BROOKLYN TO BROOKLYN

SAIGON....

2011-12-03T07:48:00.009-08:00

been in saigon for six months now, thoroughly consumed in...
i love this city, i mean really love like nyc chicago love.. its a raw, badass town that doesnt take any shit, but at the same time is completely relaxed and glazed with a calm mellow vibe... saigon is about eating, coffee, life, seasons, and a beautiful simplicity not unlike indonesia...i came here completely broke with a goal of saving a lot of money and continuing my journey.. ive taught english 7 days a week, morning, noon, and nite for months now and im happy to report a travel budget of world conquest proportions.... but can i ever leave??????

20 DAYS ACROSS CAMBODIA...

2011-08-09T05:48:00.005-08:00

Cambodia was pretty cool...

Leaving Thailand.. 'Nuff respet to da king..

2011-08-04T20:13:00.003-08:00

I think I can speak for all low budget cycling gypsys when I say THANKS to the KING for building these genius little pavilions along all of the highways.. They're perfect for sleeping, a hammock fits perfectly in all of them and they are usually elevated so there is only one entrance which is good for security, and they have roofs so you don't get wet.. It's like a free open-air hotel room every night! BRILLIANT!

10 Day Meditation...

2011-07-04T03:07:00.003-08:00

I went to a small town a couple days ride east of Bangkok to take a silent meditation course that I'd heard about from a buddy in Indonesia. The course, including food and a small room to sleep, is free and ran entirely by the donations from past 'students', even the staff and teachers do not get paid. It's called Vipassana meditation and is a technique that dates back some 3000 years.. It's taught by a very old Burmese-Indian man named S.N. Goenka, who comes across as a very kind, wise, and objective person.. The ten day course takes place in a most beautiful setting surrounded by forest, a lotus-filled pond, and a wonderful silence. Well not really silent because of all of the animals and insects, but when you enter you take a vow of silence (you're not even to make eye contact with anyone in order to create the feeling that you are alone) and agree to eat 2 meals per day, one at 6 and one at 11, and also you must follow a strict meditation schedule which begins in the meditation hall at 430am and ends around 930pm.. That's a LOT of meditation. You might think it would be easy to sit, straight backed and legs crossed, for hours and hours, but it is anything but easy. I particularily struggled the entire course with the posture, but by the 7th day or so it wasn't so much a distraction to my meditation, and I now have a profound respect for monks and their inhuman sitting abilities...

As for the technique itself it's really very simple, it's just sitting still, eyes closed, and focusing all of your conscious attention (and ideally sub-conscious, although it is very difficult) on very small, subtle sensations and feelings that your mind would normally never notice, well consciously at least... The point of this, theoretically, is to sharpen up the senses and the mind to constantly be aware of the most subtle, atom-vibrating sensations and remaining objective at all times; that is to say: You don't develop craving for pleasant sensations, and you don't develop hatred for uncomfotable or painful sensations. You simply are to be aware, objective and aware of one simple truth, simply that the sensation exists, had a beginning, and will pass away... A fundamental truth in Buddhist philosophy applicable to all living and non living matter.

My course had about 20 westerners (most of which had already done several courses) and about 90 Thai people. Men and women are kept separate and you are to take a vow of complete sexual restraint (even when alone). Which, I concluded, is more or less impossible. I feel that this technique, naturally, would be more appealing to easterners than to westerners as it promotes a very passive state of mind that we (westerners) would often find an undesirable characteristic. However, I found it very interesting and I love the silence and the solitude, which I was already pretty used to. I will continue to practice and apply principles learned to my life. I look forward to doing another course, hopefully in Burma or India...

Bangkok...

2011-05-02T08:34:00.006-08:00

As soon as I turned off of the highway and into the maze of streets I knew I was in a city that I loved. It's edgy, spicy, colorful and full of AMAZING street food. Bangkok is full of excitement and has everything I love about a big city. I spent my first 2 days wandering around eating and trying to talk to people in my horrible Thai. I found the world's coolest hostel (the overstay) that looks like an abandoned building in Brooklyn; it's filthy, covered in graffiti, and costs less than $2 a night.. I begin a 10 Meditation course (Vipassana) a day's ride east of Bangkok this week so my time in Bangkok might be short lived, which is a shame and I must return to properly explore this urban wonderland!

The bathroom door in my hostel, if I ever die I want this on my tombstone!

The road to Bangkok...

2011-05-02T02:21:00.004-08:00

The road north along the Burmese border was pretty much flat, boring highway.. It's easy to cover 100+ miles a day like this but I would definitely prefer half the distance and twice the excitement! All in all it wasn't too bad with lots of roadside sleeping and smiles from the fruit vendors that line mile after mile of highway... Highlights were a couple really interesting cities like Prachuap Khiri Kahn and Hua Hin, which for whatever reason, I didn't take any photos of...

North through Southern Thailand...

2011-04-20T01:38:00.003-08:00

Crossing into Thailand I was surprised that Islam was still the major religion in the very southern-most parts of the country. The further north i got, through the mountains, the more and more Buddhist it became and the less people spoke Malay (almost the same as Indonesian and my only outlet for communication as Thai is proving very hard to pick up). Things flattened out, and heated up, near the city of Songkhla and when my month of diarrhea turned into blood I was forced to seek medical treatment. My lack of communication ability and my desperate state resulted in me explaining my condition to a (very attractive) Thai nurse, in front of a waiting room full of people, by pointing out the word 'blood' in my phrase book and then motioning as though I were throwing something out of my ass! All the onlookers found this display irresistibly funny and I also couldn't hold back my laughter. Being from America I was afraid that my hospital trips were going to cost me a fortune, but the more I travel and require health care, the more I realize that health care in other countries is a service, not a business. And after 5 hospital trips, lots of antibiotics and other medicines, I.V. injections, and access to surprisingly good health facilities, I was charged a total of less than $15, a price that would have surely been in the thousands at the cheapest county hospital in the States. I can't help but wonder 'why is that?'

West Malaysia - Thai border...

2011-04-09T04:58:00.006-08:00

I got to Medan, Indonesia and started looking for a boat to Malaysia, but the locals said that the boats were discontinued due to how cheap flights were. So I was forced to fly, which only set me back about $35. I flew to Penang which is a cool little island off the coast of mainland Malaysia with a very diverse population. From there to the Thai border only took a couple days and it was a relaxed ride with nice roads. The Thai-Malay border at the Pengkalan Hulu/Bentong crossing was extremely laid back and an effortless cross...

I love Indonesian food, but after 10 months of it I was happy for some variety in the heavily Chinese-Indian populated island of Penang. This wonderful bowl of fresh Cantonese noodles and pork sold on the street sets one back about $1

A Cantonese mother pulling huge amounts of cooked noodles out of the water while her son quickly snips them into bowls with a pair of scissors..

Reflecting on Indonesia...

2011-04-08T00:53:00.003-08:00

Wow where/how to begin? My 10 months in Indonesia will always be remembered as a time in my life that I can honestly say that I was overly content and thoroughly amazed by a country and her beautiful people. So much so that i now, not even a month after leaving, tear up when looking at my thousands of photos of, what seems like, a lifetime of unforgetable experiences. From watching Hindu Cock fights in a Balinese Temple- to spending extended periods of time with all my friends and family in Madura and Java- to cycling alone through the mountains and jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. My time in Indonesia was spent eating amazing food and meeting people while at the same time studying language, culture and religions. Here I want to write about two of the ways in which Indonesia has most changed me as far as my character and mentality; My view of Islam and understanding the importance of the Indonesian concept of 'Sabar'', or patience.

Islam
A year ago in Australia I remeber looking at a map of Java, knowing that it was nearly %100 Islam, and being somewhat put off by that fact as though there was a serious amount of danger and risk passing through a place inhabited by Muslims. I beleived that Muslims were very judgemental, intolerant and aggressive towards Non-muslims. And if you follow the western media coverage of Indonesia (as I did) then this may be a perfectly logical fear. However, a year later I can now look back at my way of thinking in Australia and know that it couldn't be more wrong. Muslims in Indonesia are, in general of course, very kind, friendly, god-fearing, accepting and attractive (the women). In Indonesia there is virtually no crime, alcohol abuse, divorce, or premarital sex (with some rare exceptions of course) and I believe this is based moslty on how devoted they are to their faith. Even not being a Muslim myself, and when asked about my religion (everyone asks) I would either reply 'I don't have one' or 'naturalist', the people were surprisingly never judgemental of my views or tried to 'recruit' me, which I was very grateful for. And in this way my connections and friendships with thousands of Muslims in Indonesia flourished based on a mutual respect for one another. Also, interesting to note, is that in my entire time in Indonesia I never heard anyone say anything even remotely disrespectful about another faith, and Christians will often attend holiday celebrations of their Muslim friends and vice versa.. Very inspiring, the rest of the world would do well to take a lesson from Indonesia's high level of acceptance...

