The Dream, The Calling, and The Plan

In traveling world, there are always these three categories.

The ones that made into the bucket list. Those destinations too far of your reach: distance-wise, financial-wise, situation-wise. Those places you could only imagine to visit someday, one day you have no idea when. Those promised lands and scenarios you could only dream of.

Then there are the ones which you’re sure you’ll see shortly. Those destinations reasonable enough to visit. Those places you know you’d be there anytime soon—just need a glimpse of luck and a twist of time and poof! You’ll be close enough you can actually hear them calling.

And finally, the ones that are actually coming up next on your playlist. Those destinations only time that separates you from. Those places you’ve dreamt long enough you hear them calling way too much, and it’s about time to realize the plan.

In traveling world, there are always these three categories.

And in Vicky Amin’s world, these are the drive.

To dream more,

Be aware for more calls,

And plan the impossible

Appel Français

Lately,

The appearance of France's new President Emmanuel Macron occurred literally everywhere. I got exposed to his climate change speech, his ultimate bromance with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his this video, his that video, la la la from this to that until I ended up watching him saying this.

Oh well.

Call no more, Mr. President.
I'm coming!

Türk Rüyalar

I feel really bad.

Because it's been two weeks after the holy month started, after the Hijr birth-month of mine came, but I hadn't brought it up here. So...

Ramadan Kareem, people!

Enough about Australia, I swear. I need to move on, and talk about something else as a way to distract myself. But, yeah, Vicky Amin's "something else" is not far from traveling. Especially because a new girl friend I met during my trip to the land of kangaroo said,

"Looking forward to something tends to cause more happiness than remembering something."

So yeah, as you might guess,

This post will be about my next grand plan.

And guess where the grand destination is?

The home of then grand Muslim empire,

Türkiye

Picture of Instanbul Grand Bazaar, from here.

This went straight up to my primary bucket list.

So during Ramadan this year, there's this awesome short-documentary show broadcasted by one of the local stations. It tells about how the holy month is celebrated in major cities and even small towns throughout, well, now you can guess, Turkey.

Then all those mid-eastern wonders filled my eyes. How they share foods during iftar. How they go to the intricate-designed mosques. How they prepare their awesome meals. How they go to bazaars to grab their needs, how they fill every spots in nearby squares after tarawih, how they find local entertainments in night fairs until finally suhoor time comes and certain people with drums go around the small alleys to wake everybody up—praise Allah! I'm dying to experience such grand Muslim air! Oh I've been long exposed to Turkey in recent years, but never I felt so much in the urge to visit the country like this.

You know how I really love Disney Classics, right? Including Aladdin, of course. I've always wanted to visit Agrabah. Try its crispy apples, get lost in such marketplace where Aladdin lived, admire the simple buildings. But then I know in real life, I can't even see myself going to Arab. The heat, the dried atmosphere, the idea of wandering around and yellow is the only tone I'd see with my eyes—no, I'm not yet ready for that.

But then Turkey came to my preference,

With its strong yet casual Islamic atmosphere,

With its international touch within the royal appeal,

With its undeniably amazing Ramadan culture and habit,

Convincing me that this is the Agrabah I've been looking for.

Pic's from here.

See, as I said earlier, Vicky Amin's "something else" is obviously not far from traveling. Especially because a new guy friend I met during my trip to the land down under once said,

"Well you need to book another holiday so you have something to count down to."

So, about my trip to Australia.

It's somewhat enough, for now.

But as for traveling in general,

It's somewhat an endless dream.

A dream that will always

Be a something

The Secret Life of My Kind

Recalling the resolution I made for 2014,

It's about Worldwide Fun, isn't it Vick?

Well to be honest, I'm kinda pretty optimistic about it. Chances are everywhere. I'm all open and free. Graduated and unemployed, I can actually choose to be a freelance writer or copywriter or better yet, go on with my study somewhere abroad.

Anything, could possibly be my path to being a Mr Worldwide.

And this was kinda reinforced by a simple hint, shown by

Walter Mitty

Genuinely scared, imagining myself in the middle of nowhere.

Yes, it's only a movie. About someone who is so tiny physically, financially and hierarchy-ly. Never once planned, going to Greenland, boating to Iceland, cycling and skating down the lowhill, drifting away from Eyjafjallajökull's dusts, hiking the Himalayas, never once planned by Walter Mitty.

But somehow he made it. Alone. No preparations at all. And no camera. I don't blame his decision, no he was a fool not bringing something to seize the wonders. But having no camera, means optimizing our visual to mental-capture the sights. Don't need to be busied taking pictures and enjoying digital sceneries from the screen. Just us, our eyes, and the genuine touch of mother nature.

