@gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 5mo ago

Replying to

Day 60-61: It's second time lucky and I enter Papua! Overjoyed! The last 1,500km to reach Bougainville will be slow. I spend the night in Vanimo and the morning after I am on the boat to Aitape - despite the border official's advice to catch a plane for safety reasons. 74/

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 8mo ago

Replying to

It's a very short boat ride the one from Singapore to Batam, Indonesia. But it's really a springboard from the globalised, motorised, and carbonised part of the world to the Global South. I have already travelled about 14,000km to come here without taking airplanes and I truly savour the crossing of this physical but most importantly cultural boundary between North and South. The taxi that takes me to the embarkment to Jakarta travels through bumpy roads, which turn into dirt road at the very access to the Pelni (the Indonesian national ferry company) departure point. I am torn between accepting the offer of porters to carry my luggage or carrying it myself. It's little money for me and a lot of money for them. I opt for carrying it myself, as I am short of Indonesian cash and I perceive porters' requests as bordering extortion. I travel 3rd class, because I want to stay as close as possible to the travelling conditions of most travellers. I get a bed in one of the many sleeping halls provided on the ship. A mattress is provided, although it's better not to think of the last time it has been washed. I must say sleeping is hard. People talk loudly throughout the night and kids cry loud. However, I am so tired that I sleep tight. As usual, I am woken up at 4am by the call to the Islamic morning prayer. #RefuseToFly #Slowtravel #Decarbonise #ClimateAction #StrictlyPublicTransport #researcherlife #researcher #Singapore #Indonesia #Batam #FerryTravel #Pelni

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

I am very proud of my newly bought solar power generator and I use it straightaway on my makeshift office space at the upper deck of the ship taking me to Jakarta. The sunset over the Java sea is, however, a big distraction for my overdue essay... See video : https://youtube.com/shorts/X4CwMSqv_Wk #RefuseToFly #Slowtravel #Decarbonise #ClimateAction #StrictlyPublicTransport #researcherlife #researcher #AFuoco #Singapore #Indonesia #Batam #Jakarta #FerryTravel #Pelni #JavaSea

My solar-powered office space on the Singapore-Jakarta ferry: Day 42 of my no-fly trip Italy-Papua

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Day 53: I get to Sorong,West Papua,after 4 days of navigation on the Pelni ferry. The social landscape here is much more ethnically varied than in East Papua,with Indonesian ethnic groups melting with Chinese+Papuans proper. The Moi are an indigenous ethnic group, I travel some 20km to visit their cultural centre. However, there's little to see about their culture,it's just a rather touristy sea resort. Still, I am the only tourist so I enjoy the sunset...69/

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Day 49-52: I get a night train to Surabaya, Eastern Java. It takes 4 hours to get there, I arrive in the early morning and board the ferry to Sorong, Western Papua. I would have loved to stop in Makassar, but it would have taken one more day of navigation and I am desperate to reach Papua asasp. It takes 4 days to travel the 2,400km distance from Surabaya to Sorong. It only costs €40. I get treated to breathtaking sunsets, which makes slowtravelling an unforgettable experience. I "unofficially" upgrade my ticket to second class. I have a couchette only for me, so I am able to work on my papers and research in absolute peace. I regret not sharing the travel with people in the third class, but it's too important I get some good sleep. Still, I socialise with fellow passengers on the main deck. 68/

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Day 47 of my no-fly trip Italy-PNG: I visit Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world. That this temple, projected to resemble a gigantic mandala,has withstood 13 centuries, is astounding. Perhaps even more astounding is that it was used for no longer than a century, after which the Mataram dynasty moved their capital to East Java. Afterwards, the whole complex got literally lost to time,as it was buried by volcanic ash and a jungle. The base - Kamadhatu - represents the world of desires. The six square levels stacked on top are Rupadhatu, the world of forms. Walking around the levels, the pilgrim would learn stories of Prince Siddhartha, from his conception – bearing some resemblance to Jesus’s conception - to the search for the ultimate truth. The three circular levels in the upper section are Arupadhatu, the formless world. The central stupa represents the attainment of nirvana, the state of enlightenment and peace that every Buddhist tends to achieve. This stupa is entirely empty, because the real fulfilment of the self comes from the process of emptying one's soul of all the desires. The sacredness of the 72 meditating Buddhas statues, overlooking all possible directions, to the mount said to resemble a reclining Buddha to the South, to the Merapi volcano to the West, and to a quiet wood to the east, fills me with the spirituality of the place. More on my YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/yFew07Foe0E Long read on my Substack: https://gianlu777.substack.com/p/visiting-the-borodur-temple-in-central?r=3bfowj 66/

Visiting Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple: Day 47 of my no-fly trip Italy -Papua New Guinea

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 5mo ago

Replying to

Day 56-57: it's a 48-hour journey from Sorong to Jayapura in West Papua, Indonesia, on the national ferry company #Pelni. I capture on camera the sleep of an exhausted food seller. There are dozens on ship, walk up and down the stairs virtually all day and surely their incomes are low. I have the luxury of some music entertainment at night. Check my videos on YT: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJL-sRWA7R48YPuoNv6eO64679E63XOvg . 72/

YouTube

Ferry travel in Indonesia in my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea

This is the travelogue of four days of travel on the @pelni162 ferry from Surabaya, East Java, to Sorong, West Papua. These are days 49-52 of my no-fly trip ...

