Getting used to the scooter
The first time I sat on my bike I thought it felt huge and unwieldy. Now I’m realizing how well-balanced it is, and relatively light. I can be creeping along in traffic, going really slowly, and still keep my balance.
I drove to work 2 days this week. It was a bit nerve-racking driving to work for the first time by myself, and when I got to work I was a little shaky. The second day driving in was a lot more comfortable. I decided not to take my scooter in on Friday, because there’s a lot of weekend traffic from Jakarta that starts on Friday afternoons. Since I’m still learning, I didn’t want to have the challenge of all the traffic.
Filed under Living in Bandung | Comments (5)Taking my scooter out on the road
Last Friday I had lunch with my friend Russell, and drove my scooter around a new housing development that’s being built just North of our neighborhood. It’s really odd because there are nice roads and a sprinkler system along the roadside with landscaping of palm trees and flowers… but there are barely any houses. There are few people and the roads are smooth and wide. A great place to start practicing riding a motorcycle.
This morning the Honda dealership called me to say that my license plates were ready. I picked them up on my way into work today, and put them on my bike as soon as I got home this evening.
Billy and I had a quick dinner, then we went out for a ride. Billy was on his own motorcycle behind me, and we drove all the way to my school and back. The ride there was pretty easy, though there was some traffic, and parts where I had to drive really slowly. On the way back from school a car started to drift over to me and I couldn’t find my horn. I hit the breaks, and discovered what happens when you put your feet down when you aren’t stopped. Billy said it looked like I was jogging on my bike. I recovered pretty quickly and didn’t hit anyone or fall off my bike, but it got my adrenaline going a bit.
I’m thinking about driving my bike into work tomorrow. I’m so excited to have my own transportation!
Filed under Living in Bandung | Comments (2)My new wheels…
I bought a scooter yesterday. I absolutely love it already. It’s a Honda Vario, and it’s Arctic Blue. I have to wait a couple of weeks for the license plates and registration, so for now I can only practice riding it around our neighborhood. It’s an automatic, and really easy to ride. I think it’ll make my second year here even more enjoyable, since I’ll have the freedom to go anywhere at anytime. Yay!
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Nachos
Our first night back in Bandung we went to our neighborhood pub, Erla’s “Mexican Cafe”. When I was in Seattle I told a lot of people about the pub’s nachos. They’re served on a saucer, and it’s a single layer of tortilla chips sprinkled with a little shredded “cheddar”, with a single diced tomato on each chip. The cheese isn’t melted, but the chips are kinda warm. They’re served with a tiny side of guacamole. A far cry from the mound of nachos you get in American establishments. Still, it was nice to get back to the warmth and comfort of Bandung.
On our way back to Indonesia
We’re in Taipei, Taiwan right now. We survived the 12 hour flight from Seattle, but I think that was the most turbulence I’ve ever been through… So much that I had to reach for the airsickness bag a few times, just in case. Luckily it never came down to that, but my stomach was queasy for most of the flight. We have a 3 hour layover, then a flight to Jakarta, followed by a 3-hour car ride back to Bandung.
I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight in our own bed.
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