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| 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.
After waiting a few minutes, a man arrived on a motorcycle carrying our order. So that night our stomachs would not go hungry, as the ayam penyet became our dinner. The next morning, our target was the city of Pekanbaru. We set off fairly early, because once we reached Pekanbaru we wanted to bring Nyak Ver to the Kawasaki dealership in the city, Greentech Pekanbaru. As we headed out, the sun had only just greeted our journey. Setting off early meant the road was relatively free of large vehicles, and the empty road let us truly enjoy the ride to Pekanbaru.
On the way to Pekanbaru, you pass through several regency towns and oil-drilling areas in Riau province. The sight of palm plantations and Pertamina oil facilities forms a landscape all its own. It must be acknowledged that Riau is one of the provinces richest in natural resources. Yet the condition of the communities living around the palm plantations and oil-drilling areas has not changed all that significantly. Back in the late 1990s, when I took the Aceh–Jakarta bus, the same scenery was visible around the palm-oil plantations and Pertamina’s oil-drilling areas.
By late afternoon we were approaching Pekanbaru and headed straight for Greentech Pekanbaru. We deliberately picked up the pace, because if we arrived after 17:00 this Kawasaki dealership would be closed. On arrival, I handed Nyak Ver over to the mechanics for a regular check-up. The mechanics welcomed us enthusiastically and asked about our tour, since I had previously stopped at this dealership during my Bali-to-Banda Aceh trip. Several of the mechanics greeted us warmly like old friends.
While waiting for Nyak Ver to be checked, two Greentech staff members suddenly greeted us in the waiting room. One of them was an employee who specifically looks after any biker long-distance touring riders who visit their workshop. We greeted one another and exchanged information. The other staff member handled Greentech’s social-media sales, and we followed each other on Instagram. On top of that, the boss of Greentech Pekanbaru came over to greet us as well. In the end, our presence at this dealership was met with genuine warmth and friendliness. Several gift from Greentech Kawasaki Pekanbaru were given to the two of us as keepsakes. After Nyak Ver was serviced, we took photos together in the courtyard of this, the largest Kawasaki dealership in Southeast Asia. That afternoon, our exhaustion was cured by the warm welcome of the Greentech Kawasaki Pekanbaru team.
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