By Bike to Malaysia

Volcano Country

Sheen Kua — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:42:28 +0000

Current location : Gattières, France

12/Mar/09 to 15/Mar/09 : from Surabaya up to Mt. Bromo, East Java

A rare sight : 2 active volcanoes in close proximity. Clockwise from left is Mt. Bromo 2329mtrs, Mt. Semeru 3676mtrs (highest mountain on Java), and the dormant Mt. Batok in the foreground.

Since the start of my trail to Australia, I’ve criss-crossed different landscapes - from deserts to mountains to jungles - but never got anywhere near to volcanoes. When the ferry from Kalimantan let me off late afternoon in Surabaya port, Java, suddenly I was in Volcano Country - there’re more than 40 volcanoes on the island of Java, at least 20 are considered active, and these actives ones don’t seem too far away …. according to my map. It’ll be a shame to ride pass it - it’ll be like “going to Paris without seeing Eiffel Tower”. Bali can wait.

Guess which is my horse ?

Meanwhile, riding on Java’s main trunk roads is similar to riding in India. It took 2 hrs to get to the eastern outskirts of Surabaya city, another 2-1/2 hrs in the early nightfall zig-zagging between long queues of trucks : total 4-1/2 hrs for 150km covered to get to Probolinggo. Tired.

Yes, I like to ride up there

Next day, I turned towards eastern Java’s Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, where Mt. Bromo is located. The Tengger people, with their fascinating cultural history and their Hindu religion roots, live here on the fertile highlands. These are very friendly and simple farming folks. What’s amazing are the sights of unending hill slopes of vegetable plots, the slow pace of life and the spectacular views of the trio Mt. Bromo, Mt. Semeru, Mt. Batok from the village of Cemoro Lawang at the edge of the caldera.

Kicking up sand in the caldera

Mt. Bromo is a beautiful active volcano - quite stunning against a clear morning sky. I couldn’t help but enjoy rambling around its “sea-of-sand”, even up to the crater (well, almost) during my 3 days stay. I like this place … well worth a re-visit in the future … if it doesn’t blow off its top (the crater is currently off limits to visitors due to high seismic activity).

Time out with fellow travellers

More pics below

Bitten by a rat on Ferry boat to Java Island

Sheen Kua — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:32:36 +0000

Boat companions, Pak Wahyu and his family, on our 18hrs ferry trip from Banjarmasin to Surabaya, Java Island

From 10/Mar/09 to 11/Mar/09 : Banjarmasin to Surabaya on RoRo ferry

The 2 days ride across quiet country roads of S. Kalimantan took me into its busy provincial capital of BanjarMasin. It’s a city built on a delta island, surrounded by a maze of rivers & canals. Here, multi directional traffic, humans & “becak” or tut-tut trishaws choke up crossroads, resembling a mini Bangkok. I cross my fingers that this time there is a vehicle carrying roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) ferry plowing between its Trisakti harbour and Java island. It’s a big problem to find reliable info about ferry schedules or its services in Indonesia. This method is a bit kamikaze, I know. But it seemed appropriate for use here and in the Borneo jungles.

Once I arrived at the port it turned out quite easy. There were a few ferry agents’ offices lined up outside the port entrance, amongst some cheap travelers’ motels. Just missed a RoRo ferry to Semarang, Central Java ; however, luck was with me - another RoRo to Surabaya, East Java was due the next day. It didn’t quite matter where Surabaya was, as long as it’s in Java. Traveling with a bike has taught me not to be choosy. The soft spoken agent said the ferry carry “apa apa saja”, meaning anything and everything, and “jangan kuatir” (don’t worry) for the bike. He proposed that I buy a 1^st class sleep berth instead of 2^nd or 3^rd class. Why ?? He said convincingly “tak bisa tidur, banyak penumpang, sakit tulang nanti” (can’t sleep, too many passengers, my bones will suffer), for a few thousand Rupiahs more ie few euros more. It was the soft bed that sounded like a better idea than the hard upright seat, while Kuda gets a berth in the ferry’s belly along with other foul smelling diesel trucks.

