Start Your Engine and Let’s Go!
(by Sihanto Bela)

”Friday is a holiday, so we have a long weekend. Let’s go trailing!” Ricky asked his friends on his mobile phone. Invitation accepted. Narso, member of adventurer motorcycle club quickly organized the journey. This time, they are headed off to Bantilang Village.

As there was not enough time to organize all members of the club, Ricky Nelson, Narso and Arifin Peruge decided to travel alone. ”This time, we are going on land along the coast of Towuti Lake. We will pass some villages, such as Timampu, Kampung Baru, Tominanga, Mahalona transmigration area, Tokalimbo before arriving in Bantilang,” Arifin told his two friends.

As there are not many patrol stations, tire repair kiosks and restaurants available along the way, they have to pack their own supplies carefully. Bantilang is a small village across Towuti Lake. Majority of its population grow pepper. The plants grow healthily along the road. To reach the village, they have to cross Towuti Lake in a katinting boat. With only 20 thousand Rupiah, per head the boat will take them from the Timampu pier to Bantilang. Unfortunately, the Timampu-Bantilang crossing is not busy, sometimes only one trip in one day.

Challenging

From Enggano Camp the adventure began. At exactly 8 o’clock in the morning, the challenging journey started. Difficult roads full of obstacles, gravels and slippery when rain are ahead. Exhilarating experience. They passed five rivers without bridges, the toughest test for riders and their motorcycles.

”We experienced breakdown, sunk in mud, tripped on slippery and slopping road. But we don’t mind that, it’s an adventure,” said Narso proudly. ”Looking at beautiful scenery, magnificent savanna and coastal lake especially having the pleasure of conquering the road have paid off all difficulties we faced during the journey,” Arifin added.


Just before noon, our motor trail adventurers finally arrived in Bantilang. After a short break at a local warung enjoying a small chat and local snacks, three of them back on the road riding through the forest and along the coastal lake.
The journey took a total of seven hours. ”At once, all boredom of work routines disappear when doing adventure like this. That is why we always seek for new adventures, riding through forests and villages around Sorowako and East Luwu,” Ricky Nelson explained about activities of his adventurer motorcycle club.

To all adventurers, motor trail hobby gives them opportunity to enjoy remote areas which are hard to reach by other vehicles. These places are Beteleme and Kolonodale in Central Sulawesi, Asuli, Tabarano, Kawata, Wasuponda-Matano-Nuha alternative road, Tokalimbo, and Bantilang. ”People thought we only had Matano, Mahalona and Towuti Lakes here, but actually we have two more lakes, Wawontoa and Masapi. Both lakes are easy to reach by motor trail,” Narso ended.