Indonesia

January 15, 2024 – After 4 months of an unexpected but beautiful, wild ride in Indonesia

When I left for Indonesia, I had no idea that it would turn out the way it did. But I think that’s a big part of the beauty of life, travel, and adventure.

When I left home 4 months ago, I thought I’d travel Asia for 4 months, after already having done 7 months in Latin America, and be finally ready to go home, get a job, and settle down a bit. I had unexpectedly met a boy during my brief 2 month stint at home between travels, and I was completely sure about him and coming home and giving it a real go. That, and I felt like I was finally ready for a more stable life and income again.

Well, fast forward 4 months later, and it turns out pretty much just the opposite of all of that happened.

Instead of finishing a little tour of Southeast Asia, I ended up spending an entire 4 months in just Indonesia. Instead of returning back home to the boy that I had felt absolutely sure about giving it a go with before, I unexpectedly met another wonderful boy that I spent 3 months having the most amazing travel adventure with in Indonesia. Instead of going back home to a place that I loved with my roommate that I loved, my roommate decided to also leave his job and start traveling, and so we gave up our lease, put our things into storage, and now no longer have a place to call home. And without a home to go back to, or a boy that made me feel, for the first time, ready to settle down, I decided to just keep going and figure this thing out abroad, for now.

It’s funny how life works out. Especially the life of a wanderer, an adventurer, a traveler, which I’ve always been at heart. As much as you want to plan how things will work out, you just never know where life will take you. You never know who you’ll meet, what adventure you’ll find, what serendipitous opportunities you’ll run into.

These months in Indonesia traveling with Max, the guy that I met, were absolutely beautiful. In many ways they were a dream, and a time I will never forget. It’s been a long-time dream of mine to have a travel and adventure buddy like this. Someone I get along with so well that life just feels easy together. When you’re always naturally on the same page and and every decision feels easy. Someone who shares the same idea of how to see and experience travel and life. And Max was all of these things. We both loved off-the-beaten path experiences, finding local culture, and adventures where we had no idea what we’d find. We got along perfectly day-to-day while also sharing having shared values on life. The little things and the big things we were always aligned on. And, we could enjoy every type of moment together. The funny moments, the serious moments, the quiet moments. It felt simply like a perfect partner for that time.

While I already know how much a winding, wandering road can lead you anywhere, these 4 months in Indonesia taught me this even so much more so. It taught me about how many unexpected twists and turns life can bring you, and to become even better and more graceful at taking it all in stride. Though this time may have thrown my life for a loop, I feel so, so, so incredibly grateful for all of it.

August 20, 2024 – After 1 month of honestly struggling to find my people and my place in Indonesia

After 7 months traveling and living in Latin America, I went back home to San Diego to take a break for a couple of months. I hadn’t initially planned for this to be a break - I thought that I would actually end my travels then and go back home, find a job, and settle back down. But while I was in Latin America, people inspired me to finally go see Southeast Asia. And so, I decided that instead of going back home and settling down, I’d go back home to take a much needed break for a bit, and then completely turn the page to Southeast Asia.

I’d honestly never really been interested in seeing Asia before in my life. I know it’s ironic because I am Asian, but I think that’s actually the exact reason for my disinterest. I like to travel to see completely different cultures and learn about different ways of life, and so Asia just never really stuck out to me as something I needed to see more of in my life. It was already my life!

But after having spent these 7 months in Latin America, and even though it’s my favorite part of the world, I finally felt like I wanted to experience something completely different. And that was Asia.

And so I started with Indonesia, simply because of the dry season. Honestly, going into Indonesia though, I was already not super stoked. I know it’s somewhere so many people are thrilled to see, but from what I’d heard about it, it just felt like a place that wasn’t super my travel style. I knew it would be a place that’s more like an adventure country - somewhere where you go and see and do a lot. Whereas my style is to travel slow - to stay in places longer, get to know locals, build my own little communities and routines, and really just to soak it all in and be present.

And so I write this 7 weeks into my Indonesia trip, sitting at Loka Cafe in Kuta, Lombok, and I can say that my Indonesia experience has been more or less exactly what I expected going into it. At least, up until I found Kuta, Lombok, my current home that I’ve been loving a lot.

Up until now, it’s felt like a constant stream of moving from one place to another, experiencing one thing and then the next, doing this and doing that. There had been places and days of chill, but it seemed like Indonesia was just a place where one does a lot. You can also feel it through the people you meet. In Latin America, I had met so many like-minded people. But here, it felt like for the most part, I wasn’t resonating with most people I met. Most people were really young and and first-time backpackers, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean anything about them, it did just so happen that most of them didn’t seem the most mature, the most thought through about life. It felt like everyone was only just talking about what they were doing and where they were going, and it was few and far between that I got actually have more interesting conversations with people that had some interesting opinions about life, or people that liked to move slow, soak things in, and look for more off-the-beaten path and local experiences like myself.

Despite there being moments where I questioned what I was doing there and if I was in the right place or not, there were also so, so many moments, I felt just pure gratitude and contentness just for being exactly here, exactly where I am. Being able to be here, on this trip, traveling so long, having the rare opportunity to taste so much freedom. It was a super, super special thing that I was doing, and it was a good reminder to myself to think through that lens, whenever I felt like I was in a situation where it maybe felt less than ideal.

<3

Yogyakarta, Java

August 4 - 10, 2024

The city I unexpectedly loved and found home in

I flew into Jakarta since the cheapest flight in was to there, and was grateful my friend gave me the advice that I’d want to gtfo out of there immediately. He was right. Jakarta is a huge city, extremely populated with scooters and cars on the road. And just walking onto the road felt very unpleasant with the noise of hundreds of scooters around you and nobody else just walking around. I stayed one night and took a 6 hour train to Yogyakarta the next day.