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Day 54: There isn't much "cultural heritage" to see in Sorong; apparently this is just a stop over to then travel to some "diving paradise" nearby. So, I can't miss the pictoresque Sapta Ratna pagoda, only recently built by Chinese merchants who migrated here and wanted to recreate a bit of China. It is however closed, in spite of a €0.60 ticket entrance. After arranging an expedition with my taxi driver, later I get to meet a group of men from the Moi tribe. That has definitely made my day! More to come... 70/

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 5mo ago

Replying to

"When it's hot it's not good for our crops, sir, and it's getting hotter". Watch the video (until the end!) of my interview with the indigenous Moi tribe: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/it5XbdsS9C0 and read about their experience with climate change and displacement: https://gianlu777.substack.com/p/talking-about-climate-change-with 71/

Meeting the Moi tribe in Sorong, West Papua: Day 55 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Day 43: Get to Jakarta in the early morning. I book the rest of travel on Indonesian ferries. The heavy traffic and stink of petrol hit me. Jakarta is the city that is sinking at probably the fastest rate in the world (2-3cm a year). This is mainly due to overexploitation of underground aquifers. On my YT I interview local couchsurfer Jonathan about what it means to live in a sinking city. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LNaNttmrdE&list=PLJL-sRWA7R4_ZEetlU-4amhuo6lNh4Fxu 61/

Jakarta is sinking: A witness from a local. Day 43 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 5mo ago

I realise things are not quite right when a fellow passenger cries she wants to be left ar the shore because the sea is too rough. Maybe the border official was right in ordering not to travel by boat. The passenger literally throws her little child to the crew at front of the boat, maybe thinking to save his life.

I'll arrive in Aitape completely drenched after 6 hours of navigation. The money inside my supposedly water-proof waist belt is so wet I have to hang it up to dry. Good thing a fellow passenger takes me to a comfortable guesthouse. I can rest.... but not for long....

https://youtube.com/shorts/Krp73XUK9C0?feature=share

#refusetofly #slowtravel #lowercarbon #decarbonize #climateemergency #dinghyboat

At risk of capsizing in boat trip to Aitape: Day 62 of my no-fly trip from Italy to the Solomons

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

I long to return to the "House of Culture" museum in Yogjakarta, a real "Atlas" of Javanese culture and history. I am mesmerised by the section on the "Batyk", shawls that are worn in ceremonies marking the main stages in a person's life:

birth, where the "gendogan" batyk is meant to wish good luck to the newborn;
"Mitoni", taking place at 7 months of pregnancy;
Adolescence (with a ceremony for boys when they get circumcised and girls when they have their first menstruation);
Wedding, preceded by an engagement ceremony, where various batyk mark the 7 days of the rituals; The spouses often wear Sidomukti (to become noble/prosperous) or Truntum (reawakened love) to bless their union.
Turning 64- as a person can be thought of having lived life to its full and to have acquired wisdom.
Death, marked by dark tones.

Batyk also reveal a person's social status, as some patterns are exclusive to the "elite" and are forbidden to the "commoners". An example is the "Parang" - a diagonal "S" patterns representing waves of swords. They symbolize power and authority; the larger the motif, the higher the wearer's rank.

I wonder how virtually all human societies are characterised by rites of passage marking birth, adolescence, wedding, and death. We have more in common that what we could think of. More on my YT: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJL-sRWA7R4-tCkqYDPa3323wgLuqOBZg 67/

#RefuseToFly #ClimateEmergency #Slowtravel #decarbonise #ClimateAction #Sonobudoyu #Java #Indonesia #Yogjakarta #RitesOfPassage #Batyk

YouTube

Visit of the Sonobudoyo Museum, Yogja; Day 48 of my no-fly trip Italy-Papua New Guinea

This is my second time in “Yogja,” and I can’t wait to return to the Sonobudoyu Ethnographic Museum, a real “Atlas” of Javanese culture and history and of ho...

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

In June 2025, Trump claimed that Iran nuclear facilities had been obliterated: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/experts-agree-irans-nuclear-facilities-have-been-obliterated/

So, either Trump was wrong at the time, or there is no immediate threat to justify an attack now.

Under UN Charter 51 (https://www.justsecurity.org/116153/article-51-united-states-letter-iran-nuclear/), an armed attack is justified only in self-defense, i.e., in response to another armed attack, or under a deliberation by the Security Council. There's no doubt that both are missing in the present context, so the current US/Israel operation is clearly unlawful (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/mar/02/legality-us-israel-attacks-iran-uk).

