Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Borobudur Temple - The carvings on the first 4 levels all depict life during the era of construction.

Sumatra – Plan A, B, C…..my brain was lost

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

After the difficulty with immigration, I went to find coffee.  Coffee was found and a chat with another cycle tourist who had fallen into a problem of being stuck in Bengkulu, Sumatra.  He managed to get a bus out of the city to Yogyakarta.  He mentioned a hostel owner there who said one-day visa extensions were possible.  Target Yogyakarta.

A short cycle to the bus station but no spaces available for over a week. They suggested another across town.  I set off for that one, no spaces.  The nearest they had was the 24th but it was a two-day journey and I was told you need at least 5 days left on the visa.  This wouldn’t work.  So, back to the drawing board.  Another coffee and I had a plan.  I was going to cycle to the next major city with an airport and try and sort the visa out there.  If not I could fly and get out of Indonesia to Australia.  However, it would mean cutting my Indonesia journey short by a month.

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Sumatra - the kindess of people are always on show. Here a owner asked for a selfie with her friends after giving me a free lunch.

Sumatra – Kindness can be found everywhere

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Heat.  Sweat.  I was struggling again; it was a scorching day in West Sumatra.  It always was when there were heavy storms the day before.  It was only 11:00 but I needed a break, I guess it will have to be an early lunch.  I am always taken aback by the kindness of people when a dirty, sweaty and smelly cyclist turns up.

The owner of the restaurant even sent her daughter home to get a fan to help me cool down.  She gave me a free lunch and allowed me to stay for a few hours to avoid the worst of the sun.  It was a good thing too; I went through 2 t-shirts with sweat.

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Umul, the Indonesia Coffee goddess

Indonesia – A longer rest than I wanted

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

I stayed at a well-known rest stop for travellers in Bukittinggi, Hotel Hello Guesthouse, but it didn’t have air conditioning.  Luckily, it’s over 1,000m and was a bit more bearable.  Plus the heavy storms every night kept the temperature down.  The next day was a write-off and my body just needed to recover but I felt a cold coming and knew it might take longer than expected.  However, the next day I felt better and decided to chance a visit to a coffee place I had heard of.

‘Poo’ coffee to the rescue?

It was only a 10km day trip from my accommodation but a chance to see how I was doing.  Despite feeling like this would be an easy ride, my lungs still felt ill.  However, I was here and met Umul, who runs Rafflesia Luwak Coffee in a little village known for the Rafflesia Arnoldi flower.  Umul was great, explaining the process of the Civets who eat the beans and then part digest and ferment them in their body.  To collect the poo, the civets will only poo on a clean surface.  The poo is then cleaned, roasted and ground to make the coffee.

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Indonesia - Child in red takes a peek from a door with a blue wall

Indonesia – Not going to plan

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , ,

First impressions usually count towards a country.  But I’m going to let the chaos and issue I had in Dumai, my point of entry, go by the side.  Despite a smelly, dirty foreigner on a bike turning up, I have only found people to be helpful and kind.  Once, I got through the complexities of visa on arrival, getting cash, money exchanged, and a mobile contract it was time for my first night in a hotel.  It turned out good, more than I expected and a lot cheaper.  The only issue was they allowed smoking in the rooms, the lingering smell is hard to put out of your mind.

Again, I allowed Komoot to design the majority of my route and as usual, I regretted that decision!  I found myself on a few dead-ends and then heading into the middle of a palm tree plantation which I would spend two days in before getting out!  However, as with many of these odd routes, it brings a surprise in meeting people and the usual communication barriers.  My first day ended at a mosque where the Imam allowed me to stay.

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Packing for a round the world trip - Cooking Equipment

Packing for a Round The World Trip – The Difficulties

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

When preparing for this trip of a lifetime I spent hours and hours going over many lists packing for a round-the-world trip.  From books written by cycle tourists to websites and even spreadsheets, people had put together themselves and sent me.

In the end, I took more than I needed and wished I made decisions on the kit before I went.  In this blog, I hope to convey a few thoughts on what problems you need to account for and ones you can solve on the way without the need to take everything with you! However, if you would just like the full kit list you can find it here.

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