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Tips From a Traveling Farmer: How to See Indonesia (or Anywhere) With Fresh Eyes

Few people in Jakarta entertain the idea of becoming a traveling farmer, but it is feasible.

Though I have embarked on my journey armed with little more than the courage of wanderlust, others may do things differently. For anyone dotty enough to trail in my muddy footsteps, here are a few words of advice:

Planning, albeit loosely, is a prerequisite

Staying on farms or in eco-villages is the best option for a girl like me who is seeking an alternative traveling experience.

For a small fee, I can access the worldwide database of farms, homestays and rural individuals seeking a helping hand at sites such as www.helpx.net. www.workaway.info and www.wwoof.org. In exchange for a few hours of labor a week, I obtain knowledge of a new language and an abundance of permaculture, carpentry and cooking skills, with free food and lodging to boot.

Be flexible

I only realized that my suede boots — the color of Morocco’s desert sand with peppermint-lollipop-striped laces — weren’t going to cut it in South America when I walked into an army surplus store by accident and a Cockney-accented, self-professed hobo salesman with a big gut told me I should trade up for a pair of British combat boots.

“The British army walks the most in the world,” he told me, vouching for their comfort and durability.

Indeed, while ankle-deep in freezing mud hiking into one of the fjord areas of western Norway, I did not regret my purchase. My feet were as warm and dry as wholemeal toast.

Pack well

A frequent flyer from the age of 2 onward, packing my life into a 40-liter backpack is as second nature to me as writing.

When it comes to packing, I follow the saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”

My essential pieces include a grey hoodie and a rakish striped scarf. Leave the lipstick, fancy apparel and heels at home. Hairy cows and woolly sheep won’t be impressed by the fashion show. Besides, heels sink in mud.

And bring pajamas! This is one thing I never see on a checklist for traveling and has left me wondering what backpackers wear to bed.

Open yourself up to new experiences

Welcome chance encounters with strangers. It is only then that an unemployed lawyer will read you rich passages from Richard III in Perth, or you will stumble across the most talked-about restaurant in Beijing while running away from torrential rain, unable to comprehend the local transportation system.

Appreciate the little things in life

Remember it is the small adventures, the little leaps of faith, that count toward the journey’s end.

Take the time to taste slices of brown cheese mixed with raspberry jam in Haugesund, Norway.

Enjoy a shot of hot chocolate made piquant by a sprinkling of chili powder in Florence, Italy.

Paraglide tandem down a cliff with a man who doesn’t speak the same language as you. Walk down rural pathways in the heart of Africa as the only pale-faced creature in sight.

Step out of your comfort zone

Oddly enough, when we travel into the unknown, telling ourselves we are adventurous, we might simultaneously reach out for creature comforts. Upon landing at Heathrow airport after years away from London, I grabbed a Ploughman’s sandwich and delightedly sunk my teeth into the rough bread, cheddar cheese and pickles. The sandwich immediately re-established a connection to my days in the land of Big Ben, bringing back memories of summer days sitting on lazy chairs in Green Park. That’s fine. But every once in a while, I stretch myself. I turn away from the Ploughman’s sandwich that is calling my name and select another with hummus and alfalfa sprouts instead.

Deviate

Take your shoes off and amble through the green commons of Mega Kuningan. Wrap them around the steel coolness of a bicycle and pedal around your neighborhood. Instead of going straight home in the evening, drive around with a friend and get lost in the streets winding through the metropolis of Jakarta. Follow the lyrical notes of a street busker. Let your eyes linger on something enchanting, just a little bit longer than usual.

These ideas may only make sense when you finally get on that plane headed into unknown territory. When the clouds break and you see land, you become, each time, an explorer, a pioneer. It is time to brace yourself, and then take a leap.

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