I arrived in Yogyakarta having heard great things about it - that it was people’s favorite city of Java, rich with local culture, art, and music, but still melded with some western influences, like restaurants, cafes, and bars. And exactly this it was. I arrived having originally booked 2 nights, and ended up extending to 1 week. I really, really liked Yogyakarta.

There were things to do, like seeing the absolutely beautiful temples of Prambanan and Borobudur, but I also found it a really nice place just to walk around and chill, and soak in the local culture. I especially liked that it was a blend of local Indonesian culture with western travelers. Bars were filled with drinking, dancing, and talking together, and live music at the bars played both western covers and Indonesian music.

Streets of Yogyakarta were filled with street art, and if you sat at any given bar at night, you’d hear live music coming from at least 1 (oftentimes 2 or 3) places at the same time. Prawirotaman street was my favorite, day and night. There were cafes and restaurants by day, and restaurants and bars filled with live music by night. Just strolling around it painted a lovely and lively scene.

I stayed at Losmanos hostel, and perhaps this experience is what also made a big part of my experience in Yogyakarta. I think people play a big part of the experience, and especially if you meet very cool locals abroad. This hostel was owned by two local brothers, Aldy and Aldo. Two really cool guys whose vibes I think made a big part of my experience. They took the hostel out to the bars or restaurants almost every night, and it was such a nice way to experience local recommended restaurants and the types of places they’d go to for a night out. And, just so nice to hang out with cool locals as if you guys were just regular old friends.

Perhaps one of my favorite nights and times in Yogyakarta was when I’d been there already 5 or 6 days, and I went out to dinner with the two brothers and one other guest who had been staying there on and off for 6 months. It really felt like dinner with a nice and small group of friends with a very chill and good vibe. Another one of my favorite times, was going to a local art exhibition & party, since one of the hostel owners was a local artist. It was such a cool experience being able to be somewhere so local - our group from the hostel were the only non-local people - and also to experience something like the street art scene in Indonesia. Was an amazing meld of things to be able to experience.

Yogyakarta is also where I met Marion, who also helped this place feel like a home. We were bunkmates and discovered we had the same travel style when it was the both of us everyday going up to reception and extending our stay, because we liked to travel slow and hadn’t felt ready to leave yet. While we didn’t hang out a ton throughout the week, our vibe was great and seeing her around the hostel everyday and sometimes for a night out, made the whole place feel that much more homey. We’d eventually meet back again in Kuta, Lombok, 1 month later :).

Malang, Java

August 11 - 14, 2024

An outdoor adventure base, but too touristy of one

Malang was an interesting experience. Normally I really don’t like going on tours and having the typical touristy experiences alongside hundreds of other tourists, but Malang was a place for this. It was the kind of place everyone goes to visit the same mountains and waterfalls. Though, with some proper warnings and with the people I met, we were able to make our own experience that ended up 1000% times better than what people typically do.

In Malang, people typically do the Tumpak Sewu waterfall (either the biggest waterfall in Java, or in all of Indonesia, I forget), Mt. Bromo, and Mt. Ijen. Ijen was closed when I was there so it eliminated that option, and I was lowkey grateful for this. I had debated doing the waterfall as I’ve seen dozens, or even hundreds, of waterfalls in my life and I don’t find them to be the most awe-inspiring scenery. Still, a friend said it was really incredible and worth doing, and so I did it.

While the waterfall itself is actually magnificent, huge, and stunning, the experience of being alongside hundreds of other people around it took away most of its magic. In the end, I thought it was for sure not worth the money (600K IDR / $40), and not sure if it was worth even seeing at all. But, one good thing that came out of it was the group of people that I had met doing it.

One girl had done the sunrise Mt. Bromo tour that everyone does and had warned us that she didn’t really enjoy it and wouldn’t recommend it. She was the first person I had met that said this, all others having said that it was incredible. And having learned about her travel preferences being similar to mine and hearing what she did and didn’t like about it, I agreed that it sounded like something not for me either. It was a 12am wake-up, 3 hour drive offroad in a Jeep (so you couldn’t really nap again in the car), and then you arrived at the sunrise spot at 5am alongside hundreds of other Jeeps, and in order to get a spot to view the sunrise, you had to wait outside in the freezing cold for 2 hours. Then at 5am came sunrise and sure it was beautiful, but having hundreds of other people squeezed right alongside you all taking the same photo, took away the natural beauty and peace of it. And when it came time to descend the mountain, they sat in 2 hours of traffic with hundreds of Jeeps trying to make the same descent. While Bromo supposedly had an iconic view and was a “must-do” of Java, I had decided that all of that made it net not worth it and that I wasn’t going to do it unless I could find a way to do it less touristy.

Enter the group that I had met during the waterfall tour. We asked around if a sunset tour was possible because everyone only did sunrise. The tour companies said it was possible but that it would need to be a private group, that there was no public option. And all 5 of us from the waterfall group decided we were down to do this. So the next day, we had our own private sunset tour of Bromo, and I must say, it was absolutely magnificent. Maybe one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen in my whole trip so far.

Our trip was perfect. We stopped along the way at another waterfall and also to climb into the crater of the volcano nearby. At all of these stops, there was maybe only 5 other people with us, instead of literally a thousand. And we could take however long our little group wanted at each stop, truly feeling like a make our own adventure day. When it came time to ascend to the Bromo sunset point, there were also only 5 other people alongside us. We were warned that sunsets at Bromo can be tricky because it can oftentimes be cloudy in the afternoons, but we were rewarded with absolutely perfect weather and clear skies, and an amazing and peaceful sunset view of Bromo with just our little group.

