TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian actress Nirina Zubir and her husband Ernest Syarif had just completed their long and exhausting journey from Jakarta to Bali after the couple covered 1,200 kilometers on bicycles.

Their journey that was rich with new experiences is thoroughly documented and currently displayed as a photo exhibition entitled #Suami_Istri_Ride at the Dapuraya, Pasaraya Blok M in South Jakarta.

Nirina recalled that they spent 11 days to complete from June 6 to June 17 cycling through a number of regions from Subang, Cirebon, Tegal, Pekalongan, Semarang, Solo, Ngawi, Mojokerto, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Banyuwangi, Gilimanuk, and eventually reached Denpasar.

The route they took mainly covered Java’s North Coast highway known as Pantura. “The terrain was mainly flat as we rode through Pantura from Jakarta to Bali,” said Nirina on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

This long way to the resort island was Nirina’s inaugural experience in cycling an extended route, who admitted that she lacked the experience prior to it and recalled the first mistake she made on her first day of cycling.

“We were hungry then we saw [a food store selling] Nasi Padang where I ate as much as I could. But after I was full, I started to feel sleepy,” Nirina recalled. It was then she realized she needed to control the portion of her meal throughout the trip.

“I started to understand several things after that. The entire trip was all done learning by doing,” she said.

Furthermore, the actress stated that her reason to endure the journey with her husband Ernest was to keep her hands busy in the midst of their jam-packed routine in Jakarta.

“In Jakarta, everything was busy and rushed. But once we cycled, we enjoyed the smells of notable aromas such as fragrances of tobacco, tuberose, and fish market,” she recalled.

The upbeat nature of their cycle to Bali was shared by Ernest who said that they always found notable experiences to retell which the couple stumbled upon during the prolonged bicycle stint. Therefore, they held a photography exhibition.

“In each city we passed, we were greeted by local bicycle groups. Cycling not only is healthy but a door to more friends,” said Ernest.

BRAM SETIAWAN (CONTRIBUTOR)