The Tour de Horror Day One: A Frightening Start

It turns out that the first day of the Tour de Horror is also Kajeng Kliwon according to the Balinese calendar. This is the day when all the spirits below and spirits up above collide together in the middle (our plane of existence) to create chaos. This is a very spiritual day in Bali, where we are beginning our Tour de Horror from, and the tension in the air is palpable and so thick you could cut it with a knife.

A Rather Fitting Day To Begin The Tour de Horror, No?

Although many people choose today to make offerings and pilgrimages to their shaman or priest, we are instead doing the opposite and on the prowl for ghosts!

Tour de Horror

In preparation for this, two days ago Jenny and I visited a Buddhist temple located inside of a cave in a remote location that I have chosen not to disclose. Why? Well this intensely spiritual place has not been tainted by tourists and as such I refuse to be the one to divulge its location to the world.

After the Tour de Horror blessing...notice the ash smudges on our foreheads
After the blessing…notice the ash smudges on our foreheads

There we were blessed by the priest and given Tridatu bracelets that we were instructed to wear until they fall off naturally. These are supposed to bring us protection and good luck.

Tour de Horror blessing: Tridatu bracelet
The red, white, and black one on the left is the Tridatu bracelet

Feeling more confident we went back, got packed and ordered our rental car, which would be delivered the next morning. This car would allow us to move quickly in between haunted locations and cities without having to rely on buses, trains, taxis or ojeks (motorcycle taxis), saving us both time and money.

However the car turned out to be a piece of junk that accelerated slower than a horse and carriage and topped out at around 60km/hr — not exactly ideal when some of our destinations are hundreds of kilometres apart. And because it came from a local and not a rental agency we would have had to drive it all the way back to Bali when done with it, something I was unwilling and unable to do.

So after returning the car we took a taxi to Denpasar bus terminal and boarded a bus to Banyuwangi….and then proceeded to sit there for the next four hours waiting for enough people to fill the bus to make the trip worthwhile for the driver.

On the first leg of the Tour de Horror in Bali
On the road in Bali

By the time we finally hit the road it was nearly 5pm, which had been our intended arrival time in Banyuwangi.

  But The Bad Luck Didn’t Stop There

We were happy to be on the road but that happiness was short-lived thanks to a text message a few minutes later from the owner of the hotel that was sponsoring the Tour de Horror. Due to an “urgent situation” she was no longer able to provide a room for us!

We’ve been fighting to get to a city that apparently doesn’t even want us there.

The next issue we encountered was realizing that in all the madness of preparing for the Tour de Horror we overlooked one important detail: we still have not been approved to enter and film in Alas Purwo National Park, our intended haunted destination located about a 100km from Banyuwangi.

  So What Now?

Well as I write this Jenny and I are on the bus to Banyuwangi, Java, bouncing up and down on the road through the darkness and continually swerving into oncoming traffic to pass slower vehicles. I have my 17″ laptop and iPad both running off my cellphone, which has the only SIM card that still gets a signal — the one in my iPad doesn’t work out here and neither does the mobile hotspot. We still have several hours until we make it there and no hotel waiting on us so we have one of two options:

  • Skip Banyuwangi and Alas Purwo National Park and proceed on to Malang.
  • Spend two nights in Banyuwangi instead of one and hope tomorrow we can obtain access to enter and film in the park overnight.

I Vote For The Second Option.

What About You?

  A big shout out for the folks at Urban Icon for sponsoring the Tour de Horror! Thanks to their classy watches we’ll be on time for all our ghostly adventures on this adventure no matter how much goes wrong…or just as worrisome, if it all starts to go right. Jenny has already had her first ghostly encounter in Bali — but we’ll save that juicy story for tomorrow’s post 😉

Urban Icon
Showing off our stylish watches from Urban Icon Bali

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About Derek Freal

"Some people eat, others try therapy. I travel."   Cultural enthusiast. Adrenaline junkie. Eater of strange foods. Chasing unique and offbeat adventures around the world since 2008. Derek loves going to new destinations where he does not speak a word of the local language and must communicate with hand gestures, or places where he is forced to squat awkwardly to poo -- supposedly its healthier and more efficient. For more information (about Derek, not squat pooing) including popular posts and videos, check out his bio.

