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Jakarta to Dieng Plateau Central Java
Dieng plateau on Central Java to Bali

INDONESIA

Mar
2004-09-14 16:42:50

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once you come to the eastern side of it. The absolute end of the island consists mainly of the Ijen Plateau and volcano, and practically this means for cyclists that there are two major roads around the volcano heading for the small village of Ketapang where the ferry to Bali departs. According to other travelers both these roads are more hectic then you can imagine when hearing the word hectic. And so we unfold the Java map again and search it well for alternatives. All roads between Surabaya and Ketapang are major connections and we expect them all to be non-cyclable, or cyclable but not for fun. We choose to cycle over Madura Island and take the car ferry from east-Madura to east-Java and so we only have to cycle the remaining 60 kilometers from the ferry terminal on Java to Ketapang.

The first kilometers we cycle over a small road along the south coast. What a relieve, it’s quiet and we enjoy the views over the sea. People are poor though. We stop at what seems to be the end of our small little road, a military post. We need to cycle back and turn to the one main road that goes all the way to the east of Madura. It isn’t what we had hoped for, we are even more bothered by the people along the road then on north-Java. Busses and lorries have a bet on who can speed up most and in the end it’s a simple 180 kilometers straight to the east.

We keep on going, what else can we do, and reach the city from where we will take the ferry tomorrow morning. The hotel owner shows me the ferry schedule, proud that he can answer my question. it looks as though the ferry leaves daily at 14:00, arriving in the dark in a tiny little village that has neither accommodation nor accommodation close by. However, there is bus going all the way back to Surabaya and onwards over Java to Ketapang. We take a deep breath, a good sleep and the bus back to Surabaya.

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