That evening, I found a decent looking hotel in BanjarMasin’s city centre, walked out and enjoyed an evening “Gado gado” meal by the roadside with the locals. This trip to Borneo has really been a great adventure for the child inside, with satisfaction similar to that coming down the wild Karakoram highway in Pakistan. My bike was not broken, and I was looking forward to the ferry crossing into Java. How do you explain when you’re feeling good ?

The Roro ferry, the M/V KM Kumala, berthed just before 6pm for its scheduled 18hrs voyage back to Surabaya. Mr. Ahmad, the ticket agent’s bossman was present, as he promised, with the paperworks to ensure what he called “smooth embarkation of my foreign bike” in case customs or police were out sniffing to “earn some cigarette money”. The ferry boarding was kind of exciting, after paper formalities, I just rolled into the ferry’s belly, into a dark corner where Ahmad helped me tied down the bike. Glad I brought ropes as seas can be rough. The local bikers didn’t bother tying their scooters at all. I must have looked silly to them. Oh well …

I’ve read that Indonesia’s inter-island ferries are generally overcrowded with passengers. Sometimes they go down in severe weather with the whole lot - then the authorites find out that the actual number dead outnumbered those on the passenger list (??). Soon the next ferry is just as crowded.

Ahmad said I can get a good sleep as the voyage weather forecast looks good. This RoRo is 3 storey high, has a 24hrs cafeteria, a Medic onboard, signs of new paint jobs over rusted steel plates & pipes, and safety escape signs everywhere - so all’s cool. Ferry was full, but not cramped like sardines. Just like Ahmad said, the passengers soon made their sleeping berths on available seats & floor spaces. Not that I mind competing, but I’d already splashed out for a 1^st class berth - got a room with 4 empty bunk beds all for myself, what a luxury ! In a way, it allowed me to leave my belongings in a safe corner, so I had time for several long chats with Pak Wahyu, a friendly truck driver who was traveling with his family to Bali. That evening on the Java sea, we were treated to a singing & dance show put on for the passengers. It was happy hour onboard.

I was starting to enjoy this serene voyage ….. until this happened. While asleep alone in my room, I was awoken by a sharp pain on my right hand’s little finger. There was blood. Hell, something bit me. It was 4am when I in turn woke up the sleepy Medic to seek treatment for the cut on my little finger. When asked if there are rats, snakes or bats in the 1^st class rooms, he smiled faintly, said “don’t worry, it’s nothing serious” ; deflecting the question, sprayed antiseptic on wound, bandaged my finger and sent me off ! Later, I threw a piece of bread into the room’s rubbish bin, switch off the light and waited quietly - sure enough, 2 huge adult rats came out from under the other bed and headed right for the bin. I lost my sleep. Its funny how all of a sudden questions like “why do they bite”, “do these rats carry disease”, etc start to repeat itself in my head. At daybreak I filled out a complain form to the Captain with my contact address & e-mail info. Frankly, I’d be quite happy with a reply like “Dear sir, we’re very sorry you got bitten by a rat on our ferry M/V KM Kumala … If you’ll accept, we’ll provide you with another 1^st class free return trip plus free meals thrown in … no hard feelings. Thank you for choosing to travel on our ferry”. Never got a reply. Ok, the rat did not chew off my finger. But can you imagine, rats are going 1^st class on the ferry.

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South Kalimantan’s quiet country roads

Sheen Kua — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:30:46 +0000

Current location : Gattières, France

This is the kind of quiet country road of South Kalimantan that greeted me. Loved it.

From 07/Mar/09 to 10/Mar/09 : ride from Samarinda to Banjarmasin

Eightdays passed since we (Kuda & I) entered Indonesia’s East Kalimantan on a fishing boat. We encountered more successive “adventures” (or in simple word, meaning difficulties) these past few days than … perhaps, more than I expected - or wished for. Looking back, it does appear monster of a job to lug along a heavy overland bike across this little known region’s hostile sea border and wild jungle roads. Truck driver Iwan & his merry companion crew joked that after Sangatta, by Indonesian standard, there’re beautiful sealed roads, minus some with big potholes, south till end of Borneo !

