It’s the craziest ride so far. Note to self: There is no easy way up a mountain road. In Sumatra, it does not matter which way you coming up from. It’s either the road is heavy with traffic, too bumpy filled with potholes, too polluted, too steep or it’s just simply to mentally draining to pedal just thinking you’re on the Trans Sumatran Highway.
I’m now in Parapat writing this report from Charlie’s Guesthouse. Highly (not) recommended if you (do not) like to see the real Indonesians. From here, your balcony of your room, you can see “Sumatran burning”. Practically every garbage from the street market (plastic water bottle included) is burn in front of your room and if you are not choking to death as I am, you can be a firefighter here in Sumatra. What is up with that? Are there no decent garbage disposals services here?
the ‘pekan’ view from my room
the ‘pekan’ the next morning
Before I go on, there is one special request from a ‘adventure cyclist to be’ for me to take a picture of my bicycle ‘cockpit’.
my bicycle cockpit.
On the space bar, I got my GPS mounted, my powerful torchlight and a small compass. On the handle itself, a small but loud horn and waterproof, a blackberry mounted on a console and my ABUS handlebar bag
Friday, 2 December 2011, Elevation: 400 meters:
It’s so nice here that I decided to stay another day and do my favorite “getting lost” in the back lane of Siantar. I rode around following the village roads and chat with the local. I also went to one school but they in the middle of a class. Some picture below for you to visualized the second largest city after Medan.
Siantar 01
Siantar 02
Siantar 03
Siantar 04
While riding back to Humanitas Guest house during lunch I saw something troubling like yesterday at Sungei Rampah but this time a woman in her 30. This is about 500 meter before Siantar Police Station. A woman walking completely naked towards the police station. She does not seem to be in some sort of distress. She was smiling and from the look at it, she is a little mental smiling all the way 50 meters from me. I am not sure if this is legal but as I waited, no once seems to be bothered by it. Is this a good thing? Personally for me, no. I try not to let it affect me and I continue riding back to the Guesthouse and along the way, bought myself a packet of Nasi Jawa. Delicious.
After lunch, I did some bicycle maintenance for the ride up to Parapat tomorrow and spend the rest of the day chatting with another guest from Padang. I slept very early and that didn’t last when a bunch of Tentera Negara Indonesia (TNI) arrive to stay the night there. I got out and chat with them until late. Oh boy, my climb tomorrow will be tough.
Saturday 3 December 2011
Time Check: 7.00 am (8.00am Singapore time), Elevation: 400 meters:
Got up at a little late, packed up and clean up. I am back to my standard routine and it’s easier now as I know what go which pannier and at which sequence. I become faster each day and it took me about 10 minutes today to pack everything in and go out to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.
Time Check: 8.00am (9.00am Singapore time), Elevation: 400 meters:
A solid one day rest really makes wonder to the body and moods. I am physically and mentally ready for this one, the Siantar to Parapat route. I’ve positioned myself nicely to be at 400meter and what I needed to do now is to hit the summit somewhere at 1280 meter around 38 km away from Siantar before heading down to Parapat at 900 meter. In comparison to Medan to Berastagi, this will be slightly easier as I got 48km to climb up to 1280 meter from 400 meter. Not bad right? That is what I thought. I consulted the young Tentera Negara Indonesia (TNI) officer I met last night on the route elevation and what I need to expects from the climb before I depart. He is like my local “fixer”. I am going to see how good this TNI officer is. I am told the climb will be mild for the first 10km, road will be rough, I won’t be able to go fast on my bicycle with the load. After 10km, there will be a slight steep climb for about 5km before returning to gradual climb al the way at 20km marker (1000 meter). From here on the climb will get slightly harder as it will continue 28km (1200 meter) before dropping steep to 300 to 400 meter and climbs back up to 1280 meter until the 39km marker and I will go down all the way to Parapat. Sound tough to me. I thank him and took a customary photo before I leave the awesome Humanitas Guest House.
Me with the young TNI officer
Time Check: 8.30am (9.30am Singapore time), Elevation: 400 meters:
I took a different route from my GPS heading following what the TNI officer told me to see the other side of Siantar before leaving it. I had a lousy breakfast along the way and don't even bother to finish it.
leaving Siantar
Time Check: 9.00am (10.00am Singapore time), Elevation: 400 meters:
Pay up breakfast and start to move slowly out from Siantar village area taking the back road. I thought it’s a village road that is why the bad roads but I was wrong. I am now on the Trans Sumatran Highway again and this is the worst road ever. There is no way me going over 6kmh. I rode very slowly as I now has one tore pannier and one bent front rack. Any more shaking and rattling, the rack and the pannier will give way. My ride is just going to get tougher as each day pass me by.
Time Check: 10.00am (11.00am Singapore time), Elevation: 500 meters:
I managed to climb up to 500 meter without any drama as I was going real slow. Most of the time, I was on a very badly maintain road. My wrist, my shoulder, my ankle are taking the impact. Looking at how this is going, I will be reaching Parapat late today. I decided it’s time for a break 15km marker and take picture of the newly resurfaced road.
new resurfaced road
After a short ten minutes break, I took off and was greeted immediately with bad road again. The road getting to it original narrow size with not much for me to maneuver. There was not much else I could do but pedal up and just think of more positive destination – Lake Toba. Somewhere about 5km after restarting the ride, my front rack holder gave way. The first in my entire ride I panic. “Shit, shit, shit! Where am I going to stop to repair it". I continued for some 500 meter and saw what seems like a nice friendly elderly man. There outside his home, I did a quick temporary replacement and note it down to repair it when I reach Parapat. The real climbing looks like its starting.
