I’m not a backpacker. Yet. Do I want to be a backpacker. I don’t know. I might be one someday.
Anyway, I’ve been reading some traveling blogs lately (The Naked Traveler and The Coffee Traveler), and I would love to travel somewhere someday, like, to see the other side of the world. Seriously, I’ve never been anywhere but Java and Bali. I really need to go out more, somewhere farther, right?
Until the perfect time come (crossing fingers!), I’ve managed to interview the writer of the blog The Coffee Traveler: Angga Elfuego.
Who’s Angga?
Well, other than he’s being my co-worker during the 2010 LoVED at Satya Wacana’s English Department, he’s also my junior. We’ve been in the same department for about two years.
So, Angga, here, loves travelling, and sometimes, he would post something about travelling (actually, all posts in his blog are all about travelling). Some post are taken from The Naked Traveler, as he mentioned in his blog, and sometimes he would share his opinions and experience during his travelling somewhere.
You can read more about it in his blog (click here, or check the blog roll on the sidebar on the right), and my interview would involve other thing that he hasn’t posted in his blog (you can read other things in his blog yourself), I hope any of the information would be useful for you :)
- Q: When did you first start travelling and where to? Tell us more about how you felt when you were about to travel for the very first time.
A: Hmm, I can’t remember exactly when I started my first trips. About 2 years ago, I went to Jogjakarta (the best city for beginner). I felt nervous the first time, yet excited, but it always happen to me anyway, every time I’m about to start going somewhere. - Q: Where did you go on your last travelling?
A: I went to Ternate and Jailolo, North Halmahera. - Q: How many times have you been travelling (both overseas and inside the country)?
A: I’ve backpacked overseas once, to Singapore. The other 19 times I traveled inside the country. - Q: How often do you travel?
A: Probably countless. I’m not the kind of person who loves staying in my boarding house, in an office, or even inside a class. Wherever I go, I always consider it as traveling. - Q: You’re being quite harsh about people who don’t really travel a lot (or people who never even travel) in your post ‘Why Should You Quit Your Job and Travel Around the World’, now I’m gonna ask you back some questions you were asking in that post: (1) What did you learn on those trips? (2) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be?
A: All backpackers’ dream is to go around the world, even to a hole on the wall, perhaps. If you ask me, here is the list:
– Indonesia: Ubud, Bali (I always want to be go back there), Batam, Riau Island, Raja Ampat, Papua, Gilli Trawangan, Bromo, Grand Canyon, lake Toba, and all around Sumatra.
– Abroad: Phuket (Thailand), Hanoi (Vietnam)–I’m visiting this country next year, Bangkok (Thailand), Hawaii, New South Wales, France (especially to Louvre, the biggest art gallery in France), Molen van Stolen windmill (Amsterdam, Holland), New York, and many more. I can spend all year round telling you all about it, haha. - Q: Amongst all the places you’ve ever been to, what’s your favorite place?
A: Those who think Indonesia is lacking of interesting places, visit Ubud, Bali. - Q: What do you hate the most about travelling?
A: I think all bakpackers would be agree with me. Most Indonesians are friendly and warmly welcome backpackers. However, if we travel overseas we will face many things, starting from the immigration process that (sometimes) make us give up traveling overseas and some people who are unfriendly with us. - Q: Who do you usually travel with? Do you prefer travelling in groups, or alone?
A: I used to travel with my friends from Backpacker Indonesia, yet I often traveled alone and later I met another backpackers during travelling. - Q: If you got one million dollar you would…
A: If I got one million dollar, I would treat you. I wouldn’t spend it for traveling. I don’t bring a lot of money during traveling because I’m not going to visit Emporio Armani’s store. - Q: What do you think could stop you from travelling?
A: Frankly speaking, I’m not always lucky dealing with the immigration process. Back to the question number 7, not all countries are openly welcome backpackers.
I would say I totally agree with no. 7. I tried to get my passport done a couple months ago, and I took the hard-long-way to make a passport. Say it’s much cheaper (most people have someone to get their passport done, mostly through ‘calo’, which is why they paid much-much more), and I’m not really in a rush. I just happen to have the cash and when there’s still time, why not now?
Well, Angga sure gave us a lot of recommendation of where to go both inside and outside the country. Other than the list, we do hope that the other information might be useful for you! More to come! Don’t forget to visit Angga’s blog!
Oh, btw, Angga has a twitter too, click here to go to his twitter account.
A Bunch of Nonsense 