Have you ever felt that travel makes you humble in so many ways? I have. Recently, today. As a part of #Travel2Indonesia trip, I spent last two days in Borneo jungle. We slept, ate, worked on the river-boat (klotok – wooden boat), and the weather was scorching hot and humid. You can imagine how dirty and sweaty we all were during those times. The mission of the trip was completed. Visiting Borneo orangutans was beyond amazing; not only we got to see them really close, but also we spent quite a long time watching them moving. Because approach and come out of the orangutan camp can be done only by a river-boat, we maintain our lives on the boat for last two days. I loved the experience. I like the wilderness and the jungle and enjoyed the fact we forced to be separated with Wi-Fi and all other technologies. Only one thing: I wanted to take a shower.
I knew what to expect. We walked a few times a day to visit orangutans in the camp. In fact, the jungle trekking was pretty much walk in the well-beaten path in the jungle. The rangers already made the sturdy road for the visitors and the workers. Even though, I couldn’t help but think about hot shower since the weather was very hot and humid. I haven’t been in the tropical weather for a long time.
The last stretch of the four-hour boat ride leads us to the city. We got off the boat, took another a half an hour bus ride and finally arrived at the hotel. We checked the Wi-Fi situation, and we all went straight to the room. I know the first thing everyone would do in their hotel room: jump into the shower.
The hot shower couldn’t feel any better. I scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed the two-day-old dirt and sweat, and scrubbed some more. The welcome package from Indonesia Travel came with a washcloth. How did they know? I knew I was wasting more water by staying in the shower longer but I couldn’t help. It felt just so nice.
I stepped out, wrapped the towel around me and thought ‘It’s amazing how small thing can change everything.’ We don’t normally thank the air we breathe in every other second. Same as the shower. By putting ourselves to the more extreme situation, now we know how having a place with a shower and toilet is nice.
Travel makes us humble. Travel makes us realize how precious the things we take for granted. Not just seeing people with less-fortune, by experiencing the challenging situations, we learn. People are a very smart creature, but sometimes we just have to experience things to actually connect the dot. Getting out of the comfort zone will make you grow. That’s why traveling is such a precious experience.
