Ika and Handaning

Prams and pushchairs are a rarity here in Indonesia and indeed most East Asian countries. It is not that technology hasn't reached this part of the world, but it is just considered a luxury, an extravagant expense. You may see the odd one or two around the shopping malls or the big hotels, but that is about it. The quality of the sidewalks would make them an inconvenience anyway.

Introducing Ika and Handaning, who I spotted on my daily blip hunt. At first, I thought Ika was carrying twins, with this huge load slung from her neck, but when I approached her with my camera and a smile, out popped this little handsome man. Indonesian women use a large square of material called a sarong, tied around the shoulder, it conveniently leaves both hands free and a surprisingly secure hold on junior.

The sarong is also an item of clothing, worn by both women and men. I throw one on when I have unexpected visitors. It feels strange and very wrong at first, looking like an ankle length skirt, but you soon get past that. I have come to the conclusion that women are much smarter than men, the skirt/dress thing is so much more comfortable with all that freedom.

The Bandung story - part 14

We sent the girls back to the hotel with the two remaining bikes and I stayed with Geoff and we took turns pushing the deceased moped along the beach. Even using the hard, wet sand close to the waters edge, it was still extremely hard work to make progress. I was exhausted, tired and in a lot of pain, but resisted the temptation to issue a verbal bashing, as it was just not necessary.

After about two hours toil, we noticed the coastal road coming closer and we could see the occasional headlights of passing cars. So we decided to make a run for the road. First we had to heave the bike through about thirty yards of super soft sand, requiring such an effort, that it seemed that it might be better to stick with the waters edge, but we would have to do this at some point of course and the decision had been made.

The next job was for me to ride my bike through the jungle of banana trees to reach the road and then return to help push the stricken bike through the same. My limited experience of motorbike riding did not cover rally cross by moonlight and I was clearly out of my depth and struggling. Geoff recalled the event as watching this beam of light bouncing around amongst the trees, to the left and then to the right, to the accompaniment of a struggling motor, revving away in first gear. Finally the beam of light pointed to the stars, the engine revved to about 15,000 rpm and then went silent as the beam of light extinguished.

Geoff, encouraged by the fact that I was still able to make sounds, followed the groans and found me lying on my back with the dead bike on top of me. He fussed around and got me to my feet, no bones broken, but even though I thought I was in pain before, I now felt like Tyson had beaten the crap out of me. We wrestled the bike the rest of the way to the road and returned to retrieve Geoff's bike.

Now both bikes were deceased lumps of very heavy metal. You could tell which bike was mine though, by the twisted fairings, mudguards and folded number plate. We continued the journey, which was a lot easier going on the road and arrived at the hotel about 4am. I stripped off and ignoring the hotel rules about using the pool after dark, dived in for some instant relief.

Now, with some lighting, I was able to assess my injuries, which were screaming for attention. There was dried blood everywhere and chunks of skin missing from my already fried feet and legs. That lumpy hotel bed was one of the most pleasurable experiences of my life. Tesa sleepily asked if I was alright and then rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Geoff and I returned to the bikes, to assess the damage, to find both vehicles in good working order and pristine, showroom condition, bent back into shape and polished to a shine! Now that is hotel service for you, for which we gave a generous tip which generated smiles from the young lad who rescued us from hefty penalties from the hire company.

To be continued.

Dave