'Sabar'
Long before embarking on this trip, most notably while living in Chicago, I had some serious anger managment issues to say the least. Bar fights were a weekly occurrence and I was very impatient and very quick to voice my frustrations with anyone that I believed was causing them. This stemmed from the incredibly hectic and stressful (and arguably unhealthy) lifestyle that comes along with cooking in professional kitchens. Since that time I have changed completely in no small part to the patience required for long distance cycling, but most important has been the lessons of 'sabar' in Indonesia. If someone acted impatiently, had an argument or showed anger in public in Indonesia the people would just stare at them, confused- as though they had some sort of disease. So it's no surprise that in my 10 months there i can say that I never* saw a public display of anger at all. Now, if I feel those old emotions of anger and impatience brewing I immediately stop and laugh at myself thinking: 'Do I still have that disease?!'

*(With one exception: I saw a drunk guy wreck his motorcycle at 2 am in Surabaya, then an angry onlooker proceded to kick the man's teeth out on the street. They were speaking Javanese so I didn't understand anything that was said, but I assumed that the drunk guy had said something pretty disrespectful when the onlooker tried to help him.)

Lake Toba, North Sumatra...

2011-03-28T02:09:00.005-08:00

Toba is the biggest volcanic crater lake in the world, it's about 60 miles across at it's longest part and in the middle is a big mountainous island called Samosir. At 1000m above sea level, Toba has a cool foggy climate and is the site of the most recent 'super eruption' (70,000 years ago) thereby making it the most studied super eruption and scientists believe it may have nearly caused the extinction of our species by sending the entire planet into a 10 yr 'volcanic winter'..

I took a less beaten path and crossed the southern part of the lake to the island at a small port town that isn't even on the map. My horse wasn't happy when we got to Samosir to find unpaved and rocky roads, but never the less I spent a couple days pedaling around this area trying to comprehend the massive amount of fiery energy that the earth once released here many years ago..
For more reading on Toba click here..

Up into the mountains of North Sumatra

2011-03-24T22:16:00.008-08:00

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. "
-Charles Darwin

Heading north up the West Coast...

2011-03-23T07:30:00.016-08:00

I had more than 500 miles of beautiful coast heading north towards the infamous Lake Toba. A highlight was spending a week in a city called Bengkulu where I met so many wonderful people. Here are some photos/notes:

A smoky village at dawn...

Bathing in the 'Prisoner's well' at a small jail near the city of Padang..

Sunsets like this, combined with sounds of water hitting rocks and a fresh breeze, are a prelude to beautiful dreams in my hammock under the stars... Proving again that the best things in life are in fact free...

This is definitely not the most enticing looking water that I've ever bathed with, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

Water pounding the rocky coastline..

I was pedaling along in my normal hazy trance admiring the beautiful landscape when I noticed that the road ahead had fallen into the ocean!!!

A very lonely boulder stranded in the Indian Ocean.. I feel you buddy..

The main reason for my slow pace up the west coast was that everyday I would stumble upon places like this and spend the entire afternoon swimming!

I slept in this quiet spot on the beach every night for a week while in the city of Bengkulu... Still trying to figure out why on earth anyone would pay money to sleep indoors!?!?!

Pictured here with my Sundanese mother in Bengkulu. I ate breakfast here everyday because she has the best 'nasi uduk' (coconut rice) I've ever had. She was such a sweet lady and she would never let me pay saying 'you're my son, you don't pay.'

I met dozens of friends during my week in Bengkulu, but I will definitely miss Nia (aka frenchy) and Serly the most.. They are great girls and we hung out together almost everyday.. Great memories.

Hanging with Serly at the beach in Bengkulu...

The fruits of my labor.. Sumatra

2011-03-23T01:32:00.020-08:00

I felt like a moron while hanging out with my friends in Kota agung after I had told them that I was a Professional cook in America, but I had no idea where things like cashews, chocolate, and coffee came from! I took my 5 week trip across one of the largest islands in the world as an opportunity to learn more about tropical fruits, here are some of my findings...

Rambutan is a lychee-like fruit covered in reddish hairs with an edible white core...

A star fruit which is a common fruit found all over Southeast Asia...

The little pod at the top of this bland fruit contains a single cashew..

I'm told that the English word for 'Nanka' is Jackfruit but I'm not sure. It comes in huge fruits and these little yellow pods are very sweet and mango-like.

Chocolate trees! Here are 2 types of Chocolate trees (red and yellow?), the seeds are coated with a thick white skin that tastes sweet when sucked on.

The seeds in these green pods will later be dried, roasted, and ground to become delicious cups of coffee...

Coconuts are possibly my favorite things to stop and devour on a hot day, after drinking the water the pulp can be scraped from the inside...

These 'Durian' may be the most famous fruit in Indonesia. They are expensive and known for their strong odor. The pulps have a very unique flavor that some might find unpleasant and the locals always warn that eating durian and drinking beer will cause the stomach to explode and death! (btw these are spikey and heavy, you wouldn't want to be under a durian tree when one of these fell!)

Although not a fruit, I thought these rubber trees would belong in this post. Slits are cut into the trees and the raw rubber is drained to make low quality tires and such.

'Gold Bananas' are very tiny and unique to the northern part of west Sumatra and once you have one of these, you will understand what a banana is meant to be. The inside is almost orange and has a 'twang' that makes the commercial Chiquita bananas seem like Styrofoam...

Papayas are everywhere in Sumatra.

'Red Pineapples' in the mountains of north Sumatra are unbelievably sweet and delicious and a whole pineapple costs 10 cents!

Through Southwestern Sumatra...

2011-03-17T21:28:00.007-08:00

Here are some photos heading through the jungles and coastline of southwest Sumatra. The lack of people means lots of camping in the jungle and on beaches and I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my thoughts on sleeping in the wild (I have a lot of time to think these days! haha).

Guerrilla camping

On this journey, I've left one of the biggest, most crime ridden cities in the world and taken up life on the road in search of nothing (or everything?), so why has sleeping alone in the wilderness had such a huge impact on my life? Surely it's safer to rest one's head alone in the jungle than in the depths of Brooklyn right? So why can it be so difficult and terrifying? I believe the answers lie in the history of humanity and the conditioning of the first 24 years of my life.

Human beings, as a species, have conquered the planet and now dominate life on earth due to our collective intelligence, or teamwork. Harnessing fire, developing languages, art, industry, culture, technology, and all of the other great accomplishments of our species are based on our collective abilities to reflect on things learned from past generations, then build on those things leaving more knowledge for the next. For example, take an average modern person and put him alone on an island and he will most likely not even be able to produce fire (one of the most primitive human accomplishments taking place over 400,000 years ago), let alone complex technologies and industry. My point is to illustrate how much we rely on one another for the comforts of our lives and this is evident as we all live in or near cities, towns, and villages surrounded by other people. This group security that we all have come to take for granted makes going to sleep at night very easy, and has done so for humans, and most other mammals, for a very long time.

Understanding this evolutionary conditioning is key to conquering the fear of sleeping alone in the wild. When we really think about it, sleeping in the forest is very safe as animals typically will not attack anyone unprovoked and a confrontation with a dangerous animal can be easily diffused by simply remaining calm and not panicking, Here in Indonesia I'm often asked how I can sleep in the jungle when the jungles are full of ghosts and evil spirits. I simply reply that I don't believe in the existence of such things. I do, however, believe in malaria and snakes and for me, it's the immense vulnerability that can make it so terrifying.

I think of it this way: Why am I doing this? Cause I want to. What's the worst thing that can happen? Death. Am I afraid of that? Not really. So quit being such a baby and go to sleep!

I've now slept alone in the wild in New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia and I can surely say that sleeping among the beauty of nature, with fresh air and the songs of insects or waves hitting the beach, is one of the most amazing experiences one can have, shattering the mental constraints of domestication.

4 days in Kota agung, Sumatra

2011-03-10T01:50:00.010-08:00

Every once in a while I come across a special place that I absolutely love and Kota agung will definitely go down as one of those places. 3 days into a serious journey across Sumatra (an enormous island the size of California) I stumbled into a small internet shop to check out my location on a map (my wonderful atlas flew off of my bike earlier in the day), and the shop was collectively owned by Aip, a teacher at a local college, and a bunch of students. They are such great folk and I had a hunch after Aip suggested that we all go camp out on the beach the first night that time in Kota agung would be time well spent.
The highlight of my time there was when a bunch of us spent 2 days hiking up an unpopulated mountain, through thick jungle and rapids, and camping near the base of a 300 foot waterfall, (300 feet!!!!! and definitely not in anybody's guidebook!) It was soooooo unbelievable and when we arrived the first evening I couldn't wait for morning so I went to the base of the fall alone as the sun set and I swam naked for a while!! The water is so clean you can drink it straight away and for that hour or so, alone in a misty lagoon surrounded on 3 sides by giant cliffs, huge moss-covered rocks, clean fresh air, raging waterfalls, and beautiful jungle, I was as happy as I'll ever be. Only nature can produce tear-provoking beauty like this. Life is meant to be lived and for that moment, I was surely living...

My route across Java...

2011-02-23T20:30:00.003-08:00

Distance cycled: about 800k (500 miles)
Daily food budget: 20,000-30,000rp (about $2-$3)
Days cycling: 18
Days cycling in rain: 17
Number of beautiful women seen: >1,000,000
Number of times hit by motorbike: 1
Amount spent on accomodation: 0rp ($0)
Highest climb: Puncak, West Java; 0 to 1,488 meters (4,882 feet)

Across West Java...

