After 5 months of working & playing in the good ole USA it was time to
saddle up and hit the road. The news of Garryck's injury crash in Malaysia
was tough on me as I was really looking forward to riding with him. He
broke many bones and will be recovering at least until February 2004 where
he'll hopefully meet up with me in New Zealand or Australia. I knew how
excited he was to see Indonesia, ride the volcanoes and experience the
fabulous culture. This would be my first country to go 100% alone and I
had mixed feelings of fear, sadness and excitement.

I landed in Jakarta feeling happy and content after almost 27 hours of
travel. My "plans" or "itinerary" I spent hours researching were scratched
last minute due to logistical issues and I opted for a new spontaneous
route that brought me into Surabaya, Java's 2nd largest city, at about
8PM. I took a taxi to the guesthouse called Bamboo Dunn and was welcomed
by a drunk guitar playing fella with missing teeth named Ishal who led me
to my own room with queen sized bed for under 4 bucks. I was exhausted
after the 31 hour journey but after a shower I got a second wind to go out
and meet the guys and gals who ran the place who were drinking heavy
amounts of rice alcohol called Araq and playing guitar. Ishal played up
some great tunes by Bob Dillan and John Lennon with his own funky lyrics
and we exchanged broken English for about 1/2 an hour with huge smiles on
our faces. I had arrived at the perfect place that was more like an
Indonesian family's house than a hostel.

I hit the hay soon after but did not sleep so well due to the mosquitoes
and some funky jet lag of sorts. But I woke up early and excited to build
up the bike and explore the city. It was not long after the bike was built
with the help of my local friends Suga and Umi that I took the bike out
for a test ride with Suga as my first guest rider to grab some food. The
bike is running like butter, just perfect!

The city of Surabaya is busy and congested with traffic but it did not
seem to bother me like it has in the past. I was able to enjoy the noise,
colors, smells, smiling faces and the "alive" feel of a bustling city. The
stark differences between here and the USA are huge! The overall feel and
energy is much more relaxed and easygoing, for one. People are moving
about but don't seem to be in a hurry. And my favorite difference was that
if you smile at someone, you WILL get a smile back.

After a brief mid afternoon nap I was excited to try to find an orphanage
to deliver the bag of teddy bears I was packing and put some smiles on the
faces of some of the locals. My wish was granted when Ishal offered to
ride as the 2nd guest rider and take me to visit his father, friends and
also to the orphanage.

Ishal is a funny fella indeed. He has about 4 missing teeth in the front
but that does not keep him from smiling ear to ear at all times and
jabbering his Indonesian slang and unforgettable "No Problem" cheers at
any sign of adversity. He decided he would sport some red sunglasses that
included a snap on plastic sun visor and it was a truly a comical sight!
We hopped on the bike at about 2PM and were soon navigating the busy
streets of Surabaya and turning heads of the locals cheering out "Hello
Mister!" We arrived at his parents house just as the sweat pouring out of
my body was starting to get annoying due to the new heat and humidity I
had long forgotten from my 5 month stay in the San Francisco Bay Area. His
house was a modest abode in a Muslim neighbourhood with children playing
in every direction. His father was sitting on a table smoking a cigarette
and a picture of a mosque was framed in the center of the living room.

The kids from the village came by to check out the bike and the only
westerner in miles and I gave out a few teddy bears to some smiling kids
who were super thankful indeed. After a few minutes playing around we
pedaled on to his friends business, a local pharmacy where I met his best
friend and relaxed in the shade. Everyone was super friendly, very fun and
smiles were on everyone's face.

Finally we made our way through the back streets to find the orphanage. It
was a Muslim run organization and it had 32 orphans, most of them out
playing but a few straggling around. I was welcomed with open arms by the
head of the orphanage who introduced me to his daughter, wife and many
cute orphan girls and boys. All of the woman had their heads covered in
beautiful veils of different colors and they all yielded smiles to the new
guest from America. I had no doubt that just being me, and telling them up
front I was from America despite the hype of anti-American fears of so
many folks, was the best bet. I was right! They were all very friendly and
treated me with respect and love.

I gave a few teddy bears out to the adorable kids who were all very
grateful and I let the older orphans take the bike out for a ride while I
laughed with the kids and smiled with the international language of love
and peace. All I needed to do was smile and laugh and we were all getting
along just fine despite the language barriers. Ishal was very patient and
let me stay as long as I wanted. I gave a few rides to the kids and before
long we were all feeling like family. The energy around was magical!

We said our farewells to our new friends and were soon pedaling towards
the ocean where we checked out families walking out in the mud of low tide
to collect clams for dinner. Ishal and I just chilled out watching real
life in Indonesia go by. The friendly fishermen and their families stopped
by to say hi and share a warm smile. One of my favorite parts of
travelling is experiencing how other people live and survive. It was a
dream come true to be doing it with a new native friend Ishal by my side.

Now here is where it gets exciting. After I arrived at the guesthouse I
decided to hit the Internet and let everyone know I made it there alive.
It was there that I saw for the 2nd and 3rd time a bright, colorful flyer
announcing a festival of love, peace, surf and fun in Kuta on the island
of Bali, the next island over from Java where I was. It was ending in 4
days on the anniversary of the fatal bombings in Bali of October 12th. A
light went on and I knew in my heart that this festival was an opportunity
to make a difference in the world and there was no doubt that I needed to
change my original plans to ride Java first then Bali and switch it
around. I was heading to Bali the next day!

