night at a modest guest house at the base of the mountain and headed off the next morning to see if we could make the ferry terminal for Lombok. We completed our loop of Tambora and jumped back on the highway, there was a vast difference between the two roads and all of a sudden we were zooming along on a smooth, winding coastal road all the way to the terminal at Poto Tano. Our dream run of riding continued as there was a ferry ready to go at the terminal, within 30 minutes of arriving in town we were on the ferry heading to the island of Lombok. It was a short trip between islands and in under 2 hours we were disembarking at Labuan Lombok with a few hours of daylight to go. We deciding to try and get to the base of mount Rinjani, where we planned a 3 day hike to the summit, the road was once again mind blowing, the steep ascent had one sharp bend after another and threaded its way between two mountains with one scenic vista followed by the next.

Mount Rinjani was on my list of must do’s in Indonesia, I was a little concerned that the hiking season may have ended due the rainy season but upon arriving we were told that the mountain was still open for 5 days…. Perfect!!! I had initially wanted to take my own gear and just hire a guide however the guide company insisted that we take a porter to look after our equipment while we did the summit. The hike was challenging but really enjoyable, the porters took care of the food but I took all my other gear so I was happy that I wasn’t doing it too easy like most of the other hikers and the porter was happy because he didn’t have to carry too much. We set the tents up at what they called base camp, which was a very windy ridgeline, it was very fortunate that the rain only started after the tents were set up but once it came it poured down steadily. I was loving the food that the porter cooked, I was given large portions of Mie Goreng and Gado Gado, it was absolutely delicious, much better than the usual 2 minute noodles and oats that I take on a hiking trip.

Man or Mouse:  I finished my dinner on the first night and left the plate with left over chicken bones in my tent, I also left the tent zip slightly open planning to take the dish over to the guide’s tent when the rain died down. I must have dozed off and woke up to a rustling next to my head, I looked over and saw the silhouette of what I thought was a large rat in the tent with me. I quickly sat upright and grabbed my torch, trying to locate the intruder. Once I had him in the torch beam I realised that it was more likely a very large hopping mouse than a rat but in the small confines of a 2 man tent one seemed as bad as the other. It seemed as though an epic battle may brew between myself and the savage beast, he was as keen to get out of the tent as I was to get him out, I just didn’t want to get rabies from a rodent bite in the process. We managed to circle each other in the tiny tent for a good 5 minutes before I finally ushered him out the tent, I think it was a win/win, I threw the bones outside for him to nibble on and I managed to get through the whole situation without screaming like a girl.

 

I was quite thankful that it was a simple process to catch a ferry from the island of Flores to the island of Sambawa. I jumped on at the Labuan Bajo terminal and 6 hours later I was riding the bike off the ferry at the Sape terminal, with not even the slightest hassle. I had been told that Sambawa was quite conservative and that it was a scenic island with a great road system but it offered little in the way of tourism, with that in mind I decided to head straight from Sape to Pantai Lakey, a world renowned surf beach. Pantai Lakey was full of surfers from all over the world and quite a large percentage were Aussies, many stay for a few months at a time to take advantage of the cheap lifestyle and the consistently good waves. I arrived in Lakey in time for New Years Eve and it was a great place to be celebrating, there was a strange mix of surfers and a huge amount of locals that swarmed there for the celebrations, with a few of the beach front hotels playing louder and louder music in competition with their neighbouring establishments. I had met a rider by the name of Rohan when I was in Darwin, he was riding to England on a Yamaha Tenere and I was lucky to of caught up with him for New Years in Pantai Lakey. We spent a few days hanging out at the beach and then rode together for the trip across Sambawa.

 Rather than follow the highway all the way we did a detour to ride around the base of Mount Tambora, its eruption in April 10^th 1815 has the reputation of being the largest volcanic explosion in human history and the resulting ash cloud caused what was known as “the year without summer” throughout Europe and North America in 1816. The detour was worthwhile, it took us on a road that felt like real adventure riding, it had a mixture of muddy mountain passes, smooth winding asphalt, creek crossings and off road sections, the scenery was spectacular, with the imposing mount Tambora always looming to our left. We spent the night at a modest guest house at the base of the mountain and headed off the next morning to see if we could make the ferry terminal for Lombok. We completed our loop of Tambora and jumped back on the highway, there was a vast difference between the two roads and all of a sudden we were zooming along on a smooth, winding coastal road all the way to the terminal at Poto Tano. Our dream run of riding continued as there was a ferry ready to go at the terminal, within 30 minutes of arriving in town we were on the ferry heading to the island of Lombok. It was a short trip between islands and in under 2 hours we were disembarking at Labuan Lombok with a few hours of daylight to go. We deciding to try and get to the base of mount Rinjani, where we planned a 3 day hike to the summit, the road was once again mind blowing, the steep ascent had one sharp bend after another and threaded its way between two mountains with one scenic vista followed by the next.

Mount Rinjani was on my list of must do’s in Indonesia, I was a little concerned that the hiking season may have ended due the rainy season but upon arriving we were told that the mountain was still open for 5 days…. Perfect!!! I had initially wanted to take my own gear and just hire a guide however the guide company insisted that we take a porter to look after our equipment while we did the summit. The hike was challenging but really enjoyable, the porters took care of the food but I took all my other gear so I was happy that I wasn’t doing it too easy like most of the other hikers and the porter was happy because he didn’t have to carry too much. We set the tents up at what they called base camp, which was a very windy ridgeline, it was very fortunate that the rain only started after the tents were set up but once it came it poured down steadily. I was loving the food that the porter cooked, I was given large portions of Mie Goreng and Gado Gado, it was absolutely delicious, much better than the usual 2 minute noodles and oats that I take on a hiking trip.

Man or Mouse:  I finished my dinner on the first night and left the plate with left over chicken bones in my tent, I also left the tent zip slightly open planning to take the dish over to the guide’s tent when the rain died down. I must have dozed off and woke up to a rustling next to my head, I looked over and saw the silhouette of what I thought was a large rat in the tent with me. I quickly sat upright and grabbed my torch, trying to locate the intruder. Once I had him in the torch beam I realised that it was more likely a very large hopping mouse than a rat but in the small confines of a 2 man tent one seemed as bad as the other. It seemed as though an epic battle may brew between myself and the savage beast, he was as keen to get out of the tent as I was to get him out, I just didn’t want to get rabies from a rodent bite in the process. We managed to circle each other in the tiny tent for a good 5 minutes before I finally ushered him out the tent, I think it was a win/win, I threw the bones outside for him to nibble on and I managed to get through the whole situation without screaming like a girl.

I woke up 2am to reach the summit for sunrise, I was quite surprised at how steep and slippery the track was to the top, it was also ridiculously cold, lucky I had my goose down puffer jacket with me. I managed to beat the guide to the summit, which pleased my competitive side and enjoyed the view over the volcano crater from 3700 metres. I’m pretty sure to make up for being beaten up the hill my young guide decided to teach me a lesson on how to get down the mountain fast, we ended up running down the steep shaly mountain ridge, racing each other and flying past people on the way, it was bloody good fun but he well and truly beat me down. That afternoon we did a second walk to the crater lake and hot springs before heading back down the mountain the next morning. Rinjani certainly lived up to its reputation, it was a magical 3 days and 2 nights but I was looking forward to reaching the tourist town of Senggigi for a well earned massage