and we're done.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are done. We have reached the finish line, luckily without any major breakdowns.
We completed the SCS 10,11 and 12 and the Event Committee decided to go straight to Balikpapan via asphalt road. Time was of the essence here, we wanted to be able to get into town before nightfall. Balikpapan has a law that prohibits dirty cars from dirtying the town, so we had to cleanup as best we could. Fortunately the mud had already dried on the cars, so no problems of that.
We had a big closing party as well as the winner notification and all that last night, so you will forgive us for posting this blog rather late in the day.
The results (if you dont already know):
1. Dr. Totong from Sapta Team
2. Neil Cooper and Chris Hummer for Oz
3. Haji Barani

a really good showing from Team BHHH (Bandung Hash House Harriers; say that 10 times fast!) three of their contestants placed 4th (or 5th) 7th and eigth..

Overal team winner was Sapta Team.

Motorcycles:
125 cc
1. Teddy Honda CR
2. Sofan Suzuki TS

200 cc
1. Rudi KTM
2. Didi KTM
3. Freddy KTM

Overall
1. Rudi
2. Pascal (placed 1st on the 400cc, actually the only 400cc contestant)
3. Didi

This will probably be our last entry. Hope you all enjoyed the postings as they were all made possible by the ACeS G-Wave and PSN.

The ACeS G-Wave

We have receieved a lot of e-mails asking how we do this blog from Kalimantan (but some editing is done in Jakarta) and in the middle of the jungle. Well, as we said in the November 24 entry of this blog, we are sponsored by PSN (Pasifik Satelit Nusantara) to provide this satellite modem during the DCI Event. The modem itself is made by ACeS and the network infrastructure is also by ACeS but sold in Indonesia through PSN.
You can find out more about G-Wave from here

As you can see, the G-Wave has performed well so far, all the pictures are regularly uploaded every night (with yesterday night as an exception).

Triple SCS

Today we had a triple whammy: SCS 10, 11 and 12. The available competitors were split into 3 groups and each to run each SCS. We say available competitors because as we write this some competitors are still in the jungle. Most notably our friend Ossy. We heard that he broke both leaf springs. Hopefully he'll be out soon.
SCS 10 was straight run with an extreme uphill towards the end. Once at the top a very tight u-turn is executed to finish.
On SCS 11, a lot of competitors DNF'ed, it sounds simple until you try it: jump in this mud bog, turn left and up. Its a winch killer. You needed a ultra powerful winch, not just a Warn 8274, but a fully modified 8274 with a 6hp motor or a hydraulic winch. Anything less would take too much time or wasnt strong enough to pull your car out of the bogger. Not only did you need a strong motor, but also big cables, big alternator and a big honker of a battery. The cars that got through with respectable times had all of the above plus double solenoids.

SCS 12's start box was way up a hill. To get up there almost all competitors, nay, all competitors, had to winch up. Just getting up there was a challenge in itself. There was this Toyota that broke its axles and drive train.
Tomorrow is the last day in the jungle (hopefully) we will finish SCS 10, 11 and 12, have lunch and leave for Benakutai Hotel in Balikpapan.

So close....

We skipped Basecamp 8 and are now at Basecamp 9. The road was the same as yesterday: mud and dirt. After that it became gravel and finally full asphalt. We are now at an area called Bukit Bangkirai, which is about 50km from Balikpapan. As it has been in the previous days, contestants, spectators, media and committee are still arriving into the basecamp. We will have SCS's 10,11 and 12 today. Tomorrow we will reach Balikpapan.

Photo's will be uploaded tonight. (Sorry, we're a bit tired... :D )

DCI on Google Earth

I finally noticed that Mapsource has a "View in Google Earth" option. Here is the DCI Route as seen from Space (Cyberspace I guess). Unforunately, satellite photos of Kalimantan are not very high resolution. So we cant bore down deeply near the Waypoints. As this moment its more of a novelty than actual useful information. Still its pretty cool.

