Highlights of a caffeine-fuelled journey through Indonesia

(CNN) — Even after traveling extensively through Indonesia for more than two decades, I sometimes struggle to grasp the true scale and diversity of the biggest island nation on the planet.

This is the world’s fourth most populous nation (home to an estimated 10% of the world’s languages) and yet many people would struggle to find Indonesia on a map.

Kopi dulu means “coffee first” in Bahasa Indonesia — which serves as a second, unifying language to the majority of Indonesians. To me, the phrase came to sum up the attitude of unhurried hospitality that is ubiquitous among the unimaginable diversity of cultures that lie along this part of the Ring of Fire of volcanic countries around the edge of the Pacific.

Whether Muslim, Hindu, Christian or animist, it sometimes seems that little ever happens without a preliminary “cup of Java.” This was fine with me since I learned very early on in my Indonesian travels not to hurry; jam karet (rubber time) is another national catchphrase that’s an ideal antidote to the routine of our hyper-scheduled Western way of life.

Where myth is indiscernible from reality

I first visited Indonesia in 1995, leading an expedition through central Borneo, and have since traveled on assignments to all the major islands. I must have explored 100 or more of the almost undocumented islands and quite a few of the estimated 12,000 that are officially listed as uninhabited even today.

Skeptics will tell you that there are no unexplored regions, but Indonesia offers a level of adventure that few countries can match. My travels through the country naturally took in most of the iconic tourism hotspots (including Borobudur Temple, the Batak Highlands and Komodo) and quite a few spots that have become almost household names despite the fact that they see comparatively few international travelers (Krakatoa, Maluku’s “Spice Islands,” Borneo).