I want that. The spontaneous journey, not the no-camera-at-all part.

Can you imagine? No certain plan you been waiting for and all of the sudden, poof!

You're sailing offshore Nuke, swimming ice cold water and eating a nice clementine cake.

I do, want that.

Because if you're in the middle of something unplanned,

And you apparently enjoy every single details you have to do,

Then you just found your quintessence

Overseas Submarine View

I have a Filipino friend.

On some aspects, we share lots of similarities. Love traveling, citizens of the capital cities, which automatically, make us similarly hate the metropolitan traffic jam, love cats, and The Hunger Games -this is the best part that I like from him! Once, we were subconsciously counting how many tributes died when from afar we heard fireworks cracked- and we both majoring communication science.

But there's one thing that differs us from each other.

That in traveling, he also visit places his country possesses.

And one big goal that he had in mind for his next trip, will be

Diving with whale sharks, in Donsol

Pictures of Donsol above and under water, obtained from here.

And he wanted me to join.

I swear, I was interested--no! I am, interested. See the vast sea of water and the rocks, those are the scenery I'd love to see in my next trip to Halong Bay (wrong, apparently I bought a ticket to HCMC instead...). And the idea of swimming with sharks... Well to be honest, I guess I have this phobia of beholding bottomless water.

Like on my last trip to Bali, I was snorkeling with two of my friends. It was fun until they returned back to our resting area, leaving only me and the ocean, then I did the snorkeling all alone. I kept swimming and swimming as long as I could see corals below me, but once they're gone, poof! I started to breathe hard.

Now diving in the deep sea. You see nothing around you but blue color, getting any darker and darker once you see your sublevel. And there'll be this gigantic fish near you. I can feel the panic attack already but... I'm curious! Underwater mystery makes me curious! Outer space makes me curious! Dinosaurs, time machine, Grecian myth, those make me turned-on-ish curious! I'm curious like that monkey George!

In summary, I'm thinking of visiting Philippines.

I know, Indonesia must've owned something like this.

But now the problem is... I don't know where it is!?

Well I'm sure if I really go there,
I have this thing that'll keep bugging me:

So he can make me want to visit his aquatic wonder.
Now how can I convince him visiting mine?

Tribal Voyage

I'm into traveling, so much.

Well compared to some friends who travels more frequent, I'm just a novice. But through all journeys I experienced, I have already felt the sensation of skillful travelers. And that was just priceless. Especially when I do that alone. I can be the person I've always been hiding at home.

But umm, that only works for international trips. To be honest, I have no interest at all exploring Indonesian spots because umm, I see no pride in doing that. Passport stamps and communicating in English while traveling, those are what boost me. Sounds jerk enough?

Yeah I agree. That kind of me is an ass.

I kept holding onto that value until someday, when one of my foreign friends asked me where to visit in Indonesia besides Jakarta and Bali, I remained silent and had no idea at all. I had no idea about my own country. That bugged me a lot. I really wanted to know more about Indonesia, but nothing seemed to be able to ignite me.

But now, just now, well, not that 'now' but yesterday, I sensed callings from

Batak and Toraja

On the left, is Lake Toba in Medan and on the right is Torajan tombs in Makassar.

Yesterday a friend of mine, who's a Bataknese, proudly posted a video of Medan's new international airport, the Kualanamu. The video hit me right in my heart. The dramatic scenes, the colossal atmosphere, the Indonesian-tasted music, I have to go there! I told myself.

I know, it makes me want to visit Medan NOT because of the local culture, but the international asset instead. But at least it makes me want to land on Sumatra. I won't just visit Medan and stay by the airport the whole trip anyway, right?

And I know myself. I can't lie by saying I want to learn their customs oh God that's just so not me. I can't be that fully ethnical in just one trip so, Medan, as one of some international cities Indonesia has, would be a marvelous choice for a starter.

Now about Toraja. Another friend of mine is traveling back to her homeland, Makassar. And with all social networks she has, she showed everybody the beauty of her city. What striked me much is when she visited the native villagers and saw with her on eyes, the mystical side of Toraja I've been dying to know about. Yeah, the walking dead.

I really want to proof it myself, if the body is really moving or not, or just so so moving but everyone seem to make a big deal out of it and add some magical garnish so people will be curious, or... Anything could possibly happen and I want to see that with my own eyeballs!

See talking about this excites me already. Can't imagine if I can really perform the trip, experience it with myself, and rupture everything I see, here in my blog. That could cost lots of posts.

I want it. I want to do what those girls do.

Showing people what my nation possesses.

But first, of course, I have to get to know her.

My treasured motherland