Tag 91 - halved

30.07.19

Halfway. We have reached the halfway point of our approximately 180-day journey. From now on, we have more behind us than ahead - a strange feeling. On one hand, time has passed by as expected, like a flash. But when you think about all we have seen and experienced, three months seems about right. Somehow, what lies ahead seems to be passing faster than what is behind us - three more weeks in Indonesia, then traveling through New Zealand and Australia in a van. Ironically, the blog helps to remember and realize the details and moments, making it sink in that it really has been three months. Looking back, the journey has had an impact on our fundamental values and life attitudes, in addition to the obvious effects like relaxation and new experiences.

We are well aware of how cliché and overused these phrases are, ones that every world traveler has heard. But obviously, there is some truth to them. We become aware of what we want in life and what matters to us, much more so than in our everyday German life. We have gained a new perspective on family, life planning, friends, jobs, free time, and interests. The ability to think through these thoughts without stress, in a peaceful environment, and discuss them with each other is especially helpful. Don't get us wrong; as beautiful as it is here, not having a routine and experiencing new paths every day, we also appreciate the routine and the environment we have back home. Despite this realization, there is absolutely no hurry or stress to return, but the thought of going back there at the end leaves a more comforting feeling than we had anticipated. On the contrary, this carefree attitude that we always have in the back of our minds boosts our desire to travel even more.

We hope you understand what we mean. Thank you for not only waiting for us at home, but also traveling with us through the blog. It brings great joy to be able to share our experiences with you so quickly. Furthermore, when we return, we won't be able to share such detailed experiences with you as we can now - our memory is like a sieve!

Trying to put thoughts into words quickly sounds sentimental and cheesy. So that's enough of that.

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We sleep longer than ever before on our journey. We don't leave our room until around 10:45 am and go to have breakfast before heading to the beach. This time, the tide allows us to swim a few strokes instead of just "lying" in the water.

We doze in the sun, listen to music and podcasts, and doze off a bit. Generally, the beaches are always relatively empty. Probably because the tourists can spread out across the entire island.

Back at the accommodation, we quickly change our clothes and finally decide to get our dinner at the night market. When we arrive there, we share a plate and fill it at the buffet with fried rice, spring rolls, corn and potato pancakes, a chicken skewer, and a tuna skewer. Finally, we add peanut and sweet chili sauce. This fun costs €5.30 (relatively expensive for local food) but it is incredibly delicious (10/10).

On the first day, we noticed that beach bars also offer hookahs. Because we haven't had shisha for ages, we search for such a beach bar and order one along with two beers. So we enjoy the rest of the evening, which we conclude by getting ourselves some chocolate pancakes and driving home with them.

- Jonna & Alex