Most needed trip to clear the clutter mind
In early May, I decided to go on a solo road trip to Malang. Honestly, it wasn’t an impulsive trip without a plan. I purposely wanted to go to check out a place I might rent for my next period of time in Malang. I used to live there for work, but decided to go back to my hometown in January this year. I was still working remotely at the same company when I went on this trip, and for some reason I wanted to go back to Malang so badly at that time.
I went by motorcycle and as I can remember it took me around 3 hours to finally reach Malang. I don’t think I drive very slow but that’s just the speed I feel comfortable with. First, I prayed at a random mosque near the MCC (Malang Creative Center), a place that I wanted to visit the most on that trip. And here's a picture of the mosque's interior.
After praying, I went to MCC, which I didn’t even realize is a fairly big multipurpose building. It kinda reminds me of the national library in JKT, but on a smaller scale. I have wanted to visit this place for such a long time, so I was happy to finally do so.
I went straight to the 6th floor where the library is located. The library wasn’t big, but I thought it looked really cute. All I had to do was fill the check-in form, then put my stuff in the locker. There were computers, a collection of books, and of course some corners to sit and do work.
I actually sat in the corner facing the window so I could see the weather outside. I remember only making a few edits to my writing at the time, and decided to leave because I wanted to go somewhere else before it rained.
My next destination should be a grand mosque that I thought has a very beautiful architecture. However, when I arrived, the area of the mosque seemed a little private. So I just looked confused while asking the security guard “is this mosque not for the public?”, then I got the answer. Little that I know, the mosque is like part of a Muslims boarding school for boys. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the exterior mosque that looks so magnificent. And somehow I also can’t remember the mosque’s name so I can’t browse it on the internet.
It was drizzling at probably around 2 pm and I was feeling hungry, so I looked for a place to eat. There was a rest area there, and I was interested to sit in one of the stalls because the place was like a semi-open space. I ordered a bowl of meatballs and coconut ice. I sat and enjoyed the surrounding atmosphere. It was full of greenery and the breeze was chilly.
I’ve been wanting to live closer to nature since I’m still in college. And sitting there immersing myself in the calm breeze made me wonder if I’ll actually make it happen anytime soon, because the place I might rent wasn’t far from this rest area.
After I finished my food and stayed a little longer, I went to the housing complex where the place that I might rent is located. I met the owner, then checked into the available room. I purposely stayed there for one night to see the environment and feel the situation around the area, which turned out to be quite sketchy in my personal opinion.
When night came, the area was quite dark and the street seemed empty. There weren’t even any stores open to buy some daily necessities near the place I was renting–which I put into consideration. Basically, from what the security guard said, I needed to drive down the street to buy some cooked-food and find the small stores that were open at night, which is what I ended up doing.
Morning came. I went outside purposely to walk around, and this is what the area had to offer..
It’s full of greenery and perfectly blends with the blue sky, which felt so calming. It wasn’t too busy as well, which was great for me. I even went up to a little hill to see what I could find. No one was there, but I could see fields that were probably where farmers were working. I felt at peace for a moment. Take a breath and just explore the area one more time before I leave.
I waited until around 12 pm, then decided to drive back to my hometown. I was caught in the rain a little bit, but overall I arrived in a reasonable time. Looking back now, at that time my mind was all over the place. That's why I need to at least change my environment so that I can think more clearly. As far as I can remember, I never did a solo road trip out of town like how I did that day. So it was such a nice experience I would remember because the trip took me to parts of the city that I had never known existed and made me recognize parts of myself I had never met before.
Thanks for reading as always! Have a great day :)