Google earth

7th Heaven (Basecamp 7 that is)

We are at waypoint 84, basecamp 7, also known as Simpang Rikong. Today it rained at sunrise, leaving the track which was similar to yesterdays, to be mostly mud with some dirt tracks. This adverse situation led to some broken leaf springs on at least 2 cars. One CJ and one Jimny.
We stopped for gas earlier today, being civilised human beings, we quietly lined up near the truck with our jerry cans. Then this one guy, probably after staying too long in the jungle, decided to forgo with civilisation and jumped que and demanded that he be served first. Well, we didnt take to kindly to this suffice to say. Premium gasoline was IDR 7,500 per liter (compared to official price of IDR 5400 per liter in Banjarmasin). Hey at least it wasnt IDR 10,000 as we were told to prepare for.
SCS 8 & 9, or at least 8, wsa held today with partial competitors. Some of them are still making their way to the Basecamp as we write this. SCS8 is more of a speed offroad track than anything else. You can see some of this in Iwan Kurniawan's panning shots at our pbase site.
Our little heaven in the jungle is not as big as our previous base camps, so we are kind of cramped and spread out all over the place. Our surroundings are swamps, so no bathing tonight!
We had a video conference this evening with our citybound team mate. It was good to see him after only talking via telephone and e-mail so far. The G-Wave certainly provided enough bandwidth for us to have two way video and voice. here is a screen capture from our friend in Jakarta.

Somewhere on the way to BC6

We are now somewhere between waypoint 76 and 77, after Lampeong. The road from Muara Teweh (approx 100km) was composed of asphalt, dirt track and mud holes. The terrain was relatively flat, but the view was great.
No SCS tonight/today. Tomorrow we will have SCS 8 & SCS 9.
Although the road was moderately light (compared to our previous tracks) a lot of cars are now under repair for broken final gears or broken axles. It could be that as a result of the previous tracks they were already damaged but didn't show, now after a light pounding, they start to show themselves.
The G-Wave has been the darling of the trip, a lot of people are using it, even lining up to use it. The journalists seem to really enjoy the fact that they can type up their story and be able to make their evening deadline. Especially since we are setting up a WiFi hotspot. People are logging in from their cars from 20 meters away. I guess this is allowing them to be away from home and work without being too far away.
By the way, we've got new pictures! and Motorcycles too!! Enjoy.

A Letter to Home....

G-Wave Engineers Log Dec. 14, 2005

From the start its been a hot journey, hot meaning its hot and humid in
here. Since I've never off-road before therefore I don't know squat about
winching, navigating and all those stuffs.

The first day its a breeze because its mainly a constructed road, not much
off-roading here, but the dust from the other cars its like being in the
dessert.
I can swear that when I wipe my skin with klenex all I see is dirt
everywhere ...

the second day this is the first time i'm in a car that i can see the
sky!!! the hill was so step that the car is 75 degree tilt ...
took a bath one of the river and it make me feel like a kid again taking a
bath in the river ... however in the morning i can see there are several
umbrella's of people going to the bathroom in the river ... he he he

after that we cross the hanyu river or kapuas i think ... the first time i
operate a winch which is tough because i'm covered in mud and i don't know
a thing about it ...
on the road i think all my body is covered with sweat, dust, mud, and bugs
... i feel like i'm takin a free mud bath he he he

up until know i'm havin fun, i mean i've never done this and i've never
experience something like this ...

also up until today i just look myself at the mirror and i swear that my
right hand and left hand have a different tan !!! well so much for
whitening my skin ehehhe ...

I'll be back with the log and I'll keep you guys posted.

From the middle of the Jungle in Kalimantan ...
T.

SCS 6 & 7

Today we spent the whole day at Muara Teweh waiting for the rest of the competitors to arrive and to watch SCS 6 & 7. We are posting the pictures as we type this. So go and check our Pbase site! Here!

This morning 17 competitors started SCS 6. All members of the convoy have arrived this evening, so SCS 6 & 7 is still in progress. SCS 6 & 7 is a medium to heavy stage, it is a short track, with lots of tight turns. As a result, lots of broken winches, and rolled competitors as well as burst tires. It's been a pretty hot day, with temperatures reaching 40C. Although it rained briefly around noon, the heat is still on. There was also a special motor exhibition today.
I'll let the photo's do the talking. enjoy!

Muara Teweh Here We Come!

So here we are after BC4 alternative (we actually slept on the site of SCS4), and this morning SCS 4 was held. Then a bit after that SCS 5 was held. The caravan is now spread over a days distance. The main group is now in Muara Teweh at BC5 (including the motorcycle group), and the rest are spread over an area from BC4 onwards. We are now sleeping near population, there are gas stations, eateries (no canned meat tonight!) but we will still sleep in the outdoors.
The view has been breathtaking, it hasnt rained as much, so we probably saved some time and gasoline because of that. The Cyber4x4 has quite a bit of gas left in the jerry cans. The road from BC4 was not a heavy as BC2 - BC3, which we think is by far the heaviest in terms of obstacles. The rain didnt help matters.
In any case, spirits are high, tonight will be a well deserved rest.