45 thoughts on “The Tour de Horror Day One: A Frightening Start”

  1. Derek,
    Sounds like a rough start for you and Jenny, but you have the patience of Jove. I would probably be all up in faces. Can’t wait to hear about your tour and Jenny’s ghostly experience! Be safe. Travel on!!!
    Mike

    Reply
    • Patience was definitely wearing thin earlier today but we have made it to the house of a new friend (thanks to Twitter) who is letting us stay tonight and tomorrow night, as well as borrow a motorcycle so that we can make it out to Alas Purwo tomorrow. Although we didn’t get approval to film, we’re going under the guise of tourists and will be filming anyway. Hope to be surrounded by spirits this time tomorrow night! Muuuaaaahahahahaha 😉

      Reply
    • Yeah, that’s what we were thinking too Tracey — a sign from the spirits, uh-oh! Before deciding on the rental car we briefly entertained the idea of doing it all by motorcycle. While I’ve been to all of these cities before on motorcycle and was confident with the idea, the main problem was two people and their luggage on one bike. However, after having done 12hrs on motorcycle yesterday through an extended patch of “roads” that were essentially just mud and pebbles to get to/from/through Alas Purwo National Park my hands are exhausted today. As I type this we are sitting in an air-conditioned train to Malang, our next destination, lounging on pillows and using our wifi hotspot to get some work done. Much prefer this to motorcycle or car, mainly because I don’t have to do all the driving hehehe 🙂

      Reply
  2. I’ve found trips that have a rough start usually end up to be one of the best- hope that’s the case for you here! Curious as to the location of the Buddhist temple inside a cave but I too would 100% want to keep it a secret if it were me.

    Reply
    • I’ve found that too. Unfortunately in this case the Tour de Horror went horribly awry after one particularly freaky experience where my partner Jenny (the one who can actually see these spirits, as opposed to me, the nonbeliever) was possessed. Yes, believe it or not. Was a little freaky, to say the least. As a result she quit TdH the subsequent day. Now I’m at a crossroads — do I continue on by myself, search for a new partner, or just abandon the project (and the book deal associated with it) entirely. Obviously I want to keep going but as I cannot see any of these spirits, I just don’t know if it is worth the time, money, and effort :/ Sucks

      Reply
  3. I followed your twitter & partner, it makes me curious, what’s wrong with you guys?? She always said bad thing about you, did you split up in a bad way. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be ‘Kepo’ (busybody stalker :p ) , but of course it makes me the follower speculating and have a wild mind, I guess your partnert not really professional, it’s not my fault asking this, but her tweets made me curious??

    Reply
    • Lol no worries, ask me anything. I am still trying to find a proper, adult way to write a follow-up post of what went wrong on the Tour de Horror without stooping down to her level. But you’re so very correct with both your comments, including the second one which I will keep between us and not publish.

      Yup, my partner quit the TdH in Surabaya. I’m out one morning returning our car when I get a WA msg “I’m leaving.” What? Where? “Airport.” Wait, why?? Where? “Jkt” And that was it. By the time I returned to the hotel she was already gone.

      I told her before I even arrived in Bali that she needed to keep her personal emotions separate from her professional work but she was unable to do that, always flirting with me. Other people on Twitter even noticed that before I arrived. However I have a girlfriend here in Indonesia, one who made me promise before leaving on this trip to behave myself. And I did just that, even if it cost me the TdH and the book offer we had.

      Wish I would have known she was this unbalanced before agreeing to do this project with her, which in the end was nothing but a waste of my time, money, and energy. I already have enough on my plate without having to handle crazy drama. Even from our talks before meeting in real life I knew she had a tendency towards crazy but wish I would have realized some of that other stuff you mentioned in your second comment. The worst part is when I tried to tell her that she was being unprofessional she was in complete denial and thinks everything she is doing is perfectly fine. The problem is the only people that tell her she is being crazy are the ones she is already angry with and thus she does not believe them.

      Anyway, thanks for sharing all this information with me. I’m still thinking about continuing on with the TdH by myself but the problem is that I cannot see anything, even at the places we went that freaked my partner out, they were all just normal to me. So guess I’ll have to hunt for a new partner that can and get this show back on the road! 😀

      Reply
  4. I followed her twits since 2 years ago, she’s a dramaqueen, exposed her feeling on twitter, she’s really an attention seeker, before she praised her French boyfriend on TL then after the relationship ends, she said bad things about his French boyfriend, wrote a piece of shit on catalog about thank you not marrying me stuff to her

    I smelled, she liked you and tried to chase you with this project, find moments to be close with you, like the rest Indonesian girl, she might hope you’ll be a serious with her, marrying her and bring her to the States, … 😀

    well, you dont need to approve this comment, it’s just between me and you. I enjoyed the drama she made actually. And the funny thing, she never embarassed with what she’s done. She’s so proud of her naive attitude.

