The clock read 5:12 a.m. when Raka's alarm went off.
The alarm wasn't what woke him.
Raka had already been awake for several minutes.
He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the bedroom ceiling.
For a moment, everything felt like an ordinary morning.
Then he saw the large bag beside his bed.
He smiled.
"Oh, right."
Today.
The day he had only ever imagined had finally arrived.
Raka got out of bed. He checked the contents of his bag one more time, even though he had already done the same check at least five times since last night.
Clothes.
Notebook.
Map.
Drinking water.
Flashlight.
Power bank.
First-aid kit.
Wallet.
His small camera.
Everything was there.
He lifted the bag.
Heavy.
Very heavy.
Raka almost lost his balance.
"Jeez."
He set it back down.
"I think I'm bringing the whole house."
His mother's voice came from outside the room.
"Raka!"
"Yeah!"
"Are you up?"
"Yeah!"
"Don't forget breakfast!"
"I won't!"
Raka looked at himself in the mirror.
Messy hair.
His eyes were still a little sleepy.
He looked like someone who had just woken up, not like an explorer about to begin a great journey.
He picked up his jacket.
Put it on.
Then he lifted the bag again.
This time, he managed to stand up straight.
"Ready."
Actually, he wasn't.
But at least he tried to look ready.
At the dining table, his mother had already prepared breakfast.
Raka sat down.
His mother looked at the large bag behind him.
"Heavy?"
"Very."
"That's why you shouldn't bring things you don't need."
"I need all of this."
His mother pointed at something hanging from the side of the bag.
"And that?"
Raka looked at it.
A small mug.
"This is important."
"Why?"
"If we find a nice place later, coffee will taste cooler in this."
His mother laughed.
"The adventure hasn't even started, and you're already thinking about coffee."
Raka laughed along with her.
But after a few moments, the mood grew quieter.
His mother set a glass of water in front of Raka.
"Take care of yourself."
Raka nodded.
"I will."
"Don't try to act tough."
"I won't."
"If there's a problem, call me."
"I will."
"If you get lost?"
"Call you."
"If you run out of money?"
Raka stopped eating.
"Call you."
His mother smiled.
"Good."
Raka finished his breakfast.
Before leaving, he stood in front of the house's door.
He looked back once.
The house hadn't changed.
The living room.
The old sofa.
The bookcase.
The family photos.
Everything was the same as yesterday.
But Raka felt that he himself had already changed a little.
He didn't know where this journey would take him.
But he knew that every journey always began with leaving somewhere behind.
"I'm heading out, Mom."
"Be careful."
Raka walked outside.
The morning air was cold.
The streets were still fairly quiet.
The sky was still dark blue.
He walked toward the small bus stop at the end of the street.
Naya was already waiting there.
The girl was wearing a gray jacket, long pants, shoes that looked well-worn, and a camera bag slung over her shoulder.
Raka checked the time.
5:56.
"You're on time."
Naya turned toward him.
"Four minutes to six."
"You're usually late."
"Usually, yeah."
"So why not today?"
Naya shrugged.
"Because today is different."
Raka smiled.
He sat on the bus-stop bench.
Naya stood beside him.
They both watched the nearly deserted road.
There was no conversation for several seconds.
Then Naya said,
"Rak."
"Hmm?"
"Are you still sure?"
Raka turned to her.
"Sure about what?"
"Leaving."
Raka fell silent.
The question sounded simple, but he knew Naya genuinely wanted to know his answer.
He stared at the road ahead of them.
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I'm scared."
Naya nodded.
"Me too."
Raka turned toward her.
Naya gave him a small smile.
"But if we wait until we're not scared, maybe we'll never leave."
Raka laughed.
"So we're both reckless."
"The difference is, I'm reckless with a plan."
"And me?"
"You jump first and think later."
"That's mean."
"It's a fact."
The bus they had been waiting for finally appeared in the distance.
Naya stood.
Raka lifted his bag.
"Here it comes."
The bus stopped in front of them.
The doors opened.
They got on.
Raka chose a seat by the window.
Naya sat beside him.
The bus began to move.
Slowly leaving the city streets behind.
Raka watched the buildings grow more distant.
Stores.
Houses.
Roadside stalls.
The roads he usually took.
Everything slowly became scenery behind them.
He took out his notebook.
Wrote:
Day one.
Then he added:
5:58.
Naya glanced over.
"What are you doing?"
"Documenting it."
"We just got on the bus."
"Exactly."
Raka smiled.
"Every great journey starts with something small."