As we came out of the jungle, our truck picked up an exhausted “foreigner” - an Italian backpacker named Iuris. He explained “I board a private taxi. Last 3 days it was stuck in jungle. We keep getting out to push or pull taxi out of mud. I fell a few times into mud …. little food, no sleep. Taxi drive 24 hours, no stop, now engine broken, so I had to hitch hike”. I could see his eyes were almost falling out due to exhaustion. A great Borneo experience, some may say. I agree. Over the next 2 days, both of us caught up with sleep and shower in a hotel in Samarinda, East Kalimantan’s provincial capital. Unfortunately once again, sight seeing was not on my agenda - was quite happy just to report back home after 3 days of no phone signals that I’ve got out of the jungle.

My initial plan was to ride further south till the oil, gas & coal seaport of Balikpapan, board a ferry across to the island of Sulawesi, then find another to Bali. But in the last 8 days I noticed I’ve spent more time on the fishing boat and Iwan’s truck, instead of riding on my own horse ! Plans are made to be changed, so I decided it was time to get a feel of Borneo on a bike - and ride the 2 days ride south to Banjarmasin, the provincial capital of South Kalimantan, then ferry to Java. Sulawesi can wait.

I later realised this ride all the way south to Banjarmasin was another true great ride in an unknown region. As enjoyable as when I was out alone on the rugged mountainous Karakoram highway in Pakistan. Outside the towns of South Kalimantan, the countryside roads were extremely quiet. It had the scenery of a semi rural, semi jungle type of surrounding. Villagers were surprised to see a foreign biker. And the folks here were friendly, taking time out to chat. Here, I remember that it was quiet. That it had a nice calm.

No regrets coming down this way as I saw for a first time a RED shelled Durian fruit ! On sale by the side of a country road. It’s a personal surprise as my hometown of Segamat in Malaysia is well known for its durians (you either like it or you hate it), but I never knew a red durian existed. I carried this happy feeling with me into its congested capital Banjarmasin, from where I hope to find at least one RoRo ferry going to Java. One fishing boat experience and subsequent tangle with “garang” (fierce) local customs officials in Indonesia is good enough for me.

Borneo’s incredible jungle roads

Sheen Kua — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:21:49 +0000

Current location : Gattières, France

2nd day midnight : this heavy truck could not get out despite being pulled by 2 other trucks simultaneously. The road is blocked. We spent our 2nd evening here … Iwan, the driver of the truck I hitched a ride with, had wanted to drive all night.

03/Mar/09 to 06/Mar/09 : From Berau to Sangatta, E. Kalimantan

Must remember this day, 03/Mar/09. As the taxiboat pulled out of Tarakan that morning, with my bike safely tugged inside its belly, I was probably the happiest overlander biker (if there were any others) in Borneo. In short, there was a feeling everything was wonderful after the anxieties and showdown of last 3 days with immigration in Tarakan - now, I’ve escaped it !! Youpie, take that !

The weather was good. To get to Tanjung Selor, the taxiboat snakes its way 5hrs through the peaceful and natural wild swampland of NE Borneo. Occasionally, marine and wading birds, fish spouts, and man-made fishing trap structures would crossed our path. As we approached the mouth of river Kayan, where Tanjung Selor is located, individual wooden stilt houses - partly built on land and partly over water - came into view against background of coconut trees and rainforest. My first close-up panoramic view of a remote village on mainland Borneo. It was an exciting moment. I guess for any tourist who venture this far, this sight beats the hell out of city skylines.