    Reply
    • Yeah, unfortunately things didn’t work out. Now I just have to find a way to sum up the TdH and what went wrong on it while also being respectful of my partner who quit — even if she wasn’t the most professional about it, I will be.

      Reply
  5. Damn, sorry to hear about things not working out, people don’t see all the moving parts involved from the outside. It’s not as easy as it looks, huh?
    My Extreme India Challenge was similar, dead ends at every corner for some of the challenges, but we found some really ridiculous crap to do. In the end, the journey to find them and the complete disaster of a trip turned out to be the better story. The mosquito-shaped rickshaw bursting into flames in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on the side of the road, kidnapped by a mad truck driver and getting ejected in the rollover accident on the highway seems to be what people want to hear.
    If you think about it, many of those shows on TV end with them never finding what they came to find. People tune in for the suspense and drama and side plots. Anyway, hope you’re not discouraged.

    Reply
    • Yup, all too often (and by ‘all too often’ I mean always) with grand, intricate travel-themed adventures things always go awry and plans get flushed down the crapper. But therein lies the real adventure, and as you so eloquently put it “people tune in for the suspense and drama and side plots.” Sometimes these hurdles can be depressing or aggravating as all hell in the moment, but everything becomes funny in hindsight…given enough time, of course. For me this event has already become laughable. I knew I was getting myself into a tricky situation because personal feelings had crept into my partner’s mind but I said hey, let’s keep it professional and pull it off even though in my gut I knew it was all going to come crashing down on me….much sooner than expected though. Sometimes people chastise my lack of emotion but I find it helps me more times than not, especially when trying to focus on work. In the end I am not discouraged, although I am a tad upset at having wasted my time (not just on the trip but also planning it, getting sponsors, promoting it, etc etc) and of course disappointed that no we cannot pursue the subsequent book deal we were offered.

      Yeah, I’ve been following your blog waiting for some posts about how your India adventures went. Don’t get me wrong, I like the festival posts and always learn something new from them…but they are also rather impersonal and don’t have that certain flair that is why I love your blog so much. Looking forward to hearing about how India treated you! And as always, keep in touch 🙂

      Reply
      • Yeah, like many things, I underestimated the effort involved in that series. Anyway, I’ve mad some adjustments so I can focus more on writing, which is what I love an why I started my blog.
        I’m still massaging the storyline, but it looks like a 3-part series. Way too much crazy shit for one blog post.
        Thanks for the feedback, it reconfirms what I was thinking anyway. As always, thanks for your guidance and perspective, I feel like I’m flying blind most days. Let me know if I can help you out with anything.

        Reply
  6. haha. reading her tweets makes me laughing, she seems to be so desperate or hopeless romantic, does she know you have girlfriend, to be honest, I dont follow her, but just stalk her.. It’s a long story how could I know her tweet and found out this girl is very manipulative, and sicko?? And very judgmental, too.

    Throughout her tweet, she’s playing victim, she makes herself as a girl you treated very bad, she said, you stole her money and stuff?? WOW… is it true..

    I dont care whether it’s true or not?? but the way she exposed this on twitter, I’d be afraid of working wit person who appeared to be very badmouthed, I guess she’s the problem not you. She seems to be very defensive and always think she’s right.

    I paste her hillarious tweets here, OMFG, she’s very dramaqueen.. I cant imagine working with a person who loves to makes an exhibition of her private feeling, If I do this.. it feels very awkward..

