Hi,

I am interested in sending a 20' container Sydney-Surabaya-Sydney in June-August 2013.

I plan to circle Borneo and anybody who wants to can tag along, or do your own thing (e.g. Bali, Java, Sulawesi). The islands are all connected by roll-on-roll-off ferries. I have already done Borneo top to bottom and on to Bali (look up Mulu Caves and Mt Kinabalu for examples of "attractions", plus the chance to ride in some remote places).

Why Indonesia? inexpensive, fantastic diversity of landscapes and riding opportunities, good cultural experience, very bike friendly destination. You can find routes with any degree of "technicality". My route will involve some motor canoe transport but no serious technical stuff.

Why ship instead of ride? I work and have limited time for rides. This way it's possible to just turn up and get straight into the good stuff. Sending your bike from Darwin to Dili via Perkins is a *minimum* of 5 days in each direction. And that's after you get yourself to Darwin/Dili. I'd rather be riding. Airfares Darwin/Dili are about the same as Sydney/Denpassar, plus accommodation while you are waiting for your bike to arrive in each direction.

Why ship instead of buy or rent? it is difficult/impossible for foreigners to own or rent a bike in Indo (it is illegal too). The biggest bike in Indo is the KLX250 and you'd have to arrange your own luggage anyway. You can hire scooters in Bali for local riding, that's about it. Attempting to cross the border between Indonesian Borneo and Malaysian Borneo on a rented bike would score 10/10 for degree of difficulty. It's hard enough on your own bike, with a carnet.

Why Surabaya? This is Indo's biggest seaport and it's where all the containers arrive. It's a two-day ride to Denpassar, or 25-hour ferry trip to Borneo.

My ride will take about 30 days but the container will be in Indo from early June to late July, so your ride can be any time within that window. Bikes can be securely stored when not needed, for a small fee (I have to confirm it with the shipper).

Cost: about $1700 return all up (but not including your carnet, visa or air fares), if I can fill the container.

Option: have the container available in Bali so there's no need to get an internal connecting flight Denpassar-Surabaya: about $200. This only works if everybody wants it. Bali is a beautiful place to ride - don't be discouraged by what you've heard about Aussie bogans at Kuta (it's probably true but you can soon leave them behind). On the other hand, Surabaya is a b* of a place to ride. Not fun.

One-way in either direction is a possibility, but obviously I'd rather get returns to keep the costs down.

Hoping to get some expressions of interest. Any takers?

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Colin (Sydney)