So I packed up my bags and got back to my book "Illusions" by Richard Bach
that blew my mind. I hit the hay early and this time slept like a baby and
woke up just in time to ride to the train station to get me to the ferry
station to Bali. I caught a boat in no time and was soon staring at
beautiful Bali and meeting some cool Indonesians on way. The most notable
guy was Rama who jumped out saying how I looked like Andre Agasi. Turns
out he was from Surabaya where I just came from and we decided we'd meet
up again when I came back through to grab my bike box.

I hit the port town of Giliminuk as the sun was going down. I met a cool
guy who hopped on the back of the bike as my first Balinese rider. It's a
blast to just laugh and giggle with a total stranger fresh off the boat to
ease your way into a new land. I arrived at Medewi surf town about half
way to Kuta, Bali in the evening where I hoped get into the water some for
a quick surf before heading to Kuta.

After a good night sleep I met up with some other guys from Sweden and one
of them let me borrow his board for a morning surf on the epic long left
hand waves of Medewi. I pooped out by 11AM and decided to hit the road for
my first full day of touring on the day of the full moon. I got myself
about 40KM of amazing touring in Bali and the scenery was breathtaking
with views of tiered rice paddies, lush mountains, crashing surf, neat
villages, colorful trees and flowers, and some of the friendliest people
I've ever met. Every smile and wave was returned with huge teeth beaming
through he dark island skin, "Salamat Pagi!" followed by giggles and grins
as they peered at the tandem. I was loving Bali indeed. The vibe of the
island is so relaxed and chill. The congested roads and pollution were my
only complaints.

I landed a place in Kuta, cleaned up and walked on down to the beach and
was surprised to hear nice house music being played in front of a
McDonald's restaurant. I was astonished to once again meet my Surabaya
friends Rama and his brother I met on the boat over from Java. I knew our
days of fun together were far from over.

Next day I rode over to the bombing spot they call "Ground Zero" and it
brought to tears just being in the presence of all the flowers, gifts,
writings to the deceased, and the energy created by so many family and
survivors all there for the anniversary festival. I went into the
development office near ground zero in hopes to try to get involved or
volunteer somehow. Soon enough I was meeting the organizers of the
festival from all over who were very excited I made it to Kuta and they
formally invited me enter my bike in big parade that day!

So this day ended up being one of the most amazing days of my adventure. I
rode over to the parade set-up spot and found 3 Balinese guests to ride on
the bike that would be tastefully decorated by volunteers. Before I knew
it my bike was transformed into a beautiful parade machine decked out in
purple, gold, orange and even pink all over it with balloons and beautiful
ribbons. I was chilling out meeting heaps of locals and many
philanthropists and volunteers who came from all over the world to help
make this parade a huge success. There were clubs from all over Indonesia
from Harleys, scooters, uni-cycles, and so much more. It was a great
representation of the all different groups from Indonesia.

Finally the start time arrived at 4PM and I was soon parading with more
than twenty little 10-12 year old Balinese girls on uni-cycles in front of
me and with a gorgeous Balinese woman Ami as my guest rider with 2 cute
Balinese boys on the front and rear rack wearing shirts that said "Bali
Loves Peace". We both had our Peace Pedalers hats on and we were all just
smiling and waving peace signs and getting great smiles and response from
the thousands of spectators that lined the streets of Kuta in Bali. There
was music, dancing, riding, screaming, crying, laughing, and at the ground
zero bombing spot everyone stopped and said a prayer or made on offering
during a 150 meter section of the parade that was totally silent.

The parade turned out to be 3 hours and was super hot and challenging, but
so very rewarding. We finished up where we stared and I hooked up with a
group of very wild and crazy expatriates who took me out on the town where
we danced, sung and laughed till 4AM in the north part of Kuta. At 4AM we
all headed down to the "Double Six" club and on the way down from the
upper section I saw a guy walking the streets and invited him to come for
a ride. His name was Farid and turns out was a super happy, fun guy from
the northern part of Indonesia called Sumatra. He was up early to go
exercise on the beach and I was out late celebrating and our two energies
met and the rest is history. We giggled our way down to the club and I
talked him into altering his exercise plans with tons of dancing. He
accepted the offer and we all danced till 8AM to amazing music right on
the beach.

The following morning I was up very early to beat the morning heat and
pedal out of busy Kuta heading east on a planned "around the island" tour.
My hopes were that by getting away from Kuta and the capital Denspasar I
would find some touring without all the cars, trucks and motorcycles. I
finally got out of town after about an hour of smoggy but flat touring.
After a breakfast stop I was back on the road and the touring seemed to be
getting better with fewer cars and more face-to-face riding through cute
villages with smiling locals going about their daily lives. Gotta love
bike touring!

I ended up taking a wrong turn, which was best turn of the day as I did
finally get a few kilometers of uncontested touring and awesome scenery of
farming, rice paddies, horse drawn carts, woman carrying fruit offerings
to the temple on their heads, and great stuff you just don't see in the
west. But after that road ended I was back behind the buses, trucks and
motorcycles without any emission controls and my patience was running
thin. After 68 kilometers of riding that day on Bali I was led by the
" Flow" or "Force" down to the ferry terminal to next island over called
Lombok. It was a cute curvy road through the jungle and I arrived just in
time to take a cheap public boat to the rugged island of Lombok, about 4
hours off the coast of Bali where I hoped to find some less congested
roads.

When I arrived at the harbour I knew I made the right choice. The island
was super rugged, unspoiled, and sparsely populated---perfect for
adventure cycling!