2011-02-23T20:08:00.005-08:00

I crossed into West Java near Tasikmalaya and made my way west-ish through the mountains towards Sumatra. People in West Java are friendly, although not as friendly as East and Central Java, and I was lucky to already have many friends in several cities. It was great seeing Baby and all my friends in Bandung, reconnecting with my Madurese friend Miftah who lives in Jakarta (see June archives from 2010), and I stayed with my new friend Beathrix and her family near Bekasi...
Jakarta, the largest and capital city in Indonesia, is a pretty crazy place indeed and reminds me a lot of Mexico City. People everywhere!!!

Bicycle fuel, Java

2011-02-12T05:58:00.007-08:00

Fresh noodles with chicken, green veg, broth, and spicy sambal
35 cents

Fruit soup with sugar, ice, bread, avocado, and various fruit things
30 cents

Rice pourage, chicken, peanuts, chile, krupuk
50 cents

Traditional Sundanese food: Red rice, tofu, tempe, various chicken parts (breast, heart, liver, etc..) and amazing sambal
about $2

Coconut juice with coconut pulp and ice
22 cents

Squid with chili, bean sprouts, tofu, and rice
60 cents

Yogyakarta to Bandung...

2011-02-06T05:10:00.007-08:00

Everyday I'm reminded that I am cycling across java in the rainy season, but the scenery is no less beautiful and it's kinda nice not to get sunburn everyday. The hilly trip from Yogya in Central Java to Bandung in west Java is about 350k and took me about 6 days. It's pretty wild how you can cross a river and the language and culture changes so dramatically (Javanese to Sundanese) and the kind people in Central Java make the trip not only very comfortable but extremely enjoyable. A highlight was stopping to take photos at a river near Kubamen and a really nice guy, Dwi, stopped and insisted that I stay the night in his family's home, which turned out to be an old school traditional Javanese home in a small quiet village. Dwi teaches at a local elementary school and in the morning I came and gave a motivational speech in Indonesian to 150 kids!! It was really fun and definitely kept me smiling for the remainder of the day...

SINGAPORE

2011-01-29T22:08:00.008-08:00

I had to go to Singapore to try to get a new Indonesian visa, which proved not possible in my case for various preventable reasons... Anyway I had low expectations about Singapore because of all the things I've heard (i.e. crimeless, ultra-modern, clean, authoritarian, etc) but it turned out to be an amazing place in many ways and I will never again write a place off that I have never been based on things I've heard (except maybe Cleveland?)... I stayed with 2 cyclists, Chuen and Yann, who are both really cool Singaporean guys who are way into cycling...
Here are some noteworthy things I learned about Singapore:

-Cars over 10 years old are illegal.
-There is virtually no poverty, and a very strong economy.
-Singapore is full of stunningly beautiful Chinese and Indian women.
-Of all the subway systems I've ever been on, Singapore's is probably the easiest and most efficient.
-Little India kicks ass.
-Singapore is made up mostly of Chinese, Indian, and Malay and has a very interesting mix of cultures, languages, and religions.
-If you get caught with drugs you get hanged.
-When it comes to consumerism Singapore is in a league of her own.
-Singaporeans LOVE their electronics, I was stared at on the train while reading a book as though I was listening to an 8 track player...

BACK ON THE ROAD! crossing Java

2011-01-22T19:56:00.006-08:00

Finally hit the road with a general plan of cycling for the next 4 or 5 months across Java and Sumatera, then crossing to mainland Asia at a seaport in West Malaysia.. From there heading north through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia where I plan to look for work (I should be completely out of money by then!!)

Although I really don't know what to expect from any of these upcoming countries, I'm most excited about Laos, Vietnam, and China.. Also very excited to finally get to Buddhist countries, as it is probably the religion that interests me the most and I'm looking forward to studying all the variations, history, and philosophy...

The first 9 days after leaving Surabaya got me about 400k to Jogjakarta in Central Java. The slow pace was due to the fact that I spent four days in a city called Blitar with my new family, who are all such such incredible people, and also I got sick from cold nights at higher elevations. Aside from that, Java is amazingly beautiful and full of very friendly people. The last 8 months of learning Indonesian (and a little Javanese) are really paying off because I can completely communicate with everyone and really get to know them. Within the first 10 minutes of entering any village I will surely already have people offering me to sleep in their homes, and the kindness and genuineness of Indonesian people still never seizes to amaze me.

I am currently en route to Singapore so that I can get a new Indonesian Visa and re-enter... Next week I will return to Jogjakarta and repair my bike (I got hit by a motorbike), then continue towards west Java and Sumatera...

Leaving East Java

2011-01-20T18:09:00.005-08:00

Dear surabaya,
Much love, you will be missed...
Yours truly,
M

THE 5 THINGS I'LL MISS MOST ABOUT MY VILLAGE IN MADURA...

2011-01-10T03:44:00.020-08:00

I returned to Planggiran, Madura which is the village that I have spent the most time in in Indonesia visiting at least four times for a total of more than 2 months. I became very close with my family and my Umi (Arabic for mother), who is in her seventies. I took this opportunity as my last visit before leaving this part of Indonesia for good, to reflect on all that the village has taught me and here are the 5 things that I will miss most about Planggiran, Madura:

THING #5 THE WATER

I've always been a big fan of water. That might sound like a completely moronic statement because we all need water to survive (every species on earth maybe?), but I think a lot of people take the water they drink for granted. All water is not created equal and the water in New York, New Zealand, New Mexico, Borneo and Madura all taste completely different. The water in this village is special to me for many reasons, mainly because it is drank straight out of the community well in the village's center. Naturally filtered rain water that showers chemical-less crops (no pesticides here) it has an earthy mineral taste and comes out of the ground cold and clear. On a hot day cycling in the equatorial sun I literally have 'wet dreams' of pulling up to this well and lustfully indulging in a drawn bucket of this chilled liquid...BLISS!

THING #4 THE LIFESTYLE

The average income in the village is well under a dollar a day and almost all of the people work in the fields farming things like various beans, corn, and rice in the wet season. But don't be fooled by the lack of money (and desire for an abundance of it), air conditioners, washing machines, televisions, commercial businesses, iphones, etc because these things are not desired here and DEFINITELY would not improve the quality of life. Life is lived as it has been for countless generations; that is people work the land for about 4 hours a day, and spend the rest of the time keeping house, tending to cattle, and being with family. This lifestyle has little draw backs as far as I can see and gives way to a vibrant social life and a sense of community and bond that seems lost on many countries (and most cities). If it aint broke then don't fix it.

THING #3 THE TRANQUILITY

This village is much more to me than just a place that I like to come and visit. To me it helps me clear and calm my mind and it's no accident that I often seek solitude here when I have something important on my mind, or a decision to make. Things like clocks and calenders don't seem to exist here and when not sleeping, eating, or walking around talking with people, I can be found on my back with my eye closed listening to the breeze create slow creaks from the huge bamboo trees and the birds and insects doing what they do. Smells of burning wood followed by the aromatic foods that the fires are cooking fill the air around dawn, dusk and midday and quiet solitude is plentiful. Focusing on any one or combination of sensory numbing surroundings never fails to put my mind in very calm and relaxed state where things like anger, confusion, sadness, impatience, and frustration seem as far away as the city I pedaled out of a year and half ago.

THING #2 THE BEAUTY

The beauty of the village is astonishing, there is no litter or overcrowding and, during the rainy season, everything is lush green and vibrant; Large banana trees, sprawling rice fields, beautiful skyscapes... Picturesque is the only word that describes it and the people must think I'm crazy for constantly taking photos of things that to them, are very normal.

THING #1 THE PEOPLE!

The village is full of the some of the nicest most humble people that I've come across. They are very rich in culture and tradition and the quality of life here is as high or higher than anywhere else I've been. It is impossible to walk past anyone without a smile and polite greeting which re-establishes my faith in humanity. There is no such thing as crime and any problems or burdens someone might have are shared with the entire community, creating an overwhelming sense of belonging. Laughing and playing children are everywhere and mothers can be seen openly nursing their young. The entire population is very strict Muslim and sins against the Koran are unbelievably rare. I was corrected for describing the people as 'tolerant' of other religions and cultures because to be 'tolerant' implies that you 'put up' with the beliefs of others when the correct word to describe the people here is 'acceptance'. Even though I am not of the same faith as them (or any other faith!) they nevertheless have treated me as equal in every sense of the word from the first time I came to the village. After all, if there is one thing that I've learned it is that being judgmental of others and thinking you know everything (the opposite of 'acceptance') is the root of all stupidity.

CELTA course; A month in Bandung

2010-12-31T15:15:00.005-08:00

I decided to get an English teaching certificate here in Indonesia to ensure work in other parts of the world (Cambodia, China, Europe?) and after extensive research there seemed to be only two worth getting, the CertTesol or the CELTA, so I chose the CELTA. The certificate is through Cambridge in England which offers many International locations to take the course. I was very skeptical handing over a very large sum of money to a British Organization because, as history shows, the British can hardly be trusted (just ask the Maori, Aboriginals, Native Americans, Ect...). So with a 'these British bastards better not rip me off' attitude I set out for West Java and took the very intense one month course. All jokes aside the course definitely exceeded my expectations as it was very thorough and I learned an enormous amount about both the English Language, and how to teach it. This came at the expense of 10-16 hour days, lots of writing assignments, and a grueling daily teaching practice which was observed by the tutors and my peers. I was very fortunate to take the course alongside 9 other teachers, all of whom were so cool and such a pleasure to be around. I was the only one (or two?) that had no previous teaching experience and everyone was so helpful and supportive. The day the course ended I immediately missed all of my new friends!!!!

