We get another early start. At first light we carry our bikes and gear down, hang the bags off the racks quickly and head out of town. Fortunately, we can catch a main road that skirts the city center right by our hotel, so we get smoothly on our way.

The first bit is pretty flat, and we make good time, but Rachel is not feeling well and can't eat much. She gets in trouble on the first hill of the day. Dizzy and nauseated she has to quickly get off her bike and rest awhile against a stone wall. Across the road a guy with one bird in a cage catches another one. We go on, but a few kms further Rachel has to dismount again nearly fainting. We struggle to get to a gas station where within minutes a guy waves down a small pickup truck for a ride to Blitar about 40km down the road. He wants 300,000 for it, Patrick refuses to go higher then he agrees to 100,000 and we load up. When Patrick negotiates, Rachel will sometimes act wanting to keep riding, usually then the price comes down. In the back of his truck, we near Blitar, find a hotel and room with bathroom which by now we both need...traveler's diarrhea has hit us both hard. We attribute this to the dessert we had yesterday at an upscale restaurant, or perhaps the KFC after visiting the bird market and not washing our hands well enough.

The LP guide mentions there is an excellent minibus service from here and with the help from the hotel lady, Patrick gets a becak driver to take him to the office. A becak is a traditional transportation pedicab. Again, it takes some negotiating to get the bikes in too and end up buying 3 extra seats plus to get everything to Yogyakarta for 435,000Rp ($50). Well worth it since it is a city with good tourist facilities and a better place to be sick than a town like Blitar. We need to keep moving with only a 3 month visa.

Patrick spent some time in an internet cafe across the road, but then whatever has hit Rachel also hits him.

Heart

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