24 Nov. / Yogyarkarta / How was this Indonesia Journey
This journey was very different because I already at the beginning got problems with my back. I didn’t have problems with my MC. Instead I had lot of problems with my physical, which came to dominate this journey.
Honda'en get a 'Tune Up'.
This MC. Honda 200 cc. Sports Tiger, each day has been 100% reliable. Before the start of my journey, a Honda shop gave it a 'Tune Up' check. I would be sure it was 100% OK. Everything was checked, the voltage of the drive chain, brakes, clutch, oil change, for voltage, pressure, light, liquid on the battery and etc.
After 1.500 Km. I again had a 'Tune Up' check in Bali. I had some initial problems the last couple of days where I had to use the kick start, the electric start was dead. It was obviously not so lucky when you have back problems. It turned out that the battery should be replaced. Moreover, they believed also that the chain drive was replaced because it could no longer be tightened up.
It was good that it had the extra power, although it is only 200 cc. That makes my overtaking safer because it had a good acceleration so I could quickly overtake the big heavy trucks. It also performed well the steep hill rises. A better suspension, would have been nice on the bumpy roads.
Here in Indonesia If you drive an average of 80 km. It is not worthwhile to run faster. 100 m. ahead, you then again had to overtake.
In Indonesia, you must legally use a helmet and they do, what they did in India. In both countries they don’t use safety jacket, trousers and boots. In India, I used sometimes my very warm safety jacket and my leather pants and high leather boots.
I have not used my jacket here in Indonesia, but drive in a thin long sleeved shirt and on the hillside I used a thin windbreaker I bought in Yogyakarta. I have not used my Leather pants and leather boots. In Yogyakarta, I could not find any shop which sold safety equipment for MC. so I never got an extra thin safety jacket.
On my MC. Pilgrims journey in 2003 I could have 50 kg. luggage when I took my own MC. from Copenhagen. It was packed with two side bags and a giant backpack. I had some camping equipment and extra parts for my MC.
In India where I rented my MC. I also had some spare equipment, but not so much camping equipment. So I had probably 40 kg. luggage. Here in Indonesia, where I also hired my MC. I have chosen not to have any spare parts, only some tools because I knew that I always would find and garage. This time I had only 25 kg. luggage.
On my MC. Pilgrims journey to the Middle East 2003, I drove with the director Nullo Facchini approx. 12.000 km. within 2 months and traveled through 11 different countries. On this trip I had purchased an Aprilia 650 cc. Pegaso. It was almost 3 times as strong as the Honda Tiger I was driving here in Indonesia. We were driving 250-450 km. each day with a holiday around. every 5 days. So the average speed was 120-140 km. so sometimes our speed was 140-160 km. We had a set route and timetable of countries and places we had to visit on this Journey.
On this pilgrimage it was not the major historical monuments that filled your mind, but the random visual and emotional situations. This was new for me to focus on the individual, instead of the sublime works what you do, when you travel to the big Mecca’s in the world.
On this trip, the focus was on the very small mekka’s, villages and people. It was these random meetings that gave me the greatest experiences on this journey. The simple man came out more clearly and were able to affect all the senses. In cities where the volume of people, cars, buildings and noise easily drowns the individual.
The people you meet here in the small villages, is at home and most have a lot of time and excess energy to take on a stranger and offer you a cup of tea.
The purpose of my MC.Indian Travel 2008, was not only to make a physical MC. straps ride, but finding a balance between body and mind. Meeting Indians and their culture in a different and a little more physically demanding way. I think I found a harmony, rhythm and speed on this journey, which suited just fine for my little restless temperament.
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To give journey'en content and structure, it was important every day to follow up with notes in my logbook, take photo's, write short reports and planning the next day's route and read about the area. These requirements also did that you sometimes felt a little pressure and stress.
I think I met the Indians and their culture in a positive way. Because of the many technical problems with my MC.Enfielden I came in contact with many Indians.
Schoolchildren who always stood up for some positions when I took photos of them.
Modern and yet traditional, pay attention to his sneakers.
The purpose of this journey was to meet Indonesians and their culture more directly through contact with individuals in the small villages. That's the way I think I get the most out of moving me from place to place on MC. My route was only loosely defined, so that along the road could be change. Every day I had therefore to decide what should happen now.
Unfortunately I got problems with my back already on the first journey there affect this entire journey. The strain of my muscle was probably because I had stretched myself too hard, both physically and mentally. My body said stop.
The long flight without sleep, the first days of stressful work to get all the things I needed.
