August was the month of Ramadhan on the Islamic calendar, which is one of the most important holidays for Muslims. The people fast for the entirety of the month, and then enjoy a big celebration once the month month is over called Idul Fitri. During Idul Fitri, people travel to their home (mudik) to celebrate with family and ask forgiveness from one another. The capital, Jakarta empties out as millions travel to the country to see their family.
I had the pleasure of joining my close friend and his family to mudik to the city of Medan on the island of Sumatra. On the island of Java, the majority of people use the train or travel by car or motorcycle to mudik, but since we were traveling to another island our options were different. Our trip started by traveling from Bandung to Jakarta by bus, taking a taxi to the port, and then riding a ship to Medan! It was an adventure!
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| My friend (left), his younger brother (right), and I stayed the night in Jakarta with their uncle and family before leaving the next morning on the ship. (Right) All aboard! Loading up at the port in Jakarta. Most everyone is heading home to celebrate Idul Fitri! |
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| Here's where we'll be staying the next 3 days & 2 nights! Economy class has its ups & downs. Its empty for now, but people will be filling it up soon. (Left) There are two classes above the economy class. This is the dining room for those willing to pay for a little more comfort. |
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| Leaving the Jakarta port provided some neat shots and an opportunity to see how much cargo is transported by sea! It appeared to be a busy port with lots of goods coming & going, and lots of equipment ready to move the cargo. |
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| Sunset on the first day! First time on the sea for this Kansas boy. (Left) Leaving the port in Jakarta. If you look closely, you can see a few fishermen at the bottom of the tower. |
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| The open sea brought some fantastic sights. Lots of islands along the way, and here a rain shower moving in. (Right) My friend said, 'that's not Indonesia." Once in Batam, we could see Singapore in the distance. Check out the horizon and you can see the skyscrapers, which we also saw light up the sky once it was night - what a sight! |
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| We made a stop in Batam, an island south of Singapore, for some people to get off, but mainly for more people to get on. I took a quick break with my friend to walk around and pick up some food. |
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| Quarters got a lot closer as the ship filled up in Batam. This is our area for sleeping, eating, talking, playing cards, reading, etc. Yes, this is mainly where we lived for 3 days. My spot to sleep is in between them, which I was thankful to have! |
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| "Don't sit on top of the fence, Don't go outside of the fence" Being the last ship heading to Medan before the Idul Fitri celebration, it was filled to above capacity, forcing many to stay and sleep outside 1 night and 1 day until we reached Medan! |
