On the road again. The crossing from Malaysia to Indonesia was both expensive and questionable. It was expensive ($435) because there is only one-way to the get the motorcycle across, so I had to play monopoly rates. It was questionable as the bike had to be lashed to the roof of a small passenger ferry. The bike was loaded (by me)via a ramp, and unloaded via a movable passenger staircase and 10 dock hands. I really thought Greta was going into the drink during loading or unloading. or just plain fall off the roof of the ferry during the four-hour crossing. That fact that there were storms and rough seas just made things worse. The bike made the crossing with no major issues, just a layer of salt that was deposited on Greta from the waves crashing up and over the roof of the ferry.
It was almost dark by time Greta and I made it through Indonesian Customs. The closest hotel was 30 miles away (45 km), and I headed off in the dark on my one-hour plus trip. The roads in Indonesia are challenging to say the least and outright dangerous in some areas. Traffic is aggressive and motorcycles are nothing more than an obstacle that needs to be pushed out of the way in the minds of many an Indonesian driver. The roads are just a lane and a half thick, of variable quality, and unlit. As such, my first ride in Indonesia had me concerned that the Country was going to be an unwelcome chore, like how I found India. My fears were soon put to rest. The next day I headed out into central Indonesia and wow, what a beautiful place. In a single day I passed one-thousand foot tall waterfalls and huge lush green valleys, I felt like I was in a scene right out of Jurassic Park...with bad drivers...thin roads...and no dinosaurs. I think I am going to like Indonesia.
After two years of being on the road I made my first trip back to the USA. The trip was primarily to pay taxes, renew my drivers licence and renew the registration on the motorcycle. I have to admit, I was not that excited to go back. The only thing I did for fun was take out my other motorcycle for a trip to the beach, the Ace Cafe, and that was about it.
Leg Distance: 137 mi (220 km)
Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 38,813 mi (63,455 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia
