Jakarta's skyline is a sight to behold, yet the stark contrast between the affluent and the impoverished was jarring. The wealthy leisurely strolled through the mall's aisles, indulging in overpriced goods, while the less fortunate eked out a living in makeshift towns miles away, next to the metro tracksthat . 

My biggest issue was thaandkarta had too many people and too much traffic. I could not walk across the street between 4 PM and 8 PM as the motorcyclecontinuousand trucks formed a continuous fence across every street. After a week in Jakarta, I felt sick and nauseous from the heavy pollution. I just did not feel well. As the plane lef,t the city, I felt much better, and from my window, I saw an orange-brown fog covering and choking the city.

Indonesia

• The country's area spans 735,358 square miles, making Indonesia the 15th largest country in the world.
• The currency is the Rupiah, with an exchange rate of roughly one U.S. dollar equals 100,000 rupiahs.
• The capital is Jakarta.
• In 2011, the population was estimated at 237,424,363, making Indonesia the 4th most populous country in the world.
• Jakarta is the largest city and the country's financial, manufacturing, and political hub.
• Tourists do not flock to Jakarta. Instead, they head to the beaches in Bali, hike in jungles, or visit the temples around Yogyakarta.

The Borobudur Temple is located in Mageland, about 40 kilometres from Yogjakarta. Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, constructed around 850 AD. The temple was buried under volcanic ash for centuries until the British uncovered it in 1814.

The Borobudur Temple has three levels. The bottom level is humans indulging in sensual pleasures, called the Kama Sutra, while the top level is the heavens or enlightenment. The temple is covered with hieroglyphs that tell Buddhist stories.

A volcano kicked my ass. I tried to climb Mount Merapi, an active volcano in Indonesia that juts up 9,000 feet above sea level. Mount Merapi means Fire Mountain. The volcano erupted and killed 353 people in 2010.

Our group started at one o’clock in the morning. As I was climbing, I slipped and slid at some places on the inch of volcanic ash that covered the trails and rocks. At other places, I grabbed tree roots and stumps to pull myself up over the 70-degree inclines and cliffs. 

After hiking for three hours, I stopped at the plateau. I lost the energy to climb the last 1,000 feet to peer into the volcano. I stayed at the plateau to wait for my group, and boy, was it freezing up there. We started at the village, which is about 3,500 feet above sea level, and I gave up at 8,000 feet.

I thought I wouldn’t make it back down, and I am experiencing a new dimension of pain. I feel my body has gone through a meat grinder.

Pontianak, a city with a unique blend of culture and history, is nestled on the western side of Borneo. The city's name, Pontianaka, carries a mysterious allure, translating to ghost or vampire. In 2015, it was home to over 573,751 residents, each contributing to the city's rich cultural tapestry. 

I hopped on a bus in Kuching, Malaysia and took an 8-hour journey through the hills and jungles of Borneo. On the Malaysian side, I enjoyed the smooth bus ride as I read an ebook. However, the roads on the Indonesian side varied considerably. I enjoyed a smooth bus ride for the first hour, but the next two hours turned hell. The monsoon rains washed part of the road away, leaving large potholes and bumpy dirt patches. The bus driver drove slowly as the bus hopped up and down over every large pothole and kicked up dust clouds. Finally, the roads became good again, and after another five hours, I arrived in Pontianak, Indonesia, at dusk. 

Unfortunately, the city has little infrastructure for tourism and seems to be decaying and stagnating. It has a handful of taxis, few tourist attractions, and no museums. I hung out at the J Co Coffeeshop at the local mall. Since few white tourists visit the city, many residents turned to stare at me. Many people warned me about my safety since I stuck out, making me an easy target for thieves and robbers.

Yogyakarta is a rustic city in Java and an Indonesian cultural and educational centre. Yogya means fit and proper, while karta means prosperous. The town is an excellent place to settle down, and I have met several French and Greeks who call Yogyakarta their home.

The people were friendly, and the food was excellent. I rarely eat street vendor food, but I could not resist the beautiful smells of the streets. I tried skewered chicken with peanut sauce, bakso—meatball soup—and goreng mee—fried noodles.