I started working in coffee shops in Indonesia.
By now I have come to realize that this is generally the most comfortable way to work in my digital nomad life.
My last few days in a coffee shop on the island were so pleasant that I thought I would write about my experiences.
Let’s have a good egg coffee together!
The rules of the game
In Bali, I had to work in a coffee shop because it would have been very uncomfortable in my room.
I was lucky. There was a great little shop not far from me.
Since I had no experience in how this thing works, I simply went into the place and asked if I could work here with my laptop.
Of course, the answer came, but they asked me to eat something at the same time. I immediately fulfilled this request by ordering a coffee. I also had the idea that if I ordered something, I had the right to sit down and take out my laptop.
I would have been more curious about something like how long a coffee would last. Of course, I somehow felt that no one would ever say that. Just like no one had ever said that in the past months.
Nowadays, I don’t start the relationship with a question, but by presenting my needs. I tell them that I’m looking for a place where I can have a good coffee and where I can work. And the answer is always that I’m at the right place.
After that, I ask if there’s wifi and how to connect to it. If I’m able to connect, I order my first coffee at that place.
This is obviously a safety game on my part. If even one of my three wishes is missing, the place isn’t for me. So far, I’ve never been to a place where I had to leave. But if it ever happens, I don’t think my leaving would be a problem for either party.
Today, I don’t worry about how long I can stay there and how much I have to consume. I sit down and start working. When I get thirsty, I order something else. I try to be fair to the place. I don’t want to abuse hospitality, so I don’t order the cheapest coffee and sit in a given place for six hours. I try to make sure that the equation of eating something every two hours works out.
On the other hand, I don’t care at all whether there is a limit to the time spent there. My opinion on this question is that if they ever limit my time in one place, they will say so. And then they will clarify the rules of the game that I have developed.
Honestly – based on my experience so far – I don’t expect this anywhere.
Choosing the environment
Nowadays, I consciously look for the right places. I use the plural because if I stay in a given place for a longer period of time, I like to enjoy the hospitality of several places.
I always look at the coffee shop from the outside. How many tables are there, how many people are sitting at them. This is important! If there are few tables and the space is small, and I see that people are sitting everywhere, then I don’t go in. Here, there is a greater chance that I will disturb the business with my presence.
If what I see is worth going in, then further investigations can come. If these do not bring satisfactory results, then I say goodbye immediately and move on.
The shape and size of the tables are also important. If possible, I would not sit at a small round table. If the table is at least big enough to fit my laptop and my two hands on both sides, then the size is good. It is also not the best choice if there are only tables for 4-6 people. In my opinion, it is unethical for me to take up the space of 4-6 paying guests by myself. That is why I like tables for two.
It is very important that there is a socket near the table where I can plug in my laptop adapter without obstructing traffic. If possible, I avoid someone balancing two coffees in their hands and pulling my computer off the table because they did not see the cable in the way.
The height of the tables is also important. Normal smoking tables are unsuitable for working for hours at a time. Sitting hunched forward is tiring. If I can sit in front of a traditional chair, then we are fine.
It also does not matter what I sit on. Comfortable, deep armchairs are good for relaxing while drinking coffee, but they do not allow me to work for long periods of time. If there is a chair in front of the table, that is a good sign. I do not care about the quality and comfort of the chair. It doesn’t matter if it has a cushion on it, or if it has a full back, or maybe just a metal frame. But it is important that it has a back.
It often happens that on one side of the tables you can sit not on chairs, but on benches fixed to the wall. That can be good too, but here I definitely have to check if the tables are not fixed to the floor. It may not be a problem if they are screwed down. But if the distance between the bench and the table is not right, then I can’t support my back.
Air conditioning is also important in Southeast Asia. For example, I am in Vietnam, in the city of Ninh Binh. It is very hot here in May. For example, here in the last few days I have not found an air-conditioned cafe. I found one with fans to cool the air, but that is not the real solution here. It is better than nothing, but if I don’t sweat as much as a horse, at least as much as a donkey.
The problem with this is not only that it feels uncomfortable, but that after a while there is a puddle of water under my arms, and for example my fingers often have to be wiped to avoid soaking the keyboard.
If there is air conditioning, then where it is can also be an important consideration. There have been times when I didn’t pay attention to this and had to realize that sitting in the air of an industrial cooling system is only as pleasant as wearing a hat and scarf in the hot sun.
In this part of the world, it is also important to have a napkin nearby. I usually ask for cold drinks. These are brought out with ice. In the best case, they are placed in front of me on a small plate or tray, but not infrequently they are simply placed on the table.