The extreme heat and humidity. My impatience to get started on my journey. All these factors have played a role. I have been too overwrought.
Rather than take it easy after I had back problems, I was too restless and wanted to get going. I found it difficult to recognize that the problem with my back was a big problem. I should have listen a little better.
It was also unfortunate that I didn’t found a nice place by the sea immediately, but instead forced myself up on the MC. to move forward.
Airconditioning already from the beginning of my stay in Yogyakarta have taken hold in my bronchi so I suffered from violent coughing spells that really tore into the sore back muscles nerve bundles. I suffered also from constipation. At one point I also started to beat out the entire body. These red buds reminded me of the start of hives, which I had 5 months ago.
At that time, my body got completely red and formed exuding burning blisters. My head swells up with fluid. I looked like the elephant man.
The dead carrying around on the last earthly journey.
The fear was in me that I might again had hives and in this heat. But after 4 days of symptoms. I think the rash has come from the various chemicals I now use. I use sunlotion, I take pills to stabilize my stomach, I take strong medicine for my cough, I get other chemical from the food into the stomach than usual. Masseuse uses different oils on my skin.
My India journey, was a more relaxed journey, where I rest where I wanted. But I did however put myself under a little pressure because I had created a route I thought was realistic, which I very much wanted to implement a total of 3.000 km. It was not realistic. It was incredibly hard to move quickly through the Indian landscape.
Here in Indonesia, I have completed a total of 2.505 km. Something more than I did in India. But this time, I didn’t had the feeling of being on a great journey since the roads have been too nice and the dense residential makes you not feel you are out there when the crows return. I only have 5-6 times polished my helmet. Honda looks like I have only used it for city driving, but I've also been through some heavy rain, which probably removed the most dust.
Not a singel day I have felt really dusty and dirty, just sweaty, even though I have been driving on smaller dirt roads. It says something about how much humidity it is here in Indonesia. Nothing will dry without it hanging in the sun or there is little wind.
MC.Indonesia/Java/Bali 2009 / 2.505 km / 15 Driving Days /
Yogyakarta/Sarangang/Tulungagung/Ngliyep/Lumajang/
Banyowangi/Lemondang/Berawa/Pande/Lovina Beach/
Pasir Putik/Jombang/Ngawi/Sragen/Yoyakarta/
Yogyakarta/Sarangang/Tulungagung/Ngliyep/Lumajang/
Banyowangi/Lemondang/Berawa/Pande/Lovina Beach/
Pasir Putik/Jombang/Ngawi/Sragen/Yoyakarta/
Indonesia
My impression after this MC. journey of Indonesia, which unfortunately was a little more superficial than I had imagined. I did not have the surpluses required to be open to meeting new situations and seek alternative routes. I have been on a cultured tourist journey with inlaid recreation and a little coral diving.
Indonesia seems like a much more homogenous and harmonious country than India. India is a country filled with incredibly many opposites both culturally, religiously and economically. As a tourist you experience therefore many more exciting and visually interesting and human situation in this chaos.
In Indonesia, I had the feeling that the wealth is distributed a little better here than in India, although I have heard that Indonesia at a time remained the highest of countries suffering from corruption. There were very few beggars and very few I saw sleeping on the street. They are importunate as all business people are in this part of the world.
My feeling of being here in Indonesia - was like when a stranger lay a gently affectionate hand on my shoulders to welcome me. People are very patient, smiling and freindly.
I had expected to be greeted by the incredible variety of insects, but there were very few. The few flies I saw were very relaxed and sat down very gently on one, so you almost do not notice it and just one simple hand waving, they were completely gone and never came back again annoying you.
There were many small geckos that climbed the same room, but otherwise I saw not so many different reptiles, besides a great big iguana in Bali at an abandoned temple. I didn’t go very far into the rainforest. Again due to lack of physical energy to explore Indonesia.
In an attempt to avoid the rain there was pouring down, I beat my head into the taxi door edge on my way to Yogyakarta's airport. I think it's a very subtle symbolism on my MC. Journey here in Indonesia where I feel that I have had ‘my head too much under my arm.’
It was just the right time to say goodbye to Indonesia since the rainy season now truly begun.
This ends my journey from Indonesia here around the equator.
Hot wind
AUM
Bjarne v.H.H.Solberg
Billedkunstner & Scenograf
BvHHS@email.DK
www.BvHHS.com
+45 30230036
Billedkunstner & Scenograf
BvHHS@email.DK
www.BvHHS.com
+45 30230036
