OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
Ubud, Bali proved to be as magical as we had heard. Our days were spent strolling the back streets in awe of the local culture, eating amazing local cuisine, visiting temples and cultural events such as the Fire Show, and simply sitting on the patio of our gorgeously carved cabana and wondering how we ever got so lucky as to…
Location: 33° 33′ 25″ S, 115° 01′ 50″ E (Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia) Distance from Sydney: 3,351 km Here’s a free tip for all those planning to ship your car to Australia by container: Don’t. Ship it to the moon instead. It’ll be easier. When I shipped Magda to the UK she went via a roll-on roll-off (RoRo) vessel. I…
Flores is probably the best place to go visit the Komodos orRincaIsland. We checked out quite a few of the places that booked tours and found one that seemed willing to negotiate the price a bit better. We were told that during the time we went (June/July) it was better to go to Rinca. I think the other deal with…
Before we could head out ofBali, we had two very big decisions to make. Should we change our tires? We were running on the same TKC we had put on in Kolkata but we had to change our rear TKC to a Karoo in Malaysia since it had run down and we knew we might have to do deal with…
Again we boarded a ferry to head to another island…Bali! And to be honest, the ferry system has really impressed us. Yes, it’s not luxury but the crew is used to bikes, they’re pretty nice and help out with securing the bike. And the ferry’s have air con seating or nice seating outside although it’s plastic chairs. There’s food available…
We set out for Yogyakarta…orJogjakarta…which is how the locals pronounce it…that would totally throw us off! After shaking off a few chasers and racers (just likeIndia), we got there in the evening and headed towards the area we knew we could find cheaper accommodation. After finding a good value place, we started to settle in. While Nick was with the…
The next morning we were relaxed and with the sun out we headed out to BMW. We ended up spending most of our day at BMW Motorrad, just getting brake pads, low beam buld, topping up oils etc and one of the guy’s, Tomi, helped up big time by helping us make plates to fix and reinforce both of our…
After Maninjau, we headed out and again rode through beautiful, green rainforest. We were itching to see the legendary Sumatera coast since it was so popular with surfers. After a couple of hours of riding through the rainforest covered mountains, the elevation was gone and rice paddies faded into the ocean! Finally, the beach! The amazing part was that we…
So, with my bike safely (?) aboard a wooden vegetable boat, it was time to get me to Malaysia. In this day an age in Indonesia it involved going to the airport, walking up to the check-in counter and buying a ticket for the next flight. That’s it- no ‘you-didn’t-buy-it-on-the-internet-and-print-your-own-ticket-so-we’ll-charge-you-all-sorts-of-handling-fees’ silliness. As it turns out, my flight was delayed, so…
Back on the road and heading to Medan things were normal until I hit a bit of a traffic jam where a truck was trying to pull another one out of a ditch (not a terribly rare event in Indonesia). As I was stopped, I heard some squealing and the general types of noises made by overly exited teenage girls. …
Ah, no. I’m still in greater Jakarta. So, ‘I’m off’ actually means that the 100km ride to the ferry for Sumatra doesn’t ever really leave the sprawling suburbs and takes the better part of a day! The whole experience really brought home the fact that while Indonesia ‘only’ has a population of around 240 million people, over 30 million on…
Getting to Jakarta seemed like a fairly straightforward ride, and generally it was. Decent traffic, some pleasant detours, and a dash of deja-vu. Along one country road that paralleled a canal I was thinking about how Dutch the scene seemed (not surprising considering the canal was built by the Dutch while Indonesia was still a colony) when I passed a…
Rolling off the ferry into Java was perfect- wonderful! Whatever happened to the bike now, I only had to get a truck to Jakarta and didn’t have to deal with any kind of ferry issues or anything. I couldn’t relax, but I could certainly give my nerves a break. First order of business was to head to Yogyakarta to experience…
Riding while worrying about your bike is just not fun. Any little noise, any strange vibration and your Spidey Sense goes on full alert and you become convinced that your bike is on the verge of self-destructing in the middle of nowhere. When riding on roads with the kind of variable surface that you get in Indonesia, it turns into…
