Jakarta - Penang - Yogyakarta - Bali - Kuala Lumpur

WOW!

DD is mad! Or, was mad.
Listing those cities out as the title of this post made me realize I might have been out of my mind.

For those of you who don't know what I have been doing recently, well, those are the cities I visited in October and November! I flew so much in those 2 months than I have ever done in past 2 years!

Most of them were on impulse. I didn't use much of my brain when I decided them (hmm, I don't think I use it a lot anyway :p). Let's just say, I have been living at the safe and boring side of life that suddenly I needed to wiggle myself and do some mad travel stunts like that.

So what was I doing there? In summary (and more to come next time) I was:
- visiting my bestie and hunting for my favourite childhood food @ Jakarta
- accompanying my parents and learning about my ancestor who was an awesome man @ Penang
- learning about Buddha's teaching through artifacts and stories + made aware that my country is super awesome @ Yogyakarta
- spending my birthday with besties and finally visiting the island of non-smelling dead bodies (yup, you read it right) @ Bali
- reminding myself that I have great friends and forever grateful for such wonderful souls in my life @ Kuala Lumpur

I am not a travelling sort, normally. Very comfortable where I am. I do occasionally getaway by myself to reset my mind, thought my Bali trip is going to be that way.

But what I learn preciously on all my trips is that people (and not places and things) make travelling more meaningful. You may have seen the most beautiful thing and eaten the most delicious thing on earth, that is wonderful, but to have another living being witnesses or shares that experience with you, make it more exquisite.

I am really grateful that in all my trips, I have never once lacked of the people element. From great friends, to great tour guide. From the daughter of friend's friend to the mother of a friend. They all have made me feel enriched in a way that money can't buy.

Now I really understand fully when Suze Orman says,"People first, them money, then things." Without people, money and things will simply resemble a body without mind and soul.