The last 6 weeks in Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak passed so quickly that we almost forgot about the validity of our visa for Indonesia… Now, we have to leave the lovely Kuching and head for the border.
Thanks to our friends from Victoria Arms Big Biker Club and their connections we don’t have any kind of problems at the Tebedu/Entikong border. Quick check on the engine and chassis numbers instead of the usual “creating” of problems. Everything goes in Indonesia with the right connections!!

at the border in entikong no problems at all due to help from our friends from Victoria Arms Big Biker Club!

Straight behind the border we’re entering a different world. Where Malaysia spoiled us with nice roads and relaxed atmosphere, Indonesia gets us back in to the 3rd World.
The roads are beyond western imagination and the super crazy traffic is still topping it up.
Our average speed moves down to 50km/h and this is still too fast. Trucks and Busses would cut your way anytime and overtake each other despite oncoming traffic.
It takes time to get used to that chaotic situation.

crossing the equator in pontianak

fisherman in pontianak

We’re more than happy to be guests of Mr. Mahendra in Pontianak, who shows us the city and organizes our ferry to Jakarta.

equator monument in pontianak

jane with maria in pontianak

In Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok harbour we’re picked up by our friends and brought to their house. Jakarta must be the worst place to ride bike in the world, the traffic is terrible and all the traffic jams… it takes us 2 hours to reach Aseps house 30 kilometres from the harbour.
We’re leaving the bike behind in Jakarta and taking a train to Surabaya instead to visit Manuel and his wife Bertha, some old friends of mine. Again, great moments together.
We visit Mt. Bromo and have a great weekend together.
On Monday Manuel has to teach English again and we take a train to Yogyakarta. On a rented 110cc scooter we discover the surroundings of the ancient place.
We ride up to Mt. Merapi view point but the clouds are covering the magnificent view.
But Borobodur Temple makes it all up again – what a great place!!!
From Yogya by train back to Jakarta and our bike, which we missed a lot!
Even we’re choosing Sunday as the day for leaving Jakarta, the traffic is still more than terrible.
From Merak we take a ferry to Sumatra without any troubles or whatsoever. Here things change again. Where Java is developed and crowded, Sumatra is the opposite. The time seem to have stopped ages ago.
Instead of following the truck-clogged Transsumatran Highway, we’re choosing the by far less frequented coastal road from Krui up to Padang.
Again and again we have to stop and enjoy the picturesque scenery. That must be every biker’s dream road!
Additional to this joy of biking we’re visiting some lakes like Ranau Lake, Kerinci Lake, Maninjau Lake all of supernatural beauty. In Bukittinggi we’re having a rare chance to see worlds largest flower – the Rafflesia!!!
The last leg of our journey through Indonesia isn’t very exciting. The road follows mainly a straight course towards dumai, its in a very bad shape and framed by ugly pipelines instead beautiful landscape.
We arrange the bike transport on an onion vessel to melaka and get tickets for us on the express boat.
7 weeks Indonesia behind us, time seems to have passed even faster than in Borneo.
We have to say Good Bye to this great country with its fascinating landscape and strong culture but we’ll come back one time, that’s for sure!!

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gunung bromo in java

vespa in yogyakarta

borobodur temple

cool guys on ancient bikes

riding back to bandung

monas tower in jakarta

small repairs in jakarta

HRC jakarta

jane with padang costume

art @ bukittinggi

buddhas at borobodur

bukittinggi

carabao in indonesia

dream road west sumatras

fuel transporter

hammerheads at the market in bengkulu

harau valley

jane and rafflesia

jane with bertha

kerinci valley

kids in bengkulu

lake ranau

maninjau lake

market in bukittinggi

martabak yumm yumm

mt. bromo

mt. kerinci

perception of germany on indonesian t-shirt

sorting coffee beans

tea plantations @ kerinci

traditional house in padang

view over maninjau lake

loading procedure in dumai