Ting Tong & Gado Gado
Traveling: outer and inner journey
Ting Tong
“Have you traveled for a long time?”
Gado Gado
“I spent years traveling the world, looking at all the beauty and experiencing every emotion I was capable of feeling. I gave up my old life and made a new one, and then another one and so on.. Some days were easy, some beautiful, others were hard..”
Ting Tong
“I believe traveling is really such an eye and mind opening, isn’t it?”
Gado Gado
“I understand why you believe traveling to be such an enriching and stimulating experience. The unknown factors that we are exposed to on our travels put us on alert, making us more aware of our surroundings. Every day is filled with new discoveries, adventures, and opportunities for unexpected surprises. These experiences help us to feel alive in a way that few other things can.”
Ting Tong
“Why don’t we travel forever then! Le’t do it!”
Gado Gado
“A feeling of numbness sets in as you come to realize that all the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions are nothing more than a twisted reflection of yourself, endlessly repeating. The world seems to grow dimmer until what lies outside your own mind is insignificant compared to the overwhelming depths of your inner being. Even travelling the world loses its appeal, for everything you experience is merely an echo of yourself.”
Ting Tong
“Tell me more!”
Gado Gado
Traveling is a taste of what it means to live in the present moment, but traveling with the purpose to stay in the present moment is an illusion that sooner or later vanishes. You don’t need to take a journey to be content with life — I’ve learned from my monk friends that you can find serenity even when seated!
Ting Tong
“In essence, why do we travel, then?”
Gado Gado
“Ultimately, the fundamental explanation why we travel is not to discover and observe foreign locations but to bask in the excitement of living for the moment. Certainly, there are always new pieces of ourselves that may be discovered in the outside world, yet once we comprehend that the outer environment is simply a source for our new side to emerge, there is no longer a need to venture so far away or to such challenging adventures to unravel our nature.
..Of course, traveling can also be savored as a form of recreation or what many refer to as a vacation.. But that’s another story..”
Ting Tong
“Have you got your answers eventually?”
Gado Gado
“Years of searching, struggling, trying to get to the essence of who I am. To find out there is nobody to be found. There is no “myself”. There is no self. Nothing to hold on to but my breath.”
Ting Tong
“Who is speaking then? Who is Gado Gado?”
Gado Gado
“They call “me” Gado Gado: an Indonesian salad of raw, slightly boiled vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, potato, fried tofu, tempeh, lontong, served with a peanut sauce dressing.”
Ting Tong
“Quite tasty!”
Gado Gado
“Gado Gado presents to the world as a mix of ingredients arranged on a plate. That’s what “myself” appear to be today. Next time it will be different though; the chef might have changed, the eggs could be smaller or bigger, and the peanut sauce more or less spicy. There will even be differences in your perceptions! You certainly won’t find the same Gado Gado tomorrow as today.”
Ting Tong
“But you will still be Gado Gado, even tomorrow!”
Gado Gado
“Chasing “myself” will only lead you to a neverending Gado-Gado tasting journey, with the illusion to find the real Gado Gado. There is no such thing as the real Gado Gado. Enjoy your Gado Gado today, that’s all that matters.”
Ting Tong
“Thank you, it was nice to taste your freedom, Gado Gado!”
Bali, Indonesia 2023
