The Indonesians, with a little monetary support from their Aussie neighbors, have embarked on a road building bonanza. Silky smooth tarmac roads soon will link most of the coastal settlements.
This is a good thing. We love riding rough (maybe not as much as the Pikes on Bikes or Cass Gilbert, but we’re up for shakes and rattles when it’s worth it—which is most of the time).
The thing is, on Sulawesi gravel sucks. The coastal climbs are often way too steep on a rough and rocky surface (at least if you’re seriously over-loaded like we are). In a few cases we ended up slipping and sliding, eventually having to push. That’s never fun.
The best part of a big hill is getting to rip down the other side. The problem with gravel on Sulawesi is that building up the necessary momentum to get your bike flying effortlessly half way up the next hill will likely get you a broken collar bone (or worse) after the big crash at the bottom.
We have ZERO desire to see the inside of a remote rural clinic manned by folks with limited medical training. So long live tarmac.
Once we got out of the busy Manado area (and its highly exotic markets) we were in for more stunning coastal riding. Tiny fishing villages, lush forests, emerald rice paddies and the big blue sea around every bend. Thankfully, the grades weren’t quite as steep as what we’d experienced around ToliToli, Buol and Paleleh.
That’s not to say we didn’t suffer. We did. But as usual, the wide open views out over the sea lessened the pain in our screaming calves.
As one blog reader recently pointed out, it’s the people, not the places, that really count. While we certainly can’t fault Indonesians for any lack of friendliness (foreigners are granted instant fame on arrival).
But, as we all know, stardom has a dark underside. In Indonesia, annonymity—even for moment —would be bliss.
Popping out to the corner store (sans fully-loaded bicycle) garners a slew of Hello Misters and sundry questions (Dari mana, mister? Mau kemana, mister? Mau cari apa, mister? Tujuan apa?/ Where are you from? Where are you going? What are you looking for? What is your goal?)
Leave me ALONE, I want to shout.
The incessant gawking and greeting is just too much attention for introverts like us.
Luckily, there are those unforgettable moments of genuine kindness to keep our morale and attitudes in check. Seeing us hunker down to a desolate dinner of instant noodles, a village women returns an hour later with a platter of fresh seafood and rice. Now that’s just really, really nice (tasty, too).
After that kind of experience, posing for another round of cell phone snapshots with locals excited to have a Real Live Foreigner in their midst is a little less painful.
Beautiful photographs! We’re glad to see you’re still having a ball on the road. Where’s your travels taking you after Indo? X
Back up through Southeast Asia and eventually India and Central Asia–the plan is to be back in Europe in the summer of 2016 to celebrate a decade on the road. Are you two headed down to Patagonia!
A decade! That’s so exciting. All the best for the long ride home 🙂 We’ve been diverted due to work commitments and have jumped continents. We’re in Spain at the moment heading to Barcelona before weaving our way north and finishing our travels in the UK.
We are not completely against tarmac especially at the moment when it is rainy season in Peru and the roads are a bit squishy. Just found a brilliant 54 switchback 2000m paved climb. It is quite nice to be able to look around and not have to focus on the ground in front of your wheel. Does that carousel bike have gears? H x
Oh yes, the squishy stuff is hard going–remember that from Brazil–all mud and much on the road from Guyana. Anyway, glad to hear that even the intrepid Pikes sometimes do tarmac. You two remain a great inspiration to us.
Fantastic photos Amaya. I can see how you won the photo competition in the cycle magazine. The one a day project must have paid off. Safe and happy travels. Leon
Great to hear from you, Leon! Yes, the photo project really helped discipline me to take photos regularly and I got a lot of inspiration and support from the members on project 365. A shout out to South African cyclist Leana Niemand for introducing me to the project. Hope all is well in beautiful NZ!
One more time thank you for amazing pictures and letting us get a taste of your adventures. Safe roads and friendly people all the way. Looking forward to your next post.
Michal (Prague)
Grilled bats? Incredible!! Lovely shots.
What you need, is a Fat Bike (-;
Yes, a Fat Bike would have made those climbs a whole lot easier!
Absolutely loved the photos and living in Australia where I am only a short flight away, I am scheming out ways to get my bike there for a ride. I know what you mean about the bikes and noise as well. Was in Jakarta for my son’s engagement, fighting the traffic with 5 million cars and 8 millions motor bikes. Chaotic to say the least.
Hi!
Fantastic blog and great pictures. I am cycling from Australia to Poland, my home. Leaving Australia soon and choosing my next country. After reading your blog Sulawesi north coast sounds really good. Got a few questions for you:
– do you know how to get to Sulawesi from Dili (East Timor) ?
– did you have vaccinations for Japanese Encephalitis? do you recommend getting one?
All the best in the upcoming year 2016!
Daniel