Much like in Thailand or India,
scooters and motorbikes were all
over the place and I realised that In-
donesian roads required some urgent
attention.
One peculiarity I discovered as a
Westerner in Indonesia is that you
get so much attention. There is a
prevailing picture of Europeans being
successful and sort of fulfilling a
beauty ideal that is fed by West-in-
fused movies and TV programs and it
seems that everybody wants to get to
know you.
Riding or walking through the
streets of Pontianak, there’s a sense
of being a somewhat unknown su-
perstar, a feeling I had once before in
India.
From the most random corner, I’d
hear “Hello, mister!” or “eh ada bule!”
(Hey, there’s a white person!).
At times it seemed a little too
much, often with a sense of annoy-
ance. Can it not be possible to just
walk in peace? The feeling would
generally vanish when I looked in the
direction of the voice to see a huge,
wide grin.
Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of
Borneo, forms its most adventurous
region.
Within the island’s hardly accessi-
ble heart, lies pristine jungle, indige-
nous cultures, and remote villages. I
got a glimpse into West Kalimantan
when teaming up with some newly
won Indonesian friends to hike to a
waterfall deep within the jungle.
We met in a small village without
paved roads, to start the hike. We
came across cottages where only a
few people scratched a living by har-
vesting firewood that would be drawn
down river by makeshift barges.
The way was muddy and over-
grown, we needed to ask locals where
to go, and having friends speaking
Bahasa (short for Indonesia’s lan-
guage) with me was certainly a plus.
The humidity levels were crazy.
Hiking through the jungle I soon
TRAVERSE 108
found what eyebrows are for. The
sweat, the scars, were all worth it, as I
was stunned by the beauty of a water-
fall overlooking a pristine jungle.
The shower under that waterfall
was probably the best that I have ever
had … MS
Michael, from northern Germany, has
been riding bikes for half his life. Two and a
half years ago he left home, aboard his BMW,
and is still riding ... currently holed up in
Australia.
Michael loves the freedom of riding and
the connection it brings with people, some-
thing he loves sharing with those around him.
R100TheWorld.com