And if Trump was wrong in 2025, isn't the current air bombs campaign more of the same? They killed Iran's head of state and former president (along with 500 other people, mostly civilians, including, reportedly, 150 children: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/iran-red-crescent-says-555-people-killed-in-iran-since-start-of-war/), but at the moment there's no sign the Iranian regime is crumbling.

whitehouse.gov

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Day 45: I only know their names, Dina and Rizki, and that today is supposed to be the happiest day in their lives. Their wedding takes place under a tent that is crowded with relatives and friends. Their silky clothes are luxurious, and every embroidery seems to have been crafted by an expert hand. The bride is crowned with fake jewels. Perhaps this dress has been passed down from generation to generation. Dina's smile is too static to be authentic. Rizki, instead, seems to be thoroughly enjoying the day. Her parents sit in a semi-circle opposite her. This is probably the moment in which they are “handing” the girl over to the groom’s family. You could exchange what goes on under the tent for a wedding in Dubai. Outside the tent, life goes on as normal in this coastal district, among the rubble, the dirt road, the house foundations eroded by the rising seas, and the wooden roofs collapsing under the power of typhoons. Maybe this tent is a metaphor of global warming. We live in a bubble where everything seems joyful and luxurious, but reality bites outside. The brides can hardly pronounce my name, but they share their food with me as if I were a member of their family. My van to Yogjakarta departs soon, so I leave the gathering well before the wedding is over. I leave under the illusion their future will be bright... 65/ #RefuseToFly #slowtravel #Semarang #Indonesia #JavaIsland #JavaneseWedding #coasters #SeaLevelRise #LandSubsidence #ClimateBreakdown #DontLookUp

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

“The US & Israel have started this war with vague and unachievable objectives, no international law base, and little or no support from Gulf states or other US allies”, says Lord Ricketts, former UK national security adviser. I completely agree. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/strategic-options-iran-retaliate-us-israel-analysis

theguardian.com

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Day 45: Another meeting with a woman coping with sea level rise. In spite of all hardship, Kristi doesn't stop smiling. I learn that (a) a large gradient exists in poverty. A shack under a bridge is immensely more valuable than outside; https://youtu.be/dVTNUq2E5Q4 63/

Struggling with sea level rise: Interview with Kristi in Semarang, Java, Indonesia

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Day 45: I know that slow travel offers the incomparable opportunity to see with my own eyes how most people live on this planet. After taking the 6-hour train from Jakarta, I'm keen to visit people living on the coastline in Semarang, as they have been exposed to constant flooding in recent years. A local couchsurfer takes me there by scooter. The meeting with Deby is by far the most touching experience of this travel, maybe of all my travels. Check it our on my YT channel: https://youtu.be/Gl7IXxYpDgc?si=mcbo_xTXx_njcB8_ . Relentless flooding destroyed her family's lives to the point they have nothing to eat. When she suddenly burst into tears after confessing that she didn't have the money to send their children to school, I felt the powerlessness that so many people in this world experience in their daily lives. Theirs is a small house compared to European standards, less than 20 m2, and yet I could see all the love they put to build their home. The floor is made of concrete. They must have wanted this construction to be as stable as it could. But they didn't consider that relentless sea level rise, accompanied by land subsidence, would have exposed this building to constant flooding. Inundations bring about lack of sleep, inability to work, loss of capital equipment - in particular, the scooter they used to go to work - and, in the end, food scarcity. This is climate breakdown in action. #RefuseTofly #Semarang #SeaLevelRise #LandSubsidence #Slowtravel #researcherlife #Indonesia

Struggling with sea level rise: Interview with Debi in Semarang, Java, Indonesia

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Replying to

(b) This is reflected in the price paid to the local gangster. (c) Food aid doesn't reach the needy as it's monopolised by "mafia"; (d) awareness of the causes of sea level rise is non-existent. Kirsti believes that's a natural phenomenon, rather than beiing human-made. https://youtu.be/VFOXS1aiItU 64/

Struggling with sea level rise: Interview with Kristi in Semarang, Java, Indonesia - Part 2

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@rcr Terim Mekashi! Exactly, I love travelling in the way most people in this world do! (Although I must admit I took a second class ticket upgrade this time round...).

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dr. gianluca grimalda @gianluca_grimalda@fediscience.org

· 7mo ago

Onorato che "Il Ricercatore" venga proiettato presso l'Università di Macerata @unimc nell'ambito della giornata "M'illumino di meno/M'illumino di scienza" promossa da Radio Caterpillar @rairadio2 .

Seguirò dalla Melanesia a 28,000km di distanza.
https://www.unimc.it/it/unimc-comunica/events/2026/millumino-di-meno-proiezione-documentario-il-ricercatore

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