Naya didn't answer.
She took out her camera.
Click.
Raka turned toward her.
"Are you taking pictures of me again?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because your expression is funny."
"What's funny about it?"
"You look like a little kid riding in a vehicle for the first time."
Raka snorted.
"I've ridden buses plenty of times."
"It's not about the bus."
"Then what?"
Naya looked out the window.
"You're really happy."
Raka fell silent.
He hadn't realized it.
But it was true.
Beneath the fear and nervousness was something he hadn't felt in the past few years.
Excitement.
Pure.
Simple.
Without thinking about grades.
Without thinking about work.
Without thinking about what people would say.
He was just leaving.
The bus continued on.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
The cityscape gradually gave way to rice fields.
Then plantations.
Then a winding road between the hills.
Naya fell asleep several times.
Raka stayed awake, studying the map.
Around ten, the bus stopped at a small terminal.
They got off to buy some food.
Raka checked his money.
"From now on, we need to be careful with our spending."
Naya nodded.
"We're not even halfway there."
Raka looked at the roadside stall across the street.
"Instant noodles?"
"Don't."
"Why not?"
"Yesterday you said you wanted to save money."
"Instant noodles are cheap."
"You also said you wanted to take care of your health."
Raka fell silent.
"Oh, right."
In the end, they bought simple rice meals and bottled water.
After eating, they returned to the bus.
But just as he was about to board, Raka suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Naya turned toward him.
"What?"
Raka pointed at someone near the bus stop.
An old man was sitting alone.
His clothes were plain.
A large bag sat beside him.
The man appeared to be reading an old book.
Raka watched him for a few seconds.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
They got on the bus.
A few minutes later, however, the old man turned out to board the same bus.
He sat several rows ahead of them.
Raka didn't think much of it.
Until the man dropped his book.
Raka stood up and picked it up for him.
"Sir."
The old man turned.
"Oh, thank you."
Raka handed him the book.
His eyes caught a glimpse of the cover.
A book about journeys and mountains.
"Where are you headed?"
The man smiled.
"Somewhere I've never been."
Raka was surprised.
"On an adventure too?"
"When you're young, maybe it's called an adventure."
The man chuckled.
"When you're old, maybe it's called looking for a reason to keep moving."
Naya, who had been quiet until then, finally took notice as well.
The man introduced himself as Pak Surya.
It turned out he had worked as a mechanic for decades.
But now, after retiring, he had started traveling to different regions.
Raka asked,
"Why only now, Pak?"
Pak Surya looked out the window.
"Because I used to be too busy making money."
He paused for a moment.
"When I finally had enough money, I realized there were so many places I'd never seen."
Raka lowered his head.
The words felt familiar.
Not because he had experienced it himself.
But because he was afraid that one day, he would.
Pak Surya looked at Raka.
"What are you two traveling for?"
Raka and Naya looked at each other.
Raka answered,
"To chase a dream."
Pak Surya smiled.
"Good."
Then he said,
"But don't get so busy chasing your dream that you forget to enjoy the journey."
Raka fell silent.
Pak Surya continued,
"Sometimes we focus so much on the place we want to reach. But the people we meet along the way may be far more valuable than the destination itself."
Naya raised her camera.
Click.
Pak Surya laughed.
"Why take my picture?"
"Because your story is good."
"Don't just take a picture of it."
Naya frowned.
"Then what?"
"Write down the story."
Naya lowered the camera.
Raka opened his notebook.
He wrote down the name:
Pak Surya.
Underneath it:
Don't get so busy chasing the destination that you forget to enjoy the journey.
The bus continued moving.
Not long afterward, Pak Surya got off at an intersection.
Before leaving, he patted Raka on the shoulder.
"Don't be afraid of getting lost."
Raka smiled.
"Why?"
"Because sometimes the most important roads are the ones we never plan to take."
Pak Surya got off.
The bus doors closed.
Raka watched him grow more distant.
Naya looked at Raka's notebook.
"You realize?"
"Realize what?"
"We've only been traveling for a few hours, and we've already met someone with a story."
Raka smiled.
"I guess this journey is going to be a long one."
Naya looked out the window.
"I hope so."
Raka folded his map.
For the first time, he didn't feel the need to know everything that was going to happen.
Maybe that was the heart of a journey.
Not knowing everything.
Not having all the answers.
Only having the courage to take the next step.
The bus continued toward a place neither of them knew.
Up ahead, Bukit Arunika was still waiting.
And without realizing it, their journey had just truly begun.