At 5:40 am I sneaked out of my dorm room and checked out! Sun was waiting for me outside with his big welcoming smile. "Hello my friend". We arranged my backpacks and started the journey to the airport. Sun thanked me "thank you for giving me job today my friend". In many parts of the world, the opportunity to work is every day’s wish!
Another transportation day, many hours in reading, music or just observing other travelers. I still had a remenant sadness and apathy from yesterday! Discussed it a bit with Rachel, from England on the plane. She has been working in Cambodia for a bit over a year and told me about interesting aspects in this society. She has been working abroad since she was 18! A stimulating story that triggers excitement and unrest inside my head! She lived in Mexico, Kenya, Australia and other countries!
A few hours transit in Kuala Lumpur airport, mainly sleeping on a bench.
Second flight to Jakarta was smooth and uncomplicated. Visa procedure the same, $35 and you are in. The whole world should be like this.
In Jakarta, my old friend Nenad will host me, he is Serbian and we met 4 years ago in Venice while surfing the couch of Massimo, both Nenad and Massimo are some of the most famous couchsurfers in the world. Our story at Massimo’s is one of the most interesting experience I had in couchsurfing! Massimo forces all his guests to wrestle with each other. Judo! Since couchsurfing is about sharing, and this is what Massimo knew the best, he hosted people and taught them how to play judo. This very close physical contact in sport, and the animalistic instinct inside you with the care about not hurting your opponent is something I learned from Massimo. A way to unleash the animal inside you, to try to overpower your opponent, but with positive intentions and care about their safety. You learn a lot about ourself and human nature from these situations.
Couchsurfing is a place where many of the people you meet make it to the world news! A couple of years ago, after we met, Nenad traveled from Serbia to China overland and surfed even the couch of some guys from Taliban!
Read here:
http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/on-hitchhiking-across-asia-and-couchsurfing-with-the-taliban/
I was also contacted by a few local couchsurfers to meet and show me around Jakarta.
*****
The taxi took more than an hour in Jakarta! A lot of traffic and the taxi driver didn’t speak English. Luckily he spoke broken Arabic because he lived in Saudi Arabia for 6 years!
Nenad was waiting for me at home! He said I still look the same like 4 years ago! I left my stuff, a quick shower and then we went out for a drink. On the back of his motorbike, he crazily accelerated through the streets of Jakarta to one area full of cafes and night life. Nenad told me about the past 13 months he has been living in Indonesia. How he likes this place and Indonesian people. He speaks intermediate Indonesian and I could observe him having many conversations and asking people for directions. On the way back, we got a flat tire. We had to stop a repair and then we went home!
At home there was his girlfriend Famega, an Indonesian girl who lost her job at Yahoo after they closed all their offices in Southeast Asia!
Famega and Nenad gave me many advices about what to see in the country and the best route to take. I had two wishes in Indonesia, a temple and a volcano. Actually three wishes! I want to go to Bali island as well for more sunburn!
The couple have recently moved in their new home two weeks ago! I noticed that they gave me their mattress and slept on the floor. I wanted to object but then I didn’t know how to do that since i noticed and they didnt tell me. Nenad is one of the most experienced couchsurfers I have met, around 700 references in his profile. If you read the link above (which I believe you should) you will see why I envy Nenad!