Reflections on the trip

Overall my trip was an incredible experience. I’m very glad I did it although I wouldn’t do this one again. I would do a different part of the world though. The roads in general were very good and traffic was very light across Sumatra. There was a part near Larat that was pretty bad and another part between Bukit Tinggi and Danau Toba that didn’t exist. There were usually potholes in places and occasionally sections that were bad but usually I was able to drive between 25 and 50 miles per hour. The reason I had to go so slow was because of all the millions of turns through the mountain. There were some flat stretches that I went a little faster near the coast. You know how they say that after a while of riding a horse you get used to the saddle and it doesn’t hurt so much anymore? I’m still waiting for that to happen. I still get pretty sore after about an hour.

My favorite places
I had two favorite places on the trip. The first was Bukit Tinggi which was absolutely awesome with lots to do and buy. Great places to stay. This would be my first choice for the backpacker looking for lots to do. The second was Danau Toba which was secluded and quiet. If you are looking for a place to get away and look at beautiful sceneries, this is your place. I enjoyed both.

Most challenging part
The most challenging part of the trip was between Meulaboh and Banda Aceh since that is where the road had been washed away by the tsunami. As I wrote about earlier, I almost didn’t make it at times and I definitely didn’t have the right kind of bike for the trip. If I were to do this section again I would get an off-road bike with high wheel wells and I would take less stuff. I read in the paper around that time how the road had become impassable and trucks weren’t making it through. I can vouch for that. The two miraculous things (and I don’t talk about things like that lightly) that happened were first when the guy gave me water when I was almost at the end of my strength with dehydration and when a guy came by near dark when I was about to pull over and pitch my tent for the night. He was going to Banda Aceh and showed me the way for the next 5 hours and even showed me to my hotel.

Things I’m glad I brought
I’m glad I brough my boots that Arvin gave me for my birthday. They are high quality military boots and not only did they protect my feet the whole trip and made the journey bearable but they also made all the military guys think I was a general so they left me alone. Thanks a ton dude! I also am glad I brought my biker pants that protected me when I fell and kept all the dirt and water off. Finally, maps really helped even though I had lost my primary and backup maps by the last day. They were highly worth it

Things I didn’t use
My tent and sleeping bag. I’m glad I had them though for emergencies. My spare inner tube, patch kit and hand pump. Again, I’m glad I brought them. Didn’t use my first aid kit either. All that stuff weighed a lot but was necessary none the less.

Things I wish I had
Gloves. By the third day my hands were burnt to a crisp from the sun so I went out and bought some. Very useful.

Stats
3500 Km (2200 Miles)
120 Liters of gas (32 Gallons)
$30 for all the gas
Fastest speed – 120 kph (75 mph)
Number of times I fell down – 4. Once seriously and had to fix my bike. The other three on the last day when I fell in thick mud but didn’t do any damage since I was almost standing still.
3 ferry crossings. Two across downed bridges and once from Java to Sumatra.
7 hotels and about a billion pieces of chicken. Beef is hard to come by in Sumatra.

Animals I saw on the road
3 monkeys
2 monitor lizards
1 dead boar
0 sumatran tigers
0 elephants
More farm animals than there are in all of Idaho and Montana put together. (Interesting to note that they all like to cross the road near dusk)
Oh, and I killed 1 chicken. (No I didn't eat it!)