Admin Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hello Grace (BikeHedonia), Welcome to Adventure Motorcycles. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. View Member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hi Grace.......good to see you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specs Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hello Grace 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 And @Grace (BIkeHedonia) doesn't need to see your pic in the South African bush either @BusBoy. In fact nobody needs to see your pic in the South African bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 With you getting a suntan you weirdo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace (BikeHedonia) Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Thanks guys! Nice to meet you all, always happy to talk motorbikes. I have a KTM 690 Enduro R which I've been riding around the world for the last three years - although to be fair, I've only gotten from Sydney to south east Asia so far. What can I say, there are a lot roads to explore between Sydney and the subcontinent. So anyway, I'm basically a homeless person with a motorcycle and machete these days, and that suits me fine. Obviously covid19 has made my rootless existence a little difficult at the moment, with all the borders throughout south-east Asia having pretty much slammed shut overnight. So for the moment I've gone to ground in Thailand (roof over my head, food in my belly) and reverted to cockroach mode while I wait for the borders to reopen and life to resume. Nothing else to do now but keep sharing all the ridiculous stuff that I didn't write about before because I was too busy riding my motorbike. You can google BikeHedonia if you're in lockdown and bored out of your tree. There are some good stories, like the one about the crazy guy with the machete in the middle of the night in East Timor (good times) or that time I broke down in the Gulf of Carpentaria (a region of crocodiles, barramundi, and Darwinism, for the non-Australians). And more to come. Cheers, Grace 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace (BikeHedonia) Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 20 minutes ago, BusBoy said: Hellloooooo! Just seen some of your picture posts. Wow! Just wow! Go easy on the feed though, some of us are stuck with responsibilities and other anchors. You are also fortunate, though, to have something to stay home for - to have something to lose. However if I makes you feel any better, here's a photo of me trying to sleep under my motorbike in a hotel carpark because I couldn't afford the hotel and it was the only safe, well lit place I could in a dodgy eastern Indonesia port town after my ferry docked at 2.30am and the police took a bit too much interest I don't think I'm really going to be much of a lifestyle influencer at this rate haha 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 That's a hell of a trip to take on @Grace (BIkeHedonia)? How many more years do you expect to be on the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace (BikeHedonia) Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 4 hours ago, BusBoy said: Some scary times for sure I can imagine and I dont know the full story but chances are they were looking for a tip. Tipping any sort of service is (not just restaurants etc) kind of the norm there. When I arrived the local chief tracked me down, we had a polite cup of tea and I was forewarned to discretely leave a tip. Then the local police captain etc. It's odd for our Western thought but it's common practise and in return he made sure the locals acknowledged our property and didn't pilfer. 5000 Rp is a sort of minimum and then on upwards but you'll be amazed how many doors open in advance of you and how many can close if you dont. Nah I think they were mostly just curious. Lone white girl repairing spotlight wiring on 690 Enduro at 2.30am on a dock in Larantuka... seat off, tools out. The police chief showed up with his homies, toting semi automatic weapons, asked some fierce questions.... and then asked for a selfie. Still, when you're female and on your own in the middle of the night, you don't want too much attention from 5 armed men who are used to getting their own way. So I said thanks and legged it. My experience of tipping in Indonesia seems to have been a little different. In nearly a year in Indonesia, I never paid a "tip" or a bribe to any police officer or official, and none ever insinuated that I should. The sole exception were the port police (I'm not sure if they're actually real police even, they have a different uniform etc). Two of them asked me if I had "permission" for my bike and I just smiled and said yes of course I do, all my paper's legit. And off I went. But in general, Indonesian police have turned out to be friends and generous hosts - people who bought me lunch, went dirtbiking with me, invited me for karaoke, offered me free accommodation. They'd have been offended if I'd tried to give them money, as I think would the kepala desa of the various villages where I spent time. To be honest, I think people mostly felt sorry for me because I was alone and didn't have a husband to look after me. Of course it's different in the more touristy areas - especially Bali, where everyone's out for a commission - but I stayed away from those areas as much as possible. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace (BikeHedonia) Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 4 hours ago, XTreme said: That's a hell of a trip to take on @Grace (BIkeHedonia)? How many more years do you expect to be on the road? Until my luck runs out or I find another way to live. I'm keeping an open mind. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace (BikeHedonia) Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 11 hours ago, BusBoy said: Not a bribe, not quite a tip. They have a word for it but I cant for the life of me remember it. It may well have been different for me than you as we own property there and not classed as tourists. Commission is a better word but doesn't explain it either. Think of it as local on the spot community tax Oh that makes more sense now - you're not exactly a guest. Legit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tym Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Is it ok to say that was Amazing Grace? lol Welcome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Welcome Grace!!! Great life journey!! Soon you will be able to continue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjiriki Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Whooop!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now