I woke up the morning of October the 20th, 2018, knowing that my time was up. Sooner than later I would be saying “So long Indonesia!” and, just like that, I would be leaving such a beautiful country. Andreina had also her flight to Denpasar the same day, but just at a different time. We walked together to the airport and she tried to change it but she couldn’t. Thus, after saying goodbye to her, I got onto the first plane in the morning back to Denpasar. I paid 1000 K (around 65 Euros) for it. It would be my last domestic flight in Indonesia.
I was sat next to a French woman. Her name was Liv and she was on holidays because her kids had got her the trip as a birthday gift. She would be travelling for 3 weeks in Indonesia. Her daughter had previously been in Indonesia and she was the one who came up with the idea. Liv would be meeting some friends of her daughter at Ubud, a place I had already visited. When her daughter came back to France she felt kind of sad. Thus, she set out to work hard to leave again next year. That time though it wouldn’t be for 3 weeks, but for 3 years… Why are there so many people trying to escape their lives and routines? Why do people work at jobs they don’t like? It seems like a never-ending loop.
Where will you be in 30 days?
We landed at Denpasar’s airport at around 11:30. I spent a while using my phone before leaving the airport. I was buying a flight ticket, but not just a “regular” one. Let me explain you something. So, in many countries in Southeast Asia, before entering the country, you need to have a valid exist flight. That, plus a valid passport, will allow you to spend 30 days in the country without getting a Visa. The problem? 30 days is a long time and you might not be sure where you will be leaving the country from.
The solution? Websites such as this one. You enter your data, pay a small fee (I paid 7 $) and you get what it looks like a legitimate exist flight ticket. I normally try to obey the law. But, I also understand that sometimes the law is not there to help us out, but to take advantage of us. It is at times like these that I do some research to try to avoid it. When I do it, I feel like Robin Hood in a way. Thus, I bought that “fake” ticket in order to be able to enter my next country without having to spend a couple of hundred dollars. If I could know where I would be in 30 days I would just go ahead and buy a regular ticket.
Last days in Kuta
After buying my exist flight ticket I took a GoJek to my hostel. The price on the app was 10 K but I paid 20 K. I understand that most of the times the prices are not fair for the drivers. I arrived at Celebbest Hostel a little after midday. Back in Nusa Penida, I met a girl from Italy whose name was Eleonara. She had just been in Kuta and she told me that if I ever was to go there, I should stay at Celebbest Hostel. She told me it had a great ambience, the staff was very kind and… you could cook pancakes 24/7. How could anyone resist to that?
The hostel was indeed pretty cool. I didn’t know it had a pool and a huge flamingo flotable! The people working there were super kind and the room (a 4-bed shared) was pretty alright. The price was not bad at all. I paid 70 K for the night. They also had a laundry service which I gladly used. I paid 18 K for 1.2 Kg. Not bad either. After leaving my stuff and taking a shower, I went outside to eat. They advised me to go to Bamboo Corner and I enjoyed a nice and cheap (25 K) lunch.
Where should I travel next?
I spent the whole afternoon at the hostel, doing some research about my next destination. Originally, when I left Australia, I decided I would visit Indonesia, The Philippines and New Zealand. To be fair, I wanted to start with New Zealand, but I forgot that September and October would be rainy and cold and I didn’t have proper clothes. Thus, I decided to do it right before coming back home, when the weather was warmer. It was October the 20th, 2018. I did some research and regardless where I was flying from, the flights to New Zealand were pretty expensive. Thus, I changed my mind yet once again and decided I would be doing The Philippines and Vietnam, but not New Zealand. Needless to say the plan did change a few more times 🙂
The more research I did about The Philippines, the more I hesitated. It seemed like the weather was really bad, regardless of the island. I did more research, wrote some posts on Facebook and I started to consider to go to Kuala Lumpur. I could spend a couple of days there and decide whether going to The Philippines or to Vietnam first. Since I couldn’t come up with an answer on where to start my next trip, I decided to leave it for next morning. Thus, I went out for dinner.
I made it to a Warung next to 3 Kings Pizza, a place I had visited already while deciding how to get from Kuta to Kawah Ijen. Yes, I had mostly used Kuta as my headquarters to take travelling decisions 🙂 I ordered a large pizza, french fries and a large Bintang and paid 103 K. Good food and price. To ease my problems even more, on the way back to Celebbest Hostel I stopped to buy an ice cream. After that, I went straight to bed.
Staying with the original plan
I woke up the morning of October the 21st, 2018, knowing that I had a few hours left in Indonesia. Once I had breakfast, I went back to my research. The more I checked the weather the more I hesitated. Eventually, someone on Facebook told me not to care too much about it, since it was constantly changing. That was true in The Philippines and in pretty much any country in Southeast Asia. Thus, I decided to keep on with my original plan. My next stop would be The Philippines. I did slightly modify the route though. Instead of starting on Palawan I would start on Siargao. Apparently, the weather would be better there.
