Distance: 141.38 km
Ridetime: 06:25:16
Average: 22.0 km/h
Total distance: 11236 km
The direct way to Jakarta would not take me through any mountains, but I wanted to see what those Sumatra hills are like. At first leaving the main road for the small side road seemed like a great idea. I cycled through tiny villages dotted alongside a beautiful river. Then the road turned to this:
– not ideal on a road bike. Furthermore it started to rain. I tried to take cover under some trees, but I obviously need more jungle skills to find the dry spots. Anyway, the rain lasted half an hour as usual, and the clothes quickly dried again.
Perhaps I took a wrong turn sometime during the day as the ride ended up quite a bit longer than expected. On the last climb I was on my limits, not noticing the beautiful villages or paying attention to the friendly people saying hello anymore.
Luckily the hard work payed off! After a short descend I arrived in Bandingagung, a small city located by the Ranau lake. I think there is only one hotel in town. When I asked about the price it was more expensive than the places I usually stay. Luckily the receptionist gave a nice discount when I explained I would be leaving early in the morning. I was the only guest.
My hotel had a generator running, but the rest of town didn’t have electricity as it got dark. A place is so blissfully quiet at night when there is no electricity available. I also enjoyed eating my noodles and chicken by the candle light.
Tomorrow I should reach the Indian Ocean.
Beautiful!
I envy you.
I’ve been there, a very nice place 🙂
It was great you got there by bike, awesome