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New car ferry Malaysia-Indonesia?
There's been rumors around earlier this year that a new car ferry should start to operate in June between Kuala Lingi, Malaysia and Dumai, Indonesia. Eg here: Escape's picks of the week: The ferry link | Travel | The Observer
I tried to find any recent informations but was not successfull. Has anyone any current informations? Or is the only possibility to cross over still to "rent" a boat? Cheers, Jiri |
Until somebody actually gets to use this elusive ferry it will remain a rumour. Check out these two posts:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ant-info-23686 http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ndonesia-23687 If you do find a ferry please let us know the details. I want to cross some time next year. |
Time to warm up this old topic again. I have just been pointed to a similar news item: New Malaysia-Indonesia passenger and vehicle ferry service in June
Google turned up this interesting document: http://www.adb.org/Documents/IMT-GT/action-plan.pdf Quote:
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Hi beddhist
Thanks for the update. That article from the star is dated 13/02/2008 so its probably the same rumors i've been refering to last year. Although that other piece of info sound promising. Heard an opinion here that there is no political interest on both sides to put up a serious roro service but cannon remember the exact reasoning. Darius, you listening? Can you shed light on this? ;-) I'm currently in Penang and will organize a shipping in the next few weeks. I've been pointed by a fellow biker to a shipping company here in Penang, the price he said (though i'm not sure if i remeber it right) was someting around 200US and no crate needed. Will update here as soon the thing is done. btw, anyone heading or is in Sumatra/Medan around the 1st of August +- couple of weeks? I'll be riding up north to Banda Aceh and then all the way down the west coast until the road ends. At least that's the plan so far... Cheers, Jiri |
Sorry Kudi, but the article is dated 2007!
There are addresses, phone numbers, etc. listed in several HU topics. Whether these are still current I don't know, given the other rumour that says that Indo has banned the famous onion freighters. |
Yeah, 2007, that's also what I wanted to point out :biggrin3:
I'll try to get decend info on the situation here in Penang as soon i start to organize and will post an update here. |
Swiss/Austria calling from Sumatra
We're currently in Padang and are heading to Medan in order to get us and our bikes over to Penang. Have you got any further information yet concerning ferries? Have you read this link: written by Fred, a German who had the same problems you are facing.
You can contact me by email: claudioangelini@gmx.ch Take care and hope to hear from you Claudio |
Hi Claudio, that's the same shipping agency as i have the address for. I've got to finish a bit of work yet before I can start to organize, hope that'll be end of next week. Anyway, I send you a pm.
Jiri |
Aussie and Japanese in Indo.
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Me and my girl are on our way up to Sumatra and are wanting information on how you have gone. We are just about to enter Java so will be ready to cross into Malaysia in under a month from now. We are riding 2-up on a Honda CT110 postie bike. Started in Perth 3months ago and have been island hopping all the way. The bike is going great and we are having a fantastic time. Ive heard so many different stories on the Indo-Malay crossing and am keen to hear how you, or anyone else has recently gone through this region. Hope to see you or hear from you on road sometime. Nathan and Akiko |
Hi AussieNat
have managed to get our bikes from Belawan (Sumatra) to Penang (or actually Butterworth in Malaysia). The whole thing went very easy, at least in the beginning... There is no way to put the bikes onto the daily passenger ferry from Belawan to Georgetown since this is a speed boat (monohaul body) and really only takes passengers and their luggage. So you'll have to get your bikes onto a cargo ship. If you manage to show up at the port around afternoon when the speedboat from Georgetown arrrives, you'll most probably walk into a Mr. Monti. He's the person to organize things. Unfortunately I can't give you his number since I think it's not working. If you can't find him just ask around, it seems that most people down there at the harbour know him. He then will get you in contact with the freight forwarder who will get the paperwork (bill of lading) and the customs done. There is no need for crating the bikes :thumbup1:. They will be locked in a building at the docks until the ship is loaded. At the other end (Butterworth) you will have to find the right port and your freight forwarder. Now that's where it all got a bit complicated. We didn't get an address or phone number from Mr. Monti or the the other guy involved :thumbdown:. Therfore we were running around trying to find the right port. In the end we tasked another freight forwarder to find our bikes which he then did. Custom etc was a piece of cake. I'll send you the exact prieces once I have calculated all the costs. Have a safe journey Claudio |
Prices
Hey Claudio.
