Bicycle Touring to Australia: Indonesia, Bengkulu to Manna

My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling through Indonesia, Bengkulu to Manna. 85 miles. Now I thought people in previous countries had been friendly. But I think the Indonesian people win by a country mile! Everybody, and I mean everybody, from the smallest of children to teenagers, mums, dads, grandpas and grandmas, all wave and say “hello, mister.” And the look of delight on their faces when you acknowledge them is unbelievable! Going through some villages, so many people come out, it’s hard to acknowledge everybody.

Most families sit out on their front porch. As you enter the village, whoever is sitting on the porch calls out to the rest of the family. Who then all come out shouting and waving. This then continues all the way through the village. I create quite a commotion! But interestingly, if I stop, I’m not mobbed, unlike in India. People are a bit more reserved here.

And as for going past a school full of teenage girls, they get hysterical like I’m some sort of pop star! I’ve never encountered anything like it. It’s all very nice and flattering, but it does get a bit much all the time! I’ve got a theory why people are so happy. They’re glad I’ve not stopped and carried on!

It’s Not All Good

Sad news from home today, one of my friends has lost their life to cancer. That’s the second since I left home, such a cruel disease. Don’t forget you can help in the fight against cancer by donating to my ride, which, let’s not forget, is in aid of cancer research charities. I left home four months ago to the day today. And I’ve come quite a way, nearly 7500 miles! But there’s still a long way to go. You can donate here.

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.