My 2016 Mudik Story

Jakarta is predominantly consisted of Javanese people. Every year, the Javanese people of Jakarta going back to their hometown at Lebaran holiday (mostly Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java Province). People who migrated are expected to went back home at Lebaran, commonly called as mudik.

In Indonesia, especially for Muslim people, Lebaran is a big day to celebrate the Eid Al Fitr. Many people push their selves harder just to got home. For some people that told me, “that was an art of mudik”. Some of my friends told me why keep trying to mudik? Why not take another day? But, that is mudik. Mostly out relatives are living in our hometown, not in Jakarta. A special day just like Lebaran is a precious occasion to meet and greet our relatives.

This Eid Al Fitr, I almost spent three days riding own car from Jakarta to Surakarta. We went out from our home at Saturday night then arrived at Pejagan Exit Toll Road on Sunday morning. I received an sms from the Regional Police Headquarter of Central Java Province to avoid Tegal City because of the traffic jam. So we decided to take a route to Bumiayu. Unluckily, the volume of the vehicleas are really big. The road isn’t adequate enough so we had a very long traffic. Cars, motorbikes, buses, are fulfilled the road from Pejagan until Bumiayu. We spent our Sunday just for about 10 km!

I wondering why the travelers who are using motorbikes are getting higher.. They were even brought their children. It was really unsafe ways to do mudik..

Motorbike travelers, near Ketanggungan, Brebes

There was such a horror condition. Rubbish are everywhere. People are easily threw their rubbish on the road, around the river, as much as they can threw it. We were looked for rest room anywhere we could find it (there are so many incidental rest room built by the local, and the incidental food store also). There was no police staff that helped us (where are they?). Gas station are over capacity because of the high demand of gas and rest room. The fuel truck must be trapped in the traffic too. I texted to some of my friends about my condition, then they were surprised. Spent many hours at the traffic was so tragic. I was wondering that I could get any air plane to reach Surakarta!

People are welfare, have their own car, well-educated, but they were easily threw their rubbish and make the road dirt :(

On Monday, we had reached Klonengan, the southern part of Tegal District. Our fuel almost empty and we were looking for the gas station around us while the road are definitely stuck with traffic. In our way to Guci, Tegal, we bought some fuels from the local people who sold it for Rp 15.000 per liter. Fuel becoming rare and expensive. After fulfilled our tank, we went through Guci, then Moga, to reach Purbalingga. That was a hilly road track and not so many people through it. We avoided Bumiayu because we thought that we would not succeed if we through that way.

We arrived at Purbalingga at night. After fulfilled our tank and our stomach at Purbalingga, then we drove smoothly until Temanggung without any traffic. There were no more traffic. We enjoyed the scenery, many mountains and trees. We also saw paddy fields and salak seller in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Finally we arrived Surakarta at Tuesday. That was a terrible traffic I ever had in my life. But in other hand, I love mudik with my whole family :)