Just a short one to see if you are able to give us an estimate on the costs of the transport of your bike. We are in Padang now with 10days left on our visas so need to make the move soon. How much did you pay for your airfares? Still unsure which port we are gonna try, Im not keen on flying would rather go with the bike by boat. Thanks. Nathan and Aki |
Shipment costs
Hey there
sorry for answering earlier. All in all we paid per bike about 160 AU$ (Handling/Customs/Transport...). That includes the Indonesian and the Malaysian side. Now here's the tricky part. The costs on the Belawan side will greatly depend on your skills of bargaining :-) Over in Malaysia (Butterworth) the costs were straightforward and actually dead cheap. These are just the prices for the bikes (and they are big) so you may get away with less costs anyway. For yourselves you will have to by tickets for the fast ferry (Belawan-Georgetown) which cost 420'000 Rp. You can by them in Belawan on the main road in a shop called Bali Travel (or something similar like that). No need for anyone else to buy the tickets since they will keep the change and charge you 500'000 Rp..... The fast ferry leaves every morning from Belawan to Georgetown at about 11.oo am so no worries at that end. You could actually wait in Belawan to make sure that your bikes leave with the cargo ship before you make your way over to Penang. But be assured, Belawan is not the place you wanna hangout. Nothing to see and to do and everything is very expensive there (incl accomodation). Need more info? Stay tuned Claudio P.S: You can extend you visa anytime for a few Rp in order to take your time around Sumatra. But I guess you had enough of the traffic :scooter: |
After a bit of investigation a short update on the current situation in Penang:
Cakra Shipping & Trading (that's the company everybody here is talking about -> Mr. Lim) is still operating and seems to be the place to go if you want to send your bike from Penang to Belawan/Medan. We had a long talk with them, they are very friendly and helpfull. The boat is leaving every Monday and Thursday late afternoon (at least that's the schedule). You can bring in your bike the same day in the morning, but you need to arranged the papaerwork in advance. You can assist the loading of the bike, which I would recomend after hearing how they handle the bikes. But "50 bikes and no accident so far" :-) The boat is leaving from Butterworth harbour, one km or so (south?) of the place where the ferry from Penang arrives. They will charge you RM 350 (aprox 110 USD) for everything, assuming you have a CDP. This does not include the fees on the other side in Belawan, we've been told they charge around RM 100, but I'd expect more partly depending on your negotiation skills. Claudios (Globetrotter) report on the famous Mr. Monti in Belawan was not so good (read above), so I guess the way to go is either to avoid him (can you speak Bahasa?) or to agree to a price at the begining and to stick to that whatever he comes up with. He seems to be very well informed and to know about every bike coming. Sure he's reading this, so Mr. Monti, see you soon :-) We were told that if you put your bike on the monday boat you can take the tuesday morning speed ferry from George Town to Belawan and be ready at the port in Belawan for assisting the unloading of the bike on tuesday afternoon. But I wouldn't relay on that, there's a fair chance the boat will not arrive on schedule, so be prepared for at least one night in Belawan. That's also the reason why not to use the thursday boat, otherwise you might be stuck in Belawan for the whole weekend. There's a hotel somewhere near the port, though, at least we've been told. Cakra Shipping & Trading 187 3rd Floor Lebuh Pantai 10300 Malaysia Phone: +6042625879 Me off for Indonesia soon. Anyone near Penag/Medan right now? Cheers, Jiri |
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Medan is only 30 kms away, though, there must be plenty of options where to stay. We also used Cakra Shipping from Penang, seemed to be the only option that worked fine at the time. We met several travellers, who had used them, and can also recommend them based on our own experience. No problems whatsoever with the customs, etc., and I later heard of travellers stuck with their vehicles at various ports/airports around Indonesia, not allowed entry, even though they had all paperwork, including carnet, and customs asking them some ridiculous things, like a recommendation letter from the UN!! I know things can and will change quickly in Indonesia, but at the time this route (Penang-Belawan) seemed like the only reasonable option. In fact an Italian guy, who lives in Bali, and had had his Harley stuck at Surabaya port for 4-5 weeks, said after we met and discussed how we got our bike in, that he´s going to ship it to Singapore, and try doing it this same way. That´s one hell of a detour through Malaysia peninsula, and then Sumatra and Java, but may gives you some idea, how complicated it can be around there. He also had the carnet like we did. Still Indonesia is a great experience, if you can get your bike in. |
pecha72, thanks for the update on the situation in Belawan.
Indonesia seems really to be tricky to get in at some places. But I guess a lot depends on your negotiation skills - I met Darius here in Penang, he managed to get him, his wife and the bike from Sarawak/Borneo (Malaysia) into Kalimantan, something reported by others as impossible. But then, he also managed to get a 6 months stamp for his bike at the Thai border near Baling, something I would have thought not possible or very expensive. But never heard of any serious troubles on the Penang-Belawan route, at least as long all papers were in order. Anyway, will post an update as soon as in Indonesia, In'sh'Allah! Cheers, Jiri |
hey jiri
hey jiri,
you're right! we've done it and we're still in thailand. going to laos in about 2 weeks though. where are you buddy?? still in penang?? safe ride! darius |
Last week we dealt with the infamous Mr Monte.