At Tanjung Selor, Hadjiran’s brother, Chang, was waiting at the wharf (Hadjiran was worried for me, so he called in his brother to assist my arrival). First thing Chang said in bahasa was “I’m local, don’t worry, nobody is going to dare to mess with you here in our village”. Not only did I have a “bodyguard”, Chang also offered a place to stay that evening so that I can park the bike in a safe compound. I soon learned that the only road south was through the unsealed jungle roads between Berau (also known as Tanjung Redep) and Sangatta, which he says vehicules normally take 3 days (if it does not rain) to 7 days (if it rains). Locals here calculate travel distances in terms of days, depending on the weather, road and sea conditions. The actual distance of 400+km don’t really mean much to them.

”Big mess when it rains, some people are stuck up to 3 days inside cars & buses, so carry some food. No food in the middle of jungle. Go slowly, your enduro bike can make it” Chang advised. This is the 1^st time I’ve had hard info about my next destination. Of course, I did not comprehend what Chang really meant (3 to 7 days to cover 400+km seemed like a long time) - after all, the rare images I’ve seen on the net of jungle roads in Borneo just show its mystical side, hard to imagine what it is like in reality. I do carry camping gear and 1 day food. This coming stretch promised to be a real adventure - this time in mud !!

Early next morning, after thanking Chang for his hospitality, crossed my fingers that it don’t rain, I rode the 120km south to Berau on good narrow sealed road. Next to the road, the rainforest trees are long gone, replaced by few small farmlands (mostly banana) along the way. As advised, I filled up petrol at Berau, got directions to where the jungle road begins as my GPS indicates no road. The locals who saw me on a bulky bike were full of smiles and encouragement. I suppose they are not used to seeing a foreign biker coming into town.

So far so good ?? Well, it was good going for the first 40km or so on hardened unsealed road, with potholes left by trucks - no problem with that, then the rain came. Travel speed was reduced to less than 40km/hr, then the mud sections appeared and max. speed reached 5 to 10km/hr. There was no adhesion in mud, the bike was struggling and skidding. My 240kg bike & luggage seemed like 500kg now. Rain outside, sweat inside ; making a few metres advance each time was quite a tiring exercise. Faced with impasse, I decided to wait under the rain - wait it out or maybe I’ll have to camp here, or take the 3 to 7 days it takes to cross the 400km jungle !!

Soon, I found I was not alone in the jungle. Every half hour or so, a private taxi cramped with passengers or a truck would pass by. This was the only road linking north / south, that once was a private logging road. The Indonesian authorities have shut down all logging activities (illegal or not) 6 years back due to large scale deforestation and corruption. Its now simply a jungle road, almost unmaintained. As there are no alternative roads, the locals and traders continue to use it to link their communities, despite the dangers.

With a twist of luck, a fully loaded taxi and an empty Mitsubishi truck, each coming from opposite directions stopped next to me. The taxi driver explained they’ve been in the jungle 3 days and nights since Sangatta because of rain. That vehicles are having problems to move in many sections so its better I turn back to Berau until the road dries up, or piggy-ride on the truck. Will the road dry up ?? A bit of negotiation later, for cigarette money as they called it, truck driver Iwan and his 2 assistances (Aldi and Ismail) agreed to take us onboard. We spent the next 3 days and many hours at night riding through difficult, slippery mud filled terrain, full of holes and trenches. The road was forever steep, up and down, and up and down. This was really the toughest and worst road ever up to now on my way to Australia. No regrets doing the piggy riding.

Over the next 3 days, I observed how die-hard, unafraid and bonded the Indonesian drivers plowing this jungle road have become. They push their cars, buses or trucks to its mechanical limits. They relied on their fellow drivers to pull them out of mud trenches. Some mud trenches are amazingly truck deep and uncomfortably long. The drivers joke at their misfortune when a vehicle is stuck. The passengers of private cars, except for women and children, too had to get out to help push or pull their vehicules out of the mud. We had decent food and sleep bunks for 2 nights in a “warung” (roadside foodstall), and spent one night out on the truck because we got caught up in a “traffic jam” in the middle of the jungle. Yet, the Indonesians I met remained remarkably calm.

