Most travel savvy people will strongly advice you not to visit this archipelago between now and mid-October.This is very misguided advice.
Between now and 30 September, 20million Indonesians will be on the move. Overseas Indonesians will fly in from almost anywhere in the world, even the unlikeliest of places like Des Moines,Mbabane,Talling and Perivolia.We do get around, you know. All internal Indonesia airlines, railways, buses, taxis, motorcycle taxis will be full booked to carry people working in the coastal areas to the interiors. A staggeringly vast exodus to meet their husbands, wives,siblings, children, parents and others to celebrate Idil Fitri together. Nowhere, absolutely nowhere in the world, would you be able witness anything like this. Would you dare miss this? Would you ever forgive yourself for missing this very emotionally charged exodus atmosphere and the swelling your heart?I don't know about you but it brings tears to my eyes.
It is still Ramadan now when all Muslims in Indonesia fast from sunrise to sunset. They will still be observing the fast when they travel in hot and crowded buses, in trains and say no(gratefully)to the stale airline snack boxes.
About 3million travel home to their villages on motorbikes, often over distances over 300 hot and dusty kilometers on the island of Java. Many carry their families with them. Two million or so go bumper-to-bumper by car. The roads understandably are clogged from start to end. The buses jerk on fitfully. The last time it happened in history, but not in such large numbers, was when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Thanks to modern logistics our people will not wander about lost. There will also be many miracles on the way. Nearly all will arrive safely at their destinations and celebrate Idil Fitri.
Right now all the potential travellers are busy shopping for gifts for the relatives back home and gifts to exchange and distribute to whole villages.Generosity, forgiveness and goodwill are all an essential part of this festive period. Supermarkets report a magnificent increase in multi-pack chocolate wafers, chocolate biscuits and chocolate confectionery. Carrefour estimates that their chocolate and snacks sales will increase by over 60% during this period over the corresponding period and category of an average month in the first half. That's no small change considering their expected turnover of some Rp8.5 trillion in 2008.
Some 36 airlines travel to Indonesia. If you leave now you will make it on time. How you get around to the rest of the country, once you get to Jakarta depends on your ingenuity. Over here, believe me, nothing is really impossible. The best way is of course to hire a motorbike taxi. There will still be some cruising around forlorn in an almost empty Jakarta. They will be delighted to take you anywhere.You can actually tour the countryside and witness the on going exodus safely.
Jakarta, is a city I love at the busiest of times. When roads are packed with APVs, BMWs and on on. Plus weaving millions of motorbikes, a horse cart or two, and some food and other types of hand carts. But after the exodus,the peace that descends is equally as fascinating. Resident expatriates are stupefied by this extraordinary atmosphere. Instead of roller skating on the main street or other things that resident expatriates should do, they sat stunned and stayed home watching the whole thing on Metro TV.
If you visit, Jakarta will be a lovely place to walk about. No motorbikes will brush past you on the pavements, all the pickpockets would have left, leaving only some sad bankers who have to keep the economy moving. There wont be any queues at ATMs, Supermarket counters, you wont have jostle for space with your tray at the magnificent food courts and you can enjoy the cool luxury of your own emptied,generously personalised theatres showing the latest of Hollywood blockbusters.
Many of the other coastal cities will also be partially emptied and it will be a good opportunity to do a lot of peaceful walking around. During the four days or so around Idil Fitri, which actuall falls on the 1st and 2nd of October, airline, rail and bus transportation is quite easy to obtain.
Around the 5th of October the reverse exodus from the interior to the coast begings again.You can watch and welcome the happy and somewhat dusty and exhausted returnees before returning to Finland or wherever you had come from. Do visit us.
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