Arrived at the speedboat port in Belawan Wednesday and tried for about 5hours to find a way to get our bike on the ferry to Penang. No dice. Once we had exhausted all other options we then mentioned Mr Monte's name and he magically appeared before us within 10-15mins. A few phone calls were made and another guy showed up to give us a figure and to tell us the next cargo boat leaves Sunday night. Rp850 000 for everything which I thought wasnt too bad. We paid Rp300 000 as a deposit. And Monte gave us some tips on where to stay in Medan as I didnt want to spend 4days in Belawan. We ended up staying at a place WAY above our budget but we needed to relax a little. Hotel Antares just south of the Mesjid Raya. Rp350 000 a night but it included a free buffet breakfast AND buffet lunch, maybe this is only for couples cos we noticed not everyone got the same deal. Theres free wifi in the foyer too. We enjoyed it so much that we slept in on Saturday and were late for our meeting with Mr Monte in Belawan, the day to hand over the bike to customs. Left Medan at 11:15am in the pouring rain and managed to make it to Belawan port just on 12noon, the time when the Customs office closes for the week. Monte wasnt around at the meeting point but another guy gestured for us to follow him on his bike. We were taken to meet Monte. We meet him just outside the gate, on the side of the road, under a blue tarp. Another guy appears on a scooter, Monte jumps on, takes my passport and carnet, and they both disappear down a flooded muddy backroad. We are left with the first guy who seems to be really nice, we chat for a while. After about 10minutes Monte and the other guy return and we all go back through the port gate and into Customs. Monte stays outside with Aki and I go into the empty/closed office with the other guy. He does all the talking and gets the stamps, chatting all the way. We then ride to the storage shed and drop off the bike. There were the compulsary dodgy types everywhere and ask what port do we pick up the bike from??? A unanimous Penang Port... We leave the bike in their "care" and catch a bus into town to find a place to sleep for the night. Rp10000 busfare for the 3 of us, Aki pays 6000, refusing to pay it all. Walk to the cheapest hotel Rp70 000, and the room looks like a sewer. Walk 150m to another but its full, Rp150 000 but from the outside looked just as bad as the first place. Walk 1.5kms out of town (but close to another port entry) to Danau Toba Int. Cottages and settle on a room there, Rp 240 000 for a basic room, no breakfast, pretty expensive but the only option. Monte then says he expects payment for his help. Rp200000 was the first offer but we pay him 100000. Thats all the Rp we had left and we mentioned to Monte he should have told us from the start his fee wasnt included in the initial price. We say our goodbyes and I thank him honestly for his help. We part on good terms, he is smiley and we take a picture together. We call front desk to get some toilet paper and a jug of water, the staff just walks straight into our room, gives us the goods then expects a tip. A first for us in Indo. I explained Im not gonna pay extra for someone to walk uninvited into our room for the night, she leaves upset. I think Monte is actually a nice guy, so dont be afraid to deal with him, I dont think he was trying to gouge us excessively more than any other unofficial (or official) person would in that country. In fact he offered us a service that probably wouldnt have been possible if we had started out doing it the long/expensive "official" way. We were late on Saturday because of us sleeping in. If we hadnt dealt with Monte we would have had to wait till Monday (in that hotel)to do customs clearancing, we would have had to leave Indonesia on Tuesday because of our visas expiring and the bike would have to stay in that storage shed for a week. He smoothed the way for us at the customs office and the storage shed and he went with us (in the rain) to find a decent place to sleep. The bike arrived in Butterworth as I left it, in fact someone had removed my mirrors to stop all the surrounding cabbages from braking them... If you have any more questions please dont hesitate. Update: Butterworth End. When we arrived in Penang on the Speedboat we showed the Bill of Lading document to the nice security guys at the declaring counter and asked where this boat docks. The older guy was able to speak good english and told us our boat will dock at Bangar Dalam Port in Butterworth. He wrote the name down for us. The next morning we take the free ferry from Georgetown to Butterworth and catch a taxi to Bangar Dalam Port. Difficult to get to on foot but only about 1km away. Taxi was 3-4mins and we agreed on RM8 for the journey. Taxi was unable to take us through the gate as you need a special pass. Aki left her passport at the hotel so was unable to get an entry pass so I walked alone through to the port office near the water. I gave them the Bill of Lading and Mr Lim, the shipping forwarder/agent, appeared about 10mins later. The normal procedure is to get the paperwork done at the forwarding agent on Penang Island first then head to the Port to get the bike released and ride off... We/I didnt want to head back to Penang and wanted my bike that day so after some negotiations Mr Lim said he could get me my bike that day once customs reopens at 2pm. All 3of us head to the customs building outside the gate (there is a small canteen round the back)and after about an hour of going from counter to counter a large stamp is put on the BACK of the rip-off importation section of the carnet. With this we head back into the port and watch the wooden cargo boat being unloaded for about 40minutes until my bike is found under the piles of cabbages. Its unloaded and Im allowed to touch it even ride it before customs check it, I dont instead just take pictures. We walk to another customs office just inside the gate, right next to the exit security checkpoint and walk up to the 3rd floor. Mr Lim talks to the officer there and he tells us to bring the bike to the office as its raining and he doesnt want to get wet. The bike wouldnt start so I roll it the 200-300m from the wharf to the office. The normal crowd gathers and the normal questions are asked about the bike. Officialdom starts and ends with a quick check of the chassis and engine numbers, these numbers are written on the back of the rip-off importation section of the carnet. Then we walk back out to the customs office outside the gate. Another hour or so of getting more stamps and counter moving, then Mr Lim and I are told to go to the head honchos office. He looks at the carnet, checks the numbers written on the back, asks me a few questions like where did we start and where are we going then how much money had I saved for the trip. I answered "enough to live, travelling by bike is very cheap." He signs the carnet in the appropriate places then tears off the bottom section. We go back out to the counter to hand the document to the correct person, then head out into the rain again. Mr Lim goes back into the Port office while I collect Aki and attend to the task of getting the bike started, its still parked at the customs office just inside the gate. The plug was fouled. We get it going and Mr Lim appears with the release documents. One copy is given to the security guys at the gate and the other copy is for us to keep as proof of importation. Mr Lim shows us the way to the Butterworth-Georgetown ferry terminal, RM2 for the bike and 2 of us. 10minutes on the ferry chatting to Mr Lim then we are let loose on the roads of Penang, in the rain. All up the total of all fees and service charges we paid Cakra Shipping RM310 to get out bike. I think it can be done solo without a forwarders help but I dont know how much "entertainment/assistance" you will get from the customs guys, especially the guy that does the bike check... He didnt want to walk in the drizzling rain. Hope this helps. Nathan and Aki |
Excellent report, thanks. Shoud be useful to others heading the same or even in the opposite direction.