New photos!

New photos! Click me

On the way to Basecamp4

Apologies for the silence yesterday. Apparently the G-Wave is very popular now, or at least internet access in the jungle is. People are lining up till the wee hours to get access at e-mails and satellite phone calls. Unfortunately our blog is of lower priority, so pictures will be coming later.

After crossing the Hanyu river, the scene has become a complete adventure 4wd's paradise and hell at the same time. The route has turned completely extreme! Which means very very very very difficult. We had camped out at Waypoint 28 since D's 100 inch Land Rover had a broken transfer case. They have called to Jakarta and a new transfer case is on the way. I'm not too clear on how the transfer case will get to Waypoint 28 from Kuala Kurun, but it may be that there is a regular road close to there.
SCS3 was done today, and SCS4 is scheduled for tomorrow.
Anyway, the team is pressing on, only 10 cars are on schedule. The rest are spread over the whole route. The Cyber4x4 is now at BC4 which has been moved to the SCS4 area. Some cars are still at BC3 and spending the night there.
The road to SCS4 was a real nightmare, lots of water-runs, steep uphills, and steady climbs. Articulation was tested to the max, cars without articulation were very close to tipping.
Our Warn 8274 M40 Winch sufferred a broken motor, fortunately G had the presence of mind to carry a complete spare, so we were able to swap out the malfunctioning units. The winch chose the most perfect time to stop working, right as the Cherokee was at the bottom of a V and as it started to rain rather heavily.

Photo's uploaded

Quick note: photos have been uploaded to our pbase site. Click here

On to Basecamp2

Leaving Basecamp 1 at about 6:30 AM, we embarked on more back roads. At one time these roads had been at least gravel, but now they are severely potholed and overgrown with vegetation. The trip was a bit slow, many had to stop and repair and re-arrange their overburdened roof racks. We refuelled at Kuala Kurun and we are now at Basecamp2. We are near the crossing of Sei Hanyu (Hanyu River), about 20 jeeps have already crossed over and are spending the night there.
The weather has just been hot and dusty. We have had to go without airconditioning in the car due to the engine overheating. Our brake pads also started to heat up quite a bit at a very long downhill section.
All is well so far, one incident involving Competitor #15 and a scorpion occurred in the night, but has been treated by the doctor travelling with us. All 6 motorcylists are still with us (another motorcyclist joined a bit late).
Small note: we are having problems with photos, so our apologies to all. We will upload them soon.

From Basecamp1

The first stage of the trip was pretty uneventful. 200 km of spotty tarmac with about 1km of chest deep water. There was a long line of regular cars waiting to be ferried across on makeshift rafts, but the DCI jeeps were able to pass through without any problems. One Media Cherokee (drivers Kiki and Iwan) swallowed some water and had to go through a cleansing at Palangkaraya. Ossy's jeep developed some rear axle problems as well.
We had lunch with the Governer of Central Kalimantan at Palangkaraya and then on to SCS 1&2. As of this writing, the SCS 1&2 has not been completed, however we expect all vehicles to arrive at basecamp 1 tonight.
During SCS 1 or 2, one of the Toyota's flipped over into a pond, leaving only the tires sticking out of the water. Both driver and codriver are ok.
Of note there are 5 motorcyclist's participating in the event, 4 from Indonesia and 1 international.
The Cyber4x4 is now at Basecamp 1, 20km North of Palangkaraya (S 2d 3.286 min E 113 d 56.601 min) Sigi Village. Still on asphalt roads.

The Route

Just in case youre wondering, here is a map of the route that DCI is taking. It is a pretty accurate. Map taken from Mapsource with data from a Garmin GPS.

Catching up again...

Apologies for the silence...
We had a chaotic moment when at the last minute we had to change the team. Dont ask why....Anyway, its on with the show.
We flew from Jakarta to Banjarmasin on Tuesday. As mentioned in the previous post, the cars did arrive on Monday evening, but did not arrive at the hotel until the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Our gratitude and appreciation to our friends D, R, E, Q who helped to drive the car from the docks to the hotel.
As we arrived at the hotel, we immediately went to the car to start up the engine, make superficial checks to the exterior and interior, re-packed some items then went to register with the officials. We are officially number 131.
We then went to lunch (pizza) then went on to fill up the gasoline (main tank and the jerrycans). After filling the tanks, we went for the scrutineering. We passed with some minor notes. Checkout the photos of the 4wd vehicles on our photo site here .

