23/11/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 21–Pollution Levels High!

Distance cycled: 75.1km from Jakarta to 1000m in altitude on highway 3 SE of Jakarta.
Average speed: 16.6km/h
Moving time: 4h31m
Total distance: 2350km
Border X'ings: 3
Money spent: Not much.

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Now I thought the Malaysians were friendly and giving but this one day I have cycled in Indonesia I was pampered beyond belief. Locals, left right and center with big smiles offered me their kindness refusing to let me pay for pretty much everything today, even items I didn't need.
Despite all this generosity I was certainly thrown into the shark infested deep end regarding to cycling out of the capital of the most populated island on earth. The roads were not as bad as I anticipated but the traffic... Oh my god... The traffic was relentless, at no point during the 4+ hours of cycling 75km did I get a break from honking, the road being cram-packed with all vehicles being bumper to bumper and with no indication that you have entered a new town as there was no visual gap between them. Put simply it was fucking crazy. Thanks to my bicycle being much narrower than all the other vehicles I was able to squeeze past most of the traffic on, I suppose what you call the shoulder which was a mix of broken asphalt, garbage, glass and dirt.
Essentially today's terrain profile could be described as almost an exponential curve where the road got progressively steeper as the roasting day went on but still I reached my goal of 1000m in altitude meaning tomorrow I only have to climb 500m before I can enjoy the descent over the volcano pass. Because this was the first decent climb that I have tackled since Turkey I struggled quite a lot, drippin with sweat, having a few exhaustion breaks where i was gasping to recover my breath and the agonizing pain of cramps in my legs I found some sort of resort where the security guards and the reception were kind enough to let me sleep in my tent under an unused pavilion.
Writing this now having had a quick dip in the swimming pool I am nursing several cramps in my legs and feet... I should stop smoking and eat more bananas.

 

On my way out of Jakarta, lots of friendly locals and busy roads

Jakarta. 6 degrees south of the Equator 18/11/2013 to 22/11/2013

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Most people when traveling Indonesia use Jakarta to catch up on sleep from jet-lag or spend a day and get a flight elsewhere as to be honest there really wasn't much to do there, yes there is of course shopping, the national monument and places to drink however one hung I have always said "it's never about where you are, it is always about who you are with".
As you can see I spent a considerable amount of time here in Jakarta but that's because, you have guessed it, I met some really cool people, the people I hung out with, like I said at the beginning of the post would only spend a night so for the 5 nights that I spent I just continued meeting cool people.
The hostel I stayed at for the majority of the time was called 6 degrees, it had all the facilities plus a gym, pool table and even a putting green on the rooftop; run by the most friendliest of people it was certainly hard to leave especially seeing the road outside with crazy traffic that was near impossible to cross... And I'm suppose to cycle on that road...??
Um... The things I went to check out, the national monument, the backpacker street and the shipping docks where the work done there is as it was a century ago. I hope the pictures below will paint a better picture from what I could but can not be bothered to describe :)
Thanks to all who I met in Jakarta, it was a blast.
Oh, forgot to mention; the food here is a hit or a miss. Thankfully I found a place across the road from the hostel that consistently made unbelievable food, however not as good as Thai street food.

Jakarta Shipping Docks.

 

National Monument with the girls.

60KG of Costume and then dance the streets in 35 degree heat!!!

Oh Yeah! Durian Flavoured Condoms!!!! I bet all the girls would be all over you when your penis smells and tastes like durian!

Singapore.

Having cycled the 2250km from Bangkok I somewhat expected a welcoming party to celebrate my arrival to this very expensive, small and sterile country; however like always when reaching my final destination on these cycling endeavors I have to engage others to join in the crazy festivities for the completion of cycling such a vast distance.
When I say crazy, I would normally mean many celebratory drinks and a drunken state of mind to share my experiences with other backpackers from around the world, this was not the case here in Singapore because a. it really isn't my final destination and b. it's just damn too expensive for even one night of alcohol consumption.
As this was a time for me to see family and celebrate my grandpas 90th birthday it was time to be tame and enjoy what singapore had to offer on a strict budget.
I spent the first two nights at a hostel where I met a few people before my cousin Victoria and friend Julia (from Scotland) showed up where we were able to run about the city going to places like the 154 year old Botanic gardens, Harbor front view and Santosa island to enjoy the waterpark that we all got for free due to the weather closing it down and my actions to convince the parks office personnel to refund all our money, even though we got a good few hours of riding the rides.
Seeing my relatives who many of them I have not seen in close to fifteen years was nice however most of them with conservative values questioned the choices in my life (where I get to travel the world for 9 months a year) and somewhat disagreed to this. My response to all my family members who tried to convince me to return home and lead a typical and non-exciting lifestyle unlike the one I am living and pursuing was that I am doing what 95% of people say they wanted to do when they were young and that is simply to travel the world.
Still, despite this I still enjoyed myself in their company.
Grandpas dinner party was held in a restaurant where the food was less than mediocre but the following day where a bunch of my relatives got together at grandpas place I got one thing I have missed since I first left Australia and that is a proper Ong (my mothers maiden name) dinner where every bite sends you close to orgasmic pleasure. So so so good. It's making my mouth water just by thinking about it.
I spent some days with Mum and dad, they are the same as always however our time together was short and sweet.
My last evening in Singapore I caught up with a girl (Serene) I met in Columbia many years ago where we enjoyed some of the bars near orchard road, it was fantastic catching up with her but next time I see her I will pay for the drinks, got that Serene!?
I changed some of my plans and booked a flight to Jakarta where I would continue this bike trip, I initially thought I would just backpack there but it was only another 30 Dollars to take my bike so, why not!; besides I need to clock up the kilometers to cycle the 40,000km that it is for the circumference of earth before I am 30... Or before I reach 31 years of age. 

