The Tourists and the Travelers

As many of you know, I broke my nose surfing on my second day in Bali. Obviously it wasn't the most thrilling of experiences, but being down with a facial injury has also had its upsides. Namely, I've been able to take some time off, and relax while observing the world around me, and reflecting on a few things.

One of those things was, what do I really like about traveling? I mean, there are a lot of good reasons to go traveling to foreign lands, and everyone has their own.

For some, it's the local culture and food. For others, it's the socializing and partying with like-minded individuals from around the globe. For a few, it's simply the feeling of getting away and living a "parallel" life for a while... What is it for me? What aspect of traveling really gets to me (and has made me somewhat addicted to this lifestyle)?

Well, for one, I know that it has nothing to do with going to tourist hot spots. Simply put, whenever I'm somewhere surrounded by hundreds of pictures-snatching tourists, I just feel like this is the commercial experience. The easy way to see things. The one that's sold to you at an overpriced charge and doesn't paint the real picture of the country you're in. Take a bus somewhere, get off the bus, take a few pictures, check off the box. Good job.

For me, the beauty of traveling is in the experience. It's in going to weird and hard to reach places, and doing it a way that few would attempt. It's as much about the destination as it is the journey. 

I know there's quite a few people who think like me out there. Those for whom the ideal vacation involves climbing some crazy mountain, cycling for kilometers on hand... Just doing something that includes some degree of risk and uncertainty.

The best day I had in Indonesia was last Thursday, when I decided to go kayaking around the Gili Islands.I was staying on Gili Trawangan, the first off 3 smalls islands off the coast of Lombok. While Gili T has its fair share of tourists, Gili Meno (the middle one) is almost deserted, and Gili Air (the one closest to the coast) is inhabited almost only by locals.

Gili Trawangan in the foreground, with Gili Meno and Gili Air behind it

I decided that it would be shame to only see one of the 3 islands during my stay there. I asked around, and learned that there was a boat tour that allowed to see the other 2 islands. I considered it for a second...Take a boat, get off the boat, take a few pictures, check the box. Naahhhh. Not my style.

Instead I went to see one of the locals who rented out kayaks and asked him if he thought it'd be possible to kayak to Gili Air, the furthest of the 3 islands. He retorted that no, it wasn't really possible because there are strong currents between the islands and large waves around them too. Not possible eh? We'll see about that. Half an hour I was getting on my kayak with some provisions of water and banana, and a firm intention of proving the locals wrong.

I started paddling out towards Gili Meno, where I figured I would stop briefly to explore the deserted island and get a bit of rest. It didn't seem like it was that far... But if you've ever kayaked, you know that it gets tiring quickly, real quickly. It's literally, 1 minute you're paddling and you feel great, and the next you have no choice but to stop and take a breather. Kinda like that time I raced my bike against those 2 guys and ran out of goon-induced energy.

After half an hour I got fairly close to Gili Meno, and once I got closer the waves picked up and almost carried me to the island. It was awesome to ride them like that, but I also knew I would have to fight them on my way off the island. But that wasn't a pressing matter. I just wanted to get to that deserted island and see what was there.After laying on the beach for a few minutes, I set off to explore and saw some pretty cool things. Lots of fruit trees, including some which were totally unknown to me.

Anyone know what that is?!

I eventually felt rested enough to attempt the second (and hardest) leg of the trip, which would lead me to Gili Air. As anticipated, leaving Meno proved to be quite tricky, and I almost got flipped over by the waves a few times. It definitely gave me a few good scares, because flipping over would have meant a sure death for my camera.

Once out in the open sea, it was more of the same. 5 minutes of glorious paddling, followed by 2 minutes of pure exhaustion. Rinse and repeat. It was also around noon at that point, and the sun was scorching. Not much shade to hide in on a kayak in the middle of the ocean...!

After a good hour of labor, I started getting close to the island and felt a surge of motivation.

Gili Air looming ahead

At that point I figured that if I just got a nice steady pace and didn't take any rest, I was less than half an hour from the beach. I ate a banana, drank some water, and got in the zone. No Gareth Emery podcast this time, but the sound of the wind and the ocean isn't so bad either ;)

30 minutes later, my whole body drenched in sweat, my whole upper body burning in exhaustion, I finally reached the island.

My adventuring vessel

A broken nose is only a handicap if you let it be one!

The journey was certainly a challenging one, but the destination was incredible. Gili Air is unlike any place I had ever seen before. The locals who live there still adopt the same lifestyle as their ancestors did. They live in little huts (without electricity), have a few chickens and cows who graze around freely, and pick their fruits from the countless fruit trees scattered around the island. A simple but authentic way of live.

One of the most "pimped out" huts of the island

I walked around for about an hour and it felt wonderful to witness a place that is still untouched by modern civilization. No trace of globalization here! The locals looked at me a little funny when our path crossed (my face cast might have had a role to play in that) but I just said hello and they didn't seem to mind me.

I picked a couple of mangos from a mango trees and maybe it was because I had picked them myself, but they just seemed to taste better than the ones from the grocery store. I also tried some unknown red fruit I found.. It looked and tasted delicious, but 5 minutes after eating it, my throat was burning in agony. Oops!

After exploring the island and marveling in this, it was time to hop back onto my kayak and go back to the modern world (well, relatively speaking!) of Gili Trawangan. I won't get into the specifics but that ride back was bloody hard. No longer drawn by the mystery of the island in the distance, I just felt tired and sluggish. I was even starting to get sunburned, which is an absolute rarity in my case.

I thought about giving up and calling over one of the scuba diving boats nearby to get them to give me a lift back... But deep down I knew I would regret it if I did. I set off on this adventure to have an adventure and explore a new land, but also to push myself while seeing what I'm made of. And giving up is not how I want to define myself. So I just put my head down and paddled until I felt my arms were gonna fall off..... And I finally got there..

Upon returning my kayak, the locals called me crazy for doing what I had just done. While I felt pretty drained, I also enjoyed that distinctively sweet feeling feeling I get when I do something  people said I couldn't do!

From there, I grabbed my towel and laid down on the beach for a minute..... Closed my eyes.... and woke up 2 hours later! Happy days.

Overall, I feel like traveling can be seen as a metaphor for life in general. The same principle applies: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. You can choose to take the easy road, but the reward will be commensurate. Alternatively, you can go for the hard way, and try to do something challenging, something different. Believe me, the latter is infinitely more gratifying and ultimately, enjoyable.

Adios!

Phil