Taking It Easy on Independence Day
August 14th, day three in Manado. I decided to take it super slow from the morning until the afternoon. To be honest, I wasn't feeling 100%, so I made the call to just stay in the hotel and rest.
I did step out for a short walk in the morning, just to soak in a bit of the atmosphere.
Outside, the streets were buzzing with energy for Indonesian Independence Day. Even though I was stuck indoors for most of the day, just being here to feel that local festive vibe made the trip totally worth it. Sometimes, you don't even need to leave your room to experience the heartbeat of a country.
A Surprise Encounter!
Later in the afternoon, I got some crazy news—an acquaintance of mine happened to be right here in Manado! Naturally, I had to go see them.
It had been a solid year and a half since we last met back in January 2025. Honestly, catching up with an old friend while on the road is just the best feeling.
We ended up at a cafe with an incredible view.
Neither of us is perfectly fluent in English, but we managed to chat a lot, mixing in my broken Bahasa Indonesia. We reminisced about old times, talked about our current jobs, and swapped travel stories. At one point, I got a "Wow, you can speak Bahasa now!" from them. Those little moments of connection? Absolutely priceless.
Fueling the Fire to Grow
Since I still wasn't feeling great, we had to call it a day after about two hours. Leaving left me with a bittersweet feeling.
I found myself thinking, "Man, I wish we could have talked more. I wish my Bahasa was better."
It really lit a fire under me to study harder, improve my communication skills, and just grow as a person. It was such an incredibly fulfilling encounter that gave me a fresh wave of motivation. Here's hoping our paths cross again soon, maybe in Jakarta next time!
A Quick Note on International Shipping...
Oh, by the way. I was originally planning to use the local postal service (Pos Indonesia) to ship a package out today. But when I checked the price? Over $100 USD! Yeah, I immediately canceled that plan. Way too expensive for me today! 😅
