Day 86 - A turn to the southwest with Yogya in sights - Unfinished Business

July 25, 2023

Day 86 - A turn to the southwest with Yogya in sights

My day started in spectacular fashion when the hotel staff brought me two breakfasts. They weren't minimalist chocolate jaffles but the full Indonesian breakfast. They probably thought that I look a bit thin. I was on the road by 7.30, knowing that I had a few km of fuel.

I didn't know at that point that breakfast was to be the highlight of my day. After several km on the main drag, I noticed that I could jump on a minor road and perhaps make life a bit easier. Here's the synopsis - it was a touch quieter, just as filthy, a rougher road and thus much slower, while the navigation became tricky. Roadside markers indicating distance, on main roads, are quite reassuring. In contrat, i have no idea of my whereabout on a minor road, while the other result of my experiment was 20 km extra getting to Jombang. The moral of the story: when in Indonesia, just tolerate. I'll be on main roads until Yogya, at least.

Every so often there was a tree-lined section.

A sanitized view when traffic was light. Don't be fooled by the narrow "scooter lane". Drivers here specialize in undertaking. I sit on the right hand side of the white line.

At a stretch, I can think of a couple of interesting things. One is that I heard my first accident. Yes, it's probably usual to see an accident but this one happened behind me. I heard the clunk of a scooter as it hit the ground, having run up the back of ..................ME!!!!! It hit my left rear pannier, gave me a fair jolt, but I managed to stay up. Then, being a gentleman cyclist, I picked up the scooter and made sure the women aboard were OK. There was no damage to any person or property. Most people were laughing, as you do with accidents. The women were embarrassed, I think, about hitting a bule, pronounced "boolay" - a foreigner.

Today, I couldn't resist the pineapples at three for 10,000 rp, so my vendor photo of the day is one selling nanas.

I also took a photo of an auto-rickshaw driver after I caught him taking one of me. I think that personal space is something yet to arrive in Indonesia. It's common for people to lean over your shoulder to look at your phone; not just me, it happened to Ramli yesterday. So, I indicated to the auto driver to stand in front of his machine. Of course, he was excited.

Today was one of noise, horrendous noise. The roadside was filthy, everything grimy, exhaust fumes were bad, but it's the noise that sits atop my pile of things that I'm finding hard to tolerate. Other things have dropped away. Fortunately, I'm now largely anonymous so there are few "hello misters" or "bule, bule"! There are now a few semi-trailers, often carrying containers, that just rattle. There are the loud motorcycles and trucks fitted with devices that scream when accelerating. And if that's not enough, toss in blasting music and blaring mosques. Indonesia is loud! I found myself dreaming of sitting in a quiet Australian park, the only sound being birdsong. Here I see pigeons, sparrows, a few cattle egrets and songbirds in cages.

I had intended going further but my "wasted km" saw me cut my losses in Jombang.

Most Indonesian cities have a feature as you enter.

The other interesting sight was a silver man at a major intersection outside the university in Jombang. He made my day!

With a little effort I found a salubrious establishment for the night, complete with noisy fan. For little money, I get a room with a fan, two beds, breakfast and tea and coffee when I want it. I ordered tea and was brought two cups, which was perfect. It's part, I think, of paying for a twin room. I'm expecting two breakfasts tomorrow!

Excellent Dieffenbachias outside my room. They're an interesting poisonous plant that produce calcium oxalate.

Let me finish with a photo that Ramli just sent.

It was a difficult ride. Ramli does very well considering.

And now, for a late addition. I found a Ramen place, which was a nice change. Fortunately, they had mushroom ramen. The waitress, Abelia, asked for a photo. I suggested one together.

Today's ride: 108 km (67 miles)
Total: 6,601 km (4,099 miles)

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