The travellers I occassionally meet in Flores often say they are there in search of 'the real Indonesia'. But what makes Flores more real than say Java, or Bali?
I was pretty hard on Bali last time I was here - maybe I was looking for the 'real' Indonesia too. But not I am back, just staying one night on route to Thailand, & I like it much more now.
The things I complained about last time don't seem such a big deal - the traffic doesn't seem so crazy (at least it has 4 wheels); the hawkers don't seem so intrusive (at least they are trying to make a living, not just randomly shouting English words at you); and the crowds... well to be honest I now quite like seeing so many people from so many countries just looking for a bit of fun. Oh, & of course I also now like Bali because it has the shops, bars & restaurants I've been deprived of for so long!
So is Bali any less 'real' than Flores? Well if 'real' means poverty, rice three times a day and no hot water, then yes, it is. But I now know that, at least for me, reality is more than that.
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It's amazing how much more you appreciate things once you've been deprived of them for a while!
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