Returning to the Same Place, Seeing It Differently

Every trip back reveals a different version of myself

Somewhere in Bandung. Photograph by chel writes

Every summer, my social media feeds are transformed into tourist brochures. People are boarding planes, checking in hotels, trekking up mountains, and uploading pictures of sunsets at beaches that are unknown to me. This always puts me in high spirits since there’s something infectious about people enjoying a vacation.

This summer, I was one of those people. I spent some days in Bandung. This wasn’t my first visit to Bandung, and I hope it won’t be my last.

I came across a question by Sondra Singer - Still Vital in The Challenged, and it made me pause for a moment:

July 13: July is a time for holidays. Are you going anywhere this month? If so, where? Have you been there before? If so, why are you going back?

It is clear that I returned to Bandung not because there were no more places left to explore. I was returning because some places never stop showing you something new.

Whenever asked about why I returned to the same city instead of exploring a new one, I never have a proper answer for them. It is not like Bandung had become boring for me. If anything, each visit brings me a sense of novelty despite walking around the same places.

Revisiting the same places isn’t about seeing them anymore. It’s about seeing it differently. The first time I visited Bandung, I was focused on the obvious things; the cooler weather, the cafés everyone recommended, the factory outlets, and the food that somehow tasted even better after walking around all day.

I had this desire of visiting places, of ticking them off the list. I wanted to get as much experience as possible before heading back home.

But this time, I wasn’t in that rush anymore.

I noticed the little things instead. The quiet neighborhoods hidden behind busy roads. The discussions emanating from coffee shops. How the afternoon air was cooler than Jakarta’s and made the evening stroll a pleasure I did not want to end.

It made me realize that at times it takes familiarity for us to be able to pay attention.

When everything around you is new, then you are always preoccupied with taking it all in. When you return, it’s only then when you start noticing things.

Bandung has always been like a respite from Jakarta.

I love my city, but there is not much that slows me down in Jakarta. Life there moves fast; people are always in a rush to somewhere; traffic makes distances look longer. Even weekends can feel strangely busy.

Bandung has traffic too, yes, but the pace somehow seems different to me. It could be the weather. It could be the trees. It could just be the way I think when I am there. Whoever knows, I find myself taking longer breaths.

One thing I enjoy most when I travel is how my pace is affected by travel. When I am home, the pace does not change at all.

I wake up at almost the same time. I check the same apps. I eat in familiar places. I go around following a routine without really giving it any thought. The experience of travel takes me out of my routine.

I am actually paying attention now. Where do we eat at next? What street will we get if we turn here? Should we continue walking? Even small decisions become part of the adventure.

These are some of the examples of how I perceive holidays. Because holidays are not about doing incredible things every single moment, but about being in the right place.

Only after reflecting back did I realize that the most memorable things during my vacation were not the ones I planned. They were the ordinary ones. Laughing over dinner after a long day. Finding a coffee shop just because it looked inviting. Walking without checking the time. Watching the sky slowly change colors in the late afternoon.

Those moments probably wouldn’t make anyone else’s travel guide. But they’re the ones I carried home with me.

People often say travel changes you. I think that’s true, although probably not in the dramatic way we imagine. I didn’t return from Bandung as a completely different person. It doesn’t mean I had the answers to the most burning questions in life.

It just meant I knew that I don’t need to run all my days. I could take time to enjoy the great meal. To walk without a destination. To spend an afternoon talking instead of constantly checking my phone.

Those lessons could have happened anywhere. Bandung simply gave them space to happen. And that is the reason why I like visiting the same places.

Destination stays the same. I’m the one who changes.

The cafés I visited before somehow feel different because I’m different. The streets haven’t changed much, but the way I experience them has. Travel has less to do with geography than I once believed.

Sometimes it’s really about timing. Who we are when we arrive. Who we’re traveling with. What we’re carrying in our hearts. It is possible for the same city to tell us something completely different depending on which phase of life we are going through.

Therefore, there is nothing to worry about when you plan on visiting the place you have been to. It is possible to find something new. At other times, it’s a secret café. Sometimes it’s a different neighborhood. Sometimes it’s simply another version of yourself.

Will I go back to Bandung again?

Without a doubt.

It’s not because I’ve seen everything out there but because I realize I won’t be the same when I come back.

And maybe that’s what makes coming back worthwhile. It’s not about revisiting the old experiences but about making new ones in familiar surroundings.

As I grow older, I begin to believe that travel isn’t about ticking destinations off the list but making unforgettable moments to carry around.

This July, Bandung gave me another one of those moments. And I suspect it won’t be the end of it.

[embed]I’m Jumping for Joy It’s July Why? I can still jump… not high… but lift two feet off the ground togethermedium.com

Thank you for journeying your time through these words. If you want to encourage me, then you can make a small donation below (beside the subscription button). Buy me a coffee here! Stay safe and warm!