From being a hard news journalist covering politics and natural disasters to a highly decorated travel blogger visiting exotic places, Marischka Prudence has surely straddled the metaphorical two worlds! It was her love for travelling that expectedly and appropriately overwhelmed the journalistic instincts and gave to the world Indonesia's most well-known travel blogger.
Her blog, which goes by the interesting name of 'Life Is an Absurd Journey', was conceptualised in 2012. The blog gets about 35,000 visits every month and is only growing. She has travelled extensively across Indonesia and a major part of her blog writing is dedicated to her home country. She has also been to New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Denmark, etc. She loves diving and her blogs on the same can be termed highly useful on a range of issues related with the activity. Marischka Prudence has been featured on several Indonesian and international publications and journals. She is also the travel consultant for Valadoo and the Managing Editor of Getaway! Magazine!
"Life is An Absurd Journey!" How did you come up with such an interesting blog name?
Since a lot of things that happened in my life mostly are unplanned but it came out even better than planned things, I took a bachelor degree in Art, then suddenly working on a news television covering hard news then again suddenly on a travel program (all was unplanned), then became a travel blogger (first it was unplanned also), so my life is a series of journey, unplanned, sometimes absurd but nice :)
You have travelled across Indonesia extensively. What 5 places would you recommend to a traveller who is visiting Indonesia for the first time?
Bali is still a nice beginning to know Indonesia, also that Bali is comfortable for first visit since the infrastructure are already established, but just don't stop in Bali because Indonesia is way more than Bali. I would suggest: Bali, Lombok, Flores (including Komodo National Park), Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. You can visit those 5 places in a month, starting from Bali then going to the east step by step (from Bali crossing to Lombok, continue to Flores, etc).
Through events like "Let's celebrate the modern young Indonesian", you seem to encourage women to do what they love. Is that your philosophy for life?
I think "do what you love and love what you do" has been the quotes that encourage me to do what I'm doing and making me where I am today, I always feels that most people don't even have a chance to do what they love (even just to try) just because they're scared. I always think that if we do what we love and we really put all efforts on that, it will give results, good results.
What all destinations are there in your wish list?
I'm still having dreams of swimming or scuba diving with the whale shark in Nabire, Papua so it's on the wish list.
What is the most memorable experience you have had while travelling around the world?
One of it is Afghanistan, it really makes me being thankful for what I already have, seeing the condition there makes me realised that I am so blessed born and raised in Indonesia.
Is there any destination where you would like to stay forever?
Staying forever seems like not an option for me now haha, but there are places that when I visit, I just feels like wanting to have a house and spend old days there such as Alor in East Nusa Tenggara.
You really seem to love diving. Which place would you say was your favourite?
I would say Komodo since it such a great place to dive, it was so fun diving in Komodo, I love seeing pelagic fish, encounter big fish is always fun, also there's a lot of drift dive in Komodo that will give you happy feeling like you just ride a roller coaster. Komodo also have rich and beautiful corals in some places and the scenery (both top and below the water) are just great.
You started your career as a hard news journalist but today you are a popular travel blogger. Are there special things that you miss from being a journalist?
At first, I miss all the chaotic things when big news happen, it always tiring and such a hard pressure to cover major events that occurs such as natural disaster but at those moments I feels like I'm really enjoy covering news and presenting live reports but it only on sometimes on the beginning when I first changed my career. Right now I'm really enjoy being a travel blogger and not missing all those stuffs anymore but I'm really grateful that I started as a journalist, I learn a lot from there.
You visited Afghanistan as a journalist. Would you like to visit there again (as a travel blogger)?
I wish I can, I really hope I do, it actually have beautiful and exotic places and hopefully someday I can visit Afghanistan again and share about it on my blog
This interview with Marischka is a part of Travel Trolley's ongoing 'Best of the Travel Bloggers' series. We are interviewing popular travel bloggers who encourage and inspire people to travel. Check out all the bloggers we have interviewed and learn about their interesting experiences, adventures, travel stories as well as useful holiday tips.
