24/01/2014 – Cycling SE Asia. Day 51 - Damn! I've jinxed myself!

Distance cycled: 139km from Motong to Labuan Bontong, Sumbawa, Indonesia.
Average speed: 20.2km/h
Moving Time: 6h52m
Elevation Ascended: 914m
Burned Calories: 3446kcal
Burned Fat: 447g
Total Distance on Current trip: 4778km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 14,972km
Money spent: $12

The simple life!

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Yesterday I was saying how the roads in Indonesia have been great with little to no issues with the condition of them; but also hoping I wouldn't jinx myself by saying so. However this morning I experienced some awful, muddy and pothole riddled roads to get back to the main Australian built highway that scythes across Lombok that once in a while offers wide bicycle friendly shoulders. I am so sure that no other westerner had ever come this way before; so I suppose I'll look at that as a positive thing.. Despite the relentless rain.
One thing I did not mention in yesterday's post was the crazy storm that hit me and my tent just as I finished writing the draft for this blog, and speaking of 'drafts', what I experienced was crazy unforgiving gale force winds that ripped my tarp in half and shook my tent like there was no tomorrow interrupting what I thought would be a good nights rest; ill be now hesitant to camp on or next to the beach during the monsoon season here in SE Asia.
But today I cycled quite a long way, the last twenty kilometers of which was when the sun was setting and I was searching for a place to camp but because I was on the low flooded plains near the coast there wasn't any suitable places to pitch my tent. Thankfully though a friendly family called me into their home and I was set up for a place to sleep.
Ami, who surprisingly spoke English lived with her husband and her family in a tiny shack on a cow grazing, hilly piece of land. The family were lovely but very poor, they helped me out greatly offering me a place to sleep so tomorrow ill pay my dues and give them what I can.


On a side note I slightly changed the statistics at the beginning of every post to make it more intuitive for me to input.

Ahhhh, Sumbawa! I love this place and its people… and food!

The locals who invited me to sleep at their place… you will see in tomorrows post that they really are quite poor but willing to help a complete stranger