A bit of statistics. We traveled about 16hrs/day (2 hrs for lunch & dinner, 6 hrs for sleep & breakfast) where our truck was either moving or waiting at trenches. It took 3 days to cover the 400km Berau / Sangatta stretch. Our average speed works out to be 8.3 km/hr - an incredibly slow speed. The locals here are right to calculate their travel distance in terms of days.

On the lighter side, Iwan joked that when he started this job 6 years ago, the jungle was wild and there were not many vehicules doing the jungle run. Sometimes, Orang Utans would come up beside the road and stretch out their hands for handouts when they hear a truck coming. Sadly, he said it’s the opposite nowadays - some people will make a hole in the road, forcing vehicules to slow down and stretch out their hands for handouts !!

A really memorable experience.

On Borneo’s Tarakan island : Passport is confiscated, held ransom 3 days by a corrupt Chief Immigration officer …

Sheen Kua — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:10:48 +0000

Current location : Gattières, France

Putting so much faith on an old winch with rusted thin wire produced cold sweat on my palms.

From 28/Feb/09 to 03/Mar/09

28/Feb/09. Just before dawn, the shadow of Tarakan island and its flickering lights in the horizon slowly came into view. In the low tide, Captain Nadi guided the KM Slalu Ada, without difficulty to its homebase berth at the Pasar Barokah fishing village, approx. 2 km from the main ferry terminal of Tarakan. The crew chuckled as they watch me hazily climbed the 3mtrs height out onto the wooden pier. They saw it right : I had reached my limit of inhaling diesel fumes after 10hrs rocky voyage in the dark.

Tarakan - a regional commercial hub and transit point - is a tiny island off the northeastern coast of Borneo in East Kalimantan province. As dawn breaks, the fishing village of Pasar Barokah came to life with taxi speedboats and sounds of fishing vessels, some returning from their night catch. Luckily for me, the berth was equipped with an old winch and a very thin rusted wire dangling out beneath it. Capt Nadi assured me this winch lifts “anything”; to my relief, with the help of their fellow workers, it lifted the bike out from the cargo hole onto the deck. Wow, putting so much faith on a thin wire produce cold sweat on my palms.

By 8.30am, my bike was geared up and my local contact, an Indonesian named Hajiran arrived. Having experienced a number of international border crossings, I was confident it will go down well since my passport, visa, bike docs, exit customs transport papers for bike transport onboard KM Slalu Ada (sanctioned by Tawau customs office) are valid and in order.

I was wrong. When we showed up at 9am at Tarakan’s ferry terminal immigration office, the Chief Immigration Officer, Mr Rahmat (NIP 040062674), surprised to see a biker, looked at the bike and began to ask a series of questions - how I arrived, who sponsored my trip, why I had not arrived by ferry, etc. Despite my explanations (ie I had visited the Indonesian Consulate in Tawau to inform my entry by fishing boat and they had no objections, that the Malaysian immigration office in Tawau sanctioned my departure by fishing boat to Tarakan, the ferryboat could not load my heavy bike); that morning, Officer Rahmat declared my entry illegal and confiscated my passport, without stamping entry on it. I asked if he has the right to confiscate a valid passport with valid visa and valid entry date ?? His reply was simply it’s his right as an Immigration officer. Later that morning Capt Nadi and the boat owner were also called in for questioning. Officer Rahmat soon began to make subtle threats and warnings to us about the seriousness of the issue, and how even he is drawn into trouble because he “must now sort out my unauthorized entry”. I “should” normally pay a fine of USD 3000 for such offence, he said. By evening time, I was allowed to leave to find a hotel. Somehow, the Tarakan Customs Dept. came to know about my arrival and they summoned that I leave my bike in their customs locked up warehouse until the immigration matter is sorted.

Suddenly, no passport and no bike … I realised that this time I’ve managed to get myself into some serious troubles in this far-out corner of the world, a place where few people is aware of its geographical location. A bad omen. Very stressful. How do I get them back and quickly out of here ??