I made my way to a guest house I read about called Siti Hawa at sunset.
Siti is the name of the mother of 2 beautiful sons and she is married to a
cool Kiwi guy who helped turn her oceanside home into a small home stay
where for 4 dollars I had a home cooked meal of 5 authentic healthy dishes
with the family (and I ate a lot of food after my ride) as well as a
bungalow on the beach where I could listen to the surf come gently
crashing in (and a midnight cat fight to boot!). I was up late with the
kiwi fella who is a very progressive and intelligent man who spawned long
conversations on how to make the world the place we know it is capable of
being.

After a nice night sleep I was up early to enjoy a breakfast of yummy
toast, fresh coffee and delicious fresh pineapple and papaya. I got on the
almost deserted roads nice and early for one of the most epic journeys of
my life. The oceanside road was very steep at times and I was in the
granny gear hammering as hard as I could and peaking my heart rate at
levels it had not seen in a long time. Each mini summit rewarded long
views of the ocean, pretty turquoise blue bays with colorful local sail
boats dotting the water. It was heaven. Although the trip was only 30KM,
it seemed more like 60 with the hills and increasing heat. I stopped a few
times in the tiny villages along the way and was blessed with some of the
friendliest people I have ever encountered; smiling kids, babies tied to
their dark tanned moms and dads, goats, cows, chickens, coconut trees,
beautiful flowers around every corner, clean air with that yummy smell of
fresh salt air--you get the picture.

I made it to the port town of Bangsal just in time to hop a small boat
full of local folks to the tiny island of Gili Trawangan where the diving
is world class and based on my research it had mountain biking potential.

I arrived at about noon and the first thing you notice is that there are
no cars, but rather just horse drawn carriages decorated with bright
colors--very welcome conditions for this pollution I found a cool guest
rider to ride with me on the dirt road to find a place to call home for a
few nights. He was a friendly fella who tried to take me first to the
local tourist place but I quickly told him I wanted to be close to the
locals. He took me to a cheap joint next to a diving place called Big
Bubble and arranged my place to stay right near the beach including
breakfast for $3 and lined up some dives for $20 each. Life was good!

I put the tandem in full swing mountain bike mode with no racks and the
big tires on so soon enough I was ripping up the local trails with the
island boys Mr. Spock (yes, that's what everyone really calls him--he's a
hoot!), Jahna, Faraz and more. Of course, I had my share the backpacking
community heading off to the quiet beaches where the snorkelling was
incredible and the 3 dollar beach massage was unforgettable. Ahhh, life in
Gili! So sweet!

That night I met heaps of cool people and was amazed how easygoing
everyone on the island was. I found a place that played classy acid jazz
music mixed with the breeze and gentle surf, overlooking the beautiful
mountains of Lombok where I would chill with the locals in the shade
smiling-- so still, so warm and so real.

Next day I did the very best dive to a place called Sharks Point. I woke
up, met my dive master Danni and we hopped on a boat on a perfectly calm
morning where the water like glass where I had my own private dive master
with no other customers to hit the world famous dive site that just blew
me away! From the moment we dropped down until the moment we came up an
hour later I was in total awe of the underwater wonderland in front of me.
The visibility was about 80 feet and with that I saw a whole book load of
species all playing together in a happy setting of soft colorful coral in
every imaginable hue! I was face to face with huge turtles, played tag
with the amazing Cuttlefish that change colors in front of your eyes, and
swam with 4 sharks just 2-3 feet from my face and followed manta rays on
their way. That's not mentioning the hundreds of other fish that made this
by far the most unforgettable dive I've ever had.

After the first dive I had a break of about 3 hours and took that
opportunity to ride with the locals and really "let the love flow" without
holding back. That was my mantra for the day, "Don't hold back the love!"
and boy did it create some amazing results in the way of new friends and
awesome experiences. After a nice meal with the locals and an Italian
owner of a hotel named Anton I went out for my second dive that was almost
as good as the first. The sun was setting and I had plans to meet Mr.
Spock that evening with some island folks o' fun and folly.

So as if this was not enough, I meet a cool guy John who I immediately
connected with for some reason. Well, after a nice sushi dinner with him
and some ladies I found out why. He had a dream to build his own huge boat
in the famous area of Suluwasi and sail it around tropical islands for
many years. After two years living and working on his boat every day he
ended up with a 110 foot sail boat that sleeps 12 and parties 70 with dive
tanks and huge party deck all made of classic Indonesian hard woods that
makes it one of the nicest boats I've ever set foot on. But just when life
could not get any better, a bit of adversity.

My first challenge happened the next day when I was trying to make my
headset on my bike tighter and ended up breaking the star nut that is a
crucial part of the bike. I was a bit bummed out but still managed to look
at the bright side--I am stuck on a beautiful island until I can find the
part so no worries! I was optimistic that I could adventure to the
" mainland" of tiny Lombok and find this part (an example of my lack of
bicycle knowledge time would tell).

I took a wonderful adventure to try to find the mysterious part for my
bike. I recruited the funniest and warmest guy on the island Mr. Spock to
be my copilot to head to the capital of Lombok called Mataram. He showed
up at 7:30 in the morning with a huge smile and ready for fun. He lives on
Lombok and has his family there so he was cool with the direction. We ate
a nice meal and caught the boat to Bangsal where we both sat up front and
battled the super rough sea and got drenched by the salty water with huge
smiles on our faces.

After landing our motor bike rental we headed to his house to meet his
family. His house is just outside Bangsal and is pretty rustic but very
homey. His daughters are beautiful at age 2, 4 and 6 so content just
playing with a small colorful ball and sneaking around laughing at us. Mr.
Spock has a room in his house that blew me away. You walk in and there's a
black light illuminating photos of Bob Marley, Guns and Roses artists, and
all sorts of paintings done quite clearly in altered states or reality.
More on the room later...