    It’s scary to see her stupid followers RT and favorite her tweets… she’s a bad influence for young gullible Indonesian girls

    https://twitter.com/JennyJusuf/status/469527460304805889/photo/1

    https://twitter.com/JennyJusuf/status/469467429962129408/photo/1

    Easiest way to peek into some1’s heart? Look directly at his/her eyes, n listen to what your intuition says. Eyes can’t lie. Trust the eyes.
    ReplyReplied to 0 timesRetweetRetweeted 11 times11FavoriteFavorited 4 times4
    More

    Jenny Jusuf @JennyJusuf · May 22
    Never lower your boundaries. Know WHERE you stand and WHAT you want. Just bcs some1 appears to be trustworthy doesn’t mean s/he really is.
    ReplyReplied to 0 timesRetweetRetweeted 7 times7FavoriteFavorited 6 times6
    More

    Jenny Jusuf @JennyJusuf · May 22
    Don’t trust too much too soon. Don’t be too kind to someone you just met. And don’t travel together until you’re sure you can trust him/her.
    ReplyReplied to 0 timesRetweetRetweeted 15 times15FavoriteFavorited 2 times2
    More

    Jenny Jusuf @JennyJusuf · May 22
    Listen to your intuition. Always.
    ReplyReplied to 0 timesRetweetRetweeted 5 times5FavoriteFavorited 4 times4
    More

    Jenny Jusuf @JennyJusuf · May 22
    Lesson learned: follow your guts. Always. If your guts tells you that some1 is a bad person, listen to it no matter what he says/shows you.
    ReplyReplied to 0 timesRetweetRetweeted 7 times7FavoriteFavorited 4 times4
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    Jenny Jusuf @JennyJusuf · May 22
    Lesson learned: hati2 jalan sama org yg belum pernah ketemu dan cuma kenal via internet. Salah2 duit raib, misi ga kesampaian, dimanfaatkan. ——->> WOW, she;s blackcampained you…..

    Reply
    • Oh I know, SO MANY people have sent me screenshots of those tweets. But instead of getting angry I just laugh. That is so unprofessional and childish of her, and I won’t take part in sending any nasty tweets of my own. Stole her money and stuff??? What now that is just crazy! What stuff????? Sure there were a few taksi rides and one hotel she paid for herself. At the time I thought she was just being nice, since I went to the work of getting us free hotel stays in other cities. But then that morning after she quit TdH and took a plane to Jakarta I get a WhatsApp msg saying you owe me this much money just pay me and get the f*** out of my life. And then she starts slandering me on Twitter all because I have a girlfriend and won’t sleep with her. So what if we are sharing the same bed, we are working together! I work with different women all the time (I’m a traveler and a writer, it’s part of my job) and I don’t sleep with any of them! So why would she be any different? Oh yes and the fact I have a girlfriend in Indonesia already and I am not a cheater or a liar.

      That girl needs to grow up. She may be 29 but she behaves like she is 12, throwing temper tantrums when she doesn’t get her way.

      “Don’t be too kind to someone you just met.” The kindness of strangers is one of the best aspects of this world, and of visiting new places. If everyone acted like she did then what a crappy world this would be.

      Reply
  7. 🙂

    yes, I dont think she’s a traveler. or even a backpacker.. I dont see traveler’s character on her..
    The way she complained about the long road and get tired…

    She abig city girl, Jakartan girl.. I bet she never stay in the dorm hostel, or at the airport…. maybe she need to get laid with you. Hahahaha.

    Reply
    • You are right, she is not a traveler at all. She doesn’t have it in her either, and hopefully she realizes that now. During our 10 days or so on the road together she would just stand around and do nothing, not even speak in Bahasa — it was up to me to do everything. Everyone would speak English to us too thinking that we were both just random bule. I tried telling her in advance how bus travel worked, she didn’t believe me. I tried explaining how to travel properly, she wouldn’t listen. And she mentioned several times about how she wants to leave Indonesia and travel to Laos and Cambodia with me after TdH and I kept telling her no. I’ve been traveling for five years total and one year in Indonesia. This is what I’m good at. It is not what she is good at, and I hope she knows that now. She would sleep on the bus/train, go to sleep before me, wake up after me, and still complain about being tired. Sorry but I don’t want to travel with someone who is complaining the whole time — that is not fun!

      Yeah I’m sure if I would have slept with her then things would have gone a lot better — but then I would have explain my actions to my girlfriend and most likely lose her, something I am not going to do. But then imagine how crazy she would be when the trip was done and I went off to Sumatra without her? Even crazier than she is now! I don’t need crazy in my life, I’m too happy and not going to let someone like her bring me down. Suppose it’s good the trip didn’t work out because then I would have had to continue working with her to write the Tour de Horror book.

      Reply
      • Exactly,

        ‘Don’t trust too much too soon. Don’t be too kind to someone you just met. And don’t travel together until you’re sure you can trust him/her.’
        this is not what traveler’s mindset, she thinks travel is the same with picnic,

        Great to know the story of your side, it means all my theory about her is true. What you typed above is what I think of what kind of person she really is. She’s a bule hunter.

