The Subtle Art of Backpacking Indonesia
A Millennial's Guide to Navigating Southeast Asia
FYI, before you read this month's post on backpacking Indonesia, please read below:
Greetings friends,
For the month of August, I’ve been (i) traveling, (ii) reading, and (iii) spending time raising my new puppy. I’ll briefly discuss each below:
(i) Traveling
After backpacking Southeast Asia for the month of July, I finally came home to New Jersey, where I grew up. It was good to see family & friends and recharge after the lifestyle changes.
For half of August, I ventured to Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena, Colombia, with many of my future GSB classmates to explore the beautiful South American country and meet new friends.
After Colombia, I visited my oldest brother, Rob (IG @rmonaco19), for a few days in Boston before returning home to visit my family at the Jersey Shore for Labor Day weekend.
(ii) Reading
While backpacking, I had plenty of time on the 30+ hour travel days to read books, newspapers online, and entrepreneurship articles.
I’ll share two books that I read that I found interesting: (i) “Lean Product Playbook” by Dan Olsen and (ii) “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson:
The ‘Playbook’ was a great read on how to hypothesize, build, and test a new product idea before fully investing time and resources into building a business around that new product idea.
The ‘Subtle Art’ was a totally different type of read that was especially helpful for putting priorities into perspective. Manson says it best, “In my life, I have given a f*ck about many people and many things. I have also not given a f*ck about many people and many things. And like the road not taken, it was the f*cks not given that made all the difference.”
(iii) Raising a puppy
I became an official dog owner in August! It’s a brown (liver) spotted, green eyed, dalmatian named Arizona, or Ari for short. She’s a true dalmatian living up to the animated puppy stereotype that loves exploring the world threw chewing, digging, and playing in the grass. See below for pictures.
I’m writing to you from the Jersey Shore, so, once again, don’t mind the references to the beach or any mistakes.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to catching you next month,
Jimmy
Introduction
I’ve never taken a solo trip before.
And, I've never backpacked before.
Growing up in suburbia and living surrounded by large steel buildings in New York City, dense highways in New Jersey, and aggressive drivers in the Northeast made me unaware of the expansive oceans, towering mountains, and astounding landscapes around the world.
On the other hand, however, living in the Northeast did inspire me at an early age to have an interest in traveling. There’s just something about physically being present in a foreign city that forces you to break the molds and habits you’re accustomed to.
Manson sums up this idea of traveling as a way of personal growth in his Subtle Art book,
“Travel is a fantastic self-development tool, because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you that another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves. This exposure to different cultural values and metrics then forces you to reexamine what seems obvious in your own life and to consider that perhaps it’s not necessarily the best way to live.”
So, the night before I was set to jet off on my backpacking journey my mind raced: Will I lose my stuff? What if I can’t get around? What if no one speaks English? Will I get sick? I’ve made drastic moves before, can I do it again?
As the questions mounted, I took a step back. Relax. Day by day. Follow the road not taken.
Singapore
I landed in Singapore at midnight and marveled at how clean, modern, and sleek the country looked as I drove through the downtown city streets to my buddy’s place. I felt engulfed by the perfectly architectured office and apartment buildings crowding the Marina Bay waters. Looking up at the rows of 50-story ironclad buildings, I thought to myself, I only have 24 hours here. How much site-seeing can I pack into one day?
The following morning, I woke up with a powerful energy after being confined to airplane seats for the last day and a half. I scurried downstairs to a local café where I scarfed down a bagel and quickly reviewed my itinerary for the next leg of my trip to the island of Java, Indonesia. Immediately following my review of my masterplan, I made my way on foot towards the famous Marina Bay Sands – an extravagant hotel, casino, and shopping center with an incredible view of the Singapore skyline. The structure itself sits on a peninsula off the downtown area that emanates a luxurious presence that only experiencing it justifies.
Just beyond the Sands is the Gardens by the Bay, a flawlessly manicured conglomeration of greenhouses and waterfront parks covered with super trees and rare plants. I strolled through completely speechless walking past the mix of tropical gardens each carefully designed to fit in its place within the Marina Bay.
After a healthy amount of walking, I took a ‘Grab’ (the local ride-sharing app like Lyft or Uber) to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Mesmerized by the bountiful flora in the rainforests and lakes throughout the gardens, I thought to myself, man, I wish we had these botanic forests in New Jersey…
For lunch, I shot over to the Telok Ayer Market, one of Singapore’s famous hawker stands that houses dozens of small cuisine shops at extremely affordable prices. The layout of these hawker stands is essentially a picnic-style seating area surrounded by a wide variety of local food options that are home to some of the best local foods you’ll find in the country.
Once my stomach was full, I made my way back downtown to the roof of the Westin where I put my feet up while watching the sun set on the evening.
Looking out on the horizon, my eyes grew heavy from the 15+ mile walking tour, jet lag, and stimulation-overload from the last 48 hours. I knew I wasn’t going to stay long on that rooftop after the sun had set, but as the feeling of a successful first day settled in, I couldn’t help but smile and think to myself, no one to answer to. Not one "Mark Manson word" to give.
Java
The following morning, I flew two hours to the capital of West Java – to a city called Bandung (pronounced Ban-doong) – in Indonesia. When I arrived, I was roundly impressed by the bustling narrow streets, the Muslim call for prayer (called the Adhan), and the monstrous traffic filled with motorbikes and tiny cars.
