Day 57 - Soe finally, Kupang within reach and a hat-trick - Unfinished Business

June 27, 2023

Day 57 - Soe finally, Kupang within reach and a hat-trick

Isn't it strange, when touring, how you can think that things will never change. I was convinced that the hills would continue to the outskirts of Kupang, with a final descent to the sea. It wasnt the hills so much that bothered me; it was the lack of accommodation. Thus, my aim today was the police station in Takiri.

I started climbing as soon as I cycled from the police compound at Niki Niki.

My little room in Niki Niki Police Station.

Why is it impossible to photograph hills?

It was hard going but the scenery compensated. That's been true since I left Dili.

I pushed hard and two hours later reached Soe. My only stop was for a huge hand of bananas and a pomello, essentially a giant grapefruit. I could not get "Wish you were here" out of my mind. " Soe, Soe you think you can tell; Heaven from hell? Blue skies from pain?" NO, I CAN'T! But I got there, somehow.

It was still a long slug uphill from here to the city.

Great to photograph a roadkill. Not sure which rat it is. I've seen a few snakes but they were a mess. The half-life of a roadkill is short!

Sitting high on a ridge makes Soe a hard town to decipher. Was I near the centre? I went a bit further and it seemed to fizzle out so I stopped for morning tea - nasi goring and a few cups of tea. The ride had knocked me about.

There's interesting stuff around Soe, some of which boggles the mind.

Poor photo, I know. But look at the woman on the right walking uphill. She's got a shopping bag in each hand. The basket on her head contains coconuts and various fruits.

I think there's a motor scooter underneath. I thought I was half-good cycling to the airport with four panniers and a bike box!

As it turned out, much of Soe was ahead of me and all uphill. Finally, I could stare down. But I didn't want to go down to that river and then up again.

But down I went. At the bottom, as I started to climb - still part of the descent, I saw a sign: "House of prayers for all nations, 6 km". It pointed straight up a remarkably steep road. They don't give a toss about cyclists here! I wasn't going to climb for 6 km to pray for a flat road! I continued towards Takiri.

By chance, my prayer went by WiFi, or something similar, and got a remarkably quick response. By the time I reached the river I had done over 40 km.

Imagine this with water up to the bridge!

The road didn't go up but followed the river. I cycled through a tropical paradise - bananas, coconuts and papaya, and reached Takiri two hours after leaving Soe, having done 68 km for the day. i saw the odd piece of art along the way.

If I make it to Bali I'll chase this person for my first tatt!

A church offered solace in Takiri - away from the road and the crowds and with a shaded bench. I was supposed to spend the night in Takiri but now Oelamasi, 32 km away, beckoned. This prompted me to look for accommodation. There's a courthouse, no hotels and no police station in a sizeable town. Can that be right?

With another search I discovered a 500 m climb on the way. Fine. I thought. After a good rest, a good drink and eating half a hand of bananas and a dozen sweet biscuits I got on my way.

No one died. Someone just gobbed out betel nut.

A gorgeous animal. I think of them as Balinese cows; perhaps they are.

Some quick thinking children pushed me up the top of these roadworks. 20%? Sheer goodwill - they refused a tip.

As I got towards the top, stalls of pumpkins appeared.

And then I reached the top.

You see boring communication towers. I see the top of a 500 m climb that I was pleased to knock over easily.

The descent was tricky due to the amount of traffic, the position of the sun and the number of switchbacks. I t dropped me into the raging Campiong with giant banyans and roadside stalls. I didn't stop, even for a photo. I needed to get to Oelamasi with the sun still high.

But Oelamasi wasn't enough. Enquiries indicated that there's no accommodation so I pushed on to a police station 22 km further- to Oesao. I found a massive establishment- headquarters of the traffic police where, again, I got a room without a light. But they did give me dinner. That's a hat-trick of accommodation behind the thin blue line!

Today's ride: 112 km (70 miles)
Total: 4,745 km (2,947 miles)

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