Walking about the Botanic Gardens

Look what mum got me Haw flakes!!! I had these as a kid. I think they are some kind of dried fruit compressed into small discs

Catching up with Mum’s school friend

Universal Studios on Santosa Island

The whole family get-together for Grandpa’s 90th Birthday

I don’t want to bore my audience by showing all the pictures of Orchids so here is one

Singapore is a ‘fine’ country. this was for public transport

12/11/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 20

Distance cycled: 48.3km from Johon Batur to Singapore
Average speed: 17.1km/h
Moving time:2h50m
Total distance: 2250km
Border X'ings: 2
Money spent: too much!

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Apparently there was a bit of an issue where we camped last night, the manager of the trucking business found out we were there and had a problem with the staff who allowed us to set up our camping gear where we did. I didn't get the chance to speak to the manager to sort things out and clear the air but at the same time the French guys and I didn't want to stick around.
The three of us set off in the rain onto the highways within the cities of both Johon Batur and Singapore so needless to say the day was not enjoyable.
After crossing the JB/woodlands Bridge/immigration control it was consistent traffic light after traffic light getting into the city of Singapore thus keeping my average speed at a dismal 17.1km/h.
Upon entering Singapore there was a noticeable difference in the upkeep and maintenance of the streets, buildings and greenery compared to Malaysia however the disappointing downside of this somewhat eye-candy was that the people we encountered on the road, both pedestrians and motorists were not nearly as friendly as the Malaysians - pedestrians just seemed to ignore us and rarely gave us a second glance and even at one point completely ignoring us despite our best efforts to get their attention to make room for us to pass on the bike path.
After a hearty and very expensive lunch at a hawker center (Asian food court) I parted ways with Thomas and Romain and cycled towards a hostel where I would be meet up with my cousin Victoria in 24 hours time.
Due to the lack of sleep I had last night because a damn annoying barking dog I crashed hard into the bed when I arrived only to get up for some food with a dude named Skyler before going back to bed.
I get to see all my relatives who reside here in Singapore over the next few days for my grandpas 90th birthday.
Oh, I forgot to mention, Yay! I did it. 2250km from Bangkok to Singapore!

Wet weather and entering Singapore

Having made it to Singapore

11/10/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 19

Distance cycled: 131km to near Johon Bahtu
Average speed: 20.9km/h
Moving time: 6h17m
Total distance: 2201km
Border X'ings: 1
Money spent: 18 Ringgit ($6)

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Just to follow up from last night. I was not ambushed by monkeys but I was rudely awakened by the sound of thunder, nearby lightning and intense rain. This meant I had to set up my tarp before I and all my stuff got drenched.
Today was mostly overcast and I was blessed to have direct tailwind pushing me southeast towards Singapore however as you can see by my average speed I wasn't flying this is because I met and joined two Frenchmen, Romain and Thomas, who were cycling the same way to Singapore. When I stopped for lunch I was informed by locals that these two guys were just half-hour ahead of me. I thought I'd catch them up and see what their story was and it didn't take me long. Thomas and Romain were both very slow but I stuck with them for the day finding a great place to camp on some cut grass in front of a bus freight depot where the people working there were happy to have us stay and use their facilities.
Romain and Thomas are both cool guys who I will join tomorrow to Singapore, they are somewhat new to the whole cycle touring adventure but they are managing extremely well.
One last thing before I crash out, I thought today was the 12th so ill be arriving in Singapore one day before I have to... Looks like ill be looking for a place to kip in the very expensive city.

Romain and Thomas from France

10/11/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 18

Distance cycled: 87.9km from Malacca to... 87.9km towards Singapore on highway 5
Average speed: 22.4km/h
Moving time: 3h56m
Total distance: 2070km
Border X'ings: 1
Money spent: 23 Ringgit ($7.60)

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Tired with a grin I cycled onward towards Singapore having to say "see you later" to Sally, for me it is never "goodbye" because that would imply I would never see the person again, and with the uncanny situations I fall into always running into people again and again it is more appropriate.
... Hmm... Today, what do I have to say about today... Flat, uninteresting terrain but cooler and overcast than every other day in cycling Malaysia....
...I am now camped in another palm tree plantation and i am now hearing monkeys surrounding my tent, they are rustling the branches of nearby trees... I suppose they are monkeys, but unlike many people I am deadly frightened of monkeys after having one jump on my head in Nicaragua and rip out one of my dreadlocks...
...lets hope I sleep well tonight.

Big Bicycle on the way to Muar

Saying goodbye to Sally and hitting 2000km on this trip of SE asia