        My patience toward her attitude is over when she dragged your angry twits to Indonesian Immigration, from this it’s clear she doesnt travel that much, she might think living in Bali makes her a traveler. The way she bullied you with her other close friends esp Amrazing, it’s very stupid and embarassing,- they are not traveler but think they are a cool traveler, in fact they are very stupid in a overstaying visa matter.

        Well, it’s just disgusting, weeks ago, she tweeted and Rt you, after she knows you dont want to fool around with her, she doesnt get waht she wants and she treated you like that way,- I smell this when she posted ‘thanks for not marrying me’ article,- It’s very childish telling bad things about your ex boyfriend publicly, make it online, and it’s very low and sorry, bad, bad, bad. If I were her ex bf and after the break up she badmouthed me, posting article that cornering me and funnily, before she posted something very romantic about her bf

        http://jennyjusuf.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/one-of-those-days/

        Well, I enjoy reading the comments, there are some Indonesian who criticized her attitude, exposing her private life on the comment section and her fans & friends bullied them.

        I can imagine if you and her make out, she’s writing nice thing about her feeling to you online, then when you dump her, she’s gonna post bad thing about you on online catalogue website, too.

        Yes, yes, childish!!

        Reply
        • Yeah why she even still follows me on Twitter is a mystery. She doesn’t say or respond to anything except the one time I post an angry tweet without thinking — and it was just to humiliate me more and get her friends/followers angry with me. I’ve been in the country a year, have been learning to speak/blog dlm bhs dn gw pnya tmn2 lbh dsni than any other country in the world. I love this country so much and wouldn’t be spending so much time here or trying to become fluent in Bahasa Indonesia if I didn’t.

          The funny thing is she emailed me the link to that “why I won’t marry you” article long before we ever met in real life and she was so proud of it lol…I didn’t know what to say hahaha. Yeah, I agree with the one guy who commented “this is better than sinetron [grabs popcorn]” hahaha so true. Drama queen! But if that is what makes her happy, go for it. And then enjoy being alone for the rest of your life unless you find some guy that wants to put up with that much drama. (Here’s a secret: guys don’t like drama!)

          The funny thing is Alex (aMrazing) and I were supposed to go on a press trip together to Sumatra but that was cancelled a few weeks ago so luckily now I don’t have to meet him in real life because I have a feeling we wouldn’t get along together, especially since he has been one of her best friends for years and no doubt has had his mind tainted by whatever lies she tells him. Of course since they are such good friends and given his attitude on Twitter it wouldn’t surprise me if he is as childish as her. Sorry, I only work with professionals, not people who stab you in the back whenever they feel the urge.

          I’ve met literally 1000s of people from Twitter in real life over the years and only had 2-3 bad experiences (including one stalker) but she has by far turned out to be the worst.

          Reply
          • Haha, it’s a code, Derek!! She wanted to tell you she’s single and needs you to complete her!! She doesn’t know instead of getting your sympathy, her ‘potential guy’ will be scared. Yes, guys hate drama, that’s why most of my friends are males, less drama!!

            You’re true, Amrazing is 11-12 with her (it’s Indonesian terminology to say have much in common 😉 )

            Regarding she’s still following you on twitter, hmm, so I have a strong belief she will read our conversation. Very typical bule hunter, she’s never met you in real life and easy to get chemistry… heeheehee

            Good luck with you bahasa Indonesia, by the way, you and I are following with each other on twitter and had some mutual tweets.. But well, maybe you dont need to know who I really am… I just sit back and enjoy the shows …. 🙂 enjoy your days in Indonesia , i gotta go now, maybe next time we’d have another nice discussion, and it’s not my real name 🙂

          • That’s funny because most of my friends in Indonesia are females hahaha. Don’t know why because in every other country its always the guys I get to know better, but not here. Ahhhh interesting, I haven’t heard 11-12 before…good to know, thanks 🙂

            Yeah for me I can chat and chat and chat and never develop any real chemistry until I meet someone in real life. 90% of communication is nonverbal (body language, tone, etc) and all of that is lost via text so how can someone fall for another person just from some text messages? Before I even met her in real life I could tell she was not my type of woman — even if I was single and interested. And knowing she still liked me I did everything I could to be unattractive when we were traveling together but it didn’t work :/

            Hmmmm well now I really want to know who you are. I’m assuming we have not met in real life yet, right? Yes I figured Shinta was not your real name 😉

            [ Acckkkkkk the curiosity is already starting to drive me crazy lol ]

  8. i hope she read our conversation 😀
    I think it’s the best for her, this is what she deserved to get, I’m very sure she’s a very bad person by slandering you on twitter. She really needs to be educated, otherwise, there’ll be another victims.

