Lewung area to Sumberanyar (114km, 5h00)

Today I’m still riding along the Java north coast towards Surabaya. I will definitely avoid this city as it’s the second biggest after Jakarta and I won’t enjoy the heavy traffic. After having done some few research online I will turn left towards Malang which is in land. Again today I had a different experience when I stopped on a rest area. I did the “adventurer model” for some people I met on the street and say “Halo” 1000 times, at least :-) Hard life!

Map.

Elevation part 01.

Elevation part 02. That part was very easy and I was ridind at more than 30km/h for 30 minutes. Even a motorbike was following for a while :-)

Let’s start this day from the beginning again if you’d like to :-) This morning when I woke up I’ve realised that I slept next to a garbage tip haha. This is why I had a kind of view to a valley :-) I did not smell any kind of smelly stuff, this was just plastic junk. I don’t really mind like the guy who saw me this morning and barely say hello. No problem, I’m ready to start this day.

This is the main road and it’s following the see. Indonesian have not a big interests for beaches. Finding an access to it is difficult.

And when you find one, you discover a place where the need of lying on the sand disappear very quickly. Just after this shot, a woman came from behind those palm trees over there and emptied her rubbish bag on the sand.

As usual there is plastic everywhere. What this government is doing. It’s nearly impossible to find a bin here so people don’t know what to do, oh sorry, yes they know what to do, throw them on the ground…

I’m coming back safely to the road. Indonesian are colourful, their house their clothes like the grass and the rivers…

I was saying, back to the road :-)

Few hundred metres later I can see a bric factory, like that, just along the road.

And I’ve reached the city of Kraksaan. I know I’m on the right road because there is only one for now. During I was cycling, a car slow down next to me and a woman asked me some questions. Where are you going? Where do you come from? She hardly believed that I’ve been cycling from New Zealand to here but could not understand that I would not be able to arrive at Surabaya (where she lives with here family I guess) today which is 300km maybe from here, haha. A minute later she asked me: “Can I take a picture of you?” Bah, why not :-) “With my daughters?” “Even better :-) ” (I did not say that, haha. They were like 15 years old). The family came out and the mother took the picture she wanted. We cjat a bit more and they were gone. Funny! :-)

And I’m continuing my way paying attention to the landscape, the road signs, the scooters and especially the one who drive against the traffic ;-)

There is a lot of those tricycles here. Some of them have a engine because they built it from a motorcycle, some other or more courageous and use their legs power.

I did not get lost and I’m now leaving the city.

A large river here.

Few it’s more quiet here. Maps indicted me that I’m going to circle around those big mountains, fortunately!

Finally I’m close to the water! Good timing to have an ice tea.

These “floating things” must be some fish farm I guess.

And this one too. I’ve seen some other like this earlier but I could not see enough above the wall. There is a lot a pool and a kind of water mills spin around to oxygenate the water. This is my own understanding of this system. I might be wrong.

It’s getting hot now and I’ve stopped when I saw a sign saying “rest area”. I thought I could set up my hammock somewhere and have a rest but I did not have the time to think. I was looking for toilets first. A guy near a building without knowing what I wanted indicated me a place. I was a bit confused. He repeatedly did the same movement so I concluded that I had to go there with my bike. Well OK. Two woman sitted around table say “halo” and indicated me the toilets.