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Thanks, Peter. |
Here it is:
BELAWAN Danau Toba International Cottage (061) 6941492 actually seems to be part of a hotel chain: Hotel Danau Toba International - Medan, Indonesia We paid 270.000 rupees for a room, not cheap but easier than going to Medan and back. Sorry I dont have its GPS-coordinates, but it wasnt far, maybe 1-2 kms from where the speedboat arrives. |
Thanks for that. I've sent them an email asking for a map. If somebody has the GPS coordinates I would appreciate them.
Cheers, Peter. |
Welcome!
Hey there, Nathan & Akiko,
:welcome:to Malaysia, if you happen to be in KL just give a shout, I'll buy you guys "Teh Tarik" :palm: |
In May of 2006 when we arrived in Belawan from Penang, there was a good modern hotel just outside the port area where the ships arrive. We walked there easily from the Belawan port terminal, it was no more than a kilometer walk away. I don't remember the name of it, but it was around $20USD per night if I recall. Ask around when you arrive and you can find it easily.
Mr. Lim's service from Penang is top notch. The Belawan side is another story. Make sure you get receipts for everything from Belawan customs to avoid being overcharged. No agent is needed to get your bike in Belawan. Also be aware that the customs area in Belawan is far from secure, so keep everything on the bike locked up securely. When we arrived at the port everyone knew where the bike was. I don't think this was really a good thing... |
Thanks for your hints. I wonder whether the two places are actually one and the same? Dave, what do I ask for if I don't know the name? Which way do I have to walk? Sorry if this seems a dumb question, perhaps one can only walk in one direction? But I'd be loathe to walk for miles the wrong way...
Danau Toba couldn't be bothered to reply to my email. |
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We found it by asking around at the port, but I think we had to ask several people before we found it. I don't think there were many options to stay right in town as we looked around a bit. I am sure its still there as it was probably the best place in town. You should be able to locate it upon arrival, if you go more than a couple of kilometers from the port entrance, you have gone too far. The whole process in Belawan is a bit time consuming, but everyone was friendly. Allow a half day minimum to clear your bike at customs. Here is an except from my shipment which can be found on the HU "shipping" pages: "Mr. Lim's office is centrally located in Georgetown. He has a boat which goes between Butterworth and Belawan twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. The process is easy. Contact Mr. Lim a few days before you want to leave and he will get the paperwork together. The day before the boat leaves, Mr. Lim will accompany you to the customs and port in Butterworth and help you get the carnet processed and your bike loaded on the boat. After this is done, you will ride the ferry back to Penang from Butterworth and wait until the next morning to catch the high speed passenger ferry to Belawan. The bike will be shipped the night before you leave, but your journey will take about 5 hours on the passenger ferry and the bike will take significantly longer. Try to pick up the bike at Belawan that afternoon, but if you can't you will most likely have to wait until the next morning. The boat your bike will be on is a small "vegetable" boat or "onion" boat. There will be lots of people wanting to "help" you get your bike, but ignore them unless you want to shell out lots of extra money. These people will be all over you when you get off the ferry. Its easy to get the bike yourself. Everyone at the port will know where your bike is, it will probably be on display somewhere and folks will be checking it out. For this reason, keep your things secured. Mr. Lim gave us a phone number of a person to help us in Belawan, but we could not contact this person as the phone number wouldn't go through. After we located the bike, we had customs stamp the carnet, no cost for this and customs was friendly and quick. A carnet is the easiest way to get your bike into Indonesia. The port fees took a little while longer. We had to go into town and located the office at the address of the contact Mr. Lim gave us. We would have never found it on our own, one of the guys in the port took us there on his motorcycle, its close to the port, but a bit far to walk. The office gave us a "delivery order" and then we went back to pay the port fees. Make sure you get a receipt for the port fees to avoid being overcharged. We had heard about registering with the police upon entering Indonesia, however I would NOT do this, police in Indonesia are best avoided as they are very corrupt. We never checked with the police and it was never an issue. The police stopped us three times to check our license while we were in the country. Belawan is not the best introduction to Indonesia as we found everything overpriced. We stayed at a hotel literally outside the gates of the port terminal and while it was very comfortable, it was overpriced at $20 for a double. This will be your best option, however. When you leave Belawan, don't use the motorway, motorcycles are banned on motorways in Indonesia. We got on the motorway, but were turned back by the friendly toll workers." |
Ok, I have just been looking at Google Earth and there is a complex which seems to be in the location of the motel where we stayed in Belawan.
