A few weekends back Temple Project had the honor of hosting some close friends from Jakarta and Singapore to explore the challenging and majestic terrain of North Minahasa.  This well-known but less-visited part of Indonesia is home to some fantastic roads that undulate and snake across a lush landscape void of flat land. 

The weather was just as variable as the terrain.  The afternoon sun turned the black bitumen into a Benihana hotplate.  A light sprinkling of rain attempted to cool the afternoon temperatures but gave us the illusion of riding in a sauna as you could feel the steam rising off the road from the instantly evaporated moisture. 

Just as our jerseys began to dry out the skies grew dark.  At first just a smattering of rain cooled our hard-working bodies, but not long after violent deafening thunder announced the opening of heaven’s floodgates.  The temperature dropped instantly and our senses were assaulted as wind-lashed rain fell sideways and lightning struck not for off in the distance.  The once pristine roads of Manado were turned into miniature river-crossings as water flowed down from the high-lands dragging sand, rocks, and fallen vegetation into the road. 

It was an epic experience for us all and an opportunity to enjoy the feeling of freedom and adventure that cycling in a new and challenging environment can bring.  We hope to have more opportunities to share similar experiences with our friends in the future. 

 
Our good friends from Manado decided to tag along for a little adventure in their backyard.  

Alfamart/Indomaret were default pit-stop locations and provided a cool sanctuary away from the late-morning heat.