Quick Update: Leuser & Togian!

How surprising it was to see that my last post was from this February - some 6 months ago. Yet I was still unsure whether or not I'll be able to complete this post amidst the busy schedule of my crazier and crazier workpack.

But hey, here's a starter about what had happened, and what I MUST write before I forget these big things that had happened within the last 6 months:

I hiked Leuser. Alone. No, not so alone, I was accompanied by Mr. Jaly and Mr. Ucin, both are my guide and my mentor during the 12 days trek. Apparently I injured my knees. I hit so many branches, fell down couple of times and bruised my knees badly one or two times -- and kept walking for 6-10 hours per day. I spent much money -- I did not budget, and the fact that the amount of money (and energy) I spent to buy and carry the food of my guides were significant did not bother me anymore. And my satisfaction for this 50km, 3,404 masl tropical mountain was way higher than my 1 day 5,500 masl hike in the Atacama desert. Maybe because this was the first long hike I ever did. Or maybe just because... those two people, of Indonesian typical simplicity, who shared their thoughts with me, their life values, dedication, their simple yet delicious meals and the dangdut music during the days and nights. The kind of simplicity that made me going back again and again to mountains. The kind of pleasure you cannot get in fancy arranged tour, not in dive resort, not in group holiday with your friends.

So that's your another checklist, Quina. Write Leuser. You promised your friends. Here's the sneak peek:

I dived Togian. You are a tropical heaven, eastern Indonesia. I said above: I can't fully enjoy diving. The degree of satisfaction is different. I was surrounded by crazy, lovely, funny people with enough silly things happened to them to keep us laughing. And the underwater scenery made me ecstatic, especially I dived a proper water for the first time (after the previous dives were only in Jakarta's Thousand Islands). It was just the right pack: I got a perfect instructor who similarly excited to show us funny creatures, holiday peers with similar excitement about the underwater world (and getting the right buoyancy), perfect room and perfect spot to chill, great healthy food, flawless stargazing every night, and on and on and on.  And we incidentally made a perfect arrangement: we snorkeled the jellyfish lake, hiked the volcano, discovered all the awesome dive spots, met countless fishes and wrote down their names, read enough good books, played enough games, drank enough beers. But still it's a different kind of pleasure.

Maybe it's like you get a perfect handsome fiancee with awesome attitude and excelling career but you still prefer the hipster dude next door who jump one job to another for his living. Life's weird.

PS: Remind me to write 'em both!!!