Sunday November 10

Day 1 on the road and all went well.  The bike and bike rack held together; my bag fastened onto the bike rack and it didn’t fall off; and I did not get lost.  My hotel was right near the main street, so I went 1 block and I was on Highway 1 for the whole day.  I wanted to stop early so at the biggest town of the day I asked a cabbie where the hotels were.  He told me there were none in town and none all the way to Banda Aceh (600km down the road).  When I questioned him more he said I could sleep at the Police Station.  It was 1 pm so I rode for another 2 hours until a big town.  I went to the police station and they told me there was a hotel 1km down the road.  There was and I am in the VIP deluxe room with A/C and running water.  All for only $17. 

   The riding is hard.  After the first 30km I was on a 2-lane highway.  Traffic is heavy, mostly motor scooters, but also minibuses and trucks.  I need to keep close to the edge without falling off; the edge can drop 25cm in places.  Rich people drive SUV’s, I have seen only 1 sedan all day.  I was run off the road once or twice by a big black SUV, but they sure let me know in advance.  They was passing everything in sight and I wasn’t going to get in the way.  I do seem to be a bit of an oddity here.  Every guy that sees me go past says hello mister!  I smile and answer, but very few people speak English here.  I am going to learn some Indonesian.   

My Bike and Luggage

Mosque entrance

Roadside Mosque