Check out these coordinates for the estimated motel location: 3° 46' 49.5" N, 98° 41' 25.5" E This is purely a guess (a very good one I think), but its what I remember and the location seems to be spot on. It was adjacent to the port and just outside of the main hustle and bustle of the town. I think the main gate of the port is at: 3° 46' 57.5" N, 98° 41' 37.25" E I am probably 80% sure this is the place. From Google Earth the site layout of the motel is as I remember. If these coordinates bring you to the jackpot let me know! |
On GE that looks spot on and now I'm almost certain it's the same place mentioned earlier. Thanks for that.
Essentially, it means upon leaving the port through the main gate turn right onto the dual carriageway, cross it and it's only a few 100m. Cheers, Peter. |
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Im not sure its the main gate though. There are two I think. One that is accessed from the town centre (this may be the main gate) and the other (close to Danau Toba Int. Cottages) butts onto the dual carriageway. We mistakenly rode on the toll road from here too, its easy to do. From Danau Toba heading southish on the dual carriageway take the 2nd right. This leads to the main road to Medan... This road is a good introduction to Indonesian traffic and drivers. Medan has a reputation for its drivers. See you outthere maybe. N |
Here's my update about shipping from Penang to Belawan.
In Penang: Very easy. Go to Cakra Shipping (the address can be found here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ndonesia-32605) and let them do everything. You have to pay RM 350 (approx 110 USD) and you need passport and CDP. You will have to go to the harbor with them as you need to be present at customs. You can assist the loading of your bike if you want, but you need to wait until they're ready. Was all very smooth, Cakra is doing a great job here. Preparing the bike: I did not assist the loading but showed them where to apply the rope (they will pull the bike with two ropes, no crates, no palette) and that seemed to work out well. I have been warned not to leave anything on the bike as stuff has been stolen from other travelers. As I have soft panniers I took everything on the speed boat which was, except for carring the weight, no problem. They will play around with anything which can be switched, turned or pressed on your bike. Take appropriate precautions. Tape down eveything which could be opened or is sensitive to "playing" with. A word on the CDP: Neither Cakra nor the customs officers seem to understand what a CDP is (in fact Mr. Lim asked me what it is for). They just fill in stamps and let their supervisor sign it, without understanding what they actually do. For example in my case the customs officer insisted in stamping the export part of a new CDP page although the bike was currently NOT in the CDP as I came overland from Thailand and the customs there did not want to stamp it. Make sure when you com from Thailand that you get your CDP stamped, you'll have less hassle in Penang and back home later (don't know yet exactly how to explain that half-stamped page to the RAC in CH). Anyway, lot better in Belawan, they knew what a CDP is and how to fill it in. In Belawan: Well... actually... very easy. I happend to say the magic words at the entrance and everything just happend automatically :-) What happend was that I asked about Mr. Monte on arrival in Belawan, outside the gate where all the taxi drivers are expecting you. He was not around and I just took a taxi to the hotel. He appeared next morning at my hotel room and asked if he can be of service. We agreed a price for his services and a price for his mate who was driving a minibus, 24 hours later I was off riding direction Medan. What is needed to be done: - Go to the Shipping agent Cakra gives you the address for, show him your CDP, pay 100k (don't ask me what for) - Go to the warehouse where the bike arrives, the customs officers are in there as well. Show CDP, pay. Wait for the bike (if not yet arrived) - When the bike arrives assist unloading (I would recommend this, they let you play an active roll in the unloading if you want). Let the customs officer check the bike -> all done Mr Monte: My seriouse recommendation after actually having dealed with him: He's worth every Rupia you invest in him. The amount of hassle (and money) he can save you is huge. Without him just finding the office of the shipping agent is very difficult (no sign outside, nobody speaks any english). He knows the people at the warehouse and knows the custom guys. Allthough I suspect he's having his share in certain money paid - never mind. Just make sure you go with him eveywhere and you pay everything yourself. He even took me out for coffee and dinner which was fun cos he shows you places where you never would go in as a white face alone in the jungle :) Think, the expensive hotel Belawan is 240k a day, the cheap one 140k. Expenses in my case: - Shipping Agent: 100k - Customs: 400k - Mr. Monte: xxx - Taxi for 1 day: 50k (70 payed) The costs (especially at customs) might warry a lot, I've been told that a big heavy bike might cost up to 900k (don't ask me why). Also the shipping agent might have a better or worser day. Then if you store the bike in the warehouse for a night they might charge you (Mr. Monte was assuring me that he saved me this money by complaining for it not being our fault). I've told Mr. Monte at the