Two people in this group were 21 year old Danish boys, and despite our age difference, they have actually been some of my favorite people I’ve met on this trip, with a vibe very similar to mine. It was only these 2 boys that got it when I was slightly annoyed about how touristy of an experience the waterfall was and that I wasn’t a huge fan of traveling and seeing things that way. We’d later again meet up at Nusa Lembongan and when I didn’t have enough cash on me, they covered a meal for me to which I said I’d repay them when we met up for a beer sometime in Copenhagen. So nice to meet new friends you would be excited to meet up with again if you’re in their city!

Malang itself was a much bigger city than I expected. For some reason I went into it thinking it was a small town, but it ended up being a decently bustling city, but still with a cute town center, that felt even bigger than Yogyakarta. It wasn’t a place I would like to stay too long, but it was a very decent city to experience for just a few days.

Uluwatu, Bali

August 14 - 19, 2024

Hipster, white surf town of Bali that I didn’t really like, but a place where I met special people and had a special time in

Uluwatu were some pretty great and special times in Indonesia. They were days when I had a small friend group with a great vibe, when I experienced blissful surf with friends, when I had a nice little travel romance that doubled as a nice friendship, and when I ran into a childhood friend that I hadn’t seen in over 10 years who then perfectly joined into our little friend group.

The first couple days in Uluwatu I honestly wasn’t so sure if Bali and Uluwatu were the place for me or not. In the end, the answer was not, but still, I had a really nice last few days. During the first few days, I struggled to meet people I really connected with. It felt like everyone I met was young and a first-time traveler. More of the vacationer type, rather than the traveler type. Conversations were all about their travel plans – what they had seen and what they will do – the typical conversation you have with everyone that you meet, and nothing particularly interesting to me.

But after a few days there, I finally met the first people that I really got along with. One of them was my hostel roommate, a Portuguese guy named Fabio. And the other was Maggie, also an Asian-American girl, from Hawaii. I met Fabio in my dorm room and we got to talking about surfing and clicked immediately. And Maggie we met during our first night out. We spent 3-4 days together in Uluwatu after we all met, and it was really nice little friend group for the time.

The first night we went out, Fabio tried to make a move on me in a reggaeton club. I dodged his kiss saying that I liked him a lot as a person and intended to be friends with him during the time there, and that I didn’t want to make things weird. But over the next couple days, the connection would be really nice and the vibe really good, that I decided to give in and just embrace the time together and enjoy it for what it was. I still remember him saying to me that first night: “You’re really cool. You’re a really, really cool girl.” I liked that he recognized my vibe like that, and I felt equally back. We had a good vibe together. What was really nice about this travel romance was that we were able to have a thing together but also be good friends who enjoyed just talking, surfing, and enjoying normal company together. It didn’t have to only be romantic, it could also be like good friends.

And with Maggie, I appreciated our deep talks about life and our ability to just chill and exist around each other. She was also Asian American and I think there is maybe just something inherently shared and understood about that experience, that made us able to relate automatically and be easy with each other. With both Maggie and Fabio, I felt like we could all be easy around each other and just exist together easily. It was a really nice and relaxed vibe, but also with fun nights out and shared surf experiences.

Another crazy thing that happened in Uluwatu was running into a childhood friend that I hadn’t seen since I was 13! I was trying to rent a surfboard from a little shack at the beach when suddenly someone recognized me. It was such a crazy coincidence to run into someone like this - someone I hadn’t seen in so long at such a random place - that I really couldn’t believe it. After then, Omer, my childhood friend, would join our friend group for the time in Uluwatu and it was such a nice and crazy experience to be partying and surfing alongside someone that I hadn’t seen in so long, just like nothing had happened at all. It was also so nice to catch up with someone after all this time and see that you were still on the same page about life despite there being this huge gap in time. I think there’s something about people that grew up together, that you will always share a likeness simply from having spent your formative years in such a similar environment.

Those days of Uluwatu were special to me mainly because of the relationships with these friends, but also in how rare it was for me to share these special moments of surf with people. The four of us paddling out together at Dreamland Beach was one of my favorite moments of Uluwatu. I remember sitting on my board looking out and just thinking about grateful and blissful I felt in that moment. Being surrounded by good friends and good people all just purely enjoying the surf and the sunshine together. I don’t have many friends that surf back home, so to me, this moment of being able to paddle out with friends and share the experience together, was rare and very special. And also, just the fact that I was surfing with a childhood friend completely randomly 15 years later when we didn’t grow up in a surf town!

On our last night together, me, Maggie, and Fabio enjoyed a nice Italian dinner together, where Maggie said “now this is the *real* family dinner” (alluding to the fact that the hostel had family dinners together every night). It was such a nice feeling. Such a nice and cozy vibe with the three of us, and also one of my favorite memories of Uluwatu. After 3 full days of partying, surfing, and just hanging out together, it was a really nice way to close the time out. That night, we all splurged as a special treat for our last dinner. We shared appetizers and got fancy cocktails, and Fabio treated us all to a nice bottle of wine to share.

Afterwards, we had our last night out together at Single Fin. It was all 4 of us with Omer, and it was a packed party. It was a great time that night and I felt such gratitude for this little group of 4 that formed. That last night together before falling asleep, Fabio said to me “I’m really glad I met you.” It made me smile :).

It was a bittersweet goodbye with Maggie and Fabio. Maggie had called us “mom and dad” throughout our time together because she was quite a bit younger than us, and it was very fitting and cute. When we were sitting on the couch together waiting for my Grab to leave town, she came and hugged us both and said “Last group hug! I’m saying goodbye to mom and dad!” The three of us really had a nice and easy vibe together. We were all very chill on our own and with each other, all with a similar vibe. The time with Fabio was also really nice. It was nice to have spent time with him as a friend in that group, and also someone I had a romantic thing with. Someone I could laugh and have fun and talk about anything with, but also someone I wanted to kiss and hug at the end of the day.

And with that, we all said and waved goodbye. Until next time in Portugal or the US we said!

