Refreshed as I was having reached the south coast, I was ready the next morning for the next stage of the journey. I had spoken with the owner of a beachside cafe who happened to be a German very much into motorcycle touring there in Java and had gotten some good insights into the roads ahead. He told me that the road to Ujung Genteng was quite good and that I would have a swift and easy ride.
The Hotel cat saw me off
At 94 kilometers, it was the shortest leg of the journey, and the German was right. The road was fantastic. Curvy, but not one hairpin turn after another. Smooth and uncrowded. Spectacular scenery all around. It's roads like this which are why I enjoy motorcycle touring the first place. Furthermore, to have as a destination the beautiful beach at Ujung Genteng, that made it even that much better.
The hills of West Java (slightly color enhanced)
The road to the hotel
I found and booked the hotel I chose in Ujung Genteng online. In some respects, I enjoy the certainty of knowing where I'm going when I end the day on the motorbike. What I've come to realize, however, is that it's often better not to book online until you've seen the place. I didn't like my hotel that much. The road to get there was terrible, and really, it was meant for those who were there for the tremendous surfing a few hundred meters away at the beach.
Still, a beautiful sunset is the same no matter where you're sleeping.
No one would rent me a motorcycle. I feared the vacation would fail entirely due to this lack of transportation. What could I do? While meeting with old friends there in Jakarta, one of them took pity on me and lent me his spare scooter and finally, the trip was afoot.
Given that I had lost so much time, I had to reroute my itinerary. Gone was the trip west to beaches facing the Sunda Strait seperating Java from Sumatra. I would not step foot on the Krakatoa volcano nor see the critically endangered Java rhino on this trip. Instead of heading west, I headed due south, skipping my stay in Bogor and going all the way to the south coast, to a place near the town of Pelabuhan Ratu.
More than 5 hours to go 140 km? That's less than 30 km/hr
(20 mph). How can that be? TRAFFIC!!!
Traffic so bad that I could check my
route on my smartphone while driving.
I've heard horror stories about Jakarta traffic, and my experience in taxis and such over the last few days had confirmed that motor congestion is a 24 hour reality in the capital. Now, I was leaving at 6:30 AM, and I was heading OUT of town, not in, and as most rush hours tend to be one-directional, I was hoping it wouldn't be so bad leaving the Big Durian.
I was right. The traffic in South Jakarta was heavy, but not brutal. On the other side of street, however, the folks trying to come into town were bumper to bumper, jam packed.
The old colonial palace
Eventually, I got to the city of Bogor, about 50 miles south of Jakarta. Bogor is an old town, and 70 years ago, was the colonial capital during the hot season. Being at elevation, Bogor is a bit cooler than the lowland Jakarta. Bogor is also renowned for its famous botanical gardens, which you'll see in the video.
Heading out of Bogor, the traffic was absolutely insane. Several highways converged into one and whereas driving a motorbike usually allows you to wind your way through stopped traffic, even us motorcyclists were at a standstill.
Srsly?
This insanity lasted for scores of miles until eventually I reached my turn off. As the congestion looked to continue unabated all the way to Sukabumi, as soon as made a right onto the road to Pelabuhan Ratu and the south coast, everything opened up.
In fact, perhaps it was due to the contrast from the hell I'd been through up to that point, but I thought at the time I was one the best possible road for motorcycling. Smooth, windy, and with some hills for contrast, I enjoyed that last bit of the day's journey as much as I have ever enjoyed any road. Free from the continuous urban sprawl that had followed me all the way from Jakarta, the hills were green, forests surrounded the road and I got my first real taste of the Javanese countryside.
