Sometimes you just have to grab a few friends, pack a bag, throw your leg over a motorcycle and ride away from where you are for no reason other than just to do it. And thats exactly what we did this past weekend. In search of cool crisp mountain air, myself and some of my more moto-inclined mates pointed our bikes inland and gave the throttles a squeeze. Leaving the coast we made a pack, dodging and weaving through the ever dwindling traffic until it was just the 4 of us carving our way up twisty mountain roads, leaving our exhaust notes lingering in the ebbs and flows of the road behind us.
We made it to our home base for the weekend just after lunch and unloaded our baggage, trading leather jackets and denim for a backpack of towels and board-shorts and set off in search of a waterfall we had heard about. After a quick blast on bitumen the road became less paved and more of a trail, until we had to hop off and go the rest by foot. Avoiding ending up in the race paddies was our next task, but before you knew it we turned the corner to see a picturesque scene, an empty waterfall in all its prehistoric beauty. Standing underneath looking up, it was hard to comprehend just how much water was flowing over its edge at any given moment, tons and tons of liquid per second. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying our private slice of paradise until it was well and truly beer-o-clock. A quick stop on the way home took care of our beverage needs and we sent the day on its way playing cards and talking shop on the deck.
Rising before the sun did, the coffee was brewed and we wiped the sleep from our eyes as we watched the glow of the day get brighter behind the volcanos on the horizon. After probably one too many cups of joe, we saddled up for the day and descended down the hill to start our loop of the mountain. It was evident from the beginning, as we carved up the empty ribbon of tarmac infant of us, that even though we had discussed doing so the night before, we wouldn’t be stopping much to take photos, leaving me to just capture as much as I could one-handed while riding.
Lefts and rights blended together as we got into a riding rhythm, snaking through cambered corners and overtaking the sporadic cars and trucks until we needed to stop for fuel, both for us and the bikes. Sat on the side of the road, eating some of the best local made food I’ve had in a while, I came to the realisation that it doesn’t really get much better than this when it comes to motorcycle riding. 4 mates who know how to ride, slaloming through the Indonesian countryside with nowhere in particular as a destination. Pretty damn perfect if you ask me.
We spent the rest of the day alternating between long blasts on tarmac, fixing inevitable road-trip bike issues, enduring rain squalls and putting off our return for as long as possible. We arrived back to home base as the sun was setting, got the fireplace cranking and pulled off our wet gear as quick as possible. Recollections of the day were shared by the fire over cigarettes and tequila and its safe to say we all slept pretty sound that night.
To sum it up, the weekend was a no nonsense motorcycle ride with some friends and its exactly what the doctor ordered.
Words and Photos by TBH.