Special thanks to Ophel in Bandung for sponsoring me at Immigration and to Charli in Surabaya for support and putting me up to the whole thing

A couple months in Dinoyo, Suroboyo

2010-12-20T00:43:00.007-08:00

Surabaya (Suroboyo) is an east Javanese city named after the Javanese words suro 'shark' and boyo 'crocodile'; Two bad ass animals and Suroboyo is a pretty bad ass city. The main language spoken here, in addition to Indonesian, is a very crass and slang ridden Javanese and the people here are friendly but also very forward in relation to other more passive Indonesian cities I'd passed through. Also Surabaya is home to Southeast Asia’s biggest prostitution district which is of course shut down for the holy month of Ramadan in October. This district, 'Gang Dolly', is infamous throughout Indonesia and I quickly learned that I can get a genuine laugh out of almost anyone (especially police) by simply mentioning the name when asked “what is your favorite part of Indonesia?”
I often wonder if the existence and acceptance of Gang Dolly has anything to do with the fact that Indonesia was occupied by the Dutch for some three hundred years until the end of WW2, and of course the Dutch have the biggest 'Red Light' district in the world in Amsterdam...

I’ve been in Surabaya many times now, using it as a pivot point to visit other Indonesian islands (Kalimantan (Borneo), Bali, Madura). After returning from the villages in Madura and Bayuman, I wanted to spend a month or two in Surabaya and there was only one neighborhood that I really wanted to live in; Dinoyo.. Dinoyo is the kind of place that carries a rough reputation throughout the city and I was definitely the only foreigner living there. I rented a tiny room for the first month in a 'kos' (open air boarding house) for about $30 which had a mat on the floor for sleeping and I shared a bathroom with the rest of the inhabitants. After that first month I stayed with friends. In the beginning I was often stared at, but after the first two weeks the shock of a 'bule' living there wore off and I was just a normal person. I made many friends (and some enemies!) and talked daily with nearly everyone in my area enjoying the gossip and drama of everyday life. When asked “Why do you want to live in Dinoyo instead of a nicer neighborhood with other westerners?”
I would always say “It's the only part of town that reminds me of my neighborhood in Brooklyn!”

Dinoyo is about two square miles of winding mazes made up of narrow alleyways, most of which are impenetrable by cars, and I've never seen a police officer inside. This neighborhood is a polar opposite to the pure and picturesque Islamic villages where I'd spent the previous month in Madura. Dinoyo, by nature, is pretty grimy with open sewage canals on either side of all the alleys which require caution when walking at night and can be less than pleasant as the area often floods from heavy rain. Alcohol and gambling are the norm in Dinoyo and nearly everyday at dusk miraculously intelligent pigeons are taken about 2 miles away, then released and bets are made on which one returns to Dinoyo first. My daily activities involved lots of walking around, eating, teaching English to young kids in exchange for Javanese lessons, and a ridiculous amount of chess. My game improved so much in this month due to the vast amount of brilliant men always looking for a game. Despite being very smart and well versed in the ancient game, some of the guys I played with were homeless and slept on concrete slab tables in the open-air market after it closed, sharing a home with thousands of rats and roaches (these rats are well fed and literally the size of small cats, twice the size of their cousins in the NYC Subways). Every night I would play chess with these guys, usually until 4 or 5 am, and they would always offer me a glass of 'arak' (homemade rice liquor) which I would graciously accept.

All in all I will miss all my friends in Dinoyo and cherish my time here. This neighborhood has taught me a lot, it has that raw edge that evokes a sense of the 'real world', and a lifetime of enduring hardship can be seen in the still smiling faces of the elderly people...

INDONESIAN FOOD; EAST JAVA, MADURA, AND BALI...

2010-11-27T23:53:00.009-08:00

this post is long overdue... this is just a very small glimpse at the massive amount of amazing food in indonesia.. this is all pretty much from a 2 day span when my friend muddy came out from nyc..
the last 6 months in indonesia, as well as my time in mexico, is what im basing my new 'happy food' theory on. it simply states that the general happiness of a people is less based on economy, military strength, or wealth as much as it is based on a cheap, accesible overload of amazing food!

indonesian food has origins from many cultures including chinese, indian, dutch, and arab... its hard to categorize indonesian food because it varies so much, not only from island to island, but from city to city! its extremely regional and things that all indonesian food seems to have in common are rice, garlic, shallots, and CHILE. lots of chile...
literally every street corner in every town has people with makeshift 'warungs' or foodstalls, filling the air with amazing sounds and smells of chile, onions, simmering broths and sizzling meats.. selling a variety of made to order meals from the staples like nasi goreng (indo fried rice) and bakso (soup made with meatballs) to off the wall things like grilled chicken intestines and goat brain soup.. all of it is amazing and between 50 cents and 1.50 US... another thing i enjoy about it, from a cook's point of view is that all the ingredients, especially outside of big cities, are grown and raised very locally and with little or no profit enhancing poisons (i.e. pesticide, steroids, hormones, ect...) the farmers make their trips to the town markets every morning and the cows have beautiful brown coats, a far cry from the cattle 'factories' that i saw spread out across texas and oklahoma that nearly turned me vegetarian, and i LOVE meat...
SAMBAL: the staple ingredient in indonesian food (aside from rice) is chile.. small red or green, these chiles are extremely spicy and usually come in the form of sambal. sambal can be made thousands of different ways which vary from cook to cook.. a basic sambal would be made fresh by hand with a mortar and pestle and contain raw chile, garlic, some form of fermented prawn paste, salt and citrus.

LONGTON BELAP (SPICY SOUP WITH STEAMED RICE, BEAN SPROUTS, AND TEMPE..)

only found in surabaya (i think) this soup contains longton (rice over-steamed in banana leaves) bean sprouts, fried fermented soy whey (tempe), tofu, and crispy shallots.. in a semi sweet broth with a very very spicy deep brown sambal.. not bad for 70 cents!!

RUJAK CINGUR (BRAISED COW NOSE IN A SPICY PEANUT SAUCE)

rujak cingur is another surabaya classic with its roots coming from madura.. a typical rujak vender would be an elderly woman who mixes a massive amount of ingredients in a large shallow mortar and pestle and grinds them to order.. this sauce mixture contains, fried peanuts, chile, patisse (sour fermented prawn liquidy thingy?), salt, sugar, and about 10 other ingredients that i dont know.. the sauce is poured over bean sprouts, steamed rice cakes, cow nose, and tofu.. there are few things on earth that can bring this kinda smile to my face for 50cents!

SATE GAMBING (GOAT SATE)

this famous madurese dish is almost always sold alongside 'gule' (next photo), and rice.. the sauce is similar to the rujak above and served with sambal and raw shallots.. the sate themselves contains various cuts of goat meat which are grilled, usually over slow-burning coconut shells which are continuously fanned by the man selling them... i say man because ive never seen a woman 'manning' the grill! the universal tradition of men standing there grilling meat may just be as old as mankind itself and probably dates back as far as 400,000 years when we first mastered fire!!!

GULE (SOUP MADE WITH GOAT INNARDS)

found in east java and madura alongside sate is gule.. it is a semi sweet, but still savory broth made from (i think!) coconut water, lemongrass, tumeric, cinnamon, chile, garlic, and goat bones...
the meat varies and is usually offal (innards)
somewhere in the separation of our european roots, we americans have lost a love of innards (except in hotdogs of course) but in the last ten years there has been a huge resurgence in fine dining restaurants throughout nyc, chicago and sf.. which is great to see and as a cook one of the first things you come to love and appreciate is cooking and eating offal.. anyone can put salt and pepper on a ribeye and grill it and it will taste amazing, but i give much respect to those who can make a 5 star meal out of lamb brains or pig cheeks!!

BAKSO (MEATBALL SOUP)

perhaps the most universal dish, served in variations all over indonesia.. a typical bakso will contain a meat broth poured over finely ground meatballs made by hand by the man selling them.. the soup will typically have glass noodles, kecap (a thick sweet soy sauce pronounced like 'ketchup') and tomato paste.. and of course with sambal, one can expect to pay around 50-80 cents per serving...

MIE AYAM (NOODLES AND CHICKEN)

not too different from basic bakso setups, this is made from freshly made noodles quickly boiled in a chicken broth and served with sawi (spelling? a leafy green veg) crispy krupuk (fried things made originally from fish?!) sambal and kecap.. wonderful meal for 60 cents...

BABI GORENG (STIR FRIED PORK)

apologies to all my muslim friends but in bali (a hindu island) amazing pork can be found in abundance.. i previously highlighted 'babi guling' balinese roast pig which is one of my favorite meals on earth.. here pork is stir fried with vegetables in a sweet spicy sauce not unlike the american version of chinese food.. i likey!