Kuta, Lombok

August 29 - September 7 || September 11 - 23 || September 29 - Oct 2, 2024

One of my favorite places of Indonesia - a chill surf town where I finally found my people and made home in for a month

I really, really liked Kuta, Lombok. I arrived after 1 month of pure travel and felt honestly exhausted. I normally don’t like to move from place to place so much, but I accepted the fact that Indonesia was going to be more of a typical backpacker experience and embraced it for that time. Nevertheless, after 1 month on the move, I was very ready to take a break and find a place I could stay in for a while. Friends had told me that Kuta would be the place, and I arriving really hoping that they’d be right. And as it turns out, they were. I arrived planning to stay 1-2 weeks and then seeing how I felt, and in the end, I liked it so much that I stayed for 1 month and even came back to visit a couple times.

What made Kuta so nice was the vibe of the town itself, the lovely hostel I stayed at that felt like home, and the wonderful group of friends I made there. Kuta is a small town that somewhat revolves around a chill surf vibe. I like that there’s a couple central streets with warungs, shops, restaurants, and bars. Basically a little mini downtown area where life takes a place. I’m always a sucker for those.

I also liked that there was a mix of local warungs and Western restaurants, and that in the people themselves, there was at least some mix of locals and travelers, whereas compared to Bali it felt like all Westerners. The vibe of the travelers here were also much more my vibe. A very chill vibe, where people were social and went out, but also just surfed or went to cafes and kicked back for the day. It felt much more relaxed and easy, which I really appreciated.

I stayed at Botchan Hostel, a place that I loved and that really felt like home. The vibe, the people, the place itself, the banana pancakes for breakfast – they all made for a perfect little home base. My first week there was really wonderful and one of my favorite times in Indonesia thus far. I met a really great group of friends that week and it felt like coming home each time I returned to the hostel. Whenever I came back, there was always someone around to chat with and figure out evening plans with. The friend group that week was me, Chris, Max, Valentine, Luke, and Frederique, a nice group that came together at the hostel. Crazy enough, Chris was actually a friend I had met on my first day of this entire year of travels, all the way back in El Salvador in November 2023! He happened to be in Indonesia at the same time and came out to Kuta to meet me! Was seriously such a nice treat to see a friend from traveling, and a whole year later on the other side of the world.

Meeting Max and Valentine also stood out to me. We were chatting in the pool one day and I remember just getting along with their vibe right away. Both seemed like very chill people with a sarcastic and witty sense of humor similar to mine, and travel styles also very similar to mine. Usually the similar travel style alone, means I will almost always get along with someone. And, another thing that stood out was how I could be comfortably quiet around them. Usually when you meet people they are always talking and wanting to fill the silence with conversation. While I appreciate this to some extent, I even more appreciate when I find people I can feel easy around in silence. A rarity.

The week was so nice. We sometimes split up for the day - sometimes some of us went surfing on our own while others took surf lessons. But at some point throughout the day, we always managed to find each other back at the hostel and hang out altogether as a group for the night. I was having lunch with Chris one day and I remember telling him that I was really just trying to be present. Trying to enjoy it and soak it all in that week because I knew how special it was and that it was going to end soon. How special it was to find such a good group of people that all got along so well and had such a nice vibe together.

Another most important part of that first week in Kuta was meeting Max. A boy I’d end up having a really special thing with and traveling together with for 4 months. But the inception story was in Kuta.

That first week, we’d had a nice vibe together in the friend group and had been sharing scooter rides and perhaps subconsciously growing closer to one another that way, but there hadn’t been an overt vibe between us until one night. Finally one night after a night out at Surfer’s Bar, one of the bars in town that everyone goes out to, chemistry became obvious and we officially got together. I remember that it felt really, really nice to be with him that night, just cuddling and enjoying the moment together on the yoga deck outside at Botchan. We snuggled and hung out there for hours together, and eventually returned to our own dorm rooms for the night. I remember how nice it felt, almost like a little date, that ended softly and innocently back into our own rooms. Something different from the typical hookups that I’d experienced while traveling.

Later that week, the rest of our friends left one by one. First Valentine, then Chris, then Luke, then me and Max, and Frederique stayed past us. It was a bittersweet goodbye to each one, as each friend was really a nice part of that week. And while the week was so nice between both the friend group and having a little thing going on with Max, Max and I were very excited to finally have some time just to ourselves once everybody left. One thing that was really nice about us was that we had similar travel styles and plans: both open-ended with no particular time limit and no particular plan. Usually in travel flings, someone is on a timeline. Someone is going from one place to the next and is leaving soon, but this time it was neither of us.

And so after everyone left, we took a little trip to Tetebatu, a nature-y jungle area 1.5 hours away in Central Lombok, and really had the most magical time there.

I loved Kuta so much that I even wrote a whole travel guide here. I hope it helps in planning your adventure there :).

Tetebatu, Lombok

September 7 - 11, 2024

Jungle oasis of Lombok where I started living my dream of having the travel and adventure partner I’d always dreamed of

Tetebatu was a dream. I’m not sure what your dreams are, but I’ve long dreamt of having a travel and adventure buddy that wants to see and experience the world the same way as I do, that I get along effortlessly with. And I feel like I experienced this with Max in Tetebatu for the first time.

Things started off wonderfully with our accommodation in Tetebatu. We both were in the mood for some peaceful time in nature and booked a bungalow for 2 nights. It ended up being a perfectly amazing and spectacular bungalow in nature, that we completely loved. It was called Selatan Rinjani. There were only 2 bungalows there, and you had to walk down a steep path through the jungle for 5 minutes to reach it, and when we were there, there was nobody else there and it felt like we were completely secluded in nature all by ourselves. It was perfect.

The owner Danny was also a very nice guy. I felt like his welcoming and chill vibe, coupled with the outdoorsy feeling of the whole space, created a really nice atmosphere there that we both enjoyed very much. What started out as a 2 night stay ended up being extended to 4 nights. But the last night we unfortunately had to move to another bungalow, as Danny’s place was full.

