Great Rides: After a Disaster
Details Where: Sulawesi, Indonesia Start/finish: Manado to Makassar Distance: 1,480km (920 miles) Pictures: Dave Barden 58 cycle APRIL/MAY 2019 SULAWESI GREAT RIDES DAVE BARDEN Cycling UK member Dave is cycling around the world Great in stages, riding one leg each Rides year. AFTER A DISASTER The month before Dave Barden was due to tour Sulawesi in Indonesia, the island was hit by an earthquake and tsunami… here’s been a big earthquake and tsunami Do it yourself was a Sunday morning and I was joined by a exactly where you were going!” said my Getting there local leisure cyclist, also David. We chatted in a “T partner Frances. “You won’t be going now, mixture of languages before he sped away. will you?!” Three flights are Over the next five days, I cycled through My destination was Sulawesi, an oddly-shaped required to reach undulating coastal landscapes, past wooden Indonesian island almost as large as mainland Manado, the largest houses, coconut and banana trees, agricultural UK. My proposed itinerary would visit some areas city in the north of workers carrying huge knives, and ox-carts affected by the disaster. Should I go or cancel? Sulawesi. Garuda pulling piles of coconuts. Outside mosques and I contacted tour agencies, checked the Foreign Indonesia (garuda- churches, loudspeakers entreated drivers to drop and Commonwealth Office advice, and read indonesia.com) and money into earthquake-appeal buckets. articles on the ethics of travelling to areas hit by KLM (klm.com/home/ I had a tent with me but often stayed in hotels.
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