Day 99 - I found Pangandaran the hard way. - Unfinished Business

August 7, 2023

Day 99 - I found Pangandaran the hard way.

I had the perfect start to the day. Paradise turned on an excellent buffet breakfast- rice, green beans with chili and various eggs. There was chook too, stewed up as it should be, and tea and coffee.

I had a plan - ride the 40 km to Pangandaran, have another meal and then head west along the south coast of Java for 60 or 70 km. Simple!

I started by photographing a truck in the Paradise carpark. I feel that I have neglected trucks.

I retraced my pedal strokes of yesterday. The paddies were alive with workers, hand-threshing sheaths of rice. On occasion, when the road noise dissipated, there was the gentle thud, thud of rice being beaten.

Elsewhere, workers were planting rice adjacent to crops that will soon be harvested.

As I watched, a bunch of bike-packers passed. They had their heads down and probably didn't see me. For the next half hour I saw more and more of them. Finally, what would be the last of them stopped and we communicated the best we could. This was Indra, one of 20 cyclists from Jakarta and Bandung, who were cycling to Bali.

With Indra. I later sent him the link to this blog.

I continued cycling along a rather nice road. It occurred to me that banners had decorated the roadside on and off for hundreds of kilometres. A lot of it is red and white - the colors of the Indonesian flag. But, what about the rainbow stuff? Is this associated with Independence Day too ?

After 40 km, I started looking for a town and grew suspicious. My nose didn't detect the sea. I went further to gauge things and eventually stopped to check. I got somewhat of a surprise. I was as far from Pangandaran as I had been when I left the hotel. I had missed a turn after a river. I had a choice: I could continue and cycle via Bandung or I coukd turn around for the coast.

I turned around and started the 24 km ride back. I suddenly got a dose of garbage, black exhaust smoke and extremely loud noise within 30 seconds. I pulled in to a convenience store for water, food and to regroup. These Indomaret stores have somewhere to sit. A fellow came up to me and using all of his lungs yelled "hello mister". It was like a gunshot. I ate bananas and the cheese and chocolate bread that was in my room at Paradise, all the time thinking that I should make this mistake in the temperate zone and not the tropics. Alas, I saw some interesting stuff on this road I shouldn't have visited.

Noodles drying! I assume the yellow is turmeric.

Processing coconut husk. There was a mountain of it.

I assumed that the turn I missed was subtle, but when I arrived it was clear as day. I knew that the road bent to the right somewhere and I assumed this was it. Anyway, I made the mistake and paid for it to the tune of 50 km. So much for a bite in Pangandaran and continuing along the coast. I'd make it an early day.

It was 17 km to Pangandaran, the first step being a decent hill climb before a long downhill run. This is Pangandaran so the road was busy. On the climb, when the traffic noise dissipated, I even heard some birdsong. A disappointing feature of Indonesia is the paucity of birdlife. How can one be near rivers or in forest and not see or hear birds. I have seen several people using mist nets to catch them and also many bird markets. Birdsong comes from caged birds.

I knew that Pangandaran was close when I saw several ads for toilets at restaurants, one claiming 18. This suggests that you should look at all facets of your food prep. You need great care with seafood!

It's not about the food, the service, or the ambience, it's the dunny that counts!

Finally, I was in Pangandaran. There could be no doubting it. Marlins are all over the show.

Final confirmation! That's my bike in the middle. I just needed to know that I had found Pangandaran.

It's actually a terrific setting.

But unpleasantness lingers. If one takes a boat from here around the headland to Cilicap, they will pass the island where the Indonesians murdered members of the Bali-9.

I was content to stay. I found a guesthouse, scribbled an article for Pedal Power and managed to laugh about my day. Later, I walked the couple of km to the seafood market for an excellent meal - steaming hot squid in oyster sauce.

It's not the place I enjoyed 35 years ago with Thommo who, by coincidence just sent me a hilarious article about roadkill, that I include because there's a reference to cycle touring.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/anyone-for-dog-sandwiches-britain-s-notorious-roadkill-eater-dies-20230801-p5dsuz.html

I have neglected roadkill for a time, largely because there is not much of it. This is another indicator of wildlife decimation. I see a few dead reptiles, rats and the odd chook.

Roadkill has a short half-life on Indonesian roads. Arthur Boyt would struggle.

I haven't a bicycle of the day so, instead, I'll leave you with croton leaves. They're magnificent here.

Hang on, Indra has just sent me a photo of the crew. Here's 20 bikes of the day! If I understand it correctly, the bike packers are members of Wanadri - Mountain and Jungle Explorers Association.

The bike packers of whom I met Indra, the last in a long strung-out line.

Today's ride: 90 km (56 miles)
Total: 7,266 km (4,512 miles)

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