I began sleeping with a knife under my pillow when the skipper said, “I could cut you up into little pieces and throw you into the sea. I’d say you fell overboard on your night watch.”
Perhaps it was because I’d had such a hellish journey to get there, that I found Indonesia such a delight. I had planned to relax and enjoy the beautiful islands as I sailed past on my way from Malaysia to Australia. The 500cc Enfield Bullet, which I’d bought three years previously in India and now could not bear to ditch, would be safely tucked into the transom of the 23’ aluminium catamaran as I sipped tropical fruit juice and lazily adjusted a sail or something. As usual, led by heart and not head, I’d jumped at the offer to crew with the skipper on a small yacht bound for Australia. I would pay half the expenses and do half the work, but as the weeks of preparation went by I had serious reservations about his temper and competence.
…Heading south-west because I liked the sound of the names of the places such as Chickalong and Chillinx, it was just me and my bike and I was ecstatically happy to be back on two wheels. Riding until unable to see where I was going in the dark, I plunged into a deep pothole and fell off. I was given overnight accommodation sleeping on a desk in a country police station and next morning was given breakfast by the officers.
I liked Java already.