Our first day, we went for a walking tour through rice fields with a local guide who lived right next door and was super kind. While we’re normally both not huge fans of tours and prefer to explore on our own, we wanted to actually learn something about the rice fields and so we thought that going with a local guide this time would be a good way to go. And so we strolled around these rice fields for a couple hours just enjoying the scenery and chatting with the guide, and what a nice walk it was! I hadn’t been in such peaceful and quiet nature yet in Indonesia, and this, as well as getting to know the local guide, was such a nice experience.

It was also the first time that Max and I had to figure out and make decisions about things together - this walking tour thing - and I remember just how easy and effortless it was. That everything I was thinking, he was also thinking, and how naturally we were on the same page as each other. It was a rare and nice feeling, being so much on the same wavelength as someone and just being able to move about life easily.

Tetebatu also housed one of my favorite memories of Indonesia – dirtbiking with the locals. Max used to ride motocross and after passing a sign one day that advertised dirtbiking, we decided to stop by the next day and see what we could find out. We spoke with the owner who said that if we wanted to go that afternoon, he could call up his friends to get a group together and we could go for a ride through the jungle. We both looked at each other and just smiled and nodded in agreement. Both super down for this adventure. Me because I was a huge adventure sports fan and just loved the idea of the experience (I wasn’t going to drive though, just ride passenger). And Max of course because he would get to find an adventure and also actually drive through the jungle himself!

We turned up at the bike shop that afternoon with not much of an idea of what to expect, but it turned out to be a huge showing with over 20 people joining. Still then, we had no idea what to expect for the ride itself. Andy, the owner, pointed to me who I’d be riding up with and then told Max to follow him on a different route. I took off with my ride along with a few other dirtbikers and we rode through the jungle for about 20 minutes before arriving at the top of a hill. Finally then, I realized what was happening. The other half of the gang that went with Andy, would arrive at the bottom of the hill and would just run laps attempting to do the hill climb for the next hour!

The dozen or so of us up top made ourselves comfortable and watched for then next hour as the boys attempted the hill climb over and over and over. I remember sitting back and just looking out all around me thinking I feel so content and happy right now. Adventure sports and its crowd really makes me feel happy and at home, and I just found myself beaming at how ecstatic I was to be there in that crowd, in that moment.

I watched the hill climb eagerly. People failed most times, but every so often, there was a successful attempt and big cheer from us in the crowd. Max’s first few attempts I felt nervous for him. It looked like a daunting hill and these locals who do this everyday, still failed most the time. I just hoped he’d be okay and wouldn’t end up in the clinic! But after watching the others for a long time, checking out the hill from the top vantage point, and a few failed attempts, he finally successfully made it all the way! Hooray!!

That whole afternoon, really was just such a vibe that I really enjoy. And I thought it was so cool that we got to enjoy that together, and that we both found equal enjoyment in that type of environment. I really was thrilled to be sharing in and enjoying this adventure with someone who felt equally ecstatic about it.

Another big thing in Tetebatu was getting over my huge fear of riding a scooter. I had ridden one for the first time a couple years ago in Mexico and fell off and broke my arm. Since then, I’d been terrified of getting back on a scooter and had avoided one for my whole first two months in Indonesia. But finally in Tetebatu, with enough encouragement to myself and support from Max, I decided to take my first dirtbiking lesson. It was honestly such a big moment for me and conquering such a huge fear. But I figured it was as good an opportunity as I would ever have to learn to ride a dirtbike. We were already in the perfect setting, we knew the people, and the price was good. And so after wrestling with the decision all day between my interest and my fear, I finally decided fuck it, I don’t necessarily want to do it, but I’m going to do it. And so I did it. I took the first lesson on a dirtbike! The first 20 minutes I was wrecked with terror but by the end of the lesson, you wouldn’t believe that I was having a blast with a smile on my face and just casually biking in circles! It ended up being such a fun experience and I was so happy that I was able to get over the fear and just do it, and actually find something I really enjoyed out of it. The next morning, I was already thinking about when I could do it again, haha.

Finally though after 4 nights in Tetebatu, we felt finally ready to leave. And so we went back to Kuta where we’d stay together for the next 5 days, and then he’d leave and I’d stay by myself for another 5 days. Tetebatu really though, was like a dream and one of my favorite times in Indonesia. To have experienced a travel romance like that with someone that I traveled with so well and got along with so effortlessly, was really a dream come true of mine.

Kediri Village, West Lombok

September 23 - October 5, 2024

Beautiful experience teaching English in a rural village of West Lombok

I normally like to combine travel with opportunities where I can slow down, really live in a place, and get to know the local culture. Earlier in my travels this year, I did just that in Guatemala. I ended up working in hostels for 3 months, making local friends, embedding in local culture, and feeling more like I had lived there rather than traveled there. It was such a rich experience that I loved so much, and I wanted to try and make it happen again here in Indonesia - to be able to make home again somewhere and get to know the local culture.

So many people had recommended Lombok to me, so that’s where I began my search. I started off by looking for hostel volunteer opportunities in Kuta, where I had planned to stay a while, but couldn’t find any. Later, I found out that Indonesia is quite strict with volunteering and only employs local workers rather than allowing foreign volunteers (good for the local economy!). And so instead, I found an English teaching volunteering opportunity in a small local village in West Lombok through the organization, Lovin Lombok. I’d read so many positive things about how it was the highlight of people’s trips to Indonesia, giving them the opportunity to truly embed in and understand local life, which is exactly what I wanted. While teaching English isn’t a particular passion of mine, getting to live like a local and really see how life works, is! And so it sounded like a perfect opportunity for me.

