Since arriving in Indonesia, we have awakened at 0600 and ready to get going...even with our sleep being disturbed by the 4am Muslim call to prayer, sometimes from competing mosques. The prayer call can come as early as 3am, to allow Muslims time to eat before dawn during the fasting month of Ramadan. Perhaps, the millions of people fasting has affected our psyche and our appetites as well.

We are ready and waiting for the ride to Jakarta, we move everything out to the parking lot at about 7:45. A group always forms around us. This morning it is mostly the security guards from the hotel. Patrick explains the bike, they are very curious. Rachel gets a bike shoe out so Patrick can show them how the cleat works. At 8am, we think there is no sign of the rental car and driver. Rachel takes the receipt and heads to the front desk. One of the men looking at the bike says "yes, yes, Here" and points to the Toyota Kyang with a Harley Davidson sticker with Police 1. As we waited, he had been patiently waiting for us to be ready to go.

The bikes and gear are loaded in the back and we are off on the "interstate." It seems so different to be on a four lane highway...the "fast" lane being the outside lane, the reverse to what we know. The ride goes quick until we hit the outskirts of Jakarta, then it is bumper to bumper, SLOW, fumes, SLOW, honking and very SLOW!! Patrick notes all the new construction of high rise buildings. We make it to Hotel Margo and check into a corner room on the third floor and our bikes stored in the basement. We have hot water and TV with BBC and CNN, Animal Kingdom and Star World (a station with a hodge podge of old American shows and sitcoms)

A good place to start our recovery.

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