I finally received my 6th Island bracelet, to complete the set of bracelets from each of the islands we have cycled so far – Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores .
It was hard work; I had to climb 6646m from sea level (Labuan Bajo) to sea level (Ende) to complete my mission! In Ende I eventually went out with Gerald to inspect the top attraction of the town, a small, battery powered, portable carousel with two young kids riding proud their carts. On the way back we stopped at a small shop with all kind of ‘Chinese jewelry’ and lots of wooden statues, batik and other things. There were a few items, that looked nice and different than the Chinese ‘plastic art’. Nobody was in the shop so we called for assistance. Two young girls were obviously attracted
by the strange male voices and came over from the associated house. Very shy they entered the shop to find us two. A few words exchanged and I was ‘engaged’ with Sri, when she
tied the bracelet to my wrist, amusedly watched by her friend Isra. To me it is always a surprise how relaxed and open minded everything is in this country and how easy you make contact and friends. A few words Bahasa Indonesia combined with English and all doors are wide open. After a final group photo Gerald and I were back out into the darkness to return to our hotel.
Category Archives: Misc
Farewell in Ende
Our 3 drivers, Dhanu, Sulis and Yudha, who supported us excellent around the clock, since the first day in Sumatra in August, have unfortunately already left us in Ende/East Flores, as we continue to Timor by plane and get a new crew for the 4 days on Timor and Timor-Leste.
You guys were great!!!!
We wished you could have stayed longer with us; preferably until Sydney!We will miss you and your hospitality, your infectious smiles, the encouraging words and cheerful wishes sending us into the tough cycling days or at lunch. Without you the tour would have been not the same. Thanks again / Terima Kasih
All the best to you. Have a safe trip home to Yogya.
Tweet ##transoceaniaMasterpiece of Road Design
The road architects and engineers did a wonderful job to design and layout the road to Bajawa. It is more like an artwork, than civil engineering that the long stretch of tar paints into the scenic landscape. On 25kms it gradually meanders from sea level along a scenic valley, formed by a giant volcano and its satellites to find it way to Bajawa in 1200m altitude. It is a constant up, no intermediate drops into valleys cut by creeks or rivers, no bridges to cross followed by steep re-climbs. Every corner of the numberless switchbacks revealing a fantastic view – back to the ocean in the south, the giant volcano to the east or the mountains to the west. What a treat, even after a long day in the saddle. Enjoy- and unforgettable. We are soon going to miss the diversity of the Indonesian landscapes!
3D areal view of the road meandering up the hill to Bajawa at 1200m.
Birds view of the road builders artwork.
Like a giant snake crawling through the dense forest, the roads finds its way up.
revealing fantastic views in the afternoon light of the sinking sun.
Who volunteers to count the switchbacks and corners?
Business Club Express
Today Cristiano released the long feared information about the toughest cycling days of the tour. Partial information had long leaked before, but details were being kept a secret until today.
The next tree days from Labuan Bajo to Ende will cover 388 km and 6580m accumulated elevation gain – with the maximum of 3240m of climbs in 128 km, tomorrow, the first day after the rest in Labuan Bajo. Temperatures in the upper 30th or higher will make these days a real challenge.
Having received this scary data, our ‘French Couple’ immediately decided to use Gerald’s shuttle service, which right at that day arrived to deliver another box of the best French Burgundy Wine for the two. Bikes and duffle bags packed and soon they disappeared into the afternoon sun of Western Flores waving us a friendly ‘Hello’, ‘Good Luck’ and ‘See you in Ende’.
Well, ‘Ende’ is the German word for ‘End’.
Will it be the end of the EFI dreams of the last 2 remaining cyclists – Chris & Brett – who have not yet been sick, injured or too tired to always ride their bikes to the camp ground?
Eric, who is a trained pilot, with a valid license, is Gerald’s personal pilot and they have probably spent more time in the air to get from A to B, than on their bicycle. How else can you explain the difference in tanning? 
Angry Little Joe and Captain Hook
Today my Galaxy S4 Active ‘died’ … it was working in the morning on the ferry, and I could upload all my delayed posts, once G3 internet connection was available on Sumbawa. The phone went into ‘black’ mode somehow during the day, and now does not restart anymore.
Research says, it must be sent to, e.g. JTAG Brick Repair Service, or have it replaced. Until I get a replacement (I probably need to buy one and resolve the warranty issue, once I am home) I can’t provide live updates from the road. 
Tomorrow is a 192km day, with a 4:30 wake up. I have to pack and get ready for some rest …
I used up all my energy to get the phone back to work, with no success, thus I will not be able to post any news of a very exciting cycling day on Sumbawa. We’ll have a 6 hour ferry ride to Flores the day after tomorrow, which hopefully allows me to work on my backlog of updates and photos, via my PC … sorry folks …
Me, and my ‘Angry Bird – Little Joe’, which accompanied me today as a successor of late ‘Sponge Bob’
Later ‘Captain Hook’ arrived at camp to take revenge on the 2 ‘French Bandits’ which kidnapped the nice German guy two nights before in Senggigi. However, the 2 cowards must have heard about their destiny in advance and disappeared from the island minutes before Hook’s arrival. The search for revenge continues …
Leaving Lombok to Sumbawa
It was a short but beautiful visit to Lombok. The island totally different compared to busy Sumatra, Java and Bali. I am already on the ferry, approaching Sumbawa, island #5, to cycle through in only 2, but very long riding days.
Almost there …
4:30am prayers
It is 4:30am in Northern Lombok. A long and restful sleep is over. I didn’t count, but it was way over 100 ‘Allah is Great’ in as many different tunes, before the message in the prayer changed and at 5am eventually faded away before the 2nd round of praises fired off shortly after and continued forever.
Don’t tell my fellow riders: The prayer system here is like a jukebox; enter a coin, dial a number to make your selection and enjoy. (100 rupias/min)
#1 praise Allah
#2 praise God
#3 play Bob Marley
Unfortunately I didn’t wear my glasses, so I accidentally picked a 100000 Rupia bill instead of 1000 IRP and missed the #3 but the #1 … it is still playing at 7:04.
In a fortnight only we will completely miss the mosques and speakers, once we leave Indonesia and its friendly and hospital people to conquer Australia. Will the kangaroos step in to entertain us? Will we hear a bouncing ‘bling – bling – bling’ sound when they hop around our tents in the nights?
I’ll will definitely miss the hospitality of the Indonesian people …
Only 15mins before my programmed alarm sets off. Having an early shower.
Tweet ##transoceaniaWedding No.???
Stopped for another community festival on Lombok. Traditional Lombok drum music and more facebook friends …
Leaving Lombok to Sumbawa
It was a short but beautiful visit to Lombok. The island totally different compared to busy Sumatra, Java and Bali. I am already on the ferry, approaching Sumbawa, island #5, to cycle through in only 2, but very long riding days.
Kidnapped
At 1am there was a ‘Tsunami Alarm’ and 2 members of the ‘French Legionaires’ evacuated Stirling and me from our room and pulled us into the Senggigi nightlife.
There is more to report, but local authorities were closely watching us and … [censored] … 
update:
7:08am. I wished I had 3 hours more sleep before I got up for my scuba diving trip …