beginning that I will give him 100k if all Ok or 200k if I am happy at the end. I ended up giving him even bit more cos everything went so smooth. He will probably ask you to name the price yourself, so it's up to you how much you want to spend. There's been another guy at the harbor (a Mr. Albert) who was offering me his services while standing at the customs queue. He's also able to speak English and I've seen him later at the warehouse again, so maybe he might do the same as Mr. Monte has done for me, but don't know really. If you want to do it without somebody helping you - you can! The question is only how long it will take you. There's no cheap hotel you wanna stay in in Belawan (btw, if you want to get to the cheap hotel just say "Hotel" to the taxi driver, if you wanna get to the "good" one say "Hotel Internasional", he'll know). So if you safe only one night Mr. Monte is payed for. If you speak Bahasa Indonesia, probably the whole procedure is no problem at all. If :-) Geting out of Belawan: You are not (no, really, NOT) allowed to use motorways in Indonesia with a motorbike. If you follow the road signs to Medan you will get automatically on the motorway and you will HAVE to turn around after some km at the toll station. The bypass road leads through Belawan itself (when coming from "Hotel Internasional" turn right into the town and then somewhere left again). Yes, I've been to the toll station :) Hope that helps, Jiri |
Thanks, Jiri, another excellent and detailed report. Now, isn't this topic misnamed? I think we'll just print out these instructions once we are in My. I'll ask the moderators to make this sticky.
Cheers, Peter. |
Hi Jiri
Glad to hear that the shipping and customs went OK have fun in Indonesia Skip (Pete) |
Belawan - Penang October 2009
Today I collected my bike in Malaysia and have passed on the info to a few friends on the road behind me. Much of the info is already here on the HUBB but I've added a few GPS co-ordinates, suggestions for some cheaper accomodation in Medan and the (in)famous Mr Monte's telephone number.
Here's how it went... (Addresses and GPS at foot of page.) INDONESIA Firstly, let me say that I didn't feel entirely comfortable with the whole Indonesian end right from the beginning. I went along with it purely on the experiences of others (as posted on the HUBB). It went like this: In Belawan I rode through the dock gates, past ships on my left and on to the passenger ferry terminal at the end. Here the road bends tightly to the right and on the right hand side you'll see motorbikes parked outsidee the 'Food Centre' or 'Food Court'. This is where I asked for 'Mr Monte'. Immediately a guy jumped up and said "Yes,yes. I khow Mr Monte. In Belawan, follow me". He and a policeman jumped in a taxi van and I followed them into town. The driver went off to phone Mr Monte whilst I waited in a cafe(?) with the policeman. A message came back saying he would arrive in one hour. Two hours later he still hadn't arrived. It was Friday 3rd October,the day after the 'Idul Vittri' two day national holiday following Ramadan. One of the guys in the cafe phoned Mr Monte and between them they decided I should stay in a hotel and Mr Monte would come in the morning. I asked if Customs would be open and the general consensus was no. Realising my concern, Mr Monte was called again but I couldn't understand him over the phone. Just as it looked like I'd have to spend the night he turned up. He said there was no regular ship crossing to Penang but one left most weeks. A phonecall confirmed that a timber ship was leaving on the Sunday evening. Another phonecall confirmed a price of 1.2million Rupiah - for 'Everything'. I choked at this and said previous travellers had paid 850k. He made another call and the price was reduced to 1.1million. Final offer - take it or leave it. His reasoning for the high price was the holiday. NB - 'Everything' does NOT include the Transport cost. This can only be paid in Malaysia. Once I'd agreed another call was made and I had to deliver my bike immediately to the warehouse within the port as the guys there were ready to lock up. Iunloaded what kit I wanted to keep and handed over 1.1million to the guy in the warehouse (as instructed by Mr Monte who was with me). I was given a lift back to the cafe where I had to wait until 1700 (2hrs) before we could go to Customs. At 1700 the guy from the warehouse arrived and took me to Customs. The boss spoke pretty good English and completed my Carnet in a matter of seconds. He then said "Indonesian Customs very easy. Stamp, stamp. Very quick. No money". It was then that I realised the price was a scam as I'd been told it included 550k for Customs. I asked the boss why warehouse man was charging 550k for Customs and a rapid conversation in Indonesian took place. I didn't push the subject as I needed my bike to be on that ship so never got a straight answer. Back at the cafe I gave warehouse man a copy of my passport and that was it. Mr Monte put me on the right local bus to Medan and told the driver to drop me at The Angel Hotel (my choice). I paid 10k. Once I'd checked in I phoned Mr Monte to confirm where I was staying and he said he would come in the morning with my bill of lading. This he did and it was then that my suspicion was proved right. The 1.1million did NOT include his 'tip'. I gave him 150k. On the back of the Bill of Lading was typed an address for an agent in Penang. I asked everyone I met in