It is time to leave Indonesia for a while, for the 2 months maximum stay of my visa is almost finished. In order to be able to return to Indonesia, it is necessary to apply for a new visa in another country. I have choosen to go to the Philippines, a country where I have not been before and where one can travel visa-free for 1 month. The bike stays behind in the guesthouse in Kuta and I will spend the next 3 wee...

Here is the third and final part of the bicycle trip through Sulawesi. Again this part is written by Sjoukje and concerns her personal impressions of this trip. I want to thank her for these 3 blogs. She saved me a lot of work. Next you can expect a blog written by me again, describing my backpacking trip in the north of the Philippines.   Today, finally back on the bike again, we start by crossing the Minahasa peninsula, which is only about 50 km. wide here. We have so...

Below is the second part of the bicycle trip through Sulawesi together with Sjoukje. Again, this is Sjoukje's personal diary and a continuation of her story in the previous blog that ended with the funeral ritual of the Torajas. The meat from the slaughtered pigs is distributed on the spot, so now and then one can see someone walking around, carrying an unidentifiable bloody piece of pig on a string. The highlight is the slaughtering of the buffalo which is done later and not somewhere behind...

It took a while, but here is the next blog. The blog is about the cycling trip on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which I made together with cycling buddy Sjoukje between 23 September and 20 November 2018. On 21 September, after a few delays in my flight flight to Indonesia, I have to transfer Ulaanbaatar-Beijing - Jakarta to the more complicated route via Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. The planned travel time of 11 hours is therefore amply exceeded and changes in 32 hours. Tired, I arrive i...

Border crossings always make me nervous. Waiting times, forms in foreign languages and characters, extensive inspection of the truck, people jumping the queue and being dependent of the sometimes badly-minded officials. A good dose of Zen is essential. And when you think that everything is over, a car insurance policy must be taken out. Credit cards are not accepted. People want cash in local currency. This often means that you have to look for an ATM or bank in the nearest town and then d...

A few days before the celebration of the annual Naadam festival I arrive in Mörön and take residence in a hotel to enjoy a normal bed and to benefit from the WIFI connection. Piggy has had to pay a lot on the Mongolian tracks in the last few days. It is frustrating to experience that he does not have the right qualities to defy the numerous bumps and potholes. I do not like to drive very fast on these roads with my rigid axles. Small...

Again, the border formalities between Kazakhstan and Russia take a lot of time on both sides. This time, after 5 long hours, I can finally set foot on Russian soil. Just over the border I still have to arrange my car insurance. Two small offices on opposite sides of the road, manned by two competing ladies, offer me the opportunity to do so. One lady is trying to make contact with me by stepping outside. The other one already has a customer, but deserts him for a moment to come out and take my a...

Lying on my back in a comfortable chair I look  at the dimmed light above me. Open-mouthed. In the background I hear Candy Dulfer's famous song "Lily was here" . I see the head of a lady with a mouthcap showing me a sterile packaged needle. "Anesthetic?", she asks. Oh dear, it's not that bad, is it? Candy makes me quite relaxed and so I answer that an a...

After a three week stay in the Netherlands and with a double entry visa for Russia, I return to Tbilisi to find Piggy in good health. The visa is valid for 3 months starting May 15, which means that I will skip Azerbaijan and spend the short time remaining in Armenia. In Tbilisi I get caught in the rush-hour,  total chaos at the intersections. Often there are no traffic lights, so the strongest or boldest drivers take over. In the traffic jam it is important to stay right behind the vehicle i...

There is no other option than to take the same road back again to Zugdidi. The more direct mountain route to the south, to the city of Kutaisi, is closed for the greater part of the year due to too much snowfall. Only in june, july and august the high pass is snow-free. The last f...