On Wednesday, we did some rechecking of the G-Wave equipment as some additional parts came in from Batam. Pretty much all day was spent in briefings and meetings with the event officials, and other members of the Media Team. Uploaded the route waypoints to the GPS'(main and backup). Wednesday night it rained lightly.

Thursday morning 04:30 AM.
Final packing and preparations for flag off from the Governors official residence.
07:00 AM: Flag off. The trip has just begun. The first stage is from Balikpapan to Palangkaraya. We had heard that the roads are flooded up to a meter high. Cars were being ferried across flooded areas by raft. We will see what happens.

To be continued...

Tonight....

Heard some news today, the ship will come in tonight. Cool.

Catching Up

On Monday we decided to add another couple of leaf springs to the rear suspension. We estimated that the total weight in the jeep was about 500+ kg. Including the satellite modem, computers, cables, tents and most importantly, the extra gasoline.

Tuesday came about rather quickly. This is the day that the cars had to go to the docks and be loaded up onto the ferry that will transport them off to Banjarmasin on Kalimantan island. It will take about 3 days for the cars to get there.

Wednesday & Thursday was work as usual and wondering where the jeep was. Started taking anti malaria pills.

Friday, December 2, 2005. Still in Jakarta making final preparations, rehearsing the G-Wave setup, installing last bits of software.

Packing

On Sunday the 27th of Nov we packed up the Jeep. It took us the better part of the afternoon and well into the wee hours of the night. It took a while to decide what goes where and how best to distribute the weight.

The Countdown

Wow. It's already the 24th of November. Exactly 2 weeks from now is the start of the DCI. The car has been 'lifted' by about 2 inches, it now sports 31" Simex tires. We have also changed the front and rear bumper to accomodate the Warn 8274 winch and the Warn towing assembly. On top is a roof rack we borrowed from G's other 4wd. The car is coming along nicely. We have brought it to 3 different Garages to do the modifications, each one a specialist for the tasks given. Today the Cyber4x4 is going to final Garage for the final gloss over. Tie wrapping the cables, make sure all the lights-light, all the buttons function as they are supposed to. Waterproofing the transmission, ECU, and other important electronics.

We have also begun to shop for food. Its going to be mostly instant foods, instant noodles, instant spaghetti, instant rice etc etc. If we could, we would probably bring instant water!
I would have loved to bring some fresh food, but lugging around an ice chest for 10 days in the tropical jungle, might not be too practical. We might just have enough ice for 3 days, after that itll just be water. We decided against bringing a powered coolbox. Come to think of it, I dont quite remember why. It might be because we dont want to buy one. Neither G nor I have a powered coolbox.

There is quite a bit of superstition going around about what kind of foods we can bring to Kalimantan. According to the briefing, we are not supposed to bring salted fish, eggs (fresh or cooked) nor Terasi.
Syamsir Alam, the event director said that last year, cars that had those items, expirienced "strange events": not able to start, getting flats several times in a row, etc. He offered some logic to why not to bring those types of foods: they are powerfull smelling items (the eggs?) they will attract animals of all sorts. Maybe even some of the indigenous population. Which may or may not have ever seen people from outside of the jungle. I guess we had better not take any chances.

As I enjoy photography quite a bit, I will be taking my DSLR (a Nikon D70) with the Sigma general purpose lenses, the 18-135mm and the 70-300mm. I really want to bring my macro lens, a Tamron 90mm f2.8 1:1, as Im sure I will see a lot of interesting flora and fauna, but I might be pressed with cargo space. We will have to see.

Which brings me to the main payload of the car.

We are bringing an ACeS G-Wave satellite modem. It is a portable (8kg) satellite modem which will bring us symmetrical speeds of 192kbps. Symmetrical is important because this means we can up load as quickly as we can download. The event will have its share of journalists and they will want to be able to post their stories of the events that have transpired throughout the day. So will the event organizers, they will want to be able to have a daily update of who is leading, which team is in front, where we are in terms of time, place etc. If we need to schedule fuel drops etc.

It will be our job to provide internet connectivity to the race, wherever we are in Kalimantan, hence the name Cyber4x4. For more information on the G-Wave, please click to g-wave.acesinternational.com.

w.

The Decision

Finally. We have come to a decision. Or rather G has. We have finally settled on using the Jeep Cherokee as the vehicle for the Diplomat Challenge of Indonesia or DCI. Its a Red Limited Edition with the Offroad Package factory installed. Looks like we will have to do some work to get it ready. Suspension lift, roof rack, winch etc etc.
This being Indonesia, most of it will be custom made as that is the norm.
Anyway, here is the link to DCI for details. click me!

w.