World Bicycle Tour: Cycling Indonesia on this Day in 2012
My on this day bicycle touring post comes from Indonesia on the 6th of March 2012. The sun was so intense in Indonesia that I had to buy some gloves to protect the back of my hands from sunburn.
Tuesday 6th March 2012. Merak to Jakarta. 76 miles.
I thought breakfast was at six this morning. So I was up, all packed and ready to leave straight afterwards. Only to find the restaurant closed, breakfast wasn’t for another half hour. Normally, I would have been a bit pissed off. Not today; it gave me time to go for an early morning swim. I’d just as well make the most of the hotel swimming pool while I can. I don’t get many hotels with a pool.
Breakfast over. It was time to hit the road again. And with my new gloves, I felt like a proper cyclist. I’ll be buying Lycra shorts next!! There’s a lot more traffic on the roads here. It reminds me of India. Or maybe I’ve just got used to quiet roads. Although speaking to the man in the café that I stopped at for lunch. He said once I’m past Jakarta, the roads are a lot quieter. We’ll see. I hope he’s right.
When I reached Jakarta, the traffic was even worse. It was gridlocked. And, as usual, I got lost. Even if I wasn’t lost, the traffic was so bad I couldn’t move out of the flow. I was hoping to get through Jakarta and reach another town. But with the traffic the way it was, I was just wasting time. So I called it a day and found a hotel. I’ll get my bearings overnight and try again in the morning.
At least I’ve now booked my flight to Australia, but boy was it hard work! The price went from £100 to £184 after adding taxes, fuel surcharges, luggage, and food. They even charge a couple of pounds to pick a seat, any seat! But it’ll certainly be the cheapest flight I’ll ever get to Australia.
Explore More Of My Ride Around The World
- Yesterday’s Blog: Skinny dipping, I think not!
- View The Whole Tour: Cycling around the world
- Tomorrow’s Adventure: Going cammando
Watch My YouTube Video From Indonesia
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