I have arrived in Java, the island is known for it temples, volcanoes, civet (cat shit) coffee and its namesake saying that makes hipsters feel all warm and fuzzy, "I'm gonna go to Starbucks and get me some java." The island is wonderful, exciting, and due to bad drivers and traffic, occasionally tiresome and dangerous.
The ferry crossing from Sumatra to Java was both cheap ($10 for the bike and I) and uneventful. Unlike Sumatra where the amazing riding through the jungles, rice fields, and past white sand beaches are at the center of its charm, Java has more to offer in terms of both historical and natural wonders, AND of course all the jungles, rice fields. and beaches too. Apparently. the surfing is quite good in southern Java, as four Aussies in van and surfboards piled high on the roof swore by the local waves.
The stand out must see items are the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan (pics 2 and 3), and the active volcanoes to include Tangkuban Perahu and Ijen (pics 1 and 5), among 60 others. The City of Jogjakarta (which has at least 4 different spellings, and has everyone confused to the point Google has reserved a different spelling for each of the Blogger, Google Maps and Chrome platforms) is a nice extended stay location that serves as a jumping off location for the temples listed above. Java, like Sumatra, is very inexpensive. As a financial comparison the whole world can understand, a Big Mac with large fries and large dink costs about $3.10, a large multi topping pizza is about $2.75, and Snickers Bar is about 60 cents. Local meals like Idomie, Nasi Goreng, etc, can be had for about $1.33 and a 2,500 sf (240 sm), upscale house, near the beach, is about 45,000 USD, or to put in practical terms, about the same as a new mid-priced car in the USA (don't salivate at the idea, foreigners can not own property in Indonesia). To put it in more surprising terms, due to import taxes, a BMW R1200GS base model is $47,000 in Indonesia, or more expensive than the above mentioned house. Typical parking fees are 2,000 rupiah or 14 cents. The temples and historical attractions can be expensive by local standards, $20 to $50 for foreigners, or a couple of dollars for locals.
One More Thing: While riding down the island you can see some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet, the rural areas are just amazing. The huge concern, for me anyway, is that the air quality in Java is both surprising and alarming. As the trip progressed, I noticed my jacket, pants and helmet turning sooty alarmingly fast (I had washed them the day before I left I Malaysia). The soot was so bad that when I stopped for lunch I would have to clean my face with soap and water to remove the black crud that had accumulated. On a normal day, I would have to stop every couple of hours to clean my glasses just so I could again see clearly. I did a short three-hour ride one day, stopped at a restaurant, took a napkin and rubbed it down my neck and I was in pure disgust with what I saw (see below). I am by no means an environmental activist on a crusade for clean air, but this is beyond alarming. The problem is obvious, the trucks and buses belch black smoke with every shift they make. When a bus leaves a traffic light they belch so much soot on the riders behind them that it looks like a scene from a LoonyToons cartoon form the 1970s. Indonesia, in my opinion, really needs to address this situation if they want to keep the paradise with which they have been blessed. In the meantime, if you plan on riding in this part of the world, ScotchGuard your clothes...and lungs
Leg Distance: 877 mi (1,414 km)
Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 41,475 mi (66,895 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
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