We headed out about 10AM towards Mataram and the journey was beyond words
as we went through "Monkey Mountain" where literally we saw over a hundred
monkeys all playing in the streets and trees near our journey. It was a
dense jungle pass where the bright sun lit up every huge of green
imaginable while monkeys and their babies dances and played. Magical.

We made it to Mataram and the search for the part began in the mall where
we had our first strike out on the part but found a guy who left his
position working the bike shop to take us to another bike shop. This next
shop turned out to be our second strike out. But then that shop called
another guy who came about 1/2 hour later who is the "expert" in bikes in
all Lombok and delivered the sad news that the part is only available if I
buy an entire headset and that would take 5-7 working days at least to
arrive, at best.

Rather than get discouraged, I decided to check on the status of the
request I put into my boy Cas in Singapore asking him to send over the
part to the main post office in Mataram and I could pick it up there.
After checking my email I was ecstatic to read that Cas pulled though and
there was a tracking number from fed ex in my inbox with the details of
the hunt even an experienced mountain biker in biking mecca Singapore had
to go through to find that silly part. Cas is a Dutch guy we met in Tibet
who now lives in Singapore and he's rock solid! Thanks Cas!

So yes, we struck out in our search for the part but our adventure
together was far from over. We then went to a small traditional Muslim
eatery and had the most delicious lamb I've ever eaten. We then made a
trek to his sister's house who owns heaps of land growing coconuts and
also has 3 children. We chilled out in the traditional Indonesian sun
shelter and drank fresh coconut milk cut from the tree that lit my dry
mouth up with the sweet flavor and then dove into the buttery flesh inside
that was music to my taste buds. All this amongst a neat family of natives
including his uncle with one eye and huge smile, chickens, 2 cats, 3
wonderful kids, and his warm and friendly sister.

Next stop was back to Spock's house where he was eager to get back to his
black light hideaway of his and turn on some music and chill with his
kids. His daughters came in and played with us, sang us a traditional
Indonesian school song with techo music blaring from Spock's radio (that
was a doosey...see the video to believe it), and just giggled like kids
together.

Finally it was time to head back to the island and Spock drove me back
where I hung out with the locals and met a cool guy who gave me
information about a mountain bike expedition I wanted to do at Mt.
Renjali, one of Indonesia's most sacred mountains. I was getting excited
to move onto another adventure but not really sure how to proceed
considering my bike was still without the special part.

I bid my farewell to my good friend Spock, helped the natives load heaps
of stuff on the boat that served as my workout for the day, and rode back
at sunset to Gili for what was to be my last night on the island.

I arrived determined to make my bike rideable so I could so some of the
mountain biking on the island and after some frustrating attempts to
creatively make my bum FSA headset work properly I came up with a
solution. Garryck's spirit was with me as I McGyvered the bike so it was
rideable, but likely not tandem touring road ready.

I met up with the crew of John, Susan, my Swedish pals Marcus and Magnus
for dinner and drinks and then it hit me. It was time to leave the island
and move on. It is difficult at times to move on when you meet great
people and the place is so wonderful, but it was time. I went back to my
room, packed my bags and hit the hay.

Next morning I hopped a boat and still was not totally sure where I was
going. I had the option to just head right to Bali to find a bike shop or
I could head to the magical mountain called Renjani and ride my shakey
bike. I was torn. That was until the guy sitting next to me I met told me
he was from Senaru, just near Renjani. That was it, off to Rengani I went.

I knew I would have a monster day of 7,000+ feet of climbing the next day
so I hopped a ride in the back of a Bemo up to the volcano's base camp
while watching the people celebrating the last Sunday before Ramadan under
the shade of the trees. If you want to experience true paradise in the
mountains before it gets tracked up with lines of tourist hotels, go to
Senaru! Immediately I knew this place was special just by the way it felt.
The locals are about 95% Muslim but far from fanatic and are some of the
friendliest folks I've met. I met with the trekking company Renjani Master
Trekking and negotiated the rates for my dream mountain biking expedition
of 3 days and 2 nights up sacred Renjani volcano.

I don't even want to put down here how cheap it is to have your own porter
to carry your gear, food, water and luxuries on your own
adventure--whether it's biking or trekking, it's a steal of a deal. I
turned my tandem touring machine into a single mountain bike that was
running perfect, minus the REALLY loose headset. But I took it on a test
ride and it was certainly rideable and very unlikely of any long term
damage to the bike frame so it was go for mountain biking for 3 days and 2
nights! Oh yeah!

I spent about 2 hours sorting my gear and finding out how to make my load
I would carry as light as possible. I managed to get my Camelback Transalp
to a very manageable weight considering I had my own porter following me
with any supplies I may need from tools to sunscreen. What else could a
mountain biker ask for?

After I was all packed up I was directed by the owner Hardee here at
Rinjani Master Trekking to a single track trail from heaven that ran in
between a clean river and a steep drop overlooking palm trees, the ocean,
tiered rice paddies and small villages. I was joined by beautiful fun
people on the trail, the woman bearing veils called "Gilbats" on their
heads and the children bringing huge smiles and giggles. I ended up at a
glorious waterfall cascading through lush green foliage with heaps of
islanders enjoying a power shower from Mother Nature. Everyone was so
friendly and eager to practice their broken English with me while taking
half dozen photos of the solo Westerner amongst the many Indonesians. It's
a real treat to simply experience the locals in a non-tourist environment.

