The Journey, from Jakarta to Himalaya

Another book about traveling, written by Gola Gong, for Hai Magazine readers must be familiar with his name. He wrote the famous story of "Balada si Roy" in 1980s.

Unfortunately, not as I expect before, the atmosphere that I've got from this book is awfully different compared with other traveling books, such as: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert or "The Naked Traveler" by Trinity, usually after reading those kinds of books, I was eagerly willing to travel, even becoming a backpacker (in my dreams). On the contrary, this Gola Gong's book really turns my mood down. Instead of traveling, I just feel that I want to stay at home and become a couch potato.

I don't know. Maybe, the setting of the book. The writer tells the story in a flashback style. He started with his father's illness, hospitalized and finally passed away, and also the writer himself at that time was sick and hospitalized. Other reasons are the countries chosen by the writer, mostly are under developed countries, such as: Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and India.

No wonder if the story was about poverty, hungry people, criminals, hot and dusty countries, even in the last part, when the writer was in Pakistan, he almost got raped by a homosexual guy. This scary moment really turned the writer down. His mental reached the lowest level. He suddenly changed his plan to continue traveling to Europe and went back to Indonesia.

Still, I admire him with this adventure, although maybe not as I long to but people have their own ways to choose their own paths and enjoy them. I just thought that this one is not my cup of coffee.

Still, I have to do something to change my gloomy mood, let me think first, how about a cup of ice cream (postpone the diet for a moment) or a better idea, going shopping? hihi....as I wish.