Someone told me the other day that there should be no room for regrets. While I realize that the advice is easier said than done, I still believe that it’s true. Allowing room for regrets means making excuses to feel ungrateful; being ungrateful almost always guarantees an unfulfilled life; and an unfulfilled life prevents you from living it large. It’s a domino effect that escalates with each fall.
With that said, I think it’s bad that I started to open the door for some wistful thinking a couple of days ago. Doesn’t flood start with a small droplet of water? I should not only be careful about what I think but also about what I feel.
Thankfully, the universe pushed Mother Nature to help me stop and think through. It allowed me to take a breather at Pangalengan, Bandung as a short circuit to avoid trippin’.
***
While I can say that I’m naturally an early riser (except on the weekends when I succumb to the temptation of sleeping in), waking up at 4 a.m. is not the norm for me. I mean, six is good; seven is okay; but four? It is too soon.
With a short getaway event planned a month prior, last Saturday was an exception. I set my alarm at 4 the night before. Waking up to an eventful Saturday was not as difficult as I had expected. I only snoozed my alarm once.
Just over an hour later, I took my early morning walk to the bus stop. It was still dark outside, but the walk was soothing. I passed some hardworking street food sellers getting ready for their day, hoping the food would sell like hotcakes. If it weren’t for some careless men catcalling me at the nearby bus stop, I’d say my day started peacefully.
Since I didn’t know most of the participants of this event, I decided to wait for my colleague at a nearby mini market near our office building. We went to the meeting point together, becoming the first person to arrive. We talked until people started swarming from several gates. Our bus started its engine at around 7.
Well, the journey to Pangalengan, Bandung took us five hours. I didn’t talk much with my colleague during the bus ride. After having breakfast, we, in unison, decided to continue sleeping. It was almost like an unspoken plan that we both longed for and respected (emphasize the word ‘plan’, I’ll get back to it later).
Despite the relative quietness of our seats, I experienced a gentle awakening amid the stillness. It surfaced upon our mutual desire to stay at the camp instead of joining rafting later. We pointed out why we shouldn’t participate as an attempt to justify our lack of interest in sunbathing: weather so hot, laziness, and—the most absurd one came from my friend—we could get lost in the stream. Well.
But making up reasons, silly as they were, made me realize just how much I had missed by not being more social with my work friends. Despite my initial fear, I found her (and the others) truly kind. I then thought about how multifaceted people could be, about how it was so wrong to make up your mind about someone based on the first few impressions. Does someone raises their voice too often? The chance is, they’re among the few who remember your birthday. Does someone lie about some parts of their life? It’s not your story to judge. We all have something to cover.
So, here is a thought: we are so quick to label the villains and outcast them when they don’t conform to the general norm, but are we sure they are wholly bad? I should have known better. Even I suck at impressing new people, don’t I?
Well, I might suck at that, but I’m so good at sleeping even in a disruption. My plan to sleep went smoothly; unfortunately, my friend’s didn’t. She woke up after one hour when some people started to do a karaoke session without matching the pitch. I didn’t blame her.
At noon, we finally arrived at this unnamed bamboo hut to have a traditional lunch buffet of Sundanese food. I didn’t know whether it was hunger or the food was really good, but I hope it wouldn’t be biased to say that it was really, really good.
Fun fact: One of my kerupuk (crackers) flew away in the strong wind!
While most of the participants went to go rafting, some of us who stayed back waited for a while in the area. The scorching sun was no joke, but the strong wind was not either. Both seemed to be in a bitter competition to see which possessed a higher dominance. My colleague and I were so grateful that we decided not to play with luck and instead went to cool down on the bus. I continued to read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen on my Kindle. What a life.
Around 3 p.m. or so, the bus driver came to send the minority of us to go to another meeting point. We were transferred to this small pick-up truck because the road to the camp was not accessible by bus. Even though it felt like a furnace outside, the scenery made it worth it. Everything seemed beautiful.
Since we didn’t play, we got the privilege to pick which hut we would spend the night in. My friend and I picked hut number 6. We would be sharing the space with three other colleagues.
Another privilege we got was an early shower time! Before the restrooms were clogged by the rafters, my colleague and I decided to utilize the bathroom first. We then enjoyed some snack time, which consisted of boiled corn (yum), boiled peanuts (too cold and watery), and fritters (too cold but I was too hungry so yum).
Snack time was soon over. Our colleagues from the rafting session returned, quickly filling up the five bathrooms. I watched some YouTube videos until it was time for dinner and barbecue. All in all, it had been a slow, soothing day far away from home. I felt my energy recharged.
Star of the show: grilled goat!
***
Being away from the city for a day showered me with so much gratitude. Not only did I sleep soundly, but I also woke up the next morning around 5 to the sound of countless birds chirping. Like the morning air there, the water was cold and fresh. The true beauty of Mother Nature couldn’t have been more evident.
My colleagues and I started our day with a cup of noodles. Right after we finished our first meal of the day, the shocking news came: our actual breakfast was ready, and we had to eat it right away before it got cold! It was a pack of fried rice with a sunny side up and some watermelon cuts. I was already full, but I pushed through…
Well, since I needed all the energy I could get, I didn’t complain. We went to do some trekking for about one and a half hours after that. It was the (second) best decision I took in the past two days—following the decision of not rafting. The scenery was breathtaking, to say the least. The tea garden might not have matched what I’d imagined as a kid, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.
Our trip was basically over after that. We boarded the bus at around 10.30, stopped at a nearby souvenir shop, and hit the road.
***
If this trip conveyed any message, it’s that I am once again reminded to be grateful. I live on a beautiful earth that God has magnificently created—it’s a wonderful world and Louis Armstrong captures it perfectly in his song; I’m privileged enough to travel and treasure the beauty of so many places—even a small experience is a new experience to cherish; also I have a job and colleagues that I could call friends.
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