Drinks quickly start to sweat due to the heat. That is, after a while a small puddle forms under them. According to the dream book, it is not healthy to collect water near electrical appliances. The other practical problem with this water is that when I lift the glass to drink, it drips. It’s not good if the table is sloshing under the mouse, and it’s especially worrying if these fat drops fall on my laptop.
The only good solution is to put a napkin under the glass, because this immediately soaks up the collected water. And many times I have to change this napkin under the glass, or wipe the glass before I pick it up.
The rest will be revealed as you go!
The choice of drinks – perhaps noticeable after the above “circumstances” – is no longer important to me at all.
If it’s black, it’s fine for me! I drink iced American coffee most of the time, which can be good or bad in the evaluation system of consumers with sophisticated tastes, it doesn’t matter to me.
Coffee always tastes good to me, simply because the taste is not important.
However, this is only a theoretical approach, because in most places the drinks are really very delicious. And the choice is wide. A bunch of fresh juices, smoothies, soft drinks and more than delicious coffees form the basis of the “what should I drink today” game.
The price is of course still important, but this is usually easy to check when entering the store. And I rarely stumble upon places where prices are very different from the average.
My current laptop has a very good battery, I can work for several hours without a power outlet. In most cases, I keep charging my phone because I never know if I’ll have the opportunity to do so in the next place.
For the first time, in Vietnam, I experienced that the power outlets are not good everywhere. In one of my two favorite cafes on Cat Ba Island, there were three tables with power outlets next to them. But at two of them, you simply couldn’t plug the plug into the outlet.
If I could only sit at one such table, I always had to watch when the third table became empty. And then I could move everything over there. From coffee to adapters. No problem, but if possible, I avoid this moving while working.
The wifi has been good everywhere so far. I don’t make a big deal about it. If by chance it wasn’t good, I would drink what I ordered. Without any rush. Until then, I would work with what I had. But I wouldn’t order a second drink. And I wouldn’t go to that place again.
It doesn’t matter to me how loud or quiet the places are, whether there’s music playing or not, because I almost always work listening to my own music, with headphones on.
Another important aspect is whether there is a bathroom in the given café and how far it is from my table.
In Laos – I wrote this at the time – I had to ask someone several times to look after my things while I make the 4-minute round trip to the toilet. This trust game is good, but it is risky. If I happen to ask a person who wants to abuse the fact that he knows exactly how long I will be away from my table, then I could be seriously disappointed.
It is good if the bathroom is close and within sight of my table. Then I can look back before closing the door to see if everything is okay. Or, when I am done, but before washing my hands, I can open the door to keep an eye on the surroundings.
I trust people, so far there have been no problems, but if possible, I don’t want to give fate a chance to show me how the world of random numbers works. This would definitely be exciting material for a blog post, if I happen to have anything left to write about.
I only have pleasant experiences
For some reason, fate wanted me to be able to write this post without anything unpleasant happening to me.
My coffee shop memory is full of pleasant experiences, though.
The experiences hit me right at the beginning in Bali. The second or third time I entered, they greeted me like an acquaintance. We often took turns chatting. They asked questions, I told them. If I had a problem or needed help, they always helped. We worked together based on mutual respect. There was a time when we were both worried that one of the sockets at the table where I was sitting the day before had almost caught fire. The sudden rain that soaked it didn’t do it any good.
Returning to Thailand, I lived in two apartments in Chiang Mai and Pai where I could work very well, so the next coffee shop period came in Laos. But even then, only in the capital.
I first lived in a shared accommodation in Vientiane. There was a dining area with lots of tables, with power outlets and no drinking facilities, but there were only two fans in the semi-open space. This meant that the tsunami of sweat only subsided a little around 11pm.
There was also a very nice little café nearby. But here I started going to Starbucks and Café Amazon more. These standard cafés are the places with the least surprises due to the franchise system.
Here there are benches and tables fixed to the ground, but each table has two power outlets fixed to the bottom of the benches. But here, for example, I experienced the cold shock caused by the air conditioning.
I have been to many other franchise stores. Like the bigger names, they work on a consistent standard and are very reliable.
The service in these places is always super attentive and kind, but the price of this is impersonality. The little micro connections don’t develop here. That’s not a problem at all. But if I have to choose, I prefer those places where I feel like I’ve come home a little every day.
Cat Ba and my two favorite places
My favorite coffee shop experiences so far are connected to my beloved Vietnamese island.
One of the places was Catba Speciality Cafe. There were three tables with a working outlet.
An employee who spoke very good English ran the shop. For the second time, he greeted me with “it’s good to see you again!” After two weeks, he said goodbye to me, saying that he knew that tomorrow would be my last time and that he was so sorry that he would have a day off and wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to me tomorrow.