    Reply
    • Lol I hope so too. Before we even met in real life she would read my blog and my FB and all of my tweets and always knew everything that I was doing…kind of hope she still is. Maybe these comments will help open her eyes.

      That’s one thing you learn while traveling, to see things through other people’s eyes. Well, she really needs to step back and see herself through another person’s eyes because it definitely isn’t the picture-perfect queen she apparently thinks she is given everything she tweets and writes. Tsk tsk tsk…

      Reply
  9. Indonesian girls see bule as if they are Hollywood celebrity. ahh, well, they are just being friendly and trying to practise their english.

    Oh yes, Amrazing & Jenny have a bunch of blind followers who would spam your blog or twitter if they read this, hihihihi.. It would be the great show for me 😀

    Yes, we’ve never met, you followed me and I followed you back on twitter in 2011 or early 12, (I forgot), and you PM-ed me something about project, then when I heard you have tour de horror project and I became abit surprised you’d be dealing with a selebtwit I ‘marked’ as a ‘bitch’ /drama queen since 2012, (because I’m so confused why there are so many ‘norak’ people RT-ing and favorited her drama/judmental tweets then I started to pay attention to both of you more than before, – well, slowly by slowly you’d get to know me…… the clue is, we had more chats on twitter since you started promoting your TdH project. 🙂

    Reply
    • Yeah, that’s the thing though…I’m not a celebrity, I’m not famous, I’m not rich, I’m just a traveler. People always say “kamu ganteng” and I say “tdk, gw tdk ganteng, cuma bule” hehehe 😉

      Ahhh yes, I do a lot of travel projects…that’s my job 🙂 Hmmmm well thanks for the clue, I’m going to solve this mystery 😉

      I don’t know what ‘norak’ is but I can guess it’s meaning from the context. Ahhh there is so much bahasa I have yet to learn. And I tend to screw up the order of my words still sometimes, although I am getting better about this. And I still have a habit of talking too formally sometimes, or speaking slang to someone I should be speaking formally too. Oops. But hey at least I’m trying! 🙂

      Reply
  10. well, I’ll challenge you, sherlock holmes!!

    Another clue is, I’m Indonesian, female, not interested in flirting on social media, most of my tweets are not really personal at all just about work things, or I tweet into politics and currents issue besides the music, travel or tv series stuff 🙂

    I dont really like stalking actually, but I just like to observe human’s behaviour and your partner has been caught my attention since 2012, observing an exhibitionist, extrovert and introvert, you know, Twitter and social media are really detective’s dream, 😛

    okay, selamat belajar bahasa Indonesia dan slang 🙂

    Reply
    • Lol. Well the first two I already realized…sudah mulai cari hari ini tp so many possibilities! Well rather than just tweeting random people “so, are you ‘Shinta'” lol I’ll just post my guesses here once I have narrowed it down 😉

      Yeah I’m not a stalker either but I am a big observer of humanity. People are interesting and often puzzling as well lol 😉

      Reply
  11. hey, what’s going on?
    I saw your twitter is in private mode?? Are you in a trouble now because of this conversation??
    I hope not, otherwise, it’s not fun for me dragging you into this ‘mess’.

    I just can’t stand the way she black-campaigned and stab people who mess-up with her by humiliating on social media. And it’s not the first time she did this. I just want to tell her, if you have a problem with X, please solve your problem in a professional way, between you and Derek in private message. Is she trying to be naive, twitting stupid tweets and she thought people who know both of you don’t get those tweets refer to you?? bullshit. Okay, am I trying to interfere somebody’s else attitude by this way?? No, right… I’m afraid it’s gonna be ‘a common attitude’ for her followers, she indirectly affect others, and it’s contagious, you know… I mean, gullible followers who follow her will be seeing this as a normal action. Humiliating and slandering your ex colleagues are normal. That’s wrong, maybe she never worked in an office job with ‘real colleagues’ and full of office politics where you have to learn how to handle your EQ. Or maybe she got a job without knocking hundreds of company’s door, come for interview and put her ego down for job’s sake. No, she got a job because she’s a ‘selebtwit’.