On my Grab ride to my hostel, I asked the driver about his country. I learned that Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population (~265 million inhabitants) behind China, India, and the United States. I also learned that the island of Java that we were on is home to approximately half of the Indonesian population and contains the country’s capital of Jakarta.
When I pulled up to the Attic Bed & Breakfast I was greeted by the friendly Indonesian host who helped me plan out my next three days in the city. What’s more, I met other backpackers from Europe who were also interested in exploring: we drank Javanese coffee on the popular Braga Street, hiked through the Forest Park Conservation Area Tahura Ir. H. Juanda, and visited the Kawah Putih volcano crater over the course of the next few days.
After Bandung, I took an eight-hour train ride east to the Special Region of Yogyakarta (pronounced Jog-ja-cart-uh).
For the next five days, I immersed myself in the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu cultures that are prevalent in Southeast Asia. Through touring the Borobudur (the largest Buddhist temple in the world), Prambanan (the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia), and Muslim temples, I learned more than I could have imagined about each of the religions.
For instance, during my visit to Borobudur, I learned that this 9th century temple was strategically built with nine stacked platforms topped by a central dome to pay homage to the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana.
And, while walking around Prambanan, which was ironically also constructed over 1,200 years ago, I learned that each of the three main temples were built in dedication to Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma.
Outside of exploring temples, I hiked through Hutan Pinus Pengger (a pine forest with beautiful manmade tree structures), rode a gondola 200 meters across open waters to Timang Beach, and walked down the famous street market on Malioboro street.
The itinerary after Yogyakarta was solely focused on summiting the two major volcanoes in Java: Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen. Bromo, which peaks at 7,600 feet, is an active volcano in East Java that has had eruptions in 2004, 2010, 2011, and 2015. Ijen, which peaks at 9,100 feet, is home to the largest acidic lake and the largest ‘electric-blue fire’ crater in the world.
The volcano hikes were life-changing. Ijen’s Blue Fire can only be seen in two places in the world. And, going into a crater of an active volcano is surely not something the U.S. Government would allow tourists to do!
By the time I was finished with the volcano summits in Java, I was sufficiently exhausted. A much-needed break was on the horizon. I was heading to Bali.
Bali, Nusa Penida, Lombok
I landed on the western part of the island via ferry and took a bus to Canggu where I could finally have a few days to rest and recover.
Bali, known for its beautiful beaches, artwork, and food scene, is truly spectacular: Uluwatu has some of the best surf in the entire world; Ubud is packed with Hindu temples and hiking terrains; Canggu, Seminyak, and Kuta boast incredible beaches fit for families, couples, and backpackers alike.
What might not be as widely known is that Bali is unique in terms of its religious culture, which is 85%+ Hindu, as compared to the 80%+ Islamic culture in the rest of Indonesia. You will find little offerings in square trays made from palm leaves in front of each home, storefront, and place of residence.
After spending several days relaxing, I took a speed boat to an island southeast of Bali called Nusa Penida.
Nusa Penida is a relatively untouched island that has some of the whitest sands, clearest waters, and rarest marine life in Indonesia. The Nusa beaches of Crystal Bay, Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach, and Kelingking Beach blew me away, and, as an animal lover, watching the manta rays do somersaults in the water was breathtaking.
Three days later, I boarded a ferry and set sail four hours east for the island of Lombok. Known for pristine beaches and surfing, Lombok is in my point of view ‘the next Bali.’ The island is scattered with palm trees, rolling hills, and crystal blue beaches.
It was in Lombok where I took surf lessons for the first time. This experience was incredible. After seeing the 12-foot swells in Uluwatu, Bali, I was enthused to see that Lombok has plenty of areas to surf for all levels of expertise.
Taking motorbike rides in Lombok was much easier than anywhere else that I had been to Indonesia. I took advantage of the large and relatively quiet roads to visit some gorgeous waterfalls.
Five days in Lombok brought my 30-day trip to a close.
Initially I was sad that the story needed to end; but, as time passed, I felt reinvigorated for the next chapter of my life.
Conclusion
Boarding the flight back to Jersey from Bali made me reminiscent of not only the past 29 days, but also of the relationships and cultural norms that I've formed and cultivated back West. Sitting on the tarmac, I also thought to myself, had I not taken this chance to explore a country so culturally different than anywhere I've been, would I have gained any newfound perspective?
Taking chances does not necessarily mean taking extreme travel trips or participating in adrenaline-filled sports. Taking a chance on something could be as simple as approaching a stranger at the grocery store or tweaking a diet (don’t need to go full-vegan here…!).
The idea of constantly pushing oneself outside of one's comfort zone has a remarkable ability to unlock neurological pathways that might be kept hidden away because something is ‘too hard’ or ‘impossible’ to do. Moreover, taking chances increases one's odds of caring less about what others think (a nice way of summarizing Manson’s Subtle Art theme). Because in order to take that chance, you must go against the grain; and going against the grain is often an effective way of personal growth; and without growth, you remain stagnant.
Don’t remain stagnant.
P.S. Do you enjoy The Win Column?
If so, you can help me by sending the column to a friend or encouraging them to sign up on my website. The Win Column takes several hours to write each month. The more people who subscribe, the more time I can invest in diving deeper into topics, increasing the frequency of the newsletter, and writing about other subject areas that you’re interested in learning about.
I appreciate your help! Also, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out on Instagram @The.Win.Column and Twitter @The_Win_Column for questions, comments, and new topic ideas.
Read this post, the full archive of posts, and provide helpful insight on my website TheWinColumn.blog.