Story by Freya Low Yi
Photos by Canny Claudya
Should you follow your heart, or your mind? This question eludes many, but not Canny Claudya, who only does what she loves doing.
A typical 25-year-old would spend their life chasing success and money, perhaps caught up in the rat race of life. Canny, a marketing accountant, is the complete opposite. She believes that life is too short to be hustling all the time.
Working in the advertising industry can be stressful and hectic at times. Therefore, Canny rewards herself with her favorite pastime, travelling.
Whenever Canny finds the time, she would leave her work behind and go on impromptu weekend trips with her friends. They would explore exotic caves in Goa Tanding, trek the highest mountains, if not, swim and enjoy the serenity of the blue waters in Labuan Bajo.
“A friend once told me, don’t let your work stop you from pursuing your hobbies (travelling) and that changed me forever.”
Following her heart, Canny would travel around the world, and meet new people. Since young, the avid traveler has been to 15 countries including Italy, Morocco, Russia, United Kingdom (UK).
Born in Indonesia, Canny moved to Singapore when she was 12 years old. Subsequently, she lived in the UK for her university studies and Taipei to study her mother tongue language, Mandarin, for two years respectively.
“I guess it’s because I’ve lived in different places, so now I have a hard time staying still,” she explains.
““I love seeing unique cultures, new faces & different colours of life.””
Facing her fears head on
One of Canny’s greatest fears is the fear of heights. In 2019, her love for adventure spurred her to climb Mount Parang, Purwakarta, a popular spot for rock climbers. Canny climbed the Ferrata route, through a series of u-shaped metal bars and steel cables that acted as steps and handrails.
“Travelling makes you more open. You do the things you never thought you would do,” Canny reveals.
Perhaps to others, the height of the 900m mountain does not seem like anything, but it was no easy feat to Canny, who was a first-time climber; Moreover, climbing up an exposed wall made the experience even more nerve-wrecking. She eventually completed the climb with the support and encouragement of her friends, who had climbed alongside her.
“I like to travel with friends who are more adventurous, compared to careful people, because they encourage me to do more new things and be bolder.
Canny experienced being bolder when she travelled to Rinca Island, the home of the mighty Komodo dragon, where she had a near-death experience.
Known to be highly deadly, Komodo dragons carry septic bacteria in their saliva, which make their attacks on humans fatal. The incident occurred when Canny went to the toilet alone, and a Komodo dragon was trapped in one of the cubicles.
“It was eyeing me. I thought I was going to die,” she recounts.
Canny could not believe her eyes as she came face to face with the humongous, 10-feet-long creature. She then calmed herself down. With slow and measured footsteps, she moved out of the toilet stealthily, and that was how she survived the ordeal.
Covid, not you again.
In 2020, the pandemic came and changed travel forever. But who says has stopped Canny from having fun?
Currently residing in Bali, the adventurous young lady picked up a new hobby, free-diving and is having the time of her life swimming in the beautiful oceans in Indonesia
.Considered an extreme sport, it is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding instead of the use of breathing apparatus like scuba gears.
“You don’t ever know what’s in the sea, it could be a shark...or you could die from being out of breath,” Canny says.
Despite being new to the sport, Canny displayed a natural flair and easily held her breath for four minutes. The adventure, the risks, and venturing into the unknown — that’s the charm of free-diving.
Luckily for Canny, she found a tight-knit community of people who shared the same passion for free-diving. The last time they met, they dived and explored the whole of Derawan Island together.
When asked if she had any regrets devoting her whole life to travelling, the 25-year-old replied firmly, “No! No way!”
For Canny, home is where her heart is; and that is travelling to see the world.
“My only regret, though, is not earning enough to travel.”