KARE GAMBING (SPICY SOUP WITH GOAT BRAINS, INTESTINES AND OTHER SOUL NOURISHING THINGS...)

one of my favorite meals in east java, this spicy soup has a meaty rich broth and lots of perfectly stewed goat guts which give the soup a variety of textures and flavours.. this soup is notably spicy and requires a well adapted stomach, not for beginners to the indo dining scene.. slightly expensive, it costs around a buck..

SOTO BANJAR (BANJARMASSIN SOUP)

banjarmassin is a city in indonesian borneo which my good friend husny's mom comes from.. this is one of many amazing meals in her repertoire and includes boiled eggs, longton, crispy shallots and a fried potato cake in a chicken broth.. amazingly gratifying meal..

surabaya wedding...

2010-11-14T04:43:00.006-08:00

my buddy sofi in surabaya invited me to come spend 3 days at his fathers' home in the northern part of the city for his nieces wedding.. both husband and wife were madurese and many family members made the trip to java for the occasion.. they closed down the street and set up a large tent with speakers blairing traditional music.. my friends husny and sofi took photos and shot video and i enjoyed the processions of my first muslim wedding.. it was really interesting, on the final day all of the men sit at tables and eat while an imam speaks, then at night, after the cerimonies, its just a big party.. lots of fun, did i mention amazing food!!!!

back in east java.. bayuman

2010-10-12T03:37:00.004-08:00

returned to east java after an amazing month in madura.. stayed with my friend iis for a week.. iis is a friend of a guy i met on a boat and she invited me to come hang out with her in her village where she is a teacher.. had a great time with her and all of her students as well.. everyday we would cook and hang out with iis's extended family, and of course, bathing in the river which is my favorite way to bathe ;)

in sampang with sofi....

2010-10-01T02:57:00.003-08:00

sofi is my good buddy from suroboyo, he and his family returned to their home in madura to celebrate the holiday.. we met up in northern madura where i was stranded with a broken bicycle.. sofi picked me up and we spent a couple days with his family near sampang, the capital city of madura... it was such a nice time and his family is so cool.. we ate enormous amounts of amazing food courtesy of bibi, sofi's aunt...

IDUL FITRI

2010-09-28T21:36:00.005-08:00

idul fitri is a festive day which marks the end of ramadan, the muslim month of fasting... it is the biggest holiday of the year and i was so glad to be in a madurese village... everyone cooks amazing traditional food and then goes from village to village and eats all day long.. by 9 am i had already eaten 3 or 4 meals and was struggling.. also i wore a traditional shirt and hat, as well as my madura sarong so as not to look like a complete jackass.. everyone was so nice and although im not muslim they made me feel very welcome and comfortable.. they all laughed at my butchered attempts to pronounce arabic greetings...

written and directed by faroha....

2010-09-26T12:43:00.003-08:00

faroha is my little sister in madura.. she is 10yr old and has a very charismatic personality that always keeps everyone around her smiling.. she kept taking my camera and making video so i told her that when she grows up she ought to pursue a career in film or television and i am happy to produce her first short film....

2 weeks in a madurese village...

2010-09-21T11:49:00.004-08:00

after my buddy mudz left to go back to new york i returned to patria's village in northern madura to spend some more time.. indonesia is a muslim country and madura is probably its most religious island.. it is prob 99% islamic and the religion is seen in all aspects of everyday life.. there is no such thing as premarital sex, alcohol, gambling, or eating pork.. many misconceptions i used to have about islam and arabic culture in general have been completely shattered and proved false as these are some of the most accepting, generous, and least judgmental people i have ever met.. i will write about that later..

in the village i became very close with my family and hope to return to the village to help umi, who is normally alone.. umi is patrias mother and she is in her 70s.. everyday she work extremely hard maintaining her cows and farming.. often working through severe pain but somehow keeping a positive demeanor.. patria has 36 brothers and sisters and 4 mothers, it is not uncommon in madura for a man to have up to four wives provided that he can support them all.. i learned so much about madurese culture and the local language which everyone spoke exclusively only using indonesian when communicating with me.. daily routine included picking beans, drawing water from the well, and cooking.. my little sister faroha is 10 yrs old and has the most amazing personality.. she kept taking my camera and making videos so i will put together some clips later..

2 'bule' and a 'becak'

2010-09-05T23:35:00.014-08:00

bule: someone of european desent

becak: an indonesian rickshaw, basically a wooden carriage with a bicycle on the back

the mud man, aka 'the villian', is a close friend of mine who flew to indonesia from brooklyn to spend a couple weeks catching up with me.. muddy and i go way back as we used to be band mates years ago in chicago and have remained close friends ever since...
this was the most legendary 2 weeks for sure and involved riding a becak (indo rickshaw) 100+ miles across madura, lots of hitchhiking, sleeping in picturesque islamic villages, wrecking a rented motorbike in bali, and sleeping in javanese seaports.. muddy is a chef in nyc and he and i share a devout passion for kick ass food, we ate an enormous amount of amazing meals, but that is for a separate post...also had a blast with my good friend husny in surabaya.. husny quite simply is the king, he is a sharp guy who speaks 5+ languages and knows everything there is to know about surabaya, he made my rickshaw dream come to life... legend...

back to suraboyo, 50 hours by sea

2010-08-27T12:41:00.005-08:00

one might think that a 50hr boat ride on a crowded indonesian ship during the beginning of ramadan (month of muslim fasting) in economy class would not be enjoyable.. one might even think it would be a lot like what hell would be like...
oh how wrong one would be!!!
ln fact it was such a great time and by the end of it i had many friends and was sad when the boat docked!! umi patria and her family (pictured below) are people that i am so glad to have met.. they invited me to visit them in their beautiful small village on the north coast of the island madura.. i would later spend much time with them again far removed from the outside world.... have i mentioned that i absolutely love indonesia?

good bye borneo, for now...

2010-08-27T12:03:00.005-08:00

borneo will always be a special place for me.. i arrived expecting nothing and left with 2 months that i will never forget.. i wanted to push myself and really struggle but i ended up enjoying every second of it so, though it was difficult, there was no real struggle at all.. the highlights here are the remoteness, natural beauty, and above all the people... from all of the smiling faces in the dayak villages to my malay family to deccy's kampung, borneo was sooooo much more than i ever couldve imagined.. now working on getting back to cycle the other half!!!

IN THE KAMPUNG WITH DECCY

2010-08-18T06:43:00.007-08:00

kampung is an indonesian word for a very small village... my friends in malaysia recommended that i meet their friend deccy on my way back through west kali to pontianak, where i would catch a boat back to java.. deccy, who lives in pontianak, was 180km away in the small village she grew up in looking after her father as her mother had become ill. I met her there and planned on staying the night and leaving in the morning, but my stay turned into a week and i didnt want to leave! i fell in love with life in the remote surroundings.. there were no nearby neighbors and the house was situated amidst many lakes and jungle as well.. the house had electricity for only a few hours in the evening and everyday we would eat vegetables from the forest, catch fish or snails, and bathe in the river...
i was so amazed at the beautiful simplicity and contentment of life in these conditions.. deccy taught me to cook many vegetables that i had never seen before and also taught me one of the most important skills ive ever learned: how to make sambal!! sambal is the basis for indonesian food and, although there are many types, it is basically a very spicy paste made by hand from chile, fermented prawn paste, salt, sugar and juice from a local citrus that resembles a lime, but tastes more like an orange.. the 'sambal' that we used to get in restaurants in the states was a very poor representation of its original version..
after one week of pure contentment i wondered 'is this the type of life ive been looking for? a simple beautiful life were each day was enjoyed and spent sustaining oneself?'

when the time came to leave, this was a tough place to pedal away from... very very tough

back with my brothers in sosok

2010-08-17T10:13:00.004-08:00

makasi banyak teman2q di sosok.. dua hari yang senang dan g lupa.. aq mau kembali lagi.. foto ini mandi di sungai dengan nels, dicky, dan leonardus..

after 2 amazing weeks in malaysia i came back to indonesia and had the opportunity to do something that i normally never do, revisit somewhere.. my first time thru sosok i met dicky and nelson who run a local cybercafe.. these guys were so cool and we kept in touch via internet.. so when i passed through sosok again i was happy to spend a couple days hanging out with them.. they put me up in the cafe and i made many friends... on the morning i left nels said 'mike you are our brother now, we go bathe in the river' (in indonesian of course)..
riding away the empty feeling that i know so well set in, but wouldnt last long as i was about to meet deccy and have one of the most memorable weeks of this journey experiencing life in a beautiful small village amidst jungle and lakes..

FOOD: sarawak, malaysia...

2010-08-12T10:43:00.006-08:00

one of the first things that i noticed in malaysia that was different from indonesia was the number of chinese things.. people, characters, and food.. in indonesia the history with the chinese is less friendly and it is not legal to display chinese characters..
kuching had so much amazing food ranging from traditional dayak fare to a variety of noodles in brothy goodness.. i kept thinking: 'this is so amazing, why have i never seen any of this in nyc?'

caves in sarawak...

