Yeah, so mea culpa and all that. This week’s 196 Stories is a day late. Again. 😂 At this point, maybe I should seriously consider making Thursday the official publication day. Apparently, after six months of nearly nonstop travel, I still haven’t figured out how to organize my life around a seven-day calendar. I even got “two Tuesdays” this week as I flew east across the International Dateline, and still couldn’t make it work.
But this week, let’s talk about a rather ridiculous day I had on this trip where I spent the entire day flying around Indonesia. Because somewhere between the 4 AM alarm, three flights, two unfamiliar cities, and a Chinese-built airplane, I was reminded of something I’ve come to understand about myself this year.
I really, really love the experience of GOING somewhere.
A perfectly reasonable way to spend a day…right?
I had some time to fill between the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok and my next commitment in Australia. Indonesia seemed like a good place to spend it, especially since there were still plenty of islands and regions I hadn’t visited.
Now, normal people might use a spare week in Indonesia to relax somewhere like Bali, explore a city, or perhaps enjoy a beach. But sitting on beaches or at resorts really isn’t my thing, and when I started looking at the flight schedules around Sulawesi and the Moluccas, I spotted an opportunity. Of course, Indonesia’s airlines had other ideas, and I had to scrap my original plan just a couple days in advance…but the great thing with so many airlines and diverse places to visit in Indonesia is…there’s always room for a different adventure.
What if I could fly from Makassar to Ternate, continue to Manado, and return to Makassar that evening?
Three flights. Two new Travelers’ Century Club (TCC) regions. Two airlines I’d never flown before. And, best of all, a chance to fly on a Chinese-built COMAC C909, formerly known as the ARJ21…a plane that I’d never flown on before.
For an aviation geek who also loves discovering new places, this was practically irresistible, and on top of it, reasonably affordable.
There was just one small problem with the plan I came up with: the day would start at about 4 AM. Which, as anyone who knows me will appreciate, is not exactly my preferred time to be conscious.
First stop: Ternate
My first flight was on Lion Air, taking me from Makassar to Ternate in the North Maluku islands. First, here’s a map of the adventure to put it all in perspective, and as a reminder for just how large Indonesia is. I was starting this mini-adventure in Makassar on the island of Sulawesi (UPG).
Ternate (TTE on the map) has a fascinating history as one of the great spice-trading centers of the world. The Moluccan islands were once enormously important to European powers competing for control of the lucrative clove trade…so much so they were collectively known as the “Spice Islands.” Today, they’re considerably less prominent on international tourist itineraries.
And that, of course, makes them extra interesting to me. I love nothing more than flying to places where I look like I’m the only “tourist” on the plane and people wonder “what’s HE doing here?!”
I had a few hours before my next flight, so I headed into town using Grab. One of the pleasant surprises of the day was just how easy getting around turned out to be. I honestly think ridesharing has been one of the best travel gifts of the past couple decades, and it’s make getting around so much easier in so many places.
I visited Fort Tolluko, took in the views of the town and surrounding landscape, and got at least a small introduction to a place I’d previously known only from maps and history books.
Was a couple of hours enough to understand Ternate? Of course not. But it was enough to make me glad I’d spent my day doing this? 1000%.
Next up: A Chinese airplane in Indonesia
The next flight was the one I’d been particularly looking forward to and the main thing that made this day turn from “maybe I could do this” into “I have to do this!”: TransNusa from Ternate to Manado, aboard a COMAC C909.
For anyone who isn’t an aviation geek, COMAC is China’s commercial aircraft manufacturer, and the C909 is a regional jet that offers something different from the usual Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer aircraft we see around the world.
I paid an extra $11 to secure a seat in the front row. This is Asia, after all, where low-cost airlines have turned charging for absolutely everything into something of an art form. 😂 You can have a bare bones A to B experience if cost is your main driver, but if you’re willing to pay a little more you can pack on all sorts of extras.
And the verdict? It was a perfectly nice airplane. I’m sure bigger avgeeks than I could tell you every little detail about it, but I just loved that it was a new and different experience. After all, I was the 17-year-old who went to the USSR as their first country…I’ve always liked things that are a little different.
