Highlights of 2016: Travel

In 2016…

Traveling is something that I love to do to enrich the tapestry of life. I am basically a homebody who love to beautify my house. I love puttering and enjoy staying at home, taking delights at the lovely detail of my dwelling: a new picture hanging on the wall, ray of sunshine coming through the sparkling, clean windows, colorful objects set up carefully with a lot of love on my corner piece.

But several times a year, I make journeys to different places to refresh my mind, widen my thoughts, and with each travel I found out that I always, always, came home somehow learning something brand new, motivated to be a better person, and more in awe of the wonderful planet that the Lord has blessed us with. When I travel, I marvel not only on the landscape and beauty of the place, but also the people, the history of the place, I embrace the culture, the personality, the sense of wander, and what that particular place has gone through that made it such it is today.

I was blessed to be able to visit the following wonderful places…

Singapore

Hong Kong

Tasmania

From each, I learned the long and magnificent history of people with vision, hardwork, and luck, that built all three places into what they are today.

The mosquito infested swamp that – by the power of vision of one man, Lee Kuan Yew – turned into the main hub and financial capital of South East Asia named Singapore. A land so small and without no natural resources whatsoever that even drinking water has to be imported from the neighboring country Malaysia, yet so rich, safe, stable and modern that multinational companies placed the regional offices – and therefore park their money – there, instead of their big market such as – sadly – my country Indonesia.

The exotic Hong Kong, raised from poor fisherman village into giant economic powerhouse of Asia. Its skyline is unbeatable even by Manhattan. Over the years, it transformed itself into a sophisticated, ultra modern city that boast one of most expensive property prices in the world. With all its glamour and sophistication, who ever thought that less than a century ago, Hong Kong was only a gateway for people who ran away from Communist China? Of course, when it was returned to China in 1997, China was smart enough, and forward thinking enough not to change anything – including the currency – of Hong Kong, that it stays as a safe banking and corporation haven that it is today.

 The beautiful Tasmania. Many years ago, some visionary government people of Great Britain, thinking that they needed cheap labor to build and develop the new world, the new colony for England, decided to send their “most dangerous convicts” to Tasmania. There they are required to work like slaves to pay for their freedom. Those convicts would never know that they take part in a much bigger scheme that turned Tasmania into what it is today: state with the highest economic growth in Australia. Not to mention the gorgeous sceneries and majestic landscapes!

Everybody is different. I am not into shopping nor glamorous lifestyle, but I would be willing to spend a lot of money if necessary, for traveling. Just like some fashionista ladies take delight in carrying an Hermes birkin bag, I take delight in spoiling all the five senses in exploring the world.

And I thank God that He has given me the opportunity.