    You are true, we’re just a big observer of humanity 🙂 , well, Derek.. I’m sorry if drag you into uncomfortable situation. But, honestly, she deserved it…. I bet she’s gonna blog about you sooner or later.

    Reply
    • Lol no worries, everything is good. I put it in private mode for about 12hrs because some friends recommended I do it. But I didn’t like it b/c then people cannot RT me. So no worries, you’ve done nothing wrong 🙂

      Yeah, I agree with everything you just said. I spent years working in an office and even if you don’t like the person sitting next to you, you still respect them and act professionally. She is the antithesis of everything professional and definitely setting a bad example for others. Worst part is she sees nothing wrong with this. But hey, that’s fine by me — she can keep it up and spend the rest of her life along and angry at others. Would serve as justice.

      I love observing humanity as well….people are so interesting. And confusing!

      Oh yeah, I’m sure a blog post is coming at some point. Why you cannot trust people you meet on Twitter or something similar. Exactly why I am not writing one about her — I’m being professional. I’ve moved on and am doing other things, starting other projects, and continuing my work like normal. She however still appears to be stalking me. Grow up girl! (Not you, her…assuming at some point she will be reading these, if she hasn’t already.)

      Reply
  12. Derek… is it true, on Djangkaru twit, it said you’re in jail.. imposibble, so you’re replying in jail.. hihi
    Oh c’mon… FUCK MY COUNTRY… it’s too much… the whole WORLD said Fuck America, and nobody get offended….. Oh Indonese, GROW UP!!

    you know, it’s because of that bitch who RT your angry twit!!!

    It’s okay Derek.. I hope justice will be on your side!!

    Reply
    • I know, I shouldn’t have said it, I was just angry and didn’t think — that’s why I deleted it just a few minutes later. But not before she took a photo and sent it to immigration. I’ve apologized a hundred times, everyone who knows me knows that I love Indonesia more than anywhere else in the world…even more than America. And yup, the whole world says fuck America but nobody cares, not even Americans.

      So yes, I am locked up right now, doing interviews by phone and writing my own article about this issue. I am ordered to buy my own plane ticket home for 11 Juni and never allowed to return to Indonesia again. Instead of judging me based on one year of positive actions for and positive writings about Indonesia, I am instead being labelled a Indonesia hater and forbidden from ever returning to the country I love. Justice is not on my side but at least kantor imigrasi is going to receive a lot of negative attention as a result of this whole situation. Maybe one day I’ll be allowed to return…maybe.

      And all the while Jenny is probably SO HAPPY right now. I haven’t bothered to check her tweets. But yeah Riyanni and others have been tweeting KI the last few hours. Speaking of, what is your Twitter handle? I don’t have the energy to continue my search anymore, too much on my mind right now 🙁

      Reply
  13. Don’t ever remove these conversation, and when people google this bitch name it will lead to your blog, then they will know that she’s the horny bitch who put you in trouble because you dont want to ‘complete her’.

    It’s weird why the immigration asked you to buy ticket home, just booked ticket to neighborhoods, well, it sucks. US embassy wouldn’t help?? I hope there’s a light. Or at least, you can make a story ‘Banged up Abroad’ in the country I love because of the horny bitch reported my unimportant angry twits.

    It’s sad you cant go back to Indonesia, hmm, in the long run.. Take care of yourself, and looking forward to reading your article about this issues.

    cheers,
    mysterious human observer :p

    Reply
    • Oh I’m never deleting these LOL.

      They had me sign paperwork to the American Embassy saying that I am here so that they can bill the embassy for my time in lockup.

      However from talking with other people that have been deported, it’s about half-half. Some have to buy their departure ticket, others do not. Guess I’m one of the lucky ones that falls in the former category :/

      Reply
  14. Jesus Fucking Christ, Derek

    You’re true!! Jenny Jusuf is very happy, she tweeted your picture with bir Bintang behind the bars and sent a tweet to imigrasi twitter, and tweeted; ‘dear immigration, can somebody in custody drink a beer and go online??’ Man, She and her groups are a big asshole and jerk!!

    This girl really dont know how visa’s rules work!! And they said, being an overstayer is like you are a criminal who steal in the shop. Man, what a bunch of idiot. Yes, yes.. and her friends attack you personally.

