In this era for fast changing lifestyle, equipped with top of the tier technologies, there are so many options to have fun in daily life. Especially for teenagers born with latest generational trends, including myself. Stroll along the areas where teenagers are mostly gathered, their heads faced down, earbuds attached to their ears and their eyes glued to the phone.
Social medias such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube are common amongst us. Whilst in our own houses, laying down on the couch, with a pillow behind our heads, from the comfort of our home, not realizing that our brain and physical development requires us to move and experience more.
Being an active teenager doesn’t only mean that we have so much energy to enjoy doing things we love. But it actually gives us a lot of benefits! Here is the list of benefits of being an active teenager…
- It expands our social circle when we take part in activities related to our hobbies, for example: basketball, swimming, art & craft lessons, etc.
- Diverse activities make us more creative and discover many new things from new friends
- We can also keep our body healthy by being an active teenager
Being too attached with our gadgets is not a good thing either. However, the comfort we felt while doing this is keeping us away from understanding the effects. First of all, it harms your eyes. Smartphones produces blue light that can damage retinal cells and cause vision problems, this is also called the blue light effect. Prolonged exposure to blue light is very unhealthy for our eyes.
Second, it distracts us from socializing with others, including our own family or close relatives. Imagine being invited to a party or event your friend or family hosted. Instead of interacting and being around them, we opened our phone and scroll through our social medias. If we keep this up, it will be harder for us to start a connection with new people and interact with them. Sooner or later, we distance ourself from everyone. This will lead to the downfall of our social life.
However, current privileges also allow us being very creative and develop a lot of trends, especially when we have new adventures worth sharing into our social networks.
Local malls, schools, restaurants, tourist areas are common places for pleasure when we are in our hometown. Some teenagers making vlogs about spending holiday out of the country, and some played adventurous games on their phones, so why not ACTUALLY go on a real adventure? Right here, right now, I’m going to show you some of the most adventure-filled places in the beautiful country of Indonesia! So, get off the couch, pack your bags, prepare your camera, because it’s time to rise for adventure!
Wait, but why Indonesia? Here, let me explain…
Indonesia is home to some of nature’s beautiful wonders, including beaches and deep seas, as well as tropical forests and mountains.
Here are some places that are great for exploring:
1. Pangandaran, West Java.
Pangandaran is a town located on the southern coast of the island of Java. Its well-known for its surfing beach that made it quite a popular tourist destination. What can we do in Pangandaran? Here are some of them:
– Body Rafting
Let your body go with the flow of the water current at the Green Canyon, Pangandaran! Here you get to enjoy being so close with nature by body rafting through its crystal-clear waters.
It is highly recommended you go body rafting with your friends and family, because body rafting is an adventure that is way more fun to do with more people.
– Surf The Waves
Want to go out surfing? For the first time? No problem! The waves at Pangandaran Beach is great for starters. A wonderful place to surf to your heart’s content.
2. Bali
I’m sure you’re already familiar with the name Bali. Bali is the most famous tourist destination in Indonesia with its crystal-clear waters, soft sand, and stunning sunsets. Here are some activities we can do in Bali:
– Hike A Mountain
Take a long hike on the mountains of Indonesia! Take Mount Agung for example, is the infamous volcano on the island of Bali, with the height of 3,013 m and the hike to the top is thrilling!
– Watch The Sunrise
Want to take some fresh air and release stress from your mind? Climb up Mount Batur early in the morning and you’ll find a beautiful sunrise shining towards you.
The hike to Mount Batur takes approximately 1.5 – 2 hours, I recommend getting an early start to ensure you get to the peak and enjoy the sunrise. The sunrise happens around 5:45 am, better start an early hiking so you can get a beautiful and complete picture of the sunrise.
