TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sunday, October 6, 2013 is a day that I will never forget. In Sagihe, North Sulawesi, the northern-most islands of Indonesia, I started my dream journey: to travel around Indonesia.
I did not visit all of the islands in Indonesia, but my friends and I have traveled 3/4 of total land routes in Indonesia; accross Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Java, and Sumatra. The journey was called Honda Road Venture 2013 through the SSS route. SSS is referring to three outer harbors that we passed : Sangihe, Sappe, and Sabang.
Sulawesi, the 11th biggest island in the world, became our first challenge. From Manado in the north end, our target was to reach Makassar in the south end, through Trans Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Palu, Palopo, Tana Toraja, and Pare-Pare with total distancee 2,500 kilometers.
The motorbike trip to Gorontalo was colored with the blue color of Sulawesi Sea and plam trees on both of our sides. After 4000-kilometer travel, we were greeted by more than one hundred members of motorbike community in Gorontalo border.
“This is the culture of bikers, to greet each other,” said Donny Ali, the Chief of Gorontalo Honda Bikers Association.
The next morning, we inspected our rides first before departing. After finding no problem at all with our bikes, we took off to Palu, Central Sulawesi. We took a break every two hours both to rest our body and to rest our motorbikes.
From Palu we went through Poso. In the 8,700-kilometer square region, the tension after interfaith conflicts were still sensed. I had to ban my desire to plung into the clear water of Poso Lake because we had to leave the area of conflict before dark. The remnants of burnt-down churches and mosques became a heart-wrenching view along the road.
We reached Palopo, Central Sulawesi in the next morning and fell asleep in the security post on the roadside in northern part of Palopo. We continued to Tana Toraja, the region famous as world tourism destination. It was like the sky and earth between Tana Toraja and Poso.
Once we entered Tana Toraja, our eyes were relaxed after the white clouds stretched above the mountain ranges. We were 2,000 meters above the sea level and the drowsiness and fatigue that was haunting us were just gone. Especially after visiting Toraja’s hundreds-year-old kubur batu and traditional houses.
Nine hours later - about 370 kilometers- we arrived in Makassar, the city where I live.
After two days in Makassar, we landed in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara on October 16, 2013. Our companions in Sumbawa Island were the wild horses and cows that were seen along the road. It felt like I was in some cowboy movies.
Crossing Bali, we arrived in Ketapang Harbor, Banyuwangi, the east end of East Java. Our first destination in the most densed island in the world was to reach Mount Bromo.
After conquering the highway, we faced the rough sands on the foot of Mt. Bromo. Many people smiled when they saw us struggling to ride on the sands with standard tires. After one hour, we arrived at the stair that lead to the crater.
In every town, we met new friends, including in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Jakarta. Despite of different brand of motorcycles, many of motorcycle communities invited us to have a little rest and warm coffee.
After nine days break in Jakarta, on the National Hero day, we resumed our trip. Our destination was Sabang, the western-most point of the Indonesian Archipelago. The dusts and skyscrapers of Jakarta were soon out of sight and replaced with the view of thudding waves of Sunda Strait and Mt. Anak Krakatau that continue to grow higher.
Our biggest challenge in Sumatra was the very-far distance between cities plus some damaged road along Trans Sumatra highway. It slowed down our progress and we had to sleep in mosques or gas stations.
On November 23, we arrived in Indonesia’s west end. Our tears broke as we sang the national anthem Indonesia Raya at the zero point pillar in Sabang.
We had traveled along more than 8,300 kilometers in 47 days. The distance excluded the trip back to Jakarta through the western part of Sumatra including Padang and Bengkulu. It was 10,000 kilometers in 62 days.
I am so proud to have the chance to visit the corners of Indonesian archipelago up close. To see that the Bhineka Tunnggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) is not merely a slogan. The journey has made me love the country even more.
IQBAL LUBIS