He was very nice to everyone all day. I feel like he treated me a little differently because during the two weeks I spent in that city, I spent several hours there almost every day. Every day, he helped me choose the special of the day because he always knew exactly what would be served with the iced American coffee.
He explained the special Vietnamese egg coffee in detail and how to drink it. He also recommended traditional Vietnamese coffee. This was very interesting. They put the filter on a glass with the coffee in it. They pour boiling water into this filter, which then flows slowly and beautifully through the coffee in about 5 minutes.
But he also introduced me to salty coffee. I always sincerely praised these specialties and thanked him gratefully.
On one of these occasions, he said that I could give the place a good review on Google. Well! I immediately took a bunch of photos, a few videos and wrote a short story about how much I love this place. A short text review is worth 5-6 points on Google. I was happy to show him that I had written a 185-point review in 5 minutes.
The next day I drank the aforementioned traditional Vietnamese coffee along with my usual iced coffee. I don’t know if it was because of the review, but I was a guest in the house that day.
I do Google Local Guides just for fun. I’ve never received anything for what I do there. This was the first time in my life that a blind person rewarded my work.
I really enjoyed the coffee and the attention.
Then there was another occasion when I received a lychee drink as a gift, but I wrote about that in my previous post.
After a couple of days, the entire staff greeted me with a smile and spoke to me. I don’t think it was just because I was the only one who always took my glasses back to the counter. I also brought in what others had left there from the terrace several times. I loved being there and felt that they loved me too.
My other favorite place was Tit Mit Coffee.
This was also a very modernly decorated, pleasant little cafe. There were only 4 tables for four people inside, but when I looked, I saw that it also had an upper level.
A young man was the owner of the place. He also spoke excellent English, so we had a really good conversation on my first visit. In addition, about 300 books awaited visitors on the two levels. The bookshelves looked very nice. Almost all the books were in English, as he said he had read most of them.
I worked upstairs – except for one occasion. There was only one table for 8-10 people, but it was paradise. On one side, there were a few board games, several Jenga towers and several sets of chess waiting for the playful guests.
I also drank all kinds of delicious drinks at his place.
Somehow the issue of Google reviews came up there too. Yes, I remember. After a few days, I noticed a big box of key chains. There were all kinds of cute little figures in it. I asked why it was there.
He said that anyone who wrote a review about the cafe could choose one from the box or request a one-time 5% discount.
I told him that I would have written a review about it anyway, but then I would do it now. And I don’t need either the 5% or the key chain. But he hit on the idea that made me think a little about accepting the key chain. He asked me why I didn’t take one? He’s sure I’d find a little kid who would love it.
How right he was!
He also knew when I was leaving. But for some reason we didn’t meet on my last day. However, he wrote a message the next day. He thanked me for spending so much time with him and said how happy he was to have met me.
We exchanged a few messages over the past few days. It’s so respectful how the people here treat each other. Yesterday I wrote to him that I think Vietnam is the most wonderful country I’ve ever seen as far. He replied that it was a great honor for him and his country…
I left both places with the ease of “see you next time!” But I will cherish their memories, I’m sure.
A sunflower seed
Since it belongs to this post, I will tell you the story of my sunflower seed here as a conclusion.
A few days ago I lived among the wonders of Ninh Binh.
It was our second evening in the main square of the city, watching a performance by local dance groups among the locals.
Suddenly, a beautiful little girl with an angelic face stood in front of us. Without a word, a little shyly, she gave us each a roasted sunflower seed and a piece of potato chips.
I was so touched by this kindness and childlike elegance that I immediately remembered my keychain. I was very sorry that I didn’t have it with me.
I simply couldn’t stop thinking that this was a perfect moment. I only had 4.6 seconds to think about what I wanted to do.
I quickly went back to the accommodation, which is fortunately only 600 meters from the main square. I went into the room, which has 10 beds. I fought the demon of “how to open a combination lock without glasses” and hurried back to the main square.
I was so happy that it worked out this way!
I got back just after the show ended, everyone was already heading home. But I saw the little girl among the people leaving. I bowed to her, showed her a Wai and gave her the key ring.
That incredible smile will always be with me, as she was happy to get something from me. She left. But half a minute later she came back and gave us another piece of chips.
2 pieces of chips and a sunflower seed…
The sunflower seed is a very strong symbol for me.
The seed that we sow…
She gave me this symbol.
She planted another thought in me about life.
And I would really like to believe that I was able to plant a little seed in her about what she probably already knows:
It’s really good to be kind to each other. Without words. A little chip is enough for that.
Thank you, little girl, for being a kind person!
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
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