So we’re into a bit of a lull in the spread
of Stat Holidays and long weekends. While Indonesia must have the highest
number of stat holidays in the world (last I counted I get 17 stats in 2017),
no one thought it would be a good idea to spread them out. Unlike Canadian
sensibilities which dictate a stat holiday/long weekend per month (or
thereabouts), Indonesians appear to prefer random clustered stats (many of them
Thursdays…what do we do with that!?), punctuated by long periods of darkness
and a lack of holidays.
The result is that between New Year’s and
beginning of April, we have zero stats/long weekends. April….3 in a row. OK, to
be fair, I’m pretty sure it’s all based on religious holidays, which if you ask
guys like the Pope, shouldn’t be messed with. But really, 3 in a row? C’mon
let’s make Mohammad’s birthday a month earlier. And that Hindu Holy Day thing,
that can slide a bit into next month I figure. Who’s going to notice? J
So what does this have to do with anything?
Well, it means that most standard 2-day weekends end up being “Bogor weekends”
for us. While it is entirely possible to jump on a flight to Bali or Singapore
for a quick 2-day getaway, it’s a bit of a rushed timeline usually involving an
apres-work taxi ride through Jakarta traffic chaos to the airport on Friday,
followed by a late-night flight and taxis to wherever. As inviting as that
sounds, we usually opt for the more relaxing option of Friday G&T’s on the
front patio, followed by a more relaxing R&R weekend schedule, not
involving traffic, airports, or taxis. 
OK, 2-days off in Bogor. What to do? Our
go-to on a fine sunny Bogor Saturday or Sunday, is definitely cycling. It is
absolutely what keeps us sane in this endless mass of humanity. As eluded to in
previous posts, there is, believe it or not, a decent cycling scene here. And
as described back then, it’s all about hardtail mountain bikes with front
suspension. That’s definitely the rig of choice. Road bikes just can’t take the
beating of Indo roads, which vary from bad to very bad to, wow, is this the
road?
After a few months of exploration, equipped
with nothing more than google maps and a phone, we have discovered a world of
backroads and kampung (Indo for “village”) alleyways. “Kampung mountain biking”
we call it. Really fun. The true beauty of it is that we are self-sufficient
and mobile. We leave from our door when we feel like it, go where we want, then
return to base for an ice-cold Prost (Prost, a new Indo brew – brewed in Bali—has
become my new go-to beer. Bintang is out!). 
So ya, kampung mtn biking. Could be a new
Olympic sport soon. We’ve dialled the routes, and definitely have our favs. The
Big Loop, as I call it, is the default, check it out (use street view to see
what we see):
It’s a bit of everything: kampungs, hills,
rice paddies, and, the best fresh coconuts this side of the equator. About a
35-km loop, with a 700 m climb, takes about 4 hours door to door. Gets us
outside, keeps us in shape, and is a very cool cross-section of rural Indonesia
to boot. We’re pretty much rock stars as we cruise through the kampungs. “Hello
Meester!” is surely among a baby’s first words here J
Off the bikes, we’ve discovered a world of
hiking routes right in our backyard – an area called Sentul. It’s on the
outskirts of Bogor, within easy biking distance (+/- an hour) for us, and home
to THE best Italian restaurant in Indo (well, that we know of). Again, what
does that have to do with anything? Well, as it turns out, Giuliani Restaurant
E Pizza, is owned and operated by a guy named Mario. He’s an expat who’s been
here forever, has an Indonesian wife/kid, and basically drank the kool-aid
(i.e., he’s here for good). And hey,
guess what, he’s Italian! Not just Italian, but an Italian chef, who got tired
of life in Jakarta, and opened his own restaurant in the backwaters of Sentul,
Indonesia. Awesome! OK, gets even better. He’s a hiker/mountaineer, who spends
his time scoping out local hiking routes. Guess who is my next best friend? J
So here’s the drill. Meet Mario at his
place in Sentul (which is across the street from his restaurant) at about 8 am.
Jump in his car, head down to the “trail head” (trail head here means a place
where you can start walking). Waking poles, 4 litres of water, snacks, rain
jacket, sweat towel, check. We then head into the rice paddies, kampungs, and
jungles of West Java. Up and over the ridgelines defining this volcanic
landscape. Upon return, quick shower at Mario’s place, then it’s across the
street to Giuliani’s for a cool Prost, maybe glass of Bali wine, home-baked
bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (literally unheard of anywhere else
in Bogor), followed by, oh, I don’t know, pollo
valdostana with potato and veggie sautee (my fav). Thumb’s up on that
Saturday!!
Next up on the hiking routes is a Gunung
(remember, gunung = mountain = volcano) called Gunung Pangrango. It’s an
overnighter which should be very cool. We haven’t got to the camping stage yet,
so that should be interesting. Like most things here, the logistics are
daunting. Nothing is marked. Almost no beta of any kind. The “trails” are not
recreational trails as we know them (why would anyone walk somewhere if they
didn’t have to?....stupid bules), but rather a series of ancient walking paths
and dirt roads linking villages and rice paddies together. Once in a while
there could be a trail up to the top of something, usually to access a
religious site of some kind. The problem is, you just “have to know”. 
Of course, there is always an army of guys
willing to “guide” you, for a fee, which can range from almost nothing to
ludicrous. In my experience thus far, a “guide” means the guy has lived in the
area for a while (or his whole life), but whether or not the guy has actually done
the hike you want to do, is anyone’s guess, despite 100% assurances that he
walks it every day. Getting lost with the help of a guide is just part of the
fun here in Indo! More on the Gunung Pangrango mission in a few weeks.
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