Voyage , Voyage

Indonesia! The country of natural beauty and natural disaster. Of impressive man-made world wonders. The biggest attraction are the people though. Beside my lovely family members, who arranged almost everything for me during the first ten days, I met heaps of friendly folks in streets, buses, trains, guesthouses, everywhere. This is where my fluent Indo worked out perfectly! The best way to describe my 30 days of Indonesia is by a number of anecdotes and pictures.

I met a man in Yogyakarta whose house was devastated by the earthquake earlier this year. He showed me the remnants of his street, as well as his parents' house where his family had moved into. It was one big mess indeed. Although he was collecting cash for a bamboo hut (and prices of bamboo had gone skyrocket) he emphasized he didn't want any money from me. "But" he said, "I want you to tell everyone you know about the beauty of our country. First we are hit by natural disaster, now we are hit by low tourist numbers. Tell everyone to come. We're depending on you."

The magnificent Borobudur (one of the modern world wonders) was full of students who wanted to interview orang bule. A westerner in Java is an oddity, one that is willing to give an interview is a miracle. The whole day I was chased everywhere by groups of (mainly female) students who wanted to know everything about me. Asep, an Indo boy who was with me all day looked enviously. "I am walking with Ben Affleck!" he joked.

On a late ekonomi train from Probollinggo to Bangguwangi. People slept on chairs, food lingered around everywhere, this was 3rd class travelling. I must have looked so exhausted that Lis, a young girl who sat in front of me, shared all her krupuk with me. When I talked about my trip I saw two unbelieving eyes under her scarf. "You are travelling alone in my country? Hati-hati! Be careful right?" When we eventually reached Bangguwangi I expected neon-lit streets but found myself in the middle of nowhere. Lis picked me up though and showed me the way to a nearby hotel. Thank you very much.

In Kuta (Bali) I saw twenty times as many tourists as in Java. Had some interesting conversations with Aussies there, which go something like this: <four people simultaneously> "Yeah and yesterday I was so fucking... drunk... I was totally kinda like... yeah... drunk! Haha and then this stupid Indo whore came to me just kinda like eh... hahaha." <to the friendly waitress> "Five fucking beers!!!" I went to the Bali Bomb Memorial in the center of town and it gave me shivers.

Ever wondered how a professional cyclist must feel when climbing Alpe d'Huez? Rent a bicycle in Bali. In Ubud we went up Mount Kawi (excellent views) and were cheered by streets full of enthusiastic kids, clapping their hands and shouting "Hello Mister" right into our ears. Two days later, in Candidasa, I did the same but decided to actually stop for everyone who wanted to have a chat. Streets gathered, children wanted to feel my skin, people invited me into their homes, amazing stuff.

30 days of Indonesia are definitely not enough. But tomorrow I'll fly back to Kuala Lumpur (the place I consider home). Not quite sure what to do next, tossing a coin (or dice) between Malaysian Borneo, Laos, Myanmar (via Thailand) or Cambodia - probably the latter. We'll see where the wind blows!