– Enjoy activities at the beach
There are selection of beaches just waiting to be explored in Bali! Where to start?
a. Padang Padang Beach
This beach is one of the best beaches for those who are new to surfing, especially during the high tides. It is also known for its fine white sand and tall cliffs. Just imagine of what a scenery that would be. Padang Padang Beach is located in the South of Bali, Indonesia near Uluwatu.
b. Dreamland Beach
Known as the New Kuta Beach, this beach is located Pecatu on the Bukit Peninsula, Bali. Dreamland beach is also known for its soft and flat waves, which makes it one of the best surf spots in Bali! The deep sand-covered reef also makes it suitable for intermediate surfers.
c. Kuta Beach
This beach is Bali’s most famous surfing location and is the center for Balinese surf culture. Large crowds in town and on the beach is to be expected, Kuta Beach is Bali’s original surf town and party spot after all. This beach is also known for its lively nightlife and parties.
3. Manado, North Sulawesi
Did you know? Manado is the capital city of Indonesian province of North Sulawesi and is among Indonesia’s top-five tourism priorities! What should you do there? Here is the list of activities you can do.
– Go Diving
Feeling like taking a dive? Enjoy exploring the beautiful coral reefs of Bunaken and its crystal clear waters! Here, you might find turtles, eels, and different kinds of fish swimming about. Its sure is a breathtaking experience diving here!
– Rafting
Go rafting with your family and friends, at Nimanga river located at Timbukar village. You’ll experience smooth sailing in some parts of the journey rafting, then get shaken up by the wavy parts of the river!
If you’re willing to visit Indonesia, the best time to visit is when the country experiences the dry season which is from May to September. On the other side, if you’re looking for the best time for sunsets and surfing, it’s better from April to June before the peak season.
Interested? Hold it right there! Before going out on your journey, there are some things you have to prepare, so if you want to have an adventure in Indonesia, here are a few things I highly recommend you to bring:
– Sunscreen is very important here, because we want to avoid UV rays radiation, which are the strongest during the summer. I recommend you block the sun’s rays using SPF 30 or higher sunscreen.
– Sport shoes is needed on your adventures. Especially when exploring off-beaten paths, hiking trails, and waterfalls. Wearing sandals will hurt your feet halfway through your journey.
– Camera, yes, camera! Don’t forget to capture your greatest moments together with your family and friends, then keep it in your gallery and glance at it when you return home. Photos about sunsets, sunrise, mountains, rivers and so much more in Indonesia to keep in your memories.
Blend into nature comes with a few responsibilities we need to uphold, please remind ourselves to:
– Ensure the cleanliness of all areas we are visiting. Never take natural belonging like corals out from where it should be. Preserve our natural resources as best as possible by keeping it clean and unobstructed.
– Stay alert of all the warning and restrictions that are instructed in all areas. Don’t go near the wet rocks during high tides and be very mindful of weather warnings all the time. Our life is our responsibility, avoid dangerous areas while taking pictures or videos.
At the end of the day, once you return home from your adventure, there are a few things you probably learned from adventuring in Indonesia. For example, from body rafting in the Green Canyon, Pangandaran to watching the sunrise on Mount Batur, Bali, you’ll surely not miss the beauty of nature itself. It allows you to be grateful for the beauty God created and learn to live a better life without destroying it.
In my experience, me and my family went to Bandung, West Java when I was still 8 years old. One of the plans was to visit an active volcano named Tangkuban Parahu, located in Lembang-West Bandung early in the morning, right after sunrise. It was my first time witnessing the smokey crater and it felt surreal to see it with my own eyes. We also went horse-riding and go sightseeing around the area, it was really fun! Although the weather was quite cold, but it was one of the best places I have ever visited in Indonesia, because I love being close to nature. I can still vividly remember all the fun….Definitely a great place that I would recommend to explore!
I hope the places I highlighted gives a little interest for you in exploring the wonders of Indonesia! So, close those TikTok, Youtube, open Google Maps on your phone and lets set off on an adventure! Tak Kenal maka Tak Sayang…Seeing is believing guys!