Sumatra about where to stay in Medan and the general concensus was that the Angel Pondok Wisata was the best of the budget options. They have one TINY room for 35k that would be OK for one night but I had to wait 4 for a ferry so got the next size up for 60k. The hotel is opposite the Mastjik Bakery (Lonely Planet). You could probably park your bike here but not inside. Had I needed to stay in Medan with my bike I would have headed for JJ's Guesthouse near the airport. Quite hard to find so look at the maps on their website. The ferry to Penang took 5.5hrs and cost 420k including the bus transfer from Medan. I'm told that outside of holiday periods the plane isn't much more so may be a consideration. MALAYSIA In Penang I am staying at SD Guesthouse on Love Lane. This is where I stayed last year, there's free internet, hot shower and I can park my bike inside. Single (Fan) RM18. Double RM25. The address I'd been given for the agent turned out to be a n Indian restaurant! Whilst looking for it I'd seen the office's of Cakra Shipping so went there to ask. There I met Mr Lim who was most helpful. He told me I didn't need an agent to get my bike from the docks and took me on his motorbike to the new offices of Sinaran Idaman Enterprise. Here he stayed with me until I'd been given the paperwork I would need at the docks and paid the 'Transport' fee of RM310. It was too late to go to the docks this day so the following morning I caught the ferry to Butterworth (Docks are on the mainland) and walked to 'Bangar Dalam Port'. Directions - Exit the ferry terminal down the escalator and walk to the end of the covered walkway. To your right you will see containers stacked up. The port is behind them. Follow the road towards them and you'll pass a steam locomotive where the road bends to the left. Follow it to the 'T' junction and turn right. Walk approx 500m and you'll pass the Post depot. Turn right and walk over the flyover and you'll see the port offices on your left with 'Pedang Port' in big letters above glass doors. Through the doors, turn right and explain to anyone what you've come to do. The relevant person will then send somone to measure your bike before they can calculate the port charges. Mine were RM26.85. Step outside, turn left, and walk to the port gates where you exchange your passport for a visitors badge. Walk through the gates and keep walking straight. The building you will (most likely) need is right on the waters edge. The location (Lokasi) is on the paperwork provided by the agent in Penang. Mine was W3 and I could see this painted on the warehouse. My bike was parked at the foot of the stairsand after looking her over I went upstairs to the office where they checked my identity (Drivers Licence) and prnted the release document. I rode my bike to the port gates and presented my Carnet to Customs. They sent me to their other office which is on the first floor of the port building I paid the port fees in. For some reason it took 40mins to get the Carnet completed. They also gave me a photocopy of the 'Import' slip to give to the Customs office at the gate. The Customs office at te gate gave me the paperwork I needed to present at the police check (adjacent to customs at the port gate) and leave the port. In all, a little time consuming but very friendly and no hassle. Tip - take a bottle of water, the only drinks macine there was broken. Once outside the gates, don't forget to return your visitos badge and reclaim your passport. Standing with your back to the port gates you'll see the roadsigns for the ferry. It's RM2 back to Penang. Total shipping cost for bike was approx GBP120 (U$215) Good luck! - Adam (</title> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>YourTravelJournal.com) GPS & Addresses: Mr Monte Tel: 0812 6499 3576 Medan: The Angel Pondok Wisata Opposite Mastjik Bakery N 03 34.480 E 098 41.291 JJ Guesthouse - : GUESTHOUSE JJ MEDAN : Penang: SD Guesthouse Love Lane N 05 25.178 E 098 20.264 Correct address for Sinaran Idaman Enterprise is: No72, First Floor, Church St 10200 Penang N 05 25.121 E 100 20.406 Please advise Mr Monte of this if you deal with him. Cakra Shipping: No187, 2nd Floor, Beach St 10300 Penang N 05 24.857 E 100 20.277 |
Thanks Adam for that detailed info.
Q: Sinaran Idaman Enterprise was the name of your shipping co.? Using GoogleEarth this must be close to JJ guest house in Medan: N3 34.310 E98 40.303 Cheers, Peter. |
Answers to Beddhist
Hi Peter,
I hope this answers your question(s)? Q: Sinaran Idaman Enterprise was the name of your shipping co.? A: Not exactly! I didn't have any dealings with a shipping agent in Belawan. Only Mr Monte, the warehouse guy and Customs. I asked Mr Monte for a contact address in Penang and he gave me Sinaran Idaman Enterprise. I've just double checked the co-ordinates on my GPS and they are correct. Their office is in Penang, a short walk from SD Guesthouse. Using GoogleEarth this must be close to JJ guest house in Medan: N3 34.310 E98 40.303 A: No. It is in Georgetown, Penang. Cheers Adam |
Thanks for the clarification, Adam.
I'm sorry, I didn't express myself properly. What I meant by: > Using GoogleEarth this must be close to JJ guest house in Medan: N3 34.310 E98 40.303 is that these coordinates must be pretty close to JJGH. Nothing to do with the agent we were talking about. I added these coordinates for the benefit of those who might want to stay at JJ. Cheers, Peter. |
You walked to the port from the ferry terminal?