2010-08-12T10:17:00.002-08:00

i love caves.. my malay fam took me to check out 'gua angin' wind cave which is in sarawak borneo.. it was much different from the new mexico caves which were made of limestone with crazy looking formations everywhere.. the cool thing about these caves was that i was completely alone the whole time i was inside, unlike the tourist filled carlsbad caverns...

with my malay family in kuching

2010-08-12T04:50:00.004-08:00

when i stumbled into kuching i was not in good shape, my body had all it could take and i was weak and looked like hell.. i immediately met some cyclists and they brought me to a local hangout, arif hotel, where there is a plaza and all the local cyclists gather before and after rides.. they summoned the 'clunny of borneo' aka piruz macpherson.. piruz, my 2nd father, is the king, he is a very nice guy for whom i have much respect.. he took me in and my 2 day trip to kuching turned into 2 weeks!! his wife caroline and daughters are such fun people and im proud they consider me family.. they all made me feel very comfortable and at home which was a nice change of pace from the nomadic gypsy lifestyle i now lead..

we went to national parks and saw orangutan (orang hutan 'forest people'), also saw crocodiles and ate soooo much amazing food (that is for another post!)

i enjoyed my time so much in kuching that i decided to look for work there and maybe spend a year, so we'll see..

crosing to malaysia, entikong

2010-08-05T02:45:00.004-08:00

crossed to malaysia via entikong, a small indo border town.. stayed with the police there and the next morning limped my tired body into malaysia.. as soon as i crossed everything changed immediately: there were more cars/less motorbikes, the road was marked and had signs with distances to the next town, and it no longer felt like indonesia.. i rode from the border to kuching, about 110 km.. when i got to kuching i was beaten up and a sorry sight, luckily i met the coolest family on earth and my adopted father piruz...

WEST KALIMANTAN VIDEO LOG

2010-07-30T20:12:00.005-08:00

after malaria and until the kapuas river i tried to record one or two small clips each day.. it was the hardest part of kalimantan, and my journey to date.. i had to compress the video to upload it so the quaility is a little off..

night time in w kalimantan...

2010-07-26T19:41:00.006-08:00

by evening i was usually exhausted and by 3 or 4 pm wanted to find somewhere to rest for the night.. in the 8 days accross the desolate part of west kalimantan i slept in many dayak villages and also in employee camps for logging companies.. the dayak people are so friendly and foreigners almost never pass through their village (aside from logging and mining personel who pass through in s.u.v. with tinted windows).. usually the first person i would meet in any given village would offer that i spend the night in their home.. such warm people and always made me feel welcome, but sometimes i would catch eyes from one of the daughters always followed by a very stern look from the father!! also by now i was a pro at bathing in rivers and jokingly warned villagers of my abnormally white torso and thighs!!

i know it is not pc to say bad things about children, but this was the most evil little kid i have ever met!! he never spoke and spent all his time making weapons and killing animals, one time he even pointed a bow and arrow at me and the father just said 'he is a very bad child'.. when we ate a meal of jungle pig he was given the whole boiled head and ate it with his hands! he would stare at me while nawing on the head with the scariest look on his face.. the next morning i rode away thinking 'so this is what people like hitler, stalin, and george bush were like as children!!'

crossing west kalimantan

2010-07-23T09:32:00.003-08:00

two days after seeing the doctor about malaria i hit the road and made my way north a cross west kalimantan.. taking 3 types of pills a day and with many sub-50 km days (30 miles), it was surely the toughest week of the journey to date.. very hot and climbing the steep dirt roads was impossible. the road was often loose rock and my road bike didnt stand a chance, i walked most of the way.. even pushing the bike up the hills was tough and i had to stop often cause i felt like i was going to pass out.. coming down the hills also was hell because i had to squeeze my brakes the whole time as hard as i could.. also the only accessible water was boiled river water so stomach cramps were common..

slept in dayak villages or with the employees at logging camps..

just took my time and kept a positive attitude, again often laughing at myself!

MALARIA...

2010-07-21T08:15:00.008-08:00

as preparation and planning go against everything i stand for, i generally take a very carefree and risk-taking attitude towards my travel, and prefer to 'learn the hard way'.. and so i ignored several warnings from locals to take precaution against malaria..

while staying at the police station in the mountains on the kalteng/kalbar border i was bitten by mosquito with malaria.. there are 6 types of malaria, 2 are found in borneo.. i got p.vivax and it was tough to fade.. when a mosquito bites someone with malaria it takes with it a small amount of blood containing the parasite, then a week later when it feeds again it transmits the parasite to the next person.. i felt horrible because the whole time i was sick i was getting bitten again and again and i knew i was spreading the disease.. kudangan is a small village without electricity and i used mosquito repelling lotion but it was no use.. the first 2 nights i tried to tough it out and not say anything as i didnt want to be a burden on my friends at the police station who were kind enough to let me crash and feed me.. but on the second night of no sleep, severe headache, and cold sweats i decided to tell them the next morning..
it was the worst night of my life and i wanted to die.. normally i keep a very positive state of mind and generally seldom think of negative things.. but this sleepless night i was having hallucinations and all of my thoughts were about death, torture, or some awful unspeakable thing.. it was terrible.. in the morning i told the guys and they immediately called a doctor (who was gorgeous!) and she took blood then got me medicine.. they took care of the bill and for 2 days my friends kept me laughing and in good spirits.. i owe those guys big time and will never forget what theyve done for me..

the next week riding in the hot sun, dirt roads, and steep hills while recovering would prove extremely difficult, and i got through it only by laughing at myself the whole time and saying to myself 'you wanted a challenge eh!!'

the police in kudangan..

2010-07-21T07:55:00.004-08:00

i crossed into west kalimantan via kudangan, a small quaint dayak village amidst jungle and mountains.. i immediately clicked with the police there who were all about my age and some of the coolest guys ive met.. feris, hadi, and ari are the 3 dudes manning the police station, they are all from central kalimantan and from cities i had already ridden through.. for 2 days we played chess, rode around the beautiful countryside, drank beer, ate good food, and talked about women!! my kinda police! all was going well until i was bitten by a mosquito from the depths of hell....

only in kalimantan!

2010-07-20T08:58:00.003-08:00

one morning, after about half an hour of not seeing anyone on the road, i saw a guy coming towards me operating a motorbike with one hand and holding something in the other.. as he came closer and we passed each other i noticed that he was simultaneously smoking a cigarette and carrying the limb of an animal.. we stared at one another with blank looks then we both turned around and had a chat.. he said that he had never seen a 'bule' riding a bike there before.. i told him that i had never seen someone on a motorbike carrying a piece of wild pig carcass.. we laughed and he was happy to pose for a photo...

a test in kawa...

2010-07-19T09:11:00.005-08:00

shortly after leaving nangabulik the asphalt disappeared for good and the endless steep-as-all-hell hills began. i was getting into real dayak country with only sporadic small villages always on small rivers, typically without electricity.. i was exhausted when i reached kawa and was well short of the days goal of reaching kudangan where i heard there was a police station.. i rode into the village and crossed the delan river bridge.. many people would stare at me and return my smile.. i saw a man walking with his daughter and asked if he knew where the 'desa kepala' (village chief) was.. he said he was the chief's son and that i was welcome to stay the night in his home.
'wow that was easy' i thought after slightly worrying about whether or not i would find a safe place to sleep..
then he said 'but you are very dirty, first you must bathe'' and he pointed to the river..

so this was it, my moment of truth.. my first time bathing in a river and with an entire village watching me with silent stern looks on their faces..

all i could think of was a story told to me when i first arrived in indonesia by my scottish friend, robin, who cycled across east borneo.. he was asked to bathe in the river in a manner suggesting that he 'prove himself' before staying in the village... i tried to recall any details i could, but robin has been cycling for 5 years (all the way from scotland) and had no problem comfortably going about his business.. this was my first time and i was slightly nervous with many questions:

'where do i use the toilet?'
'i only have one outfit, do i bathe naked, even with all the people watching me?"
'should i just go down to the river bank or is there a place for bathing?'

i acted like i knew what i was doing and so the man pointed to his home across the bridge and walked off.. by now my bahasa was adequate (it would be weeks before i would speak english) and a young boy noticed my confusion and asked what i was looking for..
'where am i supposed to bathe?' i asked with an innocent smile..
with the attention of all the people, i followed the boy to the top of some steps that led down to a raft over the river.. i walked down then balanced across the two thin logs connecting the stairs and the raft about 15 feet out on the water.. the river current was strong and i saw 3 young women, 1 with child, bathing and washing clothes on the raft next to mine.. they were about 20 feet away but i could hear them whispering and giggling over the sound of the river, also they were very attractive which didnt help my already tense nerves... the last thing i wanted was to get 'excited' so i tried my hardest to ignore them and focus on the river..
i saw that the women were wearing underwear so i took off my clothes and rolled my shorts up to the top of my thighs.. i noticed many people laughing from the bridge overhead.. the skin on my arms and legs was as dark as theirs, but on my torso and thighs i was white as a ghost!! i laughed with them and began to feel like they knew what i was going through.. in the center of the raft was a waist high stall with a hole in the middle, so i crouched down and did my business.. im not shy, but i was not used to 'relieving myself'' in a river with an audience.. after that it began to rain so i finished bathing and washed my clothes..

the afternoon sun was peaking through a gap in the clouds, and i was up to my neck in a murky borneo river in the drizzling rain surrounded by smiling people who were no longer paying attention to me.. i felt so happy to be there.. i remember thinking 'this is exactly why im travelling' and i was overwhelmed with respect for the simple but beautiful lives these people were living.. i eventually made my way back to the man's home, he was in the doorway smiling and asked if i had ever bathed in a river before..
'no that was my first time' i said proudly and we laughed.. we ate next to candlelight and i slept like a baby on a mat on his wood floor.. the flickering candle and sounds of the rainy jungle put me out in seconds..

this would be the first of several similar experiences with the dayak people in west kalimantan, but by far the most memorable...

