Two Wheels, One Soul

Two Wheels, One Soul

To Java

Journey to the roof of the world

Melanie Dixon's avatar
Melanie Dixon
Jun 16, 2026
∙ Paid

Day thirteen

I wake at 4:35 am, and I’m not sure if that’s an improvement on 3 am. It’s too early got get up, too late to go back to sleep.  I roll over, feeling sad and lost and lonely. What am I even doing here? I know that my low mood is partly due to hunger and exhaustion. Something that only rest and food can fix.

We did 100 kilometres yesterday, and finished with a steep hill up to last night’s digs – a little hut perched on the hillside overlooking Banjuwedang. The sounds of mosques and music have been drifting up the hillside all night, along with the smoke from the village fires. The views are amazing, but it isn’t exactly peaceful.

I make a cup of tea, then me and my bike have a heat-to-heart conversation about distances.

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