I have done quite a bit of travelling over the last few years. Out of the last 8 years, I have been away from Germany for roughly 6 years and out of all the countries I have been to, I liked Indonesia the best. That definitely had something to do with the people and the surroundings and the underwater world, but a big chunk of it was the actual travelling. Getting from place A to place B. As a traveller you spend an unusual amount of your time on various modes of transport and in many countries that can be an extremely dull experience and you actually start contemplating jumping off whatever vehicle you are on right now or even slitting your wrists, just to relieve the boredom a little.

Every self respecting traveller usually has a couple stories up his sleeve that have to do with transport. Most of them are actually quite horrible, yet, when a few travellers come together it’s just a matter of time until the first stories get told. The worse/better the story the more approval the traveller gets. It seems to be some kind of unstated ritual and it actually is really fun listening to all the stories and telling your own. A couple things I noticed were that the vast majority of those stories come from countries where travelling (from point A to point B) can be quite difficult (which should be kind of obvious) and that the stories seem to get worse the more experience the storyteller had with travel on little money. That and a bit of thinking, which contrary to popular belief I actually do sometimes, led me to the development of my theory of progressive travel.

The Theory

The theory of progressive travel states that the more budget travel experience a person has the more he or she will want to travel to remote and inaccessible places and the more he or she will disapprove of travel in approachable and accessible places.

Most people start travelling in ‘easy’ countries, like Thailand or Australia, and follow the well-trodden backpacker trail where almost everything is being done for you. Tourist busses and organized tours are the norm and certain things have to be seen so the country counts as done, as in “Yeah, I did Thailand, went to Khao San Road, trekking up north and then down to the islands.” This is not a bad thing (apart from the ‘done’ part). It’s a good way to familiarize yourself with the whole new experience of being away from home for an extended period of time and maybe even travelling alone. In my case I realized after a while, though, that I wanted to get out there where I don’t bump into another tourist every two steps, where people don’t necessarily understand English, where people still live according to ancient traditions, where I might even be the only foreigner around, and so on. Basically I want unique experiences.

Over the years I have found a few places that fit into the above categories, although it was very rare to actually be the only traveller around. I came pretty close though quite often and, mostly, the other travellers I met then had the same frame of mind than me and funnily enough quite a few had been to the same places, often around the same time, than me. There is nothing like a lonely planet anymore. Anywhere you go, most likely there will be other travellers. And that isn’t a bad thing either. Language and cultural barriers often prevent you from really getting to know the local people in those far-away places. All you might be allowed to see is a glimpse of their life. And that is understandable and makes a lot of sense. How would you like some strange people barging into your village and disturbing your life? One result of that is that you do get to know your fellow travellers so much better there than in one of the big nameless backpacker chains or even the Thai-style beach bungalow accommodation.

For me it has been quite hard going back to travelling in ‘easy’ countries, like Australia or New Zealand. Something seemed to be missing. Everything seems anonymous, travellers just do their own thing, it is hard getting to know one another and getting from one place to another doesn’t seem part of the experience. It is merely a means of getting from one experience to the next. But I crave the sense of achievement I get from a good days difficult travelling. There’s something a lot more satisfying about a cold beer at the end of a long dusty sweaty 150 km drive on the back of a pickup truck that took 9 hours than a fairly comfortable bus drive for the same amount of time during which you watched three movies and stopped regularly for short breaks so you can stretch your legs.

Obviously, how you travel doesn’t have much to do with what you can see. Undoubtedly there are many amazing destinations in Australia and other ‘easy’ countries, but I really have to push myself sometimes not to just pack my things up and leave in pursuit of a more demanding experience. But the thing is that I really do want to see those countries, all of them actually, so I guess I just have to put up with their ‘shortcomings’. I have made the mistake of leaving a country prematurely once and I will not do it again.

All in all, I think I’m just weird in that respect,but I’d like to know if there are more weirdos out there. Have you experienced something similar?

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If you’ve ever been on a Pelni boat in ekonomi class, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The toilets and showers smell and are often flooded, the food doesn’t taste of much and doesn’t look very appetizing, you sleep with 50 other people in the same room for days and just trying to get on the boat, or off it for that matter, can turn out to be a near death experience.

So why do that to myself?

• It’s cheap!
  I paid just 140.000 Rp from Maumere to Makassar, a 36 hour trip, not counting the nine hours I had wait at the harbour for the bloody boat to turn up.
• It’s safe!
  The ships are proper german-built cruise liners, minus the luxury, but with a distinct Titanic feel to them. Nevertheless, you might hear occasionally of a capsized ferry, but I have never heard of a sunken Pelni ship.
• It’s an experience!
  You’re more than likely going to be the only foreigner, or ‘bule’, on a huge ship and you’ll be the talk of the day or however long the journey lasts. Want to feel like a celebrity? This is your chance without resorting to Big Brother and the likes.

And that’s just a few of the many reasons…

Here’s a few survival tips for you ekonomi class Pelni trip:

• Wait till the first onrush of porters and passengers has left, then get on or off the boat. You don’t want to get in the way of that stampede. But don’t leave it too long, if you plan on having a bed for the night!
• Bring a large sheet on which you can sleep and wrap yourself in. Sometimes you only get bamboo mats to crash on, sometimes thin mattresses.
• If you don’t fancy eating with your right hand, then bring your own cutlery, as sometimes this is not provided.
• Bring enough books to keep you occupied, especially on long journeys. In case you run out, there’s usually an onboard cinema somewhere and yes, they do show english movies, sometimes even soft porn. That was funny!
• Don’t eat the food provided, if you really don’t like it. On the top deck there’s always a cafeteria, that sells alright food. And lots of cookies, if you’re really fussy.
• Bring a chessboard. Indonesians love to play. It’s a great way to get to know your fellow passengers, even if hardly anybody speaks english.

Recently I have been on two Pelni boats, the Awu and the Doro Londa. In a few days I’ll be heading on yet another ship to Pulau Banda in the middle of nowhere. While the boats do have their shortcomings, I enjoy my time on them. I like going native when I travel and that includes local transport. And you can’t get any transport that’s more indonesian than Pelni. Indonesia’s an island nation after all…

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We have finally managed to buy a car. Her name is ‘Pumpkin’, she’s a Ford Falcon and her birthday is somewhere in 1993. She’s actually had to drive a fair bit in her life so far, but she seems to be quite defiant not to let it get her down. All in all we are happy with her and she’s been a bargain for 2500 AUD.

On our first night on the road we decided against a camping ground and opted for sleeping in the car instead. So that’s two girls and one big bloke in the back of the car. Wasn’t the comfiest and warmest place I’ve slept in, but then it was a lot nicer than some other places.

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