Bicycles have been around for centuries, providing a simple and efficient way to get around. Bicycles are genuinely unique machines that deserve celebration.
Indonesia used to produce their own bike, the Federal bike. Today, there is a strong and healthy community of Federal cycling enthusiasts across Indonesia celebrating the Federal bike and all things cycling.
I have managed to get connected with the local Federal cycling community, and they have been taking great care of me, accommodating me, cycling with me and sharing experiences. I've had such a fantastic time and I'm very grateful to them all!
The mountains in Java are mainly volcanoes and they are steep and high. I've been finding it a bit of a challenge to bike across them in 30°c heat and high humidity.
I spent three days cycling under the active volcano Semeru (3,676m). It last erupted in 2021 killing at least 69 people and replacing thousands. There were a few puffs of smoke while I biked past. I biked through a village that had been replaced.
I have been tramping on many of New Zealand's volcanoes and saw the images from Whakaari White Island, when it erupted in 2019 and killed 22, but I have never seen urban destruction like this. It was a sobering experience to see.
My legs refused to bike 2,000km up, so I went on a 4W day trip to the volcano Bromo. I nearly found the Indonesian selfie and social media profiling culture more interesting than the volcano. Many young people were watching their phones with the back towards the beautiful sunrise, to get the perfect photo for their perfect social media profile.
I will end up with FOMO (fear of missing out), if I miss my opportunity to show my perfect cycling life includes other means of celebrated transportation, so here's my perfect social media photo from the trip.