I made my way back to the guest house to meet my porter who could not be a
better partner for my expedition. His name was Pahey, pronounced
Paaahh-Hey (Ali would like that name) and he speaks the best English of
any porter in the village (a requirement in my negotiations due to the
ability necessary to work the video and photo shots and explain the
history to me). Best of all, he also bears a permanent smile and very
positive energy so we were go for an awesome expedition!

Life was good. Very good!

My porter Pahey and his nephew Awang showed up bright and early ready to
roll with my gear and all the food we needed for 3 days and 2 nights of
adventure on Rinjani and they headed out before me as I sat and fueled up
on fried rice, a staple food I would get used to in the coming days.

After a few plates of rice I looked out the window to see Rinjani
perfectly clear and my excitement level was very high. I knew we had about
7,000 feet of climbing to do but I had no idea what I was really getting
myself into. I pedaled up the paved road towards the entrance to the park
and the scenery was stunning with lush palm trees, flowers, birds flying
around the cute bamboo houses. After about 2 kilometers of hard climbing
the pavement ended and I met up with Pahey at the entrance gate where we
signed the log book and I began the hard ride up the single track trail
through the villages below the main trail. The trail was perfect for
downhill riding with quick turns, tricky rocks and fun shaded terrain
through banana and coconut trees. I was wishing we were going to be coming
back down this way as it would be amazing but our trek took us back down
to another town east of the summit.

The climb continued on and was mostly rideable until we reached this one
point where the trail seemed to go straight uphill through roots, rocks,
and large stair-like climbing that was tough on the legs. The scenery was
now changing to a very lush jungle where every direction afforded views of
trees and plants that left my jaw hanging open wide. Monkeys in the trees,
birds singing, crickets and locusts screaming away created a truly
blissful environment for climbing.

Pahey and Awang caught up with me soon enough as I was catching my breath
carrying my bike up the steep terrain. I asked him how much longer this
type of climbing would go on and his answer came in the thick Indonesian
accent, "all the way, my friend". Not the answer I was hoping to hear.
Just about everyone who climbs Ringani hires a porter due to the fact that
you must climb the 7,000 feet in a short and tortuous 12KM, or 7 miles.
Even with my porters carrying my gear, I still had the bike, camera and
video, water and tools that weighed about 35-40 pounds so the going was
tough on my virgin trekking legs.

After lunch it was back to work, and the going did not get any easier. We
noticed the wind picking up as we left the jungle and were climbing up to
the high mountain terrain with a far drier ecosystem but equally stunning
as the views down below began to peak out of the clouds.

Finally the moment we had been waiting for arrived as we hit the volcano
crater rim after 10 hours of tough climbing. And it was one of the most
stunning sights of my life. On the rim of the main crater I looked down
into a crystal clear crater lake where in the middle of the lake grew
another small volcano with dried lava around it that had explode in 1994.
Words can't describe the feeling of victory and awe looking down at two
craters and then out in the distance where you saw the ocean, the three
Gili Islands where I was the day before and all the wonderful trees and
foliage.

The wind was howling in gusts that they estimated about 60 MPH and that
was bad news according to Pahey as the summit was likely over 100 MPH. But
that did not keep me from doing a nice yoga session overlooking the crater
and enjoying a wonderful sunset with my new friends. The feeling up there
is like no other; so peaceful and calm.

After sunset I enjoyed a nice meal of fried rice and hit my tent early at
about 8ish. That night the winds truly picked up and kept everyone awake
just about all night long and I even had to leave the tent and set it up
again so protect myself from the wind that was blowing dirt and sand
inside. It was raw power of Mother Nature showing herself clearly.

Next morning the views were spectacular and the colored clouds from the
early morning sun so beautiful. The wind was so strong that the porters
decided not to make the banana pancakes as the blowing dirt would have
made them pretty gritty. We had heard from some hikers we past that they
were not able to summit due to wind and, considering the freezing cold,
lack of sleep, the fact that 2 hikers just died earlier this year in bad
weather, I suggested we head back down and camp that night by the
waterfall out of the wind and cold. In my hidden agenda there was also the
ride down all the amazing terrain I saw on the way up. Schwing!!!! Bonus!!

The porters were more than happy to eliminate the brutal labors of the
planned itinerary and I was ecstatic to do the epic riding ahead. I
managed to get a few awesome licks of riding overlooking the ocean before
we dropped down into the jungle again.

Soon enough my dream mountain bike ride arrived. There is a small green
and silver sign that indicates that the mellow trail had arrived and I was
able to ride 95% of most technical, wild, adrenaline-rushing riding I've
done in a very long time. The single track trail was moist and grippy.
Roots and stumps were everywhere with tight corners keeping me totally
present with a permanent smile on my face. I stopped several times to do
some filming of the epic jungle terrain. Sweat beaded off my face as I
jumped, swerved and raced down the perfect trail. It was heaven.

I finally made it to the bottom and I was grinning ear to ear. Pahey and
Awang made great time and we took a small trail down to the waterfall
where they proceeded to make a fire right by the pristine irrigation river
and make an awesome lunch while I chilled in my thermarest chair sucking
in the bright green colors from the mid day sun penetrating all the
various trees. After some nice tea and a big meal we all took a nap in the
shade and waited for the crowds of the waterfall area to take off at 4PM
to pray.

At about 3:30 we headed to the river and met heaps of friendly locals who
pulled us into the waterfalls to enjoy the famous power-shower of the huge
falls surrounded by lush green plans in every direction. As promised by
Pahey, at 4PM the place was empty as they all went to pray. We had this
huge waterfall and river to ourselves all day and night!