2 days in nangabulik...

2010-07-13T07:30:00.008-08:00

i pulled into nangabulik, a small town heading towards kalbar, on a hot afternoon and stopped at a pompa bensin (gas station) for a rest.. 10 minutes later i had many friends and knew i would be spending at least one nite.. i stayed with robi in one of the houses connected to the gas station via wooden walkways suspended over the river.. i had such a great time with these guys and it was so hard to leave.. one nite they took me deep into the forest to fish and shoot birds.. we caught many river fish and within minutes they were on skewers over a fire and we used leaves as plates and ate the fish with salt, kecap (a thick sweet soy sauce), and of course lots of chili..

the next morning before leaving i had an amazing breakfast of jungle pig and arak in the home of the boss of the gas station.. he made the arak himself (arak: strong liquor made from rice) and i hit the road at 9am half drunk and full of delicious wild pig!!

people of central kalimantan...

2010-07-13T06:58:00.003-08:00

here are some photos of people i met, spent time with, or stayed the night with through central kalimantan.. everyone was so cool and friendly..

across central kalimantan...

2010-07-12T05:31:00.009-08:00

at the time i would have said that central kalimantan was tough because of the heat and poor roads, but after going through west kalimantan it was a walk in the park.. these are chronological pics from east to west of kalteng (central kalimantan) and the road conditions get worse and worse.. the jungle was beautiful, full of all sorts of sights, smells and sounds that i cant even describe.. everyday i was in awe...

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!

2010-07-10T20:00:00.002-08:00

will have lots of posts coming soon.. i was stuck in a small village called kudangan on the border of central/west kalimantan with malaria.. wanted to die!! since then its been very very difficult road conditions with no asphalt and lots of dirt, mud and rocks.. also rain everyday and when its not raining, it is hot and humid.. i know it sounds like hell but it really has been an amazing 2 weeks and i will post lots of pix, stories, and video next week when im in malaysia..

first 3 days in borneo...

2010-06-23T04:22:00.007-08:00

first 3 days through borneo were tough and the road only gets harder from here.. im going to find the mental and physical test that i was seeking, and then some.. first of all it is hot, like really hot and humid and even with constant sun block my exposed skin is still burning everyday.. also im getting bitten by many mosquitoes risking getting sick with malaria and fevers.. the landscape is jungle with many rivers and the wildlife here is very unique and abundant.. sleeping in the jungle is very dangerous because of snakes and various animals.. in my hammock i would look like a big human flavored banana to a crocodile! so i will try to stay in or near towns as i get west through the even more remote parts.. so far ive spent every night in rural police stations which has been great.. i pull up and say in bahasa:
'permisi, saya dari jauh dan memakai sepeda kelinling kalimantan.. bisa tidur disii?'
(excuse me, im from far away and trying to cross kalimantan on a bike, can i sleep here?)
the officers are so cool and even woke me up on one occasion to watch soccer and drink beer! i sleep on concrete floors and am grateful for even that when i look out into the mysterious and loud jungle.. was woken up the other night by a rat trying ot get into the bag under my head (i stupidly had food in there).. i was startled and i scared the hell out of the rat too.. afterwards i was thinking:
the rat is a mammal who spends his time trying to find food, female counterparts, and a safe place to sleep.. me too!!! we really arent that different and he means me no harm..
a ridiculous thought i admit but it made me feel comfortable enough to quickly fall back asleep before the 4am arabic chanting would wake me up and signal that it was time to start the day..

adding to my route...

2010-06-23T04:21:00.000-08:00

i could only get a boat to banjarmassin so i will have to ride across central kalimantan before getting to west kalimantan.. the marked map is about a 1000 km (620 mile) ride

surabaya to banjarmassin...

2010-06-23T03:26:00.009-08:00

i left surabaya to go to the city of banjarmassin in south/eastern kalimantan.. i wanted to go to kumai but could only find a boat here so it will be about 500 miles until kumai!! i said goodbye to my friend husny and his family and went to the main port in sur.. the ride from port to port took nearly 32 hours and delays are frequent and long.. the people here have a notable amount of patience with things like this (on the road as well) and never seem to get frustrated or mind all the delays..
on the boat i met some really really cool people.. randika and rudi are 2 guys my age and we hung out most of the time.. when we got to banjarmassin the following night rudi offered that i come stay at his friends place.. they are a bunch of guys from java working here in borneo and it was such a bachelors pad akin to places ive lived in chicago/nyc.. they living conditions were very poor with a huge projector and speakers for watching world cup!! we drank arak, a local rice liquor made in someones backyard and sold in plastic baggies, like goldfish.. they bought me some whiskey also which i really appreciate cause its not cheap here and i made lots of friends and watched football til 4am! great intro to borneo..
]

saying goodbye in surabaya

still waiting to board the ship 9 hours after arriving at the port!! this truck loaded up with fruit broke down while boarding causing another 2 hour delay while mechanics tried to fix it

on the boat with randika and rudi

banjarmassin!!

after not eating all day, rudy and i got off the boat and went straight for street food..

with my buds in banjarmassin

watching soccer

the first whiskey ive had in months!

a week in surabaya...

2010-06-18T16:44:00.008-08:00

i stayed with my friend husny and his family here in surabaya for a week.. they are such a nice family and husny's mom is an unbelievabl cook.. they treated me like family and made me feel so welcome.. together husny and i had many many great meals and got to play some pool too.. surabaya is the second biggest city in indonesia and my first really large se asia city..

soto madura in downtown surabaya

is there anything on earth better than the street food that is sold on every corner throughout indonesia?

husny's ibu (mother) made us this soup, its called 'soto banjar' (named for the city banjarmassin in central kalimantan) and it was so delicious and spicy.. it was one of those meals that just makes you happy to be alive..

'sate madura'

hanging out with husny and his niece nebila

maps and route planning for borneo and sulawesi

2010-06-16T23:04:00.010-08:00

im in surabaya getting ready to head to borneo.. its a 24 hour boat ride to southern borneo.. borneo is the third largest island on earth and is made up of malaysia and brunei in the north and kalimantan (indonesia) in the south.. the north is more populous and kalimantan is more remote and rural.. the center of the island is impenetrable jungle.. robin from scotland helped me so much planning my route and figuring out what i will need.. he has ridden in east kalimantan and his cousin salva in the west and they have given me lots of good info.. this will by far be the most difficult ride ive done.. food may be tough to come by in parts so my plan is to stock up on cooked rice and instant oats. west kalimantan is very hilly with poor roads and fading the elements will surely be very difficult.. it is very hot/humid and there are risks of dengue and yellow fever so mosquitoes are to be avoided with nets and repellent.. also the wildlife in west/east kalimantan is pretty crazy with giant crocodiles, snakes, orangutans... some people say there are rhinoceros but im pretty sure its in the center or they have been hunted to extinction.. im so excited but trying not to get too pumped up so that im not disappointed when i come across lots of horrible industy (logging and oil) that are slowly destroying the island.. hopefully it will be a chance to physically test myself and meet interesting native people while exploring some of the more remote places .. there may be a delay in posts as im not sure when ill be able to get online, and im not taking my computer.. ill be traveling with next to nothing as far as weight because of steep climbs and poor roads

here is a map of sulawesi... i know nothing about sulawesi other than it is big, pretty remote, and looks really cool on a map! i want to ride from manado in the northeast to makassar in the south

friends in madura...

2010-06-13T23:01:00.012-08:00

here are some of the people i met along the way in madura...

kalianget youth, a rugged bunch

olivia is the queen of kalianget, eastern madura's port town.. she is so cool and i will miss our mid afternoon conversations.. hope we can hang out again!

late night with my buddies at a wartel in sumenap

adi is the man in sumenap.. he is a great guy and i spent some time with him and his family at his home.. if anyone ever finds themselves in sumenap (the capital of east madura) please let me know and i will put you in touch with him...

i hung out with these little dudes one afternoon in a park in sumenap.. umar on the left was the smartest 10yr old ive ever met.. he quickly noticed my level of bahasa and would purposely enunciate his worlds slowly and explain words that he didnt think i understood... he was sharp with conversation and asked questions that an adult might ask... if i had more time in sumenap i would have spent the rest of the afternoon teaching him to play chess.. little guy is gonna do big things one day for sure

i met hiro, a japanese guy around my age who was super cool.. he was here rebuilding an old style madurese ship that he was going to sail all the way to japan!! i hung out one afternoon with him and his crew.. he offered jokingly to take me with him to japan, but if he were serious i def would have taken an opportunity to sail around southeast asia on such a kick ass ship.. it would have been a long ride back to indonesia though!

was cycling through a small town along the northern coast and i met miftah and his family.. they took me in for the night and i really loved staying with them and spending time with their family.. miftah is from madura but also has a home and works in djakarta (the biggest city in indonesia) so i look forward to meeting up with him there in a couple months.. we had some great meals made by miftah's sister and his brother in law gave me a cool madurese sarong so that i can sleep in the mosques if i need to.. the children woke me up at 2am to watch the usa england football match.. world cup is a big deal in indonesia and even at 3am you can hear nearby people yelling every time there is almost a goal!! lots of fun

trying to beat the midday heat with my buddies in northern madura

i quickly made friends with the 'terang bulan' guy.. terang bulan (clear moon?) is a sweet, crunchy, and thick pancake with cheese, chocolate, and banana.. it is one of my fav things to eat here...

cycling across madura...

