This is most of what I did through Indonesia. The mainland Asia stuff (blue dots) was my rough idea, but changed a bit. What's missing from here is the Berastagi to Bukit Lawang leg.... which is just a 1cm spike from below the "e" in Medan, up through the "M". I never got up to Aceh. I followed the main highway for a while, but ended up in Bengkulu, after yet another "moment" with the pissweak Garmin map. I then followed the coast road up the west coast. The ride from Bengkulu to Padang appears to be about 400km according to that map, but I recall it as a 12 hour ride that got me in a couple of hours after dark - not a good idea btw, and I got run off the road 3 times in the process.
I had one extremely close call in Sumatra. A matter of millimetres. I was enjoying a left-hand corner, not hammering, but going at the sort of pace one would ride in Thailand. A full-sized bus came around the blind corner on my side of the road. Overtaking a truck. I stood the bike up, slammed the brakes on and turned left. If I'd done anything different, I wouldn't be writing this. I didn't "enjoy" a single left-hander after that. I was talking to another rider about it and he said his Sumatra experience was getting run off the road by an overtaking truck on a corner. He fell off and was knocked out. He came around with the truck driver standing over him. "Oh, you alive.... the one two weeks ago, he die". For the inexperienced, Sumatra will make or break you.
When I took Sarma and her Dad to Medan, it was in an 8-seater taxi ($6.50 each, 5 hour trip). The driver was overtaking around blind corners. We chipped him about it and he said "You must understand, you have a third eye, in the middle of your head.... you do not overtake unless it feels right, when your third eye tells you it is OK". These guys believe that the moment of your death is pre-ordained and nothing that they do will change that. It has serious implications for how you have to ride.
... and seriously... if you ride at night, you WILL get run off the road
These guys didn't make it. That's a big truck... about 75 metres, straight down.
Here's a back road, down south, between Way Kambas and the main north south road
Its Indonesia, so you will get diesel fumes all over you.
The local lads are fun to talk to
A local lad, on a Harley.... chugging along at 80kph
The roads can be great... but not long after this, I was riding along a beach, because the road had been washed away
Lake Maninjau is another beautiful spot. 43 hairpins on the descent into town
My Garmin told me to cross this bridge....
Some lads collecting a toll for having cleared the road. They probably blocked it in the first place
On that point... have a pocketful of 2,000 notes and maybe some 5,000s in another pocket. The "bush telegraph" works. I started always putting my change in the mosque building fund box in roadside stalls and in the nets that the locals hold out at roadworks and for mosques. The news travelled up the road. It can't hurt
I want one of these
The locals are friendly... this was a private party that I crashed. They fed me and tried to get me pissed (just out of the Islamic area - bit of friction between religions around here)
The volcano at Berestagi is worth climbing
I stayed at the hotel next to these at Berestagi - many of these are derelict inside
Ooohhh.... girls in uniforms
... and some good friends in Medan. Lovely girls
Typical Sumatra
First of two or three flats in Sumatra
My trip over the top of Samosir was with these guys. The other westerner is Chris, from Switzerland, who I'd met on the road. He was given a brand new big Husqvarna and gear to ride. I found out about it on the day, turned up, was refused entry because the 950 was too big... but got a thumbs up from the organiser when I rode through the start gate. About 500 bikes. Not the poor folks either - one of the entrants paid for my petrol.
I ended up on Indonesian tv and in a magazine article as a result. I probably shouldn't have picked up the tv interviewer, eh?
Had a bit of a bald rear knobby... but the lads rescued me
I wasn't the only one to make it up here unaided... but I was the first of our group to try it. After me, then this guy... the rest took the "chicken track" around the hill
... and I was the only one to get through here unaided. About a 75 metre drop over the edge
Oh... and some elephant scars... there's a groove in the Safari tank, where his tusk slid up the tank... took out the "o" in "Doctor"
Did I put this one in earlier? Definitely do the 2 day walk through the jungle at Bukit Lawang. I was exhausted at the end of the walk... absolutely stuffed... but it was worth it. The guide asked me how old I was... "nearly 57".... "Oh, at 57, Sumatra man not go in jungle any more"
The overnight jung
le camp. Don't do it if you don't like leeches, bitey ants, etc
le camp. Don't do it if you don't like leeches, bitey ants, etc