Arranging last stuff in Kuta
Throughout many of my Indonesian posts you had seen quite some diving videos. I was just starting on this world so the videos are not great. That, plus the fact that I wasn’t using a red filter… Yes, so, basically, when you make it deeper than around 6-8 meters, the red colour starts to disappear. We don’t notice it with our eye, but we do notice it once we take a look at the videos. Why is that? You can take a look at my diving video in Tulamben, where I explain it in a pretty visual way 🙂
Thus, after feeling I didn’t have more doubts regarding where I would be travelling next, I walked to Beachwalk Shopping Center. It wasn’t easy, but after asking different people, I finally made it to a shop called “Digital 3”. I was really happy when the girl working there told me that yes, they had red filters for GoPro cameras. I paid 200 K for both the red and the magenta filter. The magenta filter is more suitable when you are diving in green waters, something I hadn’t done yet but I might do one day. They looked like this:
I walked back to Celebbest Hostel but on the way saw many people in swimsuit. It was then when I realized Kuta had a beach lol. As I already mentioned, I didn’t think of Kuta as a city to spend much time. Eventually I did spend a couple of days, but it was mostly to plan my next trip. Since I was already there I decided to take a look at it. It looked like this:
The beach was alright. There were people swimming, surfing and drinking. I walked along for a while and, eventually, I retook my way back to the hostel. On the way I stopped to have lunch at Warung Gora Steps. The food was good and cheap (30 K). After that I bought some gifts for my family and, after realising I still had some money left, I went to “Happy Massage” (which was right next to the Warung) to have a Balinese massage. I paid 65 K for one hour. Not bad huh?
So long Kuta!
Back at Celebbest Hostel, I picked my stuff and got ready to leave. One of the guys working there had been very nice to me and I promised him that if I ever came back to Kuta, I would spend some more time at his hostel. I ordered a Grab and told him to stop a little before the airport. The reason? I was hungry and I remembered the outrageous prices of food at Denpasar’s airport. So, after paying 18 K for my last Nasi Goreng and enjoying for a while the exciting Qatar vs Indonesia game, I walked to Ngurah Rai International Airport.
I showed my ticket at the checkpoint and they told me they needed to double-check it. My heart started beating fiercely… Until they told me it was alright. Balta 1 – 0 Capitalism (but just for this time). I did the check-in, passed the control and sat on one of the benches next to my boarding gate.
So long Indonesia!
As I was waiting for my flight to take me from Denpasar to Manila, I started to think about the last 30 days. Indonesia had been the first country in my solo trip. I had been leaving abroad before: Sweden, California and Australia. Nonetheless, it had been my first-ever time “travelling” solo. In 2015 I visited Thailand with some friends for 2 weeks. It wasn’t the same, but it was my first time in Southeast Asia. Indonesia shared some similarities but, overall, was completely different from Thailand.
I flew to Indonesia without much planned. Something unthinkable some years ago. I was the kind of person who needed to have everything planned beforehand. All in all, I felt I grew up with the trip and, going with the flow became just as good as having everything planned.
I spent around 10 days in Bali. The island of the Gods was really beautiful. Getting my Advanced Open Water there was really cool. I got used to driving a moto and, not just on any side, but on the left one! I visited incredible temples, saw amazing nature and met very kind people!
After Bali, I spent 7 days in Java. I had seen from the distance some volcanoes in Bali, but I had never hiked to one. On top of that, my first hike to a volcano was a nightly one! Chasing the blue fire at Kawah Ijen was an unforgettable experience. And what can I say about hiking to Mount Bromo on my own? The landscape looked unreal, like if we were walking on the moon. I also spent 3 days in Yogyakarta, a beautiful city with incredible temples.
From Java I flew all the way to Sumatra, the sixth largest island in the world. I went there to try to see an amazing animal: the orangutan. During my 2D1N trek in the jungle of Ketambe I was lucky enough to see not one, but 15! After the heat and the humidity of the jungle I decided to relax and dive for some days at Pulau Weh, a hidden gem next to Banda Aceh. To get there, I spent 17 hours in a mini bus! Can you believe it?
I spent the last days of my trip in Labuan Bajo. I heard that diving in Komodo National Park was a once in a lifetime experience and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was the best diving of my life! The underwater world was spectacular but I wanted more, thus, I went on a 2D1N tour in Komodo National Park. That tour allowed me to see yet another incredible animal: the Komodo dragon.
I had visited 4 different islands and I flew back to the starting point: Denpasar. I used Kuta once more to plan my trips and, after quite some hesitation, I decided I would be travelling to The Philippines next. My time in Indonesia was amazing. I even had time to spin around some breathtaking landscapes. It looked like this:
All in all, I felt like I couldn’t have chosen a better country to start my solo trip. People were nice, food was delicious and nature was incredibly beautiful.
While you would always feel like you want more, I felt like 30 days were enough to get the hold of the country. I didn’t become Indonesian, but got to understand some of their culture, their way of thinking and their language. Terima kasih Indonesia! Till we meet again 🙂