We tried but failed, caught a taxi. Glad things worked out for you. Indeed its hard to get clear answers in Indonesia, but really there isnt much you can do. I hazard a guess the fees we have all paid are going to different pockets than we expect. I found Monte a reasonable and friendly guy though. In Malaysia as I sure youve discovered, things re easier and more straight forward. We will be back in Penang in a few days, staying at Star Lodge on Muntri Street no doubt. Lets meet up. Skip, Claudio, Ruth! You still in Malaysia? N+A |
Hey Guys!
Anyone in KL? Sorry to hijack this thread....:oops2:
Im really bored.....:funmeterno: plan to quit my job, start my own business & Travel! :funmeteryes: Love to meet up up with you fella bikers out there! And yes I must say Mr Lim is our top bloke. planning to ride to Indonesia next year.:clap: |
G'day Aussie Nat!
When I got off the ferry in Butterworth a taxi driver asked me where I wanted to go. I showed him the name of the port and he pointed towards the containers and said 'behind there'. I think he was looking for a longer fare. Mr Monte was an OK guy. Did what he said he would, when he said he would, for the price he said he would. You can't ask more than that. Anyway, I'll be in Penang until at least Wednesday so meeting up sounds good. I'm in SD Guesthouse on Love Lane. Be good to see Claudio and Ruth again to but I'm guessing they're long gone by now. See you soon Adam |
The Final Solution ???
Hey Guys....I reckon now a few of us have shipped Belawan to Penang that its reliable easy and possible without a fixer.
Spanglers account is spot on and you could do it this way. My experience was different cause i was taken to the shipping agent in Belawan by a kind stranger and now believe you DON'T need a fixer...Just the HUBB. The agent might want you to use one of his 'friends' but you really dont need any help. How to do it!!:thumbup1: As you ride from Medan to Belawan you will come to a T junction as you arrive in the chaotic town of Belawan. Here you will need to ask for directions to the shipping agent PT Melda Jaya on Jalan Bangka which is off to the right and is near a Mosque (the road has got a small signpost). Little english is spoken but they know why you are there and will tell you when the next ship sails and when the cutoff is for loading. They will create a Bill of Lading and you will pay the transport cost in Penang. Ask them what number warehouse you have to take the bike. This was the bit i didnt like cause you just leave your bike outside an office and walk away. Customs is FREE dont pay.To find the customs house head toward the ferry terminal and take the last right hand turn before the main entrance gate of the port. 150m down the road on the right is the customs building with a security guard at the entrance. Go round the back to the far entrance and up some stairs to the customs office. You now take the bike to the warehouse and thats it...easy hey???? Because Belawan isnt a great town and neither are the hotels, i took a bus back to my cheap hotel in Medan had a night out and then flew to Penang with Lion Air for $60 us......ive heard the ferries no fun!!! On the Penang side everything went smoothly thanks to Spanglers post...the price for the shipping and port charges were the same. Hope this helps and look fwd to an update..... Later Tim |
Tim
Glad it worked out for you. Can you just confirm how much it cost you in total? Rp on the Indo side and RM on the Malaysian side. I just want to cry over how much I let slip through my hands. The Ferry Belawan to Penang was fine for us. N+A |
Easier and cheaper!
Just some advise for you guys. You don't need Pak Monte! Bikes in Belawan will be in warehouse 108 and you can get them out in less than 3 hrs and for a fraction of the cost. 1 million rup for 2 big bikes Africa Twin and R1200GS!
I just say watch the drivers (or should I sat Sepeda motor riders in Sumatra) Very easy to get hit!!! Cheers |
Shipping costs...Belawan to Penang..Suzuki DR650
Mr Sanam (fixer).....Rp 600,000...money for nothing??? Penang Agent......Ringit 310....shipping costs. Butterwort port....Ringit 26.85..port charges Lion Air Flight....US 60...a little more than the ferry but you can stay in Medan and its only 15 mins to the airport. |
Hi there,
just a short report of our shipping. We followed Spanglers post (thanks Adam) and used Tim's shipper (thanks Tim). After we arrived at the harbour and Mr Monte (I think it was him) wanted to stop us and started to talk to us. We answered politely that we already have everything we needed and left to the company Tim had mentioned. Anja went in and first talked to the ladies but then to Mr Sanam who had been called. And that's the thing - another couple went in with a translater but they also called this Mr Sanam for fixing everything. The price depends on your skills in bargaining (Anja's really great). So I think it's difficult to get it done without a fixer, not because of the paperwork or whatever, it's just that they call this guy and he's the one you are talking to. Cheers Holger |
Quote:
Thanks, Peter & Su. |
Another Q: is it safe to leave bags on the bike or do we need to remove anything that's not padlocked? I don't think we will be able to carry all our stuff onto the ferry, it's just too much.
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Seeing that there is NO car ferry I propose to close this topic and shift discussion to this parallel thread: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...onesia-32605-2
:smartass: |
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