Yet, I was not arrested nor did the immigration office lodged a police report. Un-uniformed Officer Rahmat and one of his officer visited me the same evening at the hotel (he showed me my passport which he said it is safer with him as he brings it home in the evening, rather than leave it at the office). The next evening, they returned and wanted me to sign a typed up report (meaning confirm I entered the country illegally). Officer Rahmat also suggested a solution can be found if I pay USD 1500. I refused, as I did not enter Indonesia illegally and I did not have the money. He roared with laughter when he hears that - since I arrived, he repeated often that someone traveling the world on a BMW must have a lot of money !!

I realised I needed to play the game - Indonesia style, if I wish to quickly get out of this mess. Its funny how a couple of phone calls to a friend in Jakarta, who followed it up with calls to some army friends, make a big difference. Monday 02/Mar/09, Officer Rahmat suddenly changed his tone and offered to validate my passport entry into Indonesia if I leave the island the very next day. Another meeting was held, this time with the Customs dept. officers, in order to have the bike released, where Officer Rahmat explained how he felt sorry for me, and I don’t really look like an illegal. Back at the ferry port immigration office that evening for passport stamping, in attendance of his officers and Hadjiran, Officer Rahmat insisted I must first sign the typed report (with interrogation questions Officer Rahmat himself answered). He says it is a necessary procedure - the report is for his office use only - and promise he’ll stamp my passport immediately after. Can I now trust him, do I have a choice ?? Hadjiran shook his head as I signed. Guess what ?? Officer Rahmat then refused to sign my passport, unless I pay “some” money for his troubles !! Yes, he tricked me good. When asked why he reverts again to this ruse, Officer Rahmat burst aloud saying he and his staff earn poor salaries, he uses his personal computer for official work - soon he needs to upgrade this computer to help the immigration dept. !! Its been 3 terrible days at Tarakan. Exhausted and fed-up by Officer Rahmat’s manipulation, I said I can only afford MYR 150.00 (about Euro 30.00), or he can deport me back to Tawau as he had earlier threatened. He laughed, but accepted. My passport was stamped entry date 02/Mar/09, and entry into Tarakan via ferry vessel KM Indomaya on my departure card !! (should have been on the KM Slalu Ada, so, where was I on 28/Feb/09 and 01/Mar/09 ??). Can you imagine this immigration office has bandits disguised as immigration officers !!

Some of the Customs officers told me, as far as anyone of them can remember, they have never seen any foreign motorcycle entry by sea from Tawau into Tarakan. They laughed when I asked if it was necessary to confiscate the passport of the 1st foreign biker that turned up ??

My fastrack getaway plans to go to Sulawesi took a knock when the big Pelni ferryboat I anxiously waited for on 03/Mar/09 informed they do not carry vehicles, only passengers. Hadjiran managed to locate an alternative way out of Tarakan via a small taxi boat leaving same day to a remote village called Tanjung Selor on mainland Borneo, some 5 hours boat ride away. From there, my Borneo map shows long jungle tracks within E.Kalimantan on way down towards Java. It was my only way out, so I grabbed it (before Officer Rahmat decides to play up another trick) - at least I’ll get my liberty back.

Its been a nightmare on Tarakan. Its openly corrupt ; I never thought I get to see state officials acting in concert (in this case, the entire immigration dept), daring to publicly intimidate and go in after their prey (myself, Capt Nadi and fishing boat owner). Its the most corrupt frontier I’ve encountered since the start of my trip. Hadjiran, my honest and friendly local contact, could not believe either what he saw and heard. Before I left Tarakan on the taxiboat for Tanjung Selor, he asked not to have bad feelings towards Indonesians because of it … well, I don’t.

Come to think about it, during 4 days on Tarakan island, I did not get a chance to visit the town or island. Too bad, maybe next time ?? Unlikely. Once bitten, twice shy.

