I am sat at the airport bar in Christchurch and I am just starting on my second beer. Nowadays you have to get drunk before you get on a plane. I still remember the old times, when a gorgeous stewardess would give you any booze you wanted for free with a beautiful smile on her face. Bad times for travellers indeed. You even go hungry on a plane if you’re not prepared to fork out for a meal yourself. The smiles and the fun are gone together with the gorgeous stewardesses, all being replaced by grumpy airline helpers with the charm of bored supermarket cashiers. You want to watch a movie? 10 dollars. You want to listen to the radio? 3 dollars for a headset. The only good news is that, for now at least, ticket prices have gone down a bit. Just wait for the next ‘oil crisis’, though.
And here I am, still nursing my beer, with a big grin on my face. People are looking at me in a strange way. You’re not supposed to show your happiness too openly, I guess. It makes people uncomfortable and conjures up images of an axe murderer. If they only knew! I’m on my way back to Indonesia, the land of infinite islands. I am truly enchanted by that country, by its people and by its diversity and I can’t wait to get back there. This time my travels will take me to Sulawesi and Kalimantan, none of which I know that much about. It doesn’t matter, though. Indonesia and I, we’ll understand each other somehow, we always have so far. Just to make sure, I have bought a phrasebook. I don’t need or want a guidebook, but a phrasebook will help me learn more of the language, which is one of my big goals for this trip.
For now I have more immediate problems than my worried fellow passengers. I have only one pair of socks left and they have big holes in them. I am pretty sure that I have to take my shoes off when I go through security and at times I can get quite self conscious. I don’t like people looking at me in a strange way. But hey, even if they do, why should I care? I’m off to Indo…
Tags: airport, thoughts, Indonesia
Christine Gilbert - 25 July 2008 @ 1:14 AM
If I was going to indonesia, I would be smiling too!
traveljunkie - 25 July 2008 @ 8:50 AM
And I’m still smiling, Christine! Although I’m not a big fan of Bali I did get all my dive gear sorted and tomorrow morning I’m off to Sulawesi on a Pelni…
Nomadic Matt - 25 July 2008 @ 5:25 PM
I’d be smiling too….I mean winter in NZ or beautiful weather in salawesi….easy reason to smile….enjoy your adventures
Kevin - 27 July 2008 @ 5:04 PM
Hey Boris,
So your time in NZ is over now, you have left the cold. Are you going to pick up your job as a dive instructer? If so i’ll try to book some lessons with you. Enjoy your travels, have a great time in Indonesia!
Mark - 28 July 2008 @ 12:29 AM
Hey Mate!
So did you get to Kalimantan in one piece? :D
I’m still in good Ol’ Queenstown!
Did you go and see Batman??? I saw it the 24th… Absolutely incredible! :D Loved it. Much more darker and violent (like batman is supposed to be)
Anyway have a great time in Indo and we’ll keep in touch!
traveljunkie - 28 July 2008 @ 9:59 AM
First I’ll do some travelling, Kevin. Am about to head to Tana Toraja for some traditional funerals and then to either Wakatobi, Bunaken or the Togean Islands for some diving. I’ll probably look for a job around October. Did you make it into uni, by the way? It’s not like you did much studying in NZ…
Haven’t seen it yet, Mark. They had a really crappy copy on Bali, so I didn’t bother. First I’ll hang around Sulawesi a bit, then I’m off to Kalimantan. Just arrived in Makassar after a 3 day boat ride…
heather - 30 August 2008 @ 6:56 PM
Hi Boris,
I absolutely love your website and reading about your travel adventures. Recently I graduated university and have begun to travel through Europe while living abroad in the Netherlands I admire how you’ve made a profession of this traveling lifestyle, and how open and receptive you are to the multitude of cultures of the world. While my travel journey is just beginning, your website has inspired me to keep traveling and blogging about it. Keep up the amazing site and I’d be honored if you’d check out mine too: hpals.blogspot.com.
All the best :)