Week 1.1 : Of Excited Kids and The Uncertainties

"Langit tak selalunya cerah, 

Hidup tak selalunya indah,

Mendung bukan selamanya,

Begitu juga nasib manusia."

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang, Malaysia – 
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia – Bogor

We both were on time, me and my partner. Repacking stuff to meet the amount of luggage we bought (it was a shared one so we have to pack smartly). And because we only bought 20kg, we had to leave some gears behind or else, have to pay extra for the luggage.

This wasn’t my first time here. I’ve been to Indonesia few times before. And to be honest, it was not as scary as everyone thought. Before departing, few people reminded me on how scary and dangerous Indonesia is and how I should be very careful with everything. People, please, stop overthinking. Every place is dangerous regardless where you are. So, it depends on your luck and the way you carry yourself. I’m not saying you should be careless, but being too careful ain’t fun either.

We arrived around 4pm, walking around the city, trying to find outdoor shops in Jakarta. But we didn’t find many, or maybe we didn’t know much about the streets. With the endless traffic jam, it just added more to our confusion. So, we decided to have a break and dinner at the nearest fast food restaurant (as I also need to change my shoes, walking with 20+kg load using sandal is no joke, was a bad idea. Haha). Since my partner is a vegetarian, I had to think a place that is easy for him to get food. It was quite challenging travelling with a vegan as I have never experienced it before. Well, I just hope everything goes well. Haha.

There was a demonstration in the city by all medical practitioners due to too much workload and cheap salary.

After few hours of walking here and there, we gave up and decided to go to Bogor instead. We took a train straight to Bogor. The sun was just about to set when we reached the city. We walked around a bit and found what we were looking for the whole day, outdoor shops! Bought some equipment and stopped at convenience store nearby to get some food while asking around about Mount Guntur. 

On our way to the train station. Macet ya ampunnnn...

This police would not let anyone, the passengers to sit on the floor. It's the rules. You cannot sit on the floor. Even if the train was so packed with people.

Here we are! Bogor!

Selamat menjamu mata!

Traffic congestion was just every-freaking-where

To our delight, the cashier turned out to be a hiker too, and he just got back from from hiking trip. What a coincidence! He told us everything he knows about the mountain, and gave us few contact numbers that he thought might help us later. We couldn’t thank him enough. We bid him goodbye and proceed to the guesthouse.

What's life without Tora Bika?