2010-06-13T21:46:00.005-08:00

cycling across madura was great.. had a lot of fun and met lots of cool people (another post).. from sumenap i took the northern route across along the north coast and down into kamal where i caught a ferry to surabaya... all these photos are from east madura as i didnt spend much time in the west.. it rained heavily almost everyday and going from being extremely hot to wet and shivering is putting my immune system to the test..

BALI TO MADURA VIA EAST JAVA...

2010-06-11T20:46:00.004-08:00

arrived in java around 4 pm on a tues and noticed differences immediately from bali.. the food was a little different, with 'bakso' (a spicy soup with beef dumplings), 'nasi pecel' (rice with veg and a peanut sauce, sometimes with prawns?) and 'mie goreng' (like a stir fried noodle with vegetables) seeming to be typical east java fair, also there are no signs of my favorite 'babi guling' here as muslims dont eat pork.. due to the lack of tourism and the fact that i can now pronounce and order food properly in bahasa, they are charging me the local price which is amost never more than 5000rp per meal (about 55 cents). i usually get 4 amazing meals in a day for about $2..
another big difference was the loud voice of a man singing in arabic over loud speakers that echoed through every neighborhood, a subtle reminder that im not in kansas anymore and that this place is totally different from anywhere ive ever been..
i found a couple of trees next to the sea and was setting up my hammock when my new friend edi stopped on his way home from work.. we started chatting and his english was really good.. i told him what i was doing and he insisted that i come stay the night at his home.. he went slow and i followed him about 10k on my bike to his neighborhood.. he showed me around the city on his motorbike and i had some killer 'mie ayam' (a spicy noodle soup with veg and chicken).. i was really happy to meet/stay with edi and his brother, they were so nice and made me feel at home.. i woke up at 4am to the a capella muslim chants blairing from the nearby mosque.. i hit the road early to try to catch the 2pm ferry to madura which was in a port town called jangkar about 80km away.. riding in the morning is the way to do it here, before it gets too hot.. all the little villages smelled of smoke and seemed surreal.. small children were piled on motorbikes driving themselves to school.. lots of people talk to me and are curious as to who i am and why i am on a bike.. there is no tourism at all in the towns here which i love.. most people smile and wave and children go crazy, but everyone stares at me and makes me feel a little awkward.. though i cant blame them, if i saw an indonesian walking through the lower east side with a machete carrying bundles of banana leaves i would stare too!!

leaving bali...

2010-06-10T05:51:00.009-08:00

after 2 weeks and an amazing time riding around bali i made my way west to go to the island java.. the farther west i got the more beautiful and rural it was.. lots of beautiful rice terraces and small villages.. signs of tourists became more and more infrequent and i would often stop to watch the people working in the rice fields which were typically elder people with their cone shaped hats covering their bowed heads.. i was intrigued by them because they didnt notice anything but what they were doing, they would never look up and seemed to be in another world just working and working endlessly with not a worry or care.. i was wondering what they would have thought of me, if anything at all, as we are from 2 completely different worlds...

i was going to camp on my last night in bali, but because my stomach was a mess and it was rainy i got a cheap bungalow.. it was a really great home-stay in the middle of nowhere with a nice family.. the bungalow was raised on stilts and overlooked rice terraces, it was one of the most peaceful places i had ever been.. it consisted of a thin mattress, a fan, and a hanging mosquito net and it was the best sleep ive had in indonesia.. with the dripping water from the fields and the constant array of insect sounds i slept for nearly 12 hours total, but did wake up frequently to use the kamar kecil (squat toilet)....

cock fighting video..

2010-06-03T21:15:00.004-08:00

the other day in ubud i borrowed a sarong from my host and went to check out a local cock fight at a temple.. i was the only foreigner and was surprised that nobody said anything to me about filming.. its basically a bunch of local men who spend all day betting on fights between roosters.. there are sharp blades about 2 inches in length that are trussed to the bird's left foot.. they fight until one is dead and if one is badly injured and the other one isnt finishing him off, they put a basket over the 2 birds and the winner will kill the loser.. each fight lasts 1-2 minutes..

as for whether or not this is morally acceptable, i look at it like this:
to most of indonesia a woman wearing a bikini in public is highly immoral, but it is not their place to come tell americans what they can and can't wear. the same goes for me, it isnt my place, or any other westerners, to tell these people that their traditions are right or wrong. my respect for culture and tradition transcends any preconceived notions i might have to morality.. it is better to take in experiences like this without passing judgment on them.. definitely one of the craziest afternoons of my life..

anyway here it is, i edited out most of the more graphic stuff...

the best meal ive ever had...

2010-06-02T02:23:00.003-08:00

babi guling will have to go down as my most enjoyed meal to date.. a lot said from someone who spends most of his waking moments searching for great food... also ibu oka was one of the coolest restaurant i have been to.. so full of the intense energy that those of us who have worked in restaurants love.. babi guling is a dish comprised of pig (slaughtered on site) that has been slowly roasted whole sover an open fire while constantly being basted with coconut water.. the result is the most tender succulent pork i have ever had.. also the skin reaches a level of caramelized crispiness unlike anything ive ever seen.. combine this with rice, lots of chili, herbs, garlic, blood sausage, and random innards and you have the best meal i have ever had for just over US$2!!!!! i promised myself to eat it everyday that i am in ubud... you sit on the floor barefoot while eating and it is a really cool way to meet people because you share a small table with strangers..

riding around in bali...

2010-06-02T02:07:00.006-08:00

after riding out east and staying in a little fishing village and the more touristy candidasa, i revised my route to come back inland to the town of ubud.. i am really glad i did because it would have been such a shame to come to bali and not pass through ubud.. im staying in ubud at a great little home stay with a wonderful family.. they are so nice and even though the price is very cheap, my bungalow is awesome and there is free tea and coffee all day as well as a great breakfast every morning.. they even let me borrow a sarong (a cloth worn like a dress) and head scarf so that i can get into the temples..

robin and erika imitating a typical indo photo pose

route planning....

2010-05-29T03:09:00.001-08:00

tomorrow morning i will set out to leave the denpasar/kuta area and instead of just going west to go catch the ferry to the island of java, i will head east to circumnavigate the island of bali.. this should take 3-4 days and im guessing its about 350-400 km to go around.. ill stick mostly to the coast but i think i will cross some very small mountains on the eastern tip.. after i get to the west coast i plan to catch a ferry in gilmanuk to east java, which is a very large island with the biggest cities, then i will head north and ferry to an island called madura which, from what i gather, is a very poor island just north of east java that is very strict muslim... because it is devoid of fertile land and has a much worse economy than neighboring java there is said to be little to no tourism at all, and surely not on the east side where i will begin my cycle across.. that island is much bigger than bali and prob will take a week or so to cross.. once i hit the west coast of madura ill go back to java at the city of surabaya where ill renew my visa and hang for a little bit before setting out to ride across borneo and sulawesi.. both of those islands are very big and remote. borneo is the 3rd largest island on earth and i am very excited to cycle there.. i want to stick to a $2/day budget excluding ferrys and visas. which will be difficult but im up for it.. hopefully in the next 3 months ill become fluent in bahasa and have cycled across many amazing and remote islands.. this plan was %100 made possible by my friends erika and robin who cycled here from scotland.. they have been in the city of surabaya for a year and robin has cycled everything on my planned route, and much more of indonesia too.. i am soooo thankful for all of their advice on so many subjects, both in indonesia and the rest of the world.. they had some truly amazing stories from the middle east and china as well....great people and i am so envious of their 5 yrs on the road..

a psychadelic evening in indonesia...

2010-05-29T02:37:00.002-08:00

friends of mine know that i have never been one to turn down a short escape from reality, primarily if it involves herbal or natural influence.. also, luckily for me, my personality doesnt lend itself to any kind of addiction (except for travel, food, and chess).. so when tobi, a german guy i met, told me that hallucinogenic mushrooms were not only legal here, but very cheap, i had to give it a go.. i did kinda feel like a teenager again which made me laugh.. i wouldnt trust anything sold on the street here, but this was at a licensed shop.. when in rome, eat pizza!! it made for a crazy evening which was mostly spent walking around small 'gangs' (alleyways) and staring at the night sky and at a baby monkey (a pet at the place i stayed that night).. it was nice to clear my mind for a night and just relax, but i woke up covered in sweat the next morning after a very vivid dream that my brother johnny and i lived together in the jungle and ate anyone who came near us!! haha..