A glimpse of the Trans Sumatran Higgway to Parapat - Video Credit: Plasanda
Time Check: 11.00am (12.00pm Singapore time), Elevation: 700 meters
Since I am already stop and too tired to go on, I went inside the elderly man compound to say hi. I was invited to sit down and we chatted for about an hour. We talked about the Batak people, his former profession and he told me about Sumatran tiger and to watch out when I reach the 22km marker. I declined lunch, as I wanted to be light for the rest of the climb. Ok, ok, lunch for that day was dog meat! I will not dare to even want to give it a look.
with the elderly wife and grand daughter
Time Check: 12.00pm (1.00pm Singapore time) , Elevation: 700meters:
I say my good bye to my new friend and his family and continued my way. By now, I am nervous. I feel goose bump as I am very near the 22km marker soon. It is a long gradual climb and I feel difficulty breathing. I feel chill in my bones. At last, the 22km marker at 900 meter. Though I feel the chill, I stop to take picture of the marker and my bike. What the elderly man told me was true. I can feel the wind and the tree swaying while the other area doesn’t. I jump back on my bike and scoot.
the 22km marker, my bike and the steep climb starts from here
Time Check: 1.00 pm (2.00pm Singapore time), Elevation: 1000 meters:
After pedaling like I’ve been chase by wild dogs for about 5km, I touched 1000 meter and stop at the entry point of a Forest reserve and chatted with three friendly government contractor. I got feedback on the rest of the route and now mentally prepared for it. I know now where and when the 400 meter descends going to be. After about 20 minutes of chatting, I made my moved for the last push up 1200 meter before meeting my challenge of the day – steep descends and climbing back up to 1280 meter.
climbing towards 1000 meter where the Forest Reserve entry point is
Time Check: 2.00pm (3.00pm Singapore time), Elevation: 1200 meters:
The breathing getting harder and the push getting slower. Again I felt my braking mechanism is slowing me down. Ahead about 2 km, I saw a long lines of trucks not moving and I put that as my next marker to rest. Nearing the trucks, I saw one after another the drivers sitting at the side resting or playing cards. This is at 1200 meter, surrounded with beautiful forest with crispy fresh air. Even truck drivers feel tired. I stop in front of the rows of truck and walk behind to chat with some of them. A decision well made. I asked them why are they moving so fast and overtaking vehicle that can go faster then them? “More trip more money, Pak”. Ah..
the bike in front of the trucks
I left after they told me they would leave in about 10 minutes. In about 5km from here is where the steep drop going to be and follow by hard climb to 1280 meter before the drop to 900 meter into Parapat I so ready for this. I am now well rested and I planned not to stop until I reach Parapat. I have been worst going up Bandar Baru. When the descends appeared, I felt the chill in my face. It was one of the best feelings I had in Sumatra. Looking at my rear view mirror, I saw a line of trucks following me from behind not overtaking me at all. Reaching at the end of descends and climbing up, one by one the truck overtook me with their “friendly honking”. After all the trucks pass me by, I think I was temporarily deaf.
(
the size of the truck air horn
Time Check: 3.00 pm (4.00pm Singapore time), Elevation: 1280 meters:
I survived the descend and make the ascend again up to 1280 meter. It was painful but like I said, I didn’t want to stop. After pedaling up for about 39km, it’s time now for a good descend and let the chill wind blow into my face. It didn’t happen as the road was worst coming down to Parapat. Potholes scattered everywhere and I don’t want my panniers to fly out. I rolled down easy controlling my bike.
entering Parapat in 9km and all the way down
Since I can’t go fast on the descend, I stop at a roadside warung for one chill coke, one teh bottle, one sprite, one coke again, one teh botol again and one sprite again.
outside the warung
After the refreshments and I still can’t go very fast down, I make a few stop along the way. Enjoy some of the picture below
Lake Toba 01
Lake Toba 02
Lake Toba 03
Lake Toba 04
Time Check: 4.00 pm (5.00pm Singapore time), Elevation: 900 meters:
Have you ever been in a situation where you reach at your lodging and you can’t get near the compound? It happened to me today. It was jammed pack with street vendors that there is no way for me to get through it. I rode somewhere else for some good time and see Parapat.
outside a Javanese food stall and
from what I heard from the local, it’s delicious
As it got darker, I am tired and I needed to get clean, I rode back to my lodging and pushed my way through. Ever get yourself lock out from your own room? It happened to me tonight too coming back from dinner. Ever been woken up by latecomer to a guesthouse? (Joking. Linda and Silvio from German arrived very early in the morning and got themselves a room at Charlie’s Guesthouse. I wrote this just after having lunch with them. Nice people you will meet traveling in places like Sumatra)
It’s one of my best ride. Though it’s very tough 50km, I enjoyed this ride totally pushing myself and at the same time meeting many village folks and kids along the way.
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