When I first started volunteering, I had planned to start with a week and then see if I’d want to stay longer or not. It turned out, that I immediately loved it and decided I wanted to stay for a second week right away! There were 4 of us volunteers and we all lived together at this nice little homestay with a local family. It was such a nice authentic experience getting to live with locals and immerse in village life. From spending our days sitting on a bamboo hut (it was our only place to sit in the house), to eating on the ground with hands, to having only a squat toilet, it was truly a local experience. Within the village, we were also the only foreigners. Whenever people saw us out, they always had a confused look on their face, like they were wondering what we were doing there. It was such a unique experience to be in such a local place where no other tourists really travel to.

We got to see what true Indonesia life looks like. Indonesians are poor. Like really, really poor. Villages are made up of what looks just like shacks everywhere. There’s trash all over the streets, with even little kids not being taught any better. Boys are smoking cigarettes at age 10. Everyone is sitting and eating on the floor. Everything is on “Indonesia time” - meaning 30-60 minutes late, if it happens at all. Muslim culture is spread strongly through all aspects of life. Girls only have girl friends, boys only have boy friends, and women in general are much less respected than men. They are still considered in part, property, there. We had to wear long pants and long sleeves whenever we were outside despite it being 90 degrees out. It was fascinating to see how a village in a third world country lives. That while impoverished, things still work in their own ways, and their communities are flooded with gratitude, love, joy, and compassion.

In terms of work, our volunteering duties included teaching English and working on various other projects for the organization. We taught English to kids throughout several local villages for about 1.5 hours a day, 3-4 days a week. The English classes all took place just on the ground in front of someone’s house in the village, because there wasn’t enough money to build real classrooms yet. But despite classes just taking place on the ground, the kids were always so excited to see and learn from us every week, like they truly appreciated that we were there just to teach them. It was really beautiful to get to see. And the love from locals was also felt - from offering their houses, to helping each other and us out all the time.

Aside from teaching English, we were all also working on side projects that we were really excited about. I was “interviewing” the organization founder to learn in-depth about their history and mission, and putting it into words for them for their future website so that they could inspire others. It was really a beautiful founding story and mission (read more below!), that I loved hearing about it myself and was so grateful to be able to help share it. Another volunteer was helping to design a new classroom that they were currently working on building, and another was putting together a fundraising campaign so that they could raise money to build said new classroom, as well improve upon existing class settings. It was really cool to see the work that we were doing was truly benefiting such a great organization.

I feel so grateful for this opportunity to have gotten to know what “true” Indonesia feels like, and to have been a part of this organization that I believe is really doing such a beautiful thing. The whole thing was truly such a beautiful and humbling experience. We can learn so much about others’ ways of life and seeing how other cultures live. I always encourage people when they’re traveling, to really try and embed in local culture, as I think that’s the best thing we can do for ourselves - to learn about and build an understanding of others, ultimately to expand upon our own world view.

Rinjani, Lombok

October 7 - 9, 2024

An amazing but absolutely grueling 3 day, 2 night trek up Mt. Rinjani in Lombok

Hiking Rinjani was no joke. I had many people tell me, even very fit people, that was the hardest hike they’d ever done in their life. That it really pushes you to your limits. Though I used to be an avid hiker, taking myself for 10+ mile challenging day hikes regularly, I wasn’t really in the mood for such a killer hike, and so I decided I wasn’t going to do it during my time in Lombok. But somehow in just my last few days there, I changed my mind. I decided fuck it, I’m going to see for myself what this hike is all about.

I signed up to join a group through a company my friend recommended, Ali Topan Tours. He said it was the cheapest company he found, and that everything went perfectly well. And so a few days before I had a flight out of Lombok, off to Rinjani I went!

At the start of Day 1 of the hike, they had split everyone up into two different groups. I was put into a group with a bunch of people I hadn’t met yet, who had been staying at a different accommodation the night before, and who I honestly didn’t get a good vibe from in the 10 minutes that I met them on the ride up to the trailhead. It was all couples… plus me me. And the types of couples who were all really into each other, instead of having a cool friend vibe. Once we arrived at the trailhead, I immediately asked if I could switch groups, to the one with the others I had already met the night before and got a good vibe from. After some resistance from the guides because they would have to transfer some gear and food over, they finally said yes. I was so relieved. Spending 3 days, 2 nights on an already tough trek with a group you didn’t vibe with, would really change the experience, and so I was so grateful to join this other group of all single friends around my age, that all had a similar good vibe. Later on, it also turned out that our whole group was super fit and way faster than the other group, so I was even extra grateful to have been able to switch!

And so we set off on the hike! The typical route goes that you hike up to the first peak where the first basecamp is, and you stay there for the night. Then on Day 2, you hike down to the lake and back up to the second peak, where the second basecamp is, and stay there for the night. Then on Day 3, you wake up at 2am, summit, and then hike all the way back down the mountain. Our group was so fast though, that by our lunch break on Day 1, our guide already said that we are going to continue all the way past the first basecamp down to the lake, and that we will make camp there our first night.

It ended up being the best decision ever because that night camping at the lake, ended up being everyone’s favorite part of the whole hike. The lake was absolutely stunning and peaceful. There was no one else around, except for a few locals who had setup camp to fish. And having it to ourselves, compared to being at basecamp where there’s hundreds of other people around, was such a serene experience. We went swimming in the lake, soaked in some hot springs, and some of the boys even went fishing with our guide! They came back all giddy, having successfully caught fish that we’d then eat the next day!

On Day 2, our initial plan was to hike up to the second peak where the second basecamp is, rest, and then summit for sunset that day (instead of sunrise the next morning). The plan sounded great to me. There would be no one else doing it at sunset, versus hoards of people doing it at sunrise, and we wouldn’t have to wake up at 2am for the sunrise summit! Unfortunately, it got cloudy in the afternoon and our guide said it wouldn’t be worth it to summit then, that we wouldn’t be able to see anything. So instead, we spent the afternoon chilling, playing cards, and taking naps, mentally preparing for our sunrise summit the next morning.