We decided to camp in the shelter of the park and made a nice fire to brew
some tea. I set up my hammock and relaxed watching the sun slowly go down
into the trees listening to the birds, river and falls. A few locals came
down to join us as we relaxed in paradise!

At sunset we ate a nice meal of Pahey's famous fried rice and started on
some local rice wine that was quite tasty. We stayed up till about 8PM
talking, singing, laughing and just chilling with a candle light, big fire
and the calming sound of a huge waterfall and river to relax the soul. So
nice!

After one of the best sleeps of my life I woke up feeling refreshed and
happy, but sore! I stared out into the jungle during sunrise listening to
one species after another of birds and monkeys wake up and share their
song with the world. It was one of the best mornings of my life. After
some nice banana pancakes we went down the river and up to Pahey's house
where I met his wife and 7 month old little boy at his house. The boy was
so cute and loving and the energy of the household so relaxed and chill.

I was eager to get to the post office to get my bike part and was too sore
to ride so I arranged a truck to take me to Bangsal to catch my early 9:30
AM shuttle the post office where it turns out the part did not arrive.
Bummer. I needed to hop the ferry to Bali if I wanted to find that part as
Lombok was not the place to do it. I'll be back Lombok!

We arrived in Bali several hours late and it was dark so I hopped a
minivan to Kuta and that's where I met a really cool Isreali gal Hamu. We
hung out for a few days in Kuta getting caught up with email, sun bathing,
eating amazing food, dancing, and riding the bike around. Bali is a
wonderful place to relax and pamper yourself after getting dirty in the
jungles.

Hamu headed off to Thailand and was on my way to Java to ride around
during Ramadan. I had a few stops I wanted to make-one at the orphanage
and the other at the famous Medewi surf break. I rode into the Gede
restaurant where the tide was way high and the waves crashing peacefully
into the wall in front of the restaurant. It was there that I met two of
the coolest guys I've met in a while. The first person I met was Andrew, a
Kiwi living in Australia now for 5 years. We had some great conversation
and laughs until he headed off to bed. Then a friendly guy named Max, an
Aussie hairdresser and full of good vibes, came over and we chatted for
another hour or so. It was a perfect welcome to this amazing, peaceful
surfing beach.

The next morning I woke up really early and then I saw none other than my
two Swedish friends Mathius and Magnus from the Gili Island adventure. I
was super happy to see them. I was even more excited when Magnus invited
me to use his surfboard, which turned out to be the perfect choice for the
site and my abilities. It was about a 7.4 foot "Mini Malibu" made of a
plastic material that does not ding, so I was stoked.

I paddled out into the ocean where the waves were looking awesome at about
8AM and first thing I caught the most amazing wave of my life for a long
left handed ride, perfect for my goofy footed stance. I really understand
now why guys and gals get hooked on surfing. It's tons of fun to ride the
force of nature with the warm sun and cool water (not cold water, like in
N. Cal). Just shorts is all I was sporting and for 2 hours I was in
heaven!

I could have stayed there forever in that environment--sleeping to the
sound of the surf for about 2 bucks a night, eating and drinking just as
cheap, great company, surf right out the door, mellow locals, no tourist
scene at all. It's amazing.

After a nice dinner with Andrew and his buddy Kevin and girlfriend we hit
the sheets early for what we planned to be another great day of surfing. I
woke up early and was told the bad news that the surf was really dead that
day, practically flat. Bummer. I saw that as a sign to hit the road and
make the best use of my very limited time in Indo. After some farewells to
my new friends I began pedaling towards Java in the mid day sun, luckily
clouded over a bit with a breeze.

After about 2 hours of nice touring with a gentle tail wind and pretty
heavy traffic I managed to find the orphanage outside Negara about half
way to the port town of Giliminuk. It took me some time to find, but boy
was it worth it. Garryck had contacted a woman named Faith who runs the
orphanages and she was eager for us to stop by and meet the children. I
picked up a cool guest rider at the beginning of the road down to the
orphanage and we pedaled together with huge smiles down the banana tree
lined street.

I arrived hot from the mid day sun and was immediately chilled by a fan,
fresh fruit, juices, water and the kind smiles of the crew at the
orphanage. I had no idea what to expect and only knew that I had some toys
and gifts for the kids and the intention to spread some joy and smiles
that were beaming from inside. Turns out, that's all that was needed to
make an unforgettable visit!

I took the bags off my bike and soon enough was giving rides to over 50
orphans up and down the quiet street. Each child was beaming with
excitement as we piled 4-6 kids on the bike each ride. The kids were told
about how the bike had already travelled to 10 countries and has dozens
more to go on the world tour and they were so fired up to ride on the
bike. Giggling cheering kids and adults alike surrounded the front of the
orphanage for about 1/2 hour until everyone had a nice ride. I was then
invited to a ceremony for the 1 year old birthday of a one year old named
Jessica. Before the ceremony I gave 7 teddy bears away to some super cute
small kids who were very grateful and then passed out stickers one by one
to everyone else.

The ceremony was amazing. It included heaps of loud singing of what
appeared to be Christian music, but still "Alla" was in the words plenty
as well so I'm not sure what denomination the words were. But I do know
that there was tons of love in the room and I could feel the warmth and
joy from each of the children. After the singing and dancing we all ate
cake and treats together and although I could not speak with the boys and
girls, all I had to do was look at them in the eyes and smile warmly and
that was all the communication I needed.

