BACK ON THE ROAD! crossing Java

Finally hit the road with a general plan of cycling for the next 4 or 5 months across Java and Sumatera, then crossing to mainland Asia at a seaport in West Malaysia.. From there heading north through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia where I plan to look for work (I should be completely out of money by then!!)

Although I really don't know what to expect from any of these upcoming countries, I'm most excited about Laos, Vietnam, and China.. Also very excited to finally get to Buddhist countries, as it is probably the religion that interests me the most and I'm looking forward to studying all the variations, history, and philosophy...

The first 9 days after leaving Surabaya got me about 400k to Jogjakarta in Central Java. The slow pace was due to the fact that I spent four days in a city called Blitar with my new family, who are all such such incredible people, and also I got sick from cold nights at higher elevations. Aside from that, Java is amazingly beautiful and full of very friendly people. The last 8 months of learning Indonesian (and a little Javanese) are really paying off because I can completely communicate with everyone and really get to know them. Within the first 10 minutes of entering any village I will surely already have people offering me to sleep in their homes, and the kindness and genuineness of Indonesian people still never seizes to amaze me.

I am currently en route to Singapore so that I can get a new Indonesian Visa and re-enter... Next week I will return to Jogjakarta and repair my bike (I got hit by a motorbike), then continue towards west Java and Sumatera...