Day 3, Summit Day. Our alarms went off at 2am and after a quick breakfast and layering up, we were off to the races at 2:30am. Not going to lie, the summit was absolutely brutal. It was total of a 4 hour climb. The first 2 hours were actually okay for me. People would ask how I was doing, and when I replied “good!”, they laughed and said they were jealous, that they were not good. The next hour though, is when the true brutal-ness kicked in. We had now made it up to the ridge, where we make our gradual ascent along towards the final summit. Though the incline wasn’t as steep along the ridge, the temperatures were absolutely frigid and winds extremely high. I really cannot stress enough how absolutely cold and uncomfortable it was up there! Many times I even had to stop walking because I felt like I was going to get blown off the ridge. And even the guides had recommended not summiting, due to dangerously high winds. Of course everyone still did it. Many guides and people stopped along the way, hovering behind the occasional rock to shelter from the wind. Some people even called it a day here and turned around.

Finally, once we made it past this incredibly cold and windy ridge section, it was time for the final summit. It was one hour of climbing up very steep, pure volcanic sand, where with every step you took, it felt like two steps forward, one step back. This last hour is where I started seriously questioning what the hell I was doing there. Most people do Rinjani so they can feel that sense of accomplishment afterwards, and say that they did it. I couldn’t care less about saying that I did it and instead usually take on hard hikes for the reward at the top. But the reward at the top of Rinjani wasn’t so great, as people said views at basecamp were even better than at the top. And so what was I doing there? I had this thought running through my head the whole time, many times contemplating if I should just turn back. But as I kept thinking about it while putting one foot in front of the other, I eventually decided just fuck it. I’m getting closer and closer, I may as well just do it. I didn’t know if I really wanted to or not, but I was just going to. And so many one steps after another, I finally made it! To the frickin summit of Mt. Rinjani! It was 4 hours later and 6:30am :).

How did I feel about it after? Honestly kind of conflicted. Many people felt this huge sense of accomplishment that they achieved their goal of making it to the summit. But my goal, was simply just to enjoy the hike and see for myself what the ruckus was all about. And so I guess I felt happy that I did get to see it for myself. But I also felt so much struggle that I also thought was somewhat unnecessary. And so overall, it kind of netted out to feeling nothing about it. Just blah. But in the end, once we made it back down the mountain, I felt really, really happy that I did it. That I accomplished such a tough hike, and that overall, while tough, it was truly such a beautiful, amazing experience. I used to be an avid hiker, taking myself on ass-kicking hikes all the time, and this was a really good reminder of what that felt like. During the hike, people in my group had asked me if I work out a lot, that how was I able to run up the mountain so fast? I said honestly I don’t know! I used to be a big hiker and run (not literally run, but hike fast) up tough mountains a lot, and that somehow the muscle memory came back and it was a kind of pain that I was familiar with.

After a breakfast back at basecamp at 8:30am, it was time to make our final descent down the entire mountain. It was a long ways to go, where we made our way back to the bottom around 2:00pm. By the time we finished, we had hiked around 12 hours that day! We drove back to our accommodation in complete, utter exhaustion, but also with such a proud feeling of accomplishment from it all.

In the end, I’m really happy about this whole Rinjani experience and really glad that I did it. It was an absolutely stunning trek, something really hard that I did, and maybe best of all, such a good reminder of the life I used to live and love I used to have for this.

Selayar, Sulawesi

October 18 - 26, 2024

A dream of discovering untouched, off-the-beaten-path paradise with a wonderful boy I had met and started traveling with

Selayar was a bit of a dream. We found an adventure and an unexpected paradise all in one. And the fact that we found paradise, inadvertently, in a place that nobody travels to, was all of my favorite things in one. It was such lovely time spent with a boy I met in Lombok and had started traveling with, somebody whose company I enjoyed perfectly and whom I liked very much. You could say that some people could’ve had this for their honeymoon.

In many moments I found myself looking around just trying to soak it all in, because I knew that we might not find this again. And it turned out that we wouldn’t, that Selayar would be our favorite memory of our entire 2 months in Sulawesi.

When we first arrived, we spent our first few days in Benteng, the main town on the west coast of the island. We thought it’d be a good idea to stay in civilization while we get situated, and that it’d be a good base to start exploring from. It turns out we were right!

On our first day, we rented a scooter and just went exploring all around the island. It was so nice being with someone that had the same sense of adventure and same way they like to explore. Someone who is able to just set out and see what we find, without having much need for a plan. And so that day, we did just that. We set off with a few recommendations from a local and then planned to just stop along the way at whatever else we found. We visited some nice beaches, went off-roading several times looking for places that looked like they existed on Google Maps but didn’t, drove through local villages, ate at a nice spot along the water, and caught a beautiful sunset on the way back. It was a perfect day of exploring!

Our first inadvertent honeymoon adventure: boat trip to Pulau Gusung

The next day, we found what turned out to be our first inadvertent honeymoon! On the street during our first night, we had met a really nice local who gave us a few recommendations of what to do around Selayar. One of them was to visit a nearby island and so we said, let’s do it! We found the contact of a local boat captain who could take us out, and with that, we set out with just the recommendations of the local and adventure to be found. It turned out, we would find a complete honeymoon and perfection that day.

That day, we stopped at four different spots around the island. We thought each one was already nice, but we kept getting surprised by each stop being even better than the last! Each stop all had such a different feel, and all complemented each other to make the whole day perfect. The first stop was at a cute, small, secluded beach in a cove, where we chilled, swam, ate snacks, and sunbathed.