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Borneo Island : The D.I.Y. of sea crossing on a fishing boat from Tawau, Sabah into Indonesia’s E.Kalimantan

Sheen Kua — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:44:50 +0000

Current Location : Gattières, France
Last entry date : 08/Jun/09

Off we sailed on 27/Feb/09 evening towards the Indonesian port of Tarakan on the fishing boat KM Slalu Ada. The captain annonced the weather looks fine for the ride.

From 24/Feb/09 to 27/Feb/09

Up till now, armed with a valid passport & visa, Carnet de Passage and info from the net, I would turn up with the bike at a legal border and asked to be allowed to enter. These are land and air borders, with administration in place, and the authorities stationed there knew what to do with people like me (exception for China, of course). So far so good.

On 24/Feb/09 evening, I arrived at the coastal town of Tawau, Sabah, ready to enter Indonesia’s E. Kalimantan on Borneo Island. The idea was to somehow try to get across to the Indonesia port of Tarakan 100km away. From here, I could either hop onto a ferry to the island Sulawesi, or ride through the vaguely traced E. Kalimantan’s jungle route down the eastern flank of Borneo till the city Banjarmasin.

There is a nearer and smaller port of Nunukan, but I crossed it out when locals in Tawau advised that local “mafias” are operating and many “bandits & conmen” are just waiting to help me once I reach the port - or bring lots of cash as it would cost a fortune in payouts just a find a crane to lift my bike onto the jetty or get my bike legal for riding.

For the 1^st time since the start of trip, in this remote northeast region of Borneo, I’m confronted by an unknown vast 100km sea border crossing between 2 immigration points … there was zero info regarding whether its possible to cross this frontier with an accompanying bike, how or what I need to do to get across this frontier with a bike !! No news either on the Hubb of biker’s forum Horizons Unlimited about this crossing point. I came across short articles on the net about a couple of independent riders who got in many years ago; they apparently had “high level contact” help, but how they did it remained a mystery. Even the “old hands” at the port of Tawau or immigration officials are politely surprised as they cannot recall meeting a biker asking to simply “go over there”. It starts to appear like a high stake poker game; by coming here I’m calling a bluff - if that does not work, well … my … backward plan is to turn back some 2000km to go via the Sarawak / West Kalimantan border to Pontianak which is confirmed passable with bikes. Its great to have a flexible trip plan, but this is such a big U-turn and I’d dread to do that, now that I’m here …

Soon after I arrived, the Immigration & customs officials said that its not possible to cross into Indonesia with a vehicle - all vehicles stop here. They also said they don’t know how they can help me. For a brief moment, I wonder how the hell I chose to cross here with a bike when its not a confirmed crossing for vehicles (Tawau is the only official crossing, by sea, into Indonesia in the whole of Sabah) - I’ve just stepped on sh*t ; there was flashback of stress generated by my previous 3-day mini ordeal while trying to cross the Chinese border at Korgas - although at that time I had permission to enter. This time, it looked bad !

There were no precedent cases. My problems, I found were :

a) the passenger speedboat ferry terminal of Tawau can only cater to passengers
- it was not possible to push my heavy bike down the narrow passenger ramp and somehow get it lifted onto the passenger speedboat’s roof (which returning Indonesia’s migrant workers fill up with their oversized lugguages and heaps of electronic & household equipment)

b) it might (if lucky) be possible to find a fishing boat willing to transport BOTH my bike & me into Indonesia ?? First I need to find one, after which special permissions from the authorities (immigration, customs police, Indonesia’s consulate in Tawau, etc) in Tawau are required

c) then I need to find a crane, if available, or risk it by letting hired hands “lift” the bike in stages, in & out of the boat ?? In practice, its so easy to damage a bike this way or … end my trip here if it drops into the sea !!