Lake Toba is a huge volcanic crater lake that almost seems like an ocean. It’s really huge—you can’t see the end of it. The next day we recovered a bit had a breakfast of banana pancake which would be a staple in Indonesia. The place we stayed at was cheap and a good surprise from Malaysia, how long would it…
When I got on the ferry to Sumbawa, I heard a little grinding from my rear tire. Nothing too loud, but certainly enough to have me check when I parked the bike. Damn- oil was leaking out of my final drive hub! The drive had about 80,000km on it, but the last change was at 100,000km and after Africa- my…
When I got to Flores I was looking forward to the mountains, volcanoes, and volcanic lakes… Unfortunately, while the rain held off, everything was carpeted with low clouds and mist. It was still something to see, but not what I was hoping for. Sigh. But, but, but! The riding was great! Decrepit roads winding through the jungle, impossibly steep corners,…
Finishing Sumba worked out perfectly- I arrived at the town where the ferry left from in the late afternoon and the ferry was scheduled for 9am the next morning. After finding a hotel, I went down to the dock to make sure I knew where to go and buy a ticket. Unfortunately, things weren’t exactly as they should be… No…
West Timor 27th August Kupang Arriving in West Timor 16 hours later at 7am in the early morning haze, a search for a hotel begins in the capital, Kupang. We were befriended by an Indonesian man the previous day who we had met at the port. He had been living in Europe for a number of years, and also had…
Flores 21st August We relax in Labuanbajo, in a modern cafe overlooking the bay, with a delicious vegetable pizza and some iced tea. Located on the far west coast line, it’s billed as Flores’ next big tourist destination, probably a result of its setting within a stunning bay and also with the proximity of Komodo and Rinca, it has great…
2nd August We leave Manado early and head to Gorontalo, to catch the ferry to the Togean Islands. We had two choices for our return journey, drive 750miles all the way back round, or pay for the car ferry which would firstly drop us in Wakai on the Togeans and then another ferry on to Ampana on the mainland. There…
Northern Sulawesi 22nd July We decide to drive to the top of Sulawesi, Manado and visit the Togean Islands on the way back down. It is a mammoth 750 miles from Ampana to Manado. On route we stop at a Toyota garage in Poso, where we have the tracking realigned. It was probably knocked out around 600miles ago and so…
15th July Pantai Bira As soon as we leave the port, there are numerous calls of ‘Hello Mister!’ as we pass people on the roadside, and we wonder if we will be given even more attention here than everywhere else. We pay a 5000Rp fee at the toll booth before being allowed into town. A lot of places are full…
Lombok Part 2 5-6th July Senggigi We say goodbye to the tranquil Gili islands, speeding past all three on the way back to Lombok and make the short drive to Sengiggi. We go to Windy Cottages, but arrive to find they are full, so head into town instead. Later we take a walk to the beach just in time for…
Lombok 21st June The ferry docks at Lembar in the south west of the island. We immediately drive north to Bangsal, the jumping off point for the Gili Islands via Matram, the capital; the drive is under an hour taking us up over monkey lined mountain roads. Around every corner there’s a troop of monkeys just waiting for their opportunity…
Bali We arrive in Bali, also known as the “Island of the Gods”, due to the 20,000 Hindu temples that are scattered around the island. The island is small in comparison to Sumatra and Java, a mere 95 miles wide and 69 miles north to south, which allows us to visit its many sights at a leisurely pace. Bali’s population…
Java Landing in Java, the most developed island in Indonesia, the country’s political and economical powerhouse, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, we will spend a couple of days in Jakarta before heading east to Mount Bromo, one of the most active of the forty smoking volcanoes found in Java. Formed mostly by a series of volcanic…
9th May Bukittinggi Martin wakes up early and heads into town to try and find a guide. On route he stops at a mobile phone shop to pick up a 3G sim card; the shop owner kindly takes him to D&J’s cafe where he meets up with a guide. At 930 metres above sea level, Bukkitinggi is dominated by three…
We arrive in Sumatra, Indonesia, famed for its rainforests, wild orangutans, tigers, and rhino, in addition to its beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and lakes. Sumatra has an area of 163,557 square miles (423,611 km2) and is about 1,050 miles (1,690 km) long and up to 250 miles (400 km) wide. It is the sixth largest island in the world by area,…