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

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Round the world on a Postie bike, 2-up
Bilingual Blog (japanese and English)
http://faster-than-walking.com

Excellent report, thanks. Shoud be useful to others heading the same or even in the opposite direction.

__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Can you or anybody else give some directions to this place? Name? GPS? Would be useful to other people crossing.

Thanks,
Peter.

__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

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.

__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Hey there, Nathan & Akiko,
to Malaysia, if you happen to be in KL just give a shout, I'll buy you guys "Teh Tarik"

__________________

Ride

Safe,

Sober,

& Save!

"man without beard is like porridge without salt": Ned Kelly

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...

__________________
Dave McMillan
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/mcmillan/

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.

__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

The place where we stayed was across the street from the port if I remember or right on the main divided thoroughfare going into the port entrance. It was a mid-range (or slightly above budget) business type motel with a/c and televisions in the room. I think we could see the warehouses at the port from the motel parking lot if I recall. Its maybe a half a kilometer or kilometer at the most from the entrance of the port. It was two years ago so maybe my memory is not perfect, but we walked to it from the port and walked back to the port the next morning to get the bike. I do remember walking there for sure.

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."

__________________
Dave McMillan
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/mcmillan/

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!

__________________
Dave McMillan
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/mcmillan/

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.

__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Yep, that would be the one. We did the same when leaving Belawan for Penang. Walked to the boat in the morning.

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

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Round the world on a Postie bike, 2-up
Bilingual Blog (japanese and English)
http://faster-than-walking.com

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

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Ride Your Dreams

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.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10