Welcome to Tale & Treat: A Cozy Travel & Life Diary from Indonesia

Welcome to Tale & Treat

Hey, welcome! 🌿

I’m Caca, and I’m really glad you’re here.

This is my little corner of the internet where I share travel stories, cozy thoughts, food discoveries, café recommendations, and everything in between that makes life feel a little softer and more meaningful.

Honestly, I’m not trying to be a “professional blogger” in a formal way.

I simply wanted a space where I could write freely, document life, and keep track of places, moments, and things I genuinely love.

So this blog is mostly about slow travel in Indonesia, everyday joys, and stories gathered along the way.

A mix of stories and small joys.

🌿 What “Tale & Treat” Means

Tale & Treat is a quiet corner of the internet where I collect pieces of life that feel soft, slow, and meaningful.

To be honest, I built this space because I missed writing.

For years, I wrote for other people—through work, deadlines, and expectations. 

But here, I’m slowly learning how to write for myself again. To breathe through words. To remember life as it happens, not just as it is told.

This blog is not only about travel. It’s also about the little moments in between—train windows, rice fields, cozy cafés, evening skies, and books that make me lose track of time. The kinds of things that often seem ordinary, yet somehow become the memories we cherish the most.

And yes, this is also a home for my cats.

They are a very important part of my life, and I love sharing little pieces of their world here. In a way, I hope this space helps them be seen and loved by more people than just me.

I’m Caca, and I’m still learning how to live more slowly, make wiser choices, write honestly, and appreciate life a little more each day.

This space grows with me—not perfectly, but truthfully.

📚 A Childhood Filled with Books

Long before I became a writer, I was a reader.

Books were my first escape. 

As a child, I spent countless hours reading anything I could get my hands on—from novels and fiction to nonfiction books that helped me understand the world a little better.

Looking back, each type of book gave me something different.

Nonfiction taught me how to think, question, and learn.

Fiction taught me how to dream, imagine, and see possibilities beyond what was right in front of me.

Perhaps that’s why stories have always felt like home to me.

Even today, I still collect novels, and reading remains one of my favorite ways to slow down.

📖 Diaries, Music, and Quiet Moments

When I was younger, I loved keeping diaries.

Simple notebooks filled with everyday thoughts, small observations, feelings I didn’t fully understand yet, and moments I didn’t want to forget.

Looking back, those diaries taught me something important:

how to pay attention to life, and how to turn small moments into stories.

Maybe that’s why writing feels so natural to me today.

Long before I wrote professionally, I was already writing for myself.

I also grew up loving music, especially classical music. There’s something timeless and comforting about it that has always stayed with me.

That said, I also enjoy louder music from time to time. A bit of a contrast, perhaps—but a fun one.

At heart, I’m an introvert.

Most days, I enjoy staying at home and doing simple things I love: reading books, baking, playing with my cats, listening to music, or watching movies and dramas.

Living in a smaller city gives me space to enjoy a slower rhythm of life.

Sometimes I ride around on a motorbike with my younger sister, passing rice fields and quiet roads. In the mornings, we hear birds singing and feel the fresh air. In the evenings, we sometimes catch beautiful sunsets on the way home.

Somehow, even though those sights are familiar, they never stop feeling beautiful.

When it comes to traveling, visiting cafés, museums, cinemas, or exploring bigger cities, I usually need a little extra energy. I don’t do those things all the time, but I enjoy them deeply when the timing feels right.

That’s my version of slow living.

Writing has always been my way of understanding life—one page at a time. ☕

✍️ How I Became a Writer

I’ve been working as a freelance writer since 2013.

I started with news writing and online content. At first, it was simply a way to earn a living.

But over time, one project led to another.

Writing introduced me to storytelling, digital content, SEO, and many things I never expected to learn when I first started.

More importantly, it taught me how much work, care, and thought go into creating something meaningful.

Over the years, writing became more than just a job.

It became a way of learning—about people, ideas, places, and experiences.

Still, at the heart of it all, I’ve always loved simple stories the most. The kind that feel human.

🌏 A Life Across Different Cities

I’ve lived in several cities across Indonesia.

From a small hometown in the countryside to Bogor, Jakarta, Bandung, Central Java, and Yogyakarta.

Each place shaped me differently.

Some taught me independence.

Some taught me resilience.

Others taught me how to slow down and pay closer attention to everyday life.

That’s one reason I love traveling—not only because of the destinations, but because places quietly change the way we see the world.

My little companions who quietly became part of my everyday life. 🐾 

🐾 My Journey With Cats

My love for cats began around 2010, long before I adopted my own.

Some of my earliest memories with cats still stay with me today, and a few of those stories probably deserve posts of their own someday.

Life eventually brought several cats into my home—and into my heart.

Since then, they’ve become part of my everyday life, and naturally, part of this blog too.

Don’t be surprised if they appear often around here. 🐾

🌱 A Different Path Than I Planned

There’s something I don’t talk about very often.

I was once accepted into a well-known public university in Yogyakarta as a literature student. Getting in was difficult, and at the time, it felt like one of my biggest achievements.

But life had different plans.

Because of family circumstances, I had to leave university before finishing my degree.

For a long time, I saw that as a regret.

Sometimes, I still do.

Later, I tried to continue my studies through Universitas Terbuka. I studied for about two years before financial challenges forced me to pause once again.

Even so, I’ve never completely let go of that dream.

Life has taught me that not every journey follows a straight line.

Some dreams take longer than expected.

🌿 Still Learning, Still Moving Forward

One thing life has taught me is that learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms.

It happens through work, travel, mistakes, conversations, challenges, and everyday experiences.

It also happens in quiet moments.

I’m still healing in some parts of my story.

Still learning how to fully accept certain things.

But I’m also growing.

And that matters.

One of my hopes is to return to formal education someday when the timing and finances allow.

Another dream I carry is much simpler: I’d love to take baking classes one day.

There’s something comforting about baking—the process, the patience, and the joy of creating something from scratch.

Just like writing.

Just like life.

☕ What You Can Expect Here

If you stay a while, you’ll find:

✈️ Travel stories and guides (especially Indonesia)

🌿 Cozy cafés and hidden gems

🍜 Food discoveries

📖 Personal reflections

🐾 Cat stories along the way

This isn’t a perfect blog.

It’s a human space for slow stories, small moments, and everyday life.

🌿 Welcome In

Whether you’re here for travel inspiration, café recommendations, or simply a quiet read—

I’m really glad you’re here.

Take your time.

Scroll slowly.

Explore what you like.

That’s how I like to live.

And that’s how I like to write.

If you'd like to explore more, you can also visit my travel stories, café recommendations, or personal reflections.

🌿 A Small Note

English isn’t my first language, so there may be a few mistakes here and there.

I hope you’ll read it with kindness anyway. 🌿

— Caca
Tale & Treat