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The story happened to me last summer when I was backpacking around Indonesia with my friends. After a crazy bus ride in a heavy tropical rain and almost being late for a ferry from Ampana we got lost in the jungles of probably the most unique and beautiful destination in Indonesia – the Togean Islands.
There are over 56 islands and tiny deserted islets and billions of amazing coral reefs to explore. Our final destination was Kadidiri; a white-sand, turquoise water paradise with just 3 tiny resorts, no daytime electricity, wi-fi, cell-phone connection and other blessing (or curses?) of the modern civilization and jungles, lots of thick rain forests.
The Adventure Begins
So, one afternoon, we hear there’s a fantastic deserted beach just on the opposite side of the island. It takes around 30 mins to get there and the path starts just behind one of the building in the island. What seemed to have started like an easy-peasy walk through the jungles, turned to become a 4 hour hike through tropical thicket without when the sun went down.
It was getting dark as the sun goes around 6 p.m. on the equator. We didn’t have a torch, map or even a slightest clue in which direction should we go. The best idea that came was to head towards any shore and wait for a passing fishers boat to pass by and take us back to the homestay. Yet, when it seemed like we were finally getting somewhat closer, we got cut again by a green wall of plants or a muddy swamp. Again and again.
Calling 911 works only in the movies. You know, when a hero is at any extreme situation he dials the magic three digit number and a team is immediately dispatched to rescue you from any part of the world. We happened to catch a cell signal, but of course none of us knew the Indonesian emergency help numbers (and I even doubt that any of them could help us anyhow). All the guys we knew from our homestay were unreachable.
Lessons Learned by Getting Lost
Another lesson learned,mobile phones can be pretty useless and we shouldn’t rely on them too much.
I’ve spotted something that reminded me of a fence and gosh, it was one! Somewhere in the middle of the jungle there was a section of palms carefully surrounded by a bamboo fence them and the pretty much same palms growing a few feat away. Ridiculous, yet reassuring! We’re close to civilization.
The next thing we saw was a small shed with some sort of a primitive motor device pumping water from a nearby ditch and probably irrigating these palms.
I noticed an empty plastic bag and few cigarette butts lying in the corner. People visit this place. It’s not abandoned. There should be a way out of here. We circled around the place and discovered that we were cut off by a swamp at the right and front. From the back we came, so we should opt for going left. However, in 15 minutes we got stuck again in sedge thicket.
All covered in mud and numerous itchy scratches we’ve finally admitted the fact that we won’t get to dinner tonight. We got back to the palm garden and decided to crash there for the night. The phone battery was almost dead (it was the only source of light) and wandering aimlessly in the dark had brought us nowhere.
In extreme situations women act as calm men. I wasn’t hysterical, nor drowning in deep panic. Even when we were standing on a tiny bit of land, surrounded by thick rain forest from all four sides. I stayed calm when I got my ankle caught by a liana and cut badly. Sure, I was a bit nervous, yet I knew everything is going to be okay and I should be sensible and act mature.
Women have often been accused of being to emotional creatures, who can’t handle much pressure and immediately turn to tears. So. Not. True.
Survival Tips from Movies?
Movies do teach us some useful things. I remembered that in some castaway movie the hero could get some juice out of young palm tree. Worked in our case too. As well, my pop-culture movie conscience suggested me making a bedding out of big palm leaves. The ground was too wet to sit because of the recent rain.
We inspected the shed once again and found a small bottle of solar oil, more than half full. All the wood that laid on the ground was damp and absolutely useless for the fire. We had to crash the entire fence because the bamboo was somewhat drier. (Dear owners of that place, in case this story somehow reached you, I’m really-really sorry for turning your garden in such a mess.)
Did you know that coconut coir works great for kindling fire? Along with rags soaked in solar oil, even in 90% humidity. We had a decent fire burning in half an hour of struggles. Feeling warm, secure and somehow amused again of the whole situation laid on the leaves watching a bunch of fireflies dance in the indigo blue sky.
Some late night birds were squeaking around and then we heard something different… Long flying echo and finally we distinguished our names being called from somewhere far.
In about half an hour we were found by one of the workers of our homestay with a dog and machete. We came back late at night all safe, yet dirty as hell and with lots of cuts and wounds on legs.
As we found out later, we were not the first travelers to get lost there. A few years ago, two guys and one girl went wandering in the rain forest too. The guys came back on their own and the girl was picked up on the opposite shore the next morning by a passing boat. Another valuable lesson learned: Don’t split up! I’m still wondering how the boys managed to lose the girl on their way back.
Indonesia and the Togean Islands will always be the most amazing and reckless adventure I had. Still, it just made me so sure that I want to travel and get lost. Explore new hidden destinations and going risky, stretch my comfort zone and indulge into new and new adventures as it makes you feel the real taste of life.
To sum up, I’d like to share the most important and crucial lesson is: Always take a torch!
Author’s Bio
Elena is a twenty-something girl from Ukraine occasionally getting lost in various places around the globe. She ditched the common sense and followed her heart to France where she’s currently living as an expat with the guy she got lost in the jungles btw. Check out her “ Travel Blog “ for more adventures and follow here on Twitter and Instagram
