Travelling to Indonesia without using planes – two travellers tell their stories

Kyra and Flurin, what’s the difference between holidays and travel in your view?
Flurin _ The focus of holidays is relaxation. You treat yourself to something and take a break from everyday life. Travelling usually takes longer and becomes part of everyday life – it’s just different from being at home. We have a small daily budget and are anything but luxurious on the road. What we take for granted in Switzerland suddenly becomes a challenge – we have to meet our basic needs every day. Where are we sleeping, how do we get stuff to eat and drink, how do we get from A to B?

Kyra _ Sometimes a journey pushes you to your limits, but it allows you to take time for the country and its people. You have to embrace a completely different way of life – it expands your horizons, shatters some perspectives and ultimately transforms you into a different person – whether you want it to or not.

So, does it also take a certain amount of courage to embark on a journey with an uncertain outcome?
F _ You have to be ready to leave your comfort zone and go off the beaten path. We are both very curious and want to see the world for ourselves – see, smell, feel, taste and get in touch with people. Of course, there are always a thousand things that keep you from doing it: your job, your apartment, your friends, your family… But in 50 years’ time, we didn’t want to be asking ourselves ‘What would’ve happened if…?’

You forego travelling by plane and instead go by train, bus, hitchhiking, tuk-tuk or boat. Why?
K _ Idealism and flight shame! (laughs) In all seriousness, the initial thought process was indeed an ecological one. In the meantime, experiencing the differences in culture and people from country to country has become much more important for us. Slow travel allows us to dive deeper and process things better. The reduced speed also allows us to get a better sense of distances and develop an awareness of our planet's size. But we’ve always allowed ourselves a loophole: if there’s no other way, we’ll get on the plane. In India, we were consistently ill for over a month and a half, including hospital stays, and simply couldn’t get back on our feet. We desperately needed a change of location, both physically and psychologically. Because of the civil war in Myanmar, we couldn’t get further by land, nor was there a boat connection to Southeast Asia. After a lot of deliberation, we flew to Thailand. Looking out of the cabin window, our hearts were aching because we knew that we were just flying over a lot of great places and people.

As privileged people from Western Europe, can you even meet people on your journey on an equal footing?
F_ It’s highly dependent on the country, the place, the situation and the other person. The less touristy a region is, the more we can immerse ourselves in the real life of the locals. On the way to the island of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, we met an Iranian family who had come for a wedding. They invited us to spend a few days together on the island. On the tuk-tuk we let the warm wind blow across our faces as loud Iranian music blared from low-quality speakers. We sang and clapped along exuberantly, although, of course, we didn’t understand a word. That’s exactly how we always dreamed of travelling. We felt free and present, could just let go… an overwhelming feeling!

K _ Flurin was even appointed the wedding photographer by the locals without further ado. It could hardly have been more intimate. The next day, one of the island locals, Mohammed, showed us how to drive a gear-shift motorcycle in a five-minute crash course. It had no handbrake, no speedometer – a helmet or even protective clothing were also missing. We felt wonderfully far away from certain stodgy people in Switzerland.

How do you two communicate?
K _ When we can’t get by with English, we make do with Google Translate or hands and feet. No meeting has really failed because of language.

You also encounter poverty, misery and child labour. How do you deal with it?
F _ It’s hard to see the conditions under which many people – especially children – live. We travel around the world knowing that we can return to sheltered Switzerland at any time. Nevertheless, we believe that it’s important not to close our eyes to the problems in the world – even if we sometimes tune out certain things or fortunes on our journey in order not to lose courage and confidence.

K _ And if it’s possible, we of course also try to help. In Armenia, for example, we helped the ‘World Central Kitchen’ cater for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. And when it comes to poverty, those who have the least often give the most and are extremely generous, although they know that we are more privileged in many areas. This is just one example of how the wealthy West can learn a lot from other cultures.

Have you ever experienced any tricky situations?
Q _ Once in Georgia we were accosted by drunks. But that can also happen to you in Switzerland. From Iran to Pakistan we could only travel through the province of Balochistan with a police escort. Three days surrounded by heavy weapons – that was a strange feeling. Otherwise, we try to minimise risks with good preparation, up-to-date information and exchange with other travellers.

How do you decide the course of your journey?
K _ In the first few weeks, we planned a lot, visited sights and didn’t want to miss anything. But we quickly learnt that we can’t and don’t have to see everything. At first, it was hard to do nothing and experience boredom – in our busy and performance-oriented society, we’re no longer used to that. But with our travel style, we wanted to take a step back and slow down. Nowadays, we take a lot of time for encounters with locals. This results in unbelievably beautiful conversations, and often even friendships.

Q _ If we like a place, we stay as long as we want. The only thing that gives us a framework is the length of the visa.

You’re with your partner 24/7 – don’t you guys get on each other’s nerves sometimes?
K _ The shared experiences have brought us even closer together. Our communication is very good, so we can usually avoid major conflicts. We really only get on each other’s nerves when we’re hangry: the more hungry we are, the worse our mood is!

And what if you spend hours or days in stuffy buses or overcrowded trains?
F _ We Swiss are rightly proud of our public transport. But so far, the means of transport – especially over long distances – have been much better than we would have expected. In Pakistan we travelled in a luxury liner with massage chairs. As tall people, the two of us had significantly more comfort and legroom than in most buses in Switzerland. What’s more annoying is getting the right ticket in time…

Kyra, did you have any concerns about travelling through Iran and Pakistan as a white woman?
K _ I wouldn’t have dared to do it alone. Of course, I adapted to the rules of dress and behaviour of Muslim countries. The fact that highly devout people only spoke to me indirectly through Flurin or didn’t shake my hand is simply part of it. But everyone treated me very respectfully.

F _ The media paints a one-sided, often negative picture of these countries. If we had let ourselves be influenced by it, we would never have travelled to Iran or Pakistan – and would have missed the most beautiful encounters with the most wonderful people. Usually it’s just the government that casts a bad light on a country, not the people who have to live with it.

How did you personally perceive the political or social moods in the countries?
K _ In Armenia, we found the situation in the south to be precarious. In Iran, the revolution was very noticeable. We had the feeling that the young people are like us and that a large number of people are not on the government’s side. People love their country, but many want to leave because there are no prospects for them.

F _ Everyone we spoke to is against the war in the Middle East. It’s sad that many Europeans immediately associate Islam with terror and violence.

What is the essence of your journey so far?
K _ That people all over the world have the same desires, hopes and fears – only under very unequal conditions. We have met so many people who lead extremely difficult lives and yet are happy and open to strangers. In the mountains of Pakistan we mentioned being interested in traditional music to a local. That same evening he had organised a group of musicians; we lit a campfire and had an unforgettable evening. When you experience something like that, your own little problems feel a bit silly.

F _ Much more connects us than separates us. In the old town of Chiang Mai we participated in the biggest water fight in the world. The Songkran Festival reminded us of carnival. Instead of confetti and sweets, they throw water. We were right in the middle of it for nine hours – soaking wet and in harmony with the thousands of strangers around us.

You’ve been on the road for almost a year now. No signs of homesickness?
Q _ As long as we have enough savings, we’ll continue to travel. Definitely to Indonesia, then we’ll see. Of course, we miss our families and friends. But it’s also nice to experience this feeling and recognise where we belong and what we value at home.

K _ For example, drinking water straight from the tap – pure luxury!