    And Jenny asked a local news journalist’s email on twitter, she seems like to share information about you. But when I wanted to screenshot, she just removed it, maybe that journalist didn’t need her gossip.

    I hope you will be released, soon. I don’t know how to help you but maybe I can give a little education to them… Enjoy your beer and maybe Kretek 😉

    Reply
    • An overstayer is not “a criminal who steals from the shop,” it is a customer that shops longer and buys more — not to mention then pays extra tax. Some people just don’t understand how overstaying works lol. At least you do.

      And yes, I am enjoying a beer and a kretek as I type this…but its time to sleep soon. I haven’t slept much the last few nights and I want to get at least 4-5hrs in before the sun rises…

      Reply
  15. you have her naked photo???

    MAN.. what a stupid girl did that, great, once you live this country just upload her naked photo online, hey, remember, she’s a ‘proffesional’ writer, just launched a book about bule, it suit the theme!!! 😀 This girl deserved this, she made you sleep behind the bar!!

    Or, Derek.. I said before I wanted to give them a little education, by making a new twitter account and send this blog link to all her friends and follower who commented on your picture behind the bars she just posted on twitter, but I’ve got problem, twitter has strict rule now that I have to verified my mobile number, which I cant do that. Sorry, I have no idea how to give her a lesson, now.

    And on her tweets you’re not a good guy because you tell lie about your family; ‘A good guy would *not* lie to you about his background, his family, nor hide his real identity and put your reputation at risk.’

    funny, funny……

    as a girl, or not your special girl what’s her right to know who you really are?? She wants everyone being like her, drama queen and exhibitionist, it’s you right to keep your private life or family, or your own identity…

    tsk tsk… good Derek, professional is not in her vocabulary… she treated you like shit and she needs the same treat, treat her like shit too, on twitter. Welcome to Indonesia, twitwar is our culture…. and I just sit, relax and enjoy the show…. *I cant help you on twitter, I just dont want to get involved with those indo selebtwit.. but I support you!!*

    Reply
    • I changed my name a long long time again to rid myself of terrible memories. There was no lying involved. Besides that, how can I possibly risk her reputation. What reputation, has a whore and drama queen? Yeah that’s a reputation to be quite proud of hahaha.

      Well thanks for the support, whatever form it comes from. I’ve got a lot of other people that are more influential than Jenny on my side so she can keep it up for all I care. At least I have said my part now…my job is done.

      And although I may have taken a few “below the belt shots” tonight, as the saying goes, I still referred to her as “my friend” in my newest post.

      Reply
  16. yes, yes.. I watched in the movie it seems not really difficult for changing the name or identity in the USA, and it’s legal. it’s your right to start a new life or a new you, but since the first time I heard your last name I admit it, hmm, what kind of family name is freal sounds like for real.. ?? hahaha , yaa, she’s being delusional, maybe… she had ideas you are a criminal and it will risk her reputation?? blah, blah… seems like she’s very important, just spread her naked pictures and let the party begin… 😛

    Regarding overstay issues, of course I know, I had the same issue with you long time ago overseas 😉 , I know visa extension and dealing with immigration is one of activity I’d never missed at all, hahaha

    I cant wait your new post…. okay, good night!!

    Reply
  17. kajeng kliwon is every 3 weeks so nice angle but a bit overly dramatic no? :p
    First time I’ve stumbled across your blog. Sorry about your immigration troubles! guess i will be careful what I say online in future too…

    Reply
    • Lol yeah but couldn’t resist a touch of drama there, I was stressed out from trying to travel with someone who has ne’er traveled before. Would not recommend that burden on anyone.

      And yes, lesson definitely learned 🙂

      Reply
  18. She’s taking your livehood from you. I do regret NOW why I should’nt have warned you since the first time I heard you’d have this stupid project with her. From project, stalker, twitwar, I had a feeling long before you’re gonna face shitty situation. Stay strong, Derek. Being framed with this Psycho girl, it’s very unbelievable.. Hope to hear your news soon *Hug*

    Reply
    • Yeah, definitely would have appreciated a lil warning hahaha…could have avoided quite a bit of unnecessary drama in my life…but at least now I know. Not only that but all my friends now realize that she is clearly a liar and attention-seeker.

      Anyway, if you ever see me getting into a similar situation again after I return to Indonesia — please warn me! 🙂

      Reply

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