I finally got back on the road after about 3 hours of wonderful time at
the orphanage around sunset for the last 25 KM to the ferry station. The
traffic was still heavy, but I threw on some fun music and let the sugar
rush from all the cake power me full speed through the last bits of my
Bali touring. I had no big desire to ride with anyone but rather just
watched the Bali countryside go on by with the countless temples, shrines,
and Hindu decorations mixed with beautiful flowers of literally every
color in the rainbow. Just when I thought I'd seen every color flower
possible a new beautiful color would pop up. This place was teeming with
plant life that makes touring a treat, as long as you can phase out the
traffic.

I rolled into the ferry terminal at about sunset, gave a ride to a police
officer to the boat, and took the hour ride to Java with a dozen guys
surrounding the bike and trying to chat with me. I used my phase book for
a while then just peered out into the ocean and reflected gratefully on my
trip so far and let the anticipation of the unknown adventures on the
island of Java seep in.

After we landed I rode about 5 KM and found a hotel just outside of the
town of Banyuangi. The ride was a clear awakening to the fact that I was
now in Muslim Java during Ramadan as every Mosque was blaring readings
from the Koran and other singing and praying. Muslims in every direction
were out on the streets in their colored head coverings and men in their
little caps. There were tons of people visiting graves of family as I
passed by and the Mosques were full of worshipers. It was alive and an
exciting and welcome change of scenery and energy from Bali.

After a swim and a shower at the budget hotel I made my way to the city
center to really experience the nightime festivities of Ramadan. Since
they are not allowed to eat, drink or smoke in the daytime I knew the
nightime was the best time to check out what's shakin. I walked around the
streets and the loud mosques continued their chanting but the streets were
full of people and I was the only westerner in the entire town. I could
not get over how friendly everyone was. I sent my warm "Salamat Malam" to
every person I saw (good evening) and huge smiles and returned greetings
came from everyone. It was a peaceful place and I was grateful to be
there.

I finally made my way back to the hotel at about 11PM after a nice meal
with the locals and unfortunelty was eaten alive my those nasty mosquitoes
that disrupted my sleep leading to a very grouchy morning of polluted
touring in the busy city and outskirts of Banuangi. The highlight of my
tour was the race between a 10 year old boy I started on his bike and we
were having so much fun both dodging traffic and smiling at each other
warmly. Java was indeed a different place than Bali as there was not a
Hindu statue or temple anywhere and the big gardens and planted trees and
flowers typical of Bali were not replaced with back to back concrete
houses and businesses lacking any charm but nonetheless still interesting
to observe.

After a few hours of sniffing exhaust my head was hurting from the
pollution and I simply was not enjoying the ride so I met a local guy who
hopped on as a guest rider till the train station. He then took me to the
conductor, helped me with my bags, and sat with me once I had it all ready
for the train and smoked a cigarette together without speaking a word
besides "Bogus" (good) and "Trimakasi" (thank you). I am amazed how
friendly everyone is in every corner of Indonesia.

My destination was Probillingo where my plan was to head to Bromo mountain
then off to find some golf before heading over to Surabaya to meet up with
Rama and get some culture in with the locals.

Well, I must have been dead tired because I fell asleep and missed my
stop. When I woke up and checked the stop I was many miles past
Proballingo so I got off at the next stop, a mystery town not even on my
map. I unloaded all my things as the conductors looked at me in awe,
wondering why the hell I'm getting out in this tiny little town. But I
knew it was time to get rolling and stepped off the train and into a crowd
of very intrigued locals wondering what this bald white guy is doing
unloaded what appears to be a bicycle in 3 pieces. (When I travel by train
I break down the tandem into 3 pieces to deter thieves and allow it to be
stowed in a corner without extra charges...just one of many bonuses of
Garryck's "Tangle" design).

I began the transformation from pieces into a full on tandem machine and
the crowd grew from about 3 to about 20 within a few minutes. Nobody spoke
a word of English but they were all full of smiles and good energy. From
at least 3 mosques in the vicinity blared chants from the Koran in
observance of Ramadan, the sun was going down, the feeling of mystery and
adventure was in the air, and I was loving life. Something about not
having a clue where you are brings a fresh feeling of excitement that I
welcome at times. I looked at my map in the Lonely Planet and showed the
guys the town of Tretes and they indicated it was about 30 KM to the
turnoff then straight up the side of the volcano to get there.

So off I pedaled into the smelly yet exciting streets of East Java where I
was guided by the friendly locals to the road towards Malang as the sun
was setting and I was in the heart of rush hour traffic. I was in good
spirits after my long nap on the train and for some reason the traffic did
not bother me at all. Instead of bitching about it, I played with all the
motorcycles, cars, horse carts, trucks, bikes and pedestrians that were in
every direction making their way in the busy streets as the loud chanting
from mosques never leaves the background as the theme song to the
adventure.

I caught a nice tail wind for 20KM and was having a blast moving along at
25-30 km/hr and passing most cars and trucks with the flow of the two
wheeled "sepedas" and getting tons of smiles, thumbs up, "bagus" calls and
small chats from other folks on cycles. Just as the sun was going down I
was told I only had 10 KM till the turn off town to Tretes but that it was
going to be an uphill club as the volcano that was once in the distance
was not right in front of me. Mt. Arunjuna is a 7,000 foot or so dormant
volcano that was showing some amazing colors in the sunset and the hill
was getting steeper and steeper.

As the tail wind died and the terrain got steeper and steeper I began to
lose my numbness towards the heavy traffic and as my heart rate grew
faster I noticed more and more the deep stench of the fumes from the
traffic. I inched along in my lowest gears as I was passed by busses, cars
and motorcycles in the low light of the rapidly approaching evening.
Before I knew it I was dripping in sweat, covered in black diesel muck,
and swearing at almost every car that came by wondering where the hell the
turnoff was to Tretes. Bottom line--I was no longer enjoying the riding
and was ready to stop and eat.