There is toilets and there is shower! Well a kind of shower. Java being mostly Muslim they wash themselves like Muslims: a bucket of cold water… That’s good :-) I’ve even rince part of my clothes that I could put on a clothes line outside. Then one of the two women asked me if I wanted to drink something. My concern is : When are they going to tell me “now it’s 200.000 mister”? OK, one coffee please. She told me to sit in the room where other people was apparently resting. I’ve seen her put like 4 or 5 teaspoon of sugar in my cup. Wow! Take it easy please :-) On the carpet ground, there was some snaks. Onather guy came and proposed me some fresh water. Is it normal that I think that, it’s strange? I’ve never seen any rest area like this. Then the guy asked me: would you like a massage? Wow wow wow, this is going too far this time haha. Would you like to sleep? You can sleep here. And he came back with a pillow. OK, OK. I’m French and I’m not used to be treat like this in rest area haha. Those guys seem to be just nice people. I finally lie down and worked a bit of my blog then had a nap. The guy came back later and asked me again if I wanted a massage. One of the customer before leaving told me that the massage was good because he had a motocycle accident few years ago. At the end I did not know who was working here and who was customer haha. I’m not ready for a massage yet, maybe another time :-) Before the guys left they took some picture with me lol. Why not :-) Even the one who offered me the coffee ask for a picture. But she did not ask me directly. She was too shy :-) So her friend asked me. Hey I’m not a prince or something, just a dirty cyclist haha :-) What an experience in a rest area! I could not imagine a place like this and no one ask me for 200.000Rp at the end haha.

I was back on the road for 30 minutes when my GPS died. So I’ve stopped to get some food and recharge my device.

This is a simple warung like I like. As soon as people doesn’t speak English well it means to me that the food is gonna be good.

After my dinner I’ve been cycling for another hour maybe. This is the hardest part of the day in Indonesia: find a safe spot for the night. I’ve passed a football field and thought it would be good. No one would come there at night. But it was on the other side of the road so I kept going until I’ve luckily found this one! I’ve chose the further corner from the road of this football field. I’ve set up my hammock and the tarp thus time because the sky is covered and I’m afroad rain could come tonight. As usual the “singers” are doing well but they are quite far away this time. I’m going to have a good night :-)

Well, I thought I would have a good night until I’ve seen some bright lights coming towards me. Four scooters arrived and a voice asked: “What are you doing here?” “I’m playing pool” No I did not answer that! “I’m sleeping, I was…” (silly question). The guy asked me the common questions and told me that I wasn’t safe here. So I said “Do I have to move?”. He answered “yes, you are not safe here. You can sleep in the police station.” Between that time I was out of my hammock and could see the police guy watching at him. I understood he did not want me to sleep there. Then the guy told me that I could sleep at his place, he has a warung and I could follow him.

So I had to pack all my stuff again. It took maybe 30 minutes. During that one or two guys helped me, and the other were watching. One of the police guy asked me if he could take pictures so I had to stop prete ding being happy packing my tent at 23pm surrounded by 7 guys. I tried to be as fast as I could and francky I was a bit streesed. The police was here watching me. The most astonishing thing is for the first time I can see real police: a police who cares about your security more than your wallet. In France ir Australia I could easily be fined but here they take picture of me… What a difference. The owner of the warung who spoke a bit English kept telling me “take your time, this is OK”.

Finally my bike was ready but I could not find the keys to unlock it… I know where they were… In the hammock pocket! I unpacked that and one of the guy helped me very delicately. Found them. Repacked all and I was cycling again! As we were leaving the place, one of the scooters’ drive was trying to ride on the back wheel. Of course his mate felt down hahaah. The police was watching and laughed. What are they doing?! I thought I was in trouble but was people just career about my security and now have fun riding scooters on one wheel in a football field at 23pm. Lol!

The ride took 1 minute, just the time to reach the road and cross it. There, there was the warung and a motorcycle workshop. The guy proposed me to sleep in the motorcycle shop. I left my bike at the front. The guy told me: “you can put your bike inside if you want but here it’s safe. This guys (moving his arms around) are nice guys, don’t worry, you can sleep here”. The bed is a dusty woodboard, half size of a double bed. At least I’m safe now but I’m not sure if I will get the good night sleep that I was waiting for. It strongly smells oil, everyone is talking loudly, some other guys are playing pool and the busy road is like 5 metres away… But I like it. This is adventure! I wish I would not be that tired and would go to play some pool but I really can’t. Good night and thank you guys.