Takingon to Katembe

The map said 64km but it soon became evident that a 1 was omitted and distance was actually 164km…This was a little disconcerting at the time.

The ride out of Takingon was over a large mountain and was one of the most scenic parts of the trip. The valley was pretty unpleasant due to the amount of smog sitting in the valley (the process of inversion means that pollution remains in valleys).  Climbing up into the jungle provided welcome relief. It was very quiet, cool and peaceful riding.  We past the odd herd of water buffalo and enjoyed the sounds of gibbons.  This climb turned out to be a highlight of the trip.

Towards the start of the climb you can see pollution sitting in the valleys.

The higher we went the more peaceful and dramatic it was.

After the climb we descended for 30kms through some of the oddest landscape we’d encountered in Indo.  There were no people, pine trees, and the landscape resembled southern Spain or the moon.  The heat and onset of some hard climbs meant we lasted for another hour or so and, after 100kms, decided to wait for the local bus. 

When the bus arrived it was full but there was more than enough space for us to sit on the top of the bus (rather precariously) …. after about 30minutes of being baked in the sun and hanging on for dear life we moved to spare space within for the remaining 9 hours.

ps. HELLO MISTER!! HELLO MISTER!!!

Everywhere we went there was always a chorus of HELLO MISTER!!  I started to refer to it as if people were raising the alarm…  While waiting for the bus, we watched the local racehorses being transported home along the same road and it was then we understood that yelling ‘HELLO MISTER’ was not limited to us big-white-folk. As the horses  trucked past the level of excitement reached fever-pitch as everyone yelled KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA (horse in Indonesian).   We joined in had lots of laughs!

pps. BEING SICK

 I should say something about this inevitability.  On the bus to Katembe I got very sick with a stomach bug and felt sick most of the way.   It wasn’t good.  The stomach bug remained for the next few days and once I felt better but transferred it to Nancy...  Most times it was pretty easy to have some pills and ride through an upset stomach but this was the worst and most intense bug we got and meant that we had to delay leaving Katembe.  

A picture of being sick is not needed but here is a handsome goat instead.