It took me 8 years to finally make this trip happen.

The original idea was a road trip from Bali all the way to Yogyakarta, stopping at every interesting place I could find along the way. But that plan was canceled; the route felt too long, other islands were (and still are) calling, and life just happened, as usual. Since I’d already done Yogja and had no particular reason to return, the route eventually shrank to Bromo. I had various versions in my head, but after doing the math I stuck with plan A: riding my scooter from Bali to Bromo and back.

Yeah, it’s a long one, but flying to Surabaya, renting a bike there, or taking a bus to Malang and renting one there, then making the same journey back to Bali, seemed just as – if not more – painful and bothersome. Not to mention all the extra travel time, scheduling, and costs.. and checking my pinned map, I would’ve ended up driving even more. As said, I did the math.

Anyhow, I’m on a mission this year: I have a full bucket list to check off before I leave Indonesia. So I didn’t plan much further, packed a backpack, got on the bike, and left. With the mindset of whatever happens, happens, I took on the adventure.

PEMUTERAN

The longest and most painful part is always getting out of Bali, no matter which direction you’re heading. To the west, there are two ways: the highway and my way. The latter is longer but much more enjoyable:

• In Tabanan, head north through the mountains. A golden rule in life is always to choose the scenic road over the main one – no difference here.
• Stop for lunch at Warung Dedy. Entil Sanda is the most flavorful Balinese dish, and you won’t find it in the mainstream areas – high chances you’ve never heard of it either.
• Spend a night (or two) around Pemuteran. Although it’s getting busier (just wait until they build the casinos), this once-honeymoon destination still holds on to the real charm and authenticity of Bali. Finding that is just as rare as empty petrol stations.. and guess what, you find those here too.

The journey may take longer, but it’s far more rewarding than battling cars for a strip of asphalt and constantly overtaking trucks (at least you skip that for part of the ride).

BANYUWANGI

After a recharging sleep and delightful breakfast at Mangroove Bay (better than the main Sumberkima POV), I took off on my mission.

Gilimanuk is Bali’s ferry port to Ketapang, Java. The crossing itself is relatively fast.. except when your ferry gets stranded in a waiting line or sinks (one of the reasons I’d never sit on a night ferry or boat, ever). For real, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to infinity, and my crossing took almost two hours – pretty painful when all you want is to get going and have your afternoon coffee.

Ferry costs: 40.000 IDR for a midsize bike and a person. You can buy the ticket in the Ferizy app or on the side of the road. ID and the bike’s papers are needed (no smuggling).

Note that Java is one hour behind, so as soon as you land on the other side, you also land in the past. No big deal; only sunset comes an hour earlier too, which makes the days feel even shorter than what I’m used to in Bali. I was flirting with the idea of spending a night in Banyuwangi, but sipping my Jcoccino gave me the motivation to squeeze a bit more into the day.

On the southern road from Banyuwangi, you pass rice fields with mountains on both sides, but you don’t have much space for sightseeing: potholes alternate with uneven road fillers and all kinds of bumps, spiced up with heavy traffic (because it’s the national highway). You’d better keep your attention on driving.

Fun fact (or life hack): According to my observation, the best day to drive is Friday on Muslim-majority islands, when men are at the mosque, and Sunday morning on Christian-majority islands, when everyone’s at church. The difference in the number of vehicles is noticeable, so if you prefer a good speed with the least amount of stress, schedule accordingly.

DE DJAWATAN FOREST

One of the longest-standing items on my list was this forest. The name literally translates as the office, because it was a Dutch colonial timber depot in the past. Today, it’s an enchanting forest of around 805 massive, moss-covered Trembesi (monkey pod) trees, all 100+ years old.
The site is touristy for a good reason. The way the trees’ shy crowns dance in the breeze without ever touching, the textures, and the whole atmosphere felt like stepping into a fairytale. I completely disconnected from the people around me and immersed myself in the surroundings. Grab some snacks and a good coffee at Kedai Trembesi, and have a lil’ picnic (as many locals do).

Honestly, I wish I’d come sooner, but at the same time, it was a fuckin’ perfect timing – both in terms of life period and the time of the day; weekday afternoon, around golden hour, after photo crowds gone.

Entry: 20.000 IDR for foreigners + 2.000 IDR parking

JEMBER

Since the forest is about an hour from Banyuwangi, I didn’t want to turn back for the night. Forward is where we go, so I pinned a night destination in Jember. I wanted to get as far as possible and find a good rhythm in driving.. well, the mountains and rainforest thought differently.

It gets dark fast and early, and that’s the smallest problem. The curvy mountain road, which I imagine is amazing on a dry day, leads through a rainforest, and with dusk, the clouds and rain settled in too. I’m not rooting for driving with all my stuff on my back, in a poncho, on a bike. It’s not that I cannot do it (I’m living in the tropics too long and am used to such things), but I’m still not a fan. Two hours of rain out of the 2,5-hour journey was slightly annoying, and made me really happy to arrive, take a hot shower, finish my leftover tempeh mendoan, and go to sleep.

I spent the night at Omah Mee Homestay (I booked it in a kinda rush, so was looking for high ratings and decent-looking photos only). One thing to mention: when young guys run homestays and speak pretty good English, you can be sure they have a higher education, have some ideas and knowledge about the world (or at least about their country), and are always chatty and welcoming with foreigners.

Jember is such a transit city, with plenty of accommodations, restos, and markets. But here you are deep in the local Indo world, so don’t look for any Western cushioning – you won’t find it. The best is to go with the flow, mingle, and adapt.. or at least try to stay curious and open. Maybe the biggest surprise here was finding a delish bubur ayam next to the morning market. It had eeeverything, tasted perfect, and was so packed that the guy could barely close the takeaway box.

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