Sumatra Route Diaries #18: A Warm Welcome at Greentech Kawasaki Pekanbaru

    Together with the owner of Greentech Kawasaki Pekanbaru The Trans-Sumatra Highway tends to be quiet in the morning and midday. This is because the trucks have not yet set off early in the morning, or they are having lunch by the roadside as noon approaches. That meant we had to read this pattern, having learned from the routes we had ridden before. Sometimes the endless palm scenery made me a little bored and drowsy while riding Nyak Ver, and I stopped several times to shake off the sleepiness. As soon as we reached Batu Ampar, I saw two guesthouses appear on the GPS, even though it was still only 16:30. I decided to stop, because the nearest town ahead was still about 70 km away, roughly two hours of riding for Nyak Ver. In the end, we decided to spend the night in Batu Ampar. The lodging was clean enough, even though it was simply called a wisma (guest house). The owner was very friendly. However, because of the exhaustion after riding among the cargo trucks and palm-oil tankers, we decided to rest that evening. As dusk approached, I went out to look for dinner. Naturally, the view outside the lodging was more palm plantation. Our food supplies had clearly run low. Once outside, I asked for directions to buy dinner. The owner offered to phone an Ayam Penyet (smashed fried chicken) vendor near the guesthouse. I agreed, because going out myself would mean riding Nyak Ver, and riding Nyak Ver would require me to put on my full gear riding. After all, rider safety while riding Nyak Ver was the number one priority throughout Touring Indonesia Harmoni.TrendingConsciousness 2045: From Artificial Intelligence to Artificial Consciousness and the Future of Humanity   After waiting a few minutes, a man