The next stop was at a beautiful, vast white sand beach lined with palm trees and wild jungle in the back. As we swam in the pristine, crystal clear waters, looking back at the expansive beach lined with palm trees, I thought to myself, “Wow, this really is paradise”. Cozumel, Mexico had been the only other place I had that thought before, and now also here!

At our next stop, we also arrived at a beach. My first impression was, okay nice, a similar type of beach, but also nice. We were about to go for a dip again when the boat captain asked us if we wanted to see the goa. At the time, we had no idea what that was, but said “sure why not!” (we’ve now learned goa means cave). He led us on a path through the jungle, and we had no idea where we were going or how long it would take. Finally, 30 minutes later, the path opened up into what was simply a spectacular, awe-inspiring cave! By far the coolest cave I have ever seen. We swam, enjoying the nice, cool water as a refreshing break from the warm ocean water, and it was simply amazing. To have no idea where we were going and to arrive at such an amazing place, was such a glorifying adventure!

Afterwards, we started making our way back to the main island of Selayar, but with one last stop on the way. This time, our beach had beautiful rock formations all around, even with a cliff jumping spot and beautiful romantic arches that we could swim through! Swimming through the arches was simply serene. We cuddled and kissed in the water as we slowly drifted and floated around the rocks. It was simply beautiful and felt like it could be someone’s honeymoon.

Finally, we made our way back to Selayar, and the timing was perfect to catch a beautiful sunset from the boat. Everything was such a perfect day. A perfect day with the perfect stops and the perfect company. An adventure and a honeymoon all in one, one that we never expected to find.

Our second inadvertent honeymoon adventure: Selayar Eco Resort

After another rest day in Benteng, we set off to make our way to the east coast of the island, what was supposedly the more beautiful, natural, and untouched side of the island. It was just that! We had watched a Youtube video of Selayar the week before, and the video had recommended an accommodation on this side called Selayar Eco Resort. Accommodations are few and far between here, so you’ll take the recommendations that you get!

And so I contacted the owner about his resort, but sadly the price was too high for us broke, budget backpackers. However, the owner still so kindly shared a few other recommendations of places to visit, one of them being Pulau Bahuluang, a small island made up entirely of dried coral. He was taking his guests out on a boat trip the next day, and offered for us to join them. We said we’d love to, but that his resort was out of our budget, did he have recommendations for another place to stay that was cheaper? He said yes, we can join the boat trip and that he would help take care of an accommodation within our budget. We had no idea what to expect, but were so grateful!

The next day, we met up with him to catch the boat over to his place. It turned out his place was only accessible by boat - lots of surprises and adventures we were finding! On the boat we asked him where we’d be staying, figuring he had helped arrange cheaper accommodation nearby his place. Much to our surprise, he said “you’re staying with me!”, and he basically gave us a huge discount to be able to stay with him, knowing how budget strapped we were and because he had a free bungalow open. It was the most kind gesture, and we hugely appreciated it of him.

And so this day, we went on the boat trip to Pulau Bahuluang, the coral island. It was such a lovely day. Our first stop was on the coral island itself, and it was such a unique formation! Just dried, washed up coral piled up to form an island. We went for some nice swimming and snorkeling there, and then we stopped at another island for lunch. Finally, on our way back, we made another stop at what the owner called the Maldives of Selayar. Just pure, beautiful blue turquoise water. An amazing sight. And finally, we sailed back. Max and I laid on the roof of the boat resting, sleeping, watching the sunset, and just purely enjoying. It was another simply perfect day.

Afterwards, we arrived at his eco resort for the first time, and were excited to see what it was like! It was a small, and simple but nice place. There were 3 bungalows in total. One was occupied by a Danish family, a really lovely family of 5 that we would really enjoy getting to know over the next few days while we shared all our meals together. And the other was a German couple, a bit of an odd couple, but nice enough people. Our time at Selayar Eco Resort was one of our most favorite and memorable times of our entire 2 months in Sulawesi. The place had such a lovely feeling, with a kind and welcoming owner, a nice and cool local couple as the staff that made you feel at home, and just a nice, simple atmosphere where you had everything you needed, but it was also simple enough where you could truly disconnect and just enjoy the peace.

We spent our days there swimming, sunbathing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and even finding our own little secluded beach areas where we went skinny dipping and tanning naked on the beach. There was no cell service and no internet, and it really felt like such good days of peace and simplicity. We spent 4 days there, and I look back on those days with so much appreciation. Both because of how perfect the time was there, but also because we found it through such an adventure. From a random contact off a Youtube video, to exchanging a few WhatsApp messages, to getting on a boat not knowing where we were really going, to finding a hidden paradise with such kind people. Everything about it was just perfect.

Our last night back in Benteng we went back to our favorite restaurant one last time, RM Panorama. It was a cute little local place right on the water, with floor seating on cushions that made it feel super cozy. The food was good and cheap, and I think we literally went there every night we were in Benteng!

One last hitchhiking adventure

The next day, we had our last adventure: hitchhiking 1 hour from Benteng to the ferry port. We were a little stressed on time, but in the end, it worked out perfectly and let us have a nice little local experience and last adventure of Selayar! We caught our first ride easily - some very nice electrical workers in a work truck took us about halfway. The next ride was a bit more challenging to catch, but eventually a family of fisherman in a pickup truck, stopped to let us on. The truck was full of people and buckets of fresh fish! After they dropped everyone off, the driver offered to take us all the way to the port for whatever price we would like to pay. It was a very kind offer, since at that point, there were few cars passing. And so we continued with him the rest of the way to the port, and even paid him a bit more than what we knew was a fair price, just because we got a good vibe from him and were happy to support him some extra. And so with this final leg, we finally made it! Back onto the ferry we went. Our next stop would be Bira, a tiny town on the southeastern coast of Sulawesi, a town we had already stayed in for a week before Selayar and liked very much. It felt nice to be returning somewhere that already felt like home. Bye bye Selayar, thank you so much for everything <3.