Luckily for me, my friend Thiam’s contact in Tawau engaged the services of a local agent name Zul to help me out. Zul worked in the local fish industry so he knew the fishing boat runs, immigration and port procedures. Soon, it started to “buzz” around the port that a biker was looking for a fishing boat to transport a bike into Tarakan. Over the next 2 days the Indonesian consulate in Tawau advised it had no objection to me accompanying a fishing boat since I had a valid visa. Zul found a fishing boat. The Tawau customs police interviewed the boat captain and was satisfied enough with our declared documents to allow his boat to carry the bike. When all these were done it was still up to the head of Malaysian Immigration office at Tawau to decide if my departure would contravene any laws, question of legality by departing on a fishing boat, or who’s to be accountable should an accident happened to me “out there” (As usual, I volunteered that I’m responsible for myself). After 2 rounds of interviews the head of Tawau’s Immigration office approved my departure traveling on the fishing boat and put his exit stamp on my passport. Here’s a good man, according to my books, someone who understood my simple reason to traverse into Indonesia.

Youpie !! 3 days after my arrival in Tawau (consider myself lucky) … I happily sailed onboard the KM Slalu Ada on 27/Feb/09 evening into Indonesia waters. Its another 1^st for me - this time riding on a slow and noisy chuck a chuck wooden Indonesian fishing boat with my bike firmly attached inside its cargo hole (instead of usual live crabs), towards the port of Tarakan, approx. 10 hrs away in good weather. Inside the tiny cabine, the diesel fumes dissipated, smoky like in a smokers’ lounge, from the engine 1.5mtrs below. Before long, the combined diesel fumes and the rocking motion of the vessel against the waves meant I had to take out a plastic bag I had in reserve in case I throw-up my lunch. The crew joked that they never eat before a voyage. The captain added that I’m lucky as there’ll be good weather tonight - the sea’s not too choppy sea and there are no big waves that’ll try to overturn the boat !! Whatever that means, I noticed they had no VHF radios, navigation chart nor a spare engine (well, they had one, but since it went for repairs, it never came back). The captain and crew carry handphones but the signals died soon as we were out in the sea. They were going oohs & aahs when I showed them my GPS with Indonesia maps !! So, I avoided asking silly questions about about safety, emergency, etc. The crewmen explained they’re from Sulawesi ; the sea is their 2^nd home. And while we chatted in Bahasa during my “long” voyage in total darkness

(yes, all lights are turned off, including its small navigational light - is it to avoid attracting pirates ??), I’m astonished at how the captain & crew guided their boat through sight and stars !! Now and then the crewmen would yell out to the captain to navigate away from the numerous unlighted wooden fishing structures standing out there in the open sea.

Once I got passed the vomiting stage caused by the diesel fumes and the rocking motion of the boat, the voyage became enjoyable. It was a fantastic way to get into Indonesia’s Borneo. I don’t know what awaits me at the other end at the port of Tarakan.

A slow ride across Sabah, Malaysia’s Borneo

Sheen Kua — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:46:33 +0000

Current Location : Perth, Australia
Last entry date : 26/Apr/09

Sunday market at Gaya Street, Kota Kinabalu, capital city of Sabah.

From 19/Feb/09 to 27/Feb/09

…. enjoy the photos

Back in Malaysia and out to Singapore for quick repair job

Sheen Kua — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:26:39 +0000

Current Location : Perth, Australia
Last entry date : 25/Apr/09

This cute little fella is Jarvis Leow. And he is ready to play !!

From 07/Feb/09 to 19/Feb/09

… enjoy the photos, will fill in the travel tales soon

Looping back into Thailand via Ventiane / Nong Khai Friendship bridge

Sheen Kua — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:32:36 +0000

Current Location : Perth, Australia
Last entry date : 18/Apr/09

On way to visit the Sleeping Buddha inside a Temple cave above a bay north of Prachuap Khirikhan.

From 30/Jan/09 to 06/Feb/09

…. enjoy the photos, will fill in the travel tales soon

Discovering Laos – from Luang Prabang to Ventiane

Sheen Kua — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:18:25 +0000

Current Location : Melbourne, Australia
Last entry date : 03/Apr/09

Hello … from Vang Viang !!

From 28/Jan/09 to 30/Jan/09

… enjoy the photos, will fill in travel tales as soon as possible (… still working on how to get this done quickly while out on the road).