Seriously. Comfortable enough, a pleasant flight, and nothing particularly strange or exotic about the experience. Which is perhaps the most interesting thing about it. Here I was, going out of my way to fly an aircraft built by a manufacturer that most Western travelers have never experienced, and it felt like just another perfectly ordinary commercial flight.
I loved it.
Manado: More than another airport code
My next stop was Manado (MDC on the map), the capital of North Sulawesi. I was back to the same island I’d started on, but in the extreme northeast instead of the southwest. Again, I had a few hours, and again, Grab made it easy to get into town and explore.
One of the things that caught my attention was the city’s Chinese heritage and rather large Chinatown, particularly its colorful temples.
Chinese traders and settlers have been part of Manado’s history for centuries (there are even direct flights to China to this day), with migration shaped by commerce, colonial rule, and the region’s position along important maritime routes. The community established neighborhoods, businesses, and places of worship that remain an important part of the city’s cultural landscape.
I spent some (very, very hot) time exploring the temples, admiring the elaborate dragons, colorful statues, and ornate decorations. It was a fascinating little glimpse into a side of Indonesia that didn’t fit my previous conceptions of the country…and I loved it.
And that’s exactly why going “beyond the airport” is so important to me.
Then it was back to the airport for my final flight, on Batik Air to Makassar. Three flights, two new TCC regions, and two new airlines. And somehow, everything worked exactly as planned.
Anyone who’s spent much time relying on domestic flights in Indonesia will appreciate just how satisfying that last part was. No missed connections, no major delays, no transportation disasters. Just a wonderfully enjoyable day doing exactly what I’d set out to do.
Why do we travel, anyway?
One of the biggest gifts of this year has been having the time to reflect on why I travel.
Not why I think other people should travel. Not what makes someone a better traveler. Just what makes travel meaningful and enjoyable to me.
I’ve met people who love collecting countries, regions, and other lists. Others are passionate about trains, UNESCO sites, obscure airlines, or spending weeks exploring a single destination. Some believe you haven’t really experienced a place unless you’ve spent months there.
And you know what? Good for all of them. And that’s serious and not sarcastic.
There’s no single correct way to travel, and I’ve become increasingly convinced that trying to impose one person’s definition of meaningful travel on everyone else completely misses the point.
For me, the journey itself is a huge part of the enjoyment. I love the anticipation of going somewhere new, figuring out how to get there, boarding an unfamiliar airline, and watching a place I’ve only seen on a map become real.
Sometimes I wonder whether I should just show up at an airport one Monday morning, look at the departure board, and buy a ticket on whichever flight looks interesting. Then do it again the following Monday. And the next. For a few months.
Who knows? It sounds like a pretty entertaining experiment. 😂
But I’ve also learned something else about myself. Even when the airplane or train is the primary reason for a trip, I want to see at least something when I arrive, if at all possible.
That doesn’t mean I think a brief visit gives me some profound understanding of a place. Quite the opposite. One of the things traveling to every country has taught me is just how little of the world I’ve actually seen.
A few hours in Ternate won’t make me an expert on the Moluccas. An afternoon in Manado barely scratches the surface of North Sulawesi. But I saw a historic fort, explored beautiful temples, and learned a little about places I might otherwise have known only as airport codes.
And maybe someday I’ll return and explore them properly. Or maybe I won’t and I’ll just add more and more new experiences.
The joy of going
After six months of nearly nonstop travel, I’m finally home, with thousands of photographs, countless memories, and more stories than I know what to do with.
But when I sat down to write, this was the day and experience that kept coming back to me. Not because anything extraordinary happened, but because everything went right. I got to fly an unusual airplane, visit two new places, explore a little of each, and enjoy the simple pleasure of being on the move.
It was exactly the kind of day I love.
And perhaps that’s the most useful thing I’ve learned about travel this year: understanding what makes YOU happy is far more important than worrying about how someone else thinks you should travel.
Now, about that idea of showing up at an airport with no plans and choosing a random flight...and then another…and then another…
Anyone want to join me? ✈️😂