The turn off arrived just in time and a Satay restaurant was right there
calling my name. The restaurant was loaded with local Muslims enjoying
their first meal since the sunrise and I soon was chowing down amazing
barbeque skewers of chicken doused in yummy peanut sauce and rehydrating
on heaps of water. It was just what the doctor ordered.

I met a great guy from Solo there who joined me for dinner and provided
some wonderful conversation amongst the noise of traffic speeding by.
After my meal I was directed to the cheapest hotel in the area on the base
of the climb to Tretes and only a few kilometers from the Fina Golf Club,
which I was told was a wonderful course. I pedaled a quick kilometer
straight up hill and arrived again dripping in sweat and ready for a big
mandi (Indonesian bath of a tub of water and bucket).

I found a room for about 3 bucks that was one of the dirtiest places I've
ever stayed in but I did not seem to mind. I knew the next day I would be
playing golf and I was willing to save some cash now to play later. I took
my shower, doused myself in insect repellant and hit the hay with ear
plugs to drown the noise of the road and blaring mosques. I fell asleep
quickly but woke up at 3 AM covered in mosquito bites as the plant-based
repellant only lasted 5-6 hours. I took another mandi and lubed up again
to take me to 7AM where I woke up, packed my bags and rode up the hill
towards my oasis called Fina Golf Club.

Maybe my 5 months back in the USA made me soft, but I was not really
comfortable with the filth and grime that covered my body after only a few
minutes of touring. When I rode up into Fina Golf Club the noise of the
traffic soon diminished and was replaced by the sound of birds tweeting,
rivers flowing, and the sights of beautiful flowers and plants. It was a
very welcome change to my touring experience to date in Indonesia.

I met the manager of the golf shop of this world class country club called
Fina that won awards worldwide for it's unreal posh perfection of golf,
food, service, accommodation, landscape, etc. I told her what I was doing
and she invited me to stay as a special guest and play free golf, stay and
eat for just about nothing too, and I ended up staying 3 days and 3
nights, 3 rounds of breathtaking golf, divine food, my own cottage on the
10th hole complete with a posh Jacuzzi, indoor/outdoor shower, my own fish
pond--out of this world. I met the whole management crew and heaps of cool
smiley people who were all very warm, caring and eager to help me relax
and enjoy every moment.
It was hard to leave Fina but finally I rode down to Surabaya and picked
up a toothless guest rider to guide me into town where we were trailed by
a journalist shooting photos from a motorcycle. After we arrived at the
center of town and I bid farewell to my guest rider I then did an
interview with the journalist. It turns out that this journalist is not
only the most famous journalist in Indonesia, but is good friends with
Rama, the guy who I was staying with there in Surabaya who won "Mr.
Surabaya" in 1999 so knows all sorts of beautiful people and is hip on the
local scene. Rama surprised me by showing up at the interview on Halloween
afternoon out of nowhere and informed me of our plans to hit a Halloween
party and meet all his friends that evening. I was set up with a local in
Surabaya for 5 days!
Rama was eager to ride on the tandem so we pedaled together through the
busy streets of Surabaya smiling and waving at the local folks. Soon
enough we turned onto his street and he took me into his house where I
unpacked my bags, took a mandi (shower), and chilled out in Rama's room
listening to tunes and getting ready to head to his college where he had a
class to take before we had dinner and Halloween festivities.
After his classes we hit up a nice dinner and then met his good friend Era
who sported a BMW car to take us to the Halloween party where I luckily
found a cool costume of a knife going through my head that was perfect!
After that we met the rest of the crew out dancing till late night having
the time of our lives! It was such a pleasure to be amongst such amazing
local people who treated me so kindly-- like family.
The next few days we took care of some tasks, cruised around the town, had
amazing meals with great people, met many new friends, and really just
soaked up life in Surabaya, Indonesia. Rama and I wanted to escape and
check out the Volcano but since I only had a few days left we decided to
take his motorcycle. I had a bad feeling about it, but we went anyways. It
was just a few kilometers from Mt. Bromo volcano where I ran Rama and I
into an oncoming truck and we both were tossed over the motorcycle. We all
walked away from the accident, but we both had some pretty substantial
cuts and bruises.
We towed the motorcycle back to Surabaya and Rama was lining up assistance
along the way on his cell phone. When we arrived we were greeting by so
many amazing folks, especially Sotia, who brought us medical supplies,
Dunkin Doughnuts, cold beers, and DVD movies to watch as we healed up for
a few days. That was all we needed. Within 48 hours of chilling out at
Rama's place we were both good as new and ready for my last night out on
the town doing Karaoke with our friend Venny, who is a professional singer
and really knows how to rip it up! We had a blast!
Rama and I grew very close and I'll never forget his kindness and
generosity. It was sad to finally have to say goodbye to him and tears
were shed as I boarded the plane in Surabaya to move onto my next
adventure. Thanks Rama and the Surabaya crew!
Overall, Indonesia is a wonderful country. My only complaint is the
pollution, but you sort of get used to that. The people, food, culture,
history, nature is all stunning. The diversity between different islands
allows you to hop islands and feel like you are entering a new country
each time. Check it out!

Over and out from Greymouth, New Zealand where I'm taking a day off after
a month of unreal experiences here on the South Island.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and 2004 is off to a great
start!

Big Love and Mucho Peace,

Jamie