Here, in Indonesia, there's a yearly ritual on Lebaran Days, called Mudik. It means going back to hometown to be with family to celebrate Idul Fitri. I've been used to do Mudik since I was a kid. My Mom lived in Central Java before moving to Jakarta. That's why many relatives of hers live there.
I used to see Mudik as an adventure. We always go by car, so it will take more than 12 hours to arrive in a small city where my Grandma and aunts live. That city's name is Blora. I remember I would get excited when Lebaran was near, though I always got sick in every trip. Since I was a kid, my tummy had been so weak so I would got nausea (not carsickness) or diarrhea because of the long trip, and the bad wind entered my body, my tummy. We called it masuk angin, literally wind enters. LOL! But I was still excited.
This year, when my Mom told me that she had a plan for us to go Mudik again, I felt less excited than me in my childhood. Anxiety approached me. I don't know exactly since when, but I cannot fall asleep in a car while it's moving. My eyes will widely open, and I would become fully aware of my Dad's driving style. Not that I'm super paranoid our car will crash, but...how the hell I can sleep in that condition. I just can't.
And, like I've been uttering so much lately, I'm AMAZED about how much people live in Jakarta, this small city, until it's able to create super duper long queue of vehicles, not only everyday in Jakarta, but also every year in whole Java. Truly AMAZING!
Normally, it would take 12-14 hours to go from Jakarta to Blora. But when we go at a wrong time, we can spend more than 24 hours in the streets.
It's a torture to me. 24 hours without sleep, 24 hours without proper internet connection, 24 hours without some things...well~ meaningful...to do. It's torture!
This year, we were trapped in a really bad congestion for many hours...again. I even swore to myself that I won't do this Mudik by car anymore. I won't. When people said that traffic jam is a part of tradition, I won't accept it. I won't. This TRADITION is getting worse, and worse, and worse every year.
Indeed, there're some benefits in doing Mudik by car. I can see beautiful nature surrounds me, like paddy field.
And, sometimes, I can catch a sight of beautiful sunset, sunrise, rainbow, stars, clouds, or many more beautiful things. I also can stop everywhere I want, to buy my favorite telor asin Brebes or to eat my favorite Soto Ayam at Semarang.
But surely, it doesn't replace the energy I've lost and the time I've wasted. Also, this trip by car has reduced the amount of quality time we spend with family in Blora. I remember I used to stay for two weeks in Blora. Now, we are like: we need to go by this day, and go back to Jakarta by this day to prevent the congestion, therefore we don't spend too much time in the streets and go back to Jakarta on time to be back to our routines. But it's still unavoidable. The proof: we were still trapped in traffic jam this year. So every year, my memory of Mudik is only about going back and forth, Jakarta-Blora-Jakarta. That's all.
Thus I think I want to make some post to preserve the memory of my Mudik trip this year, before I cannot remember what exactly has happened except the traffic jam at Comal, Indramayu, and Pamanukan.
I didn't do much though. I spent my holidays reading manga and eating, oh and also smiling to someones I don't know. Most of the people that visit my Grandma's house or whom I visited during Lebaran are strangers to me, but they're like 'Oh, you've grown up!' or 'Wow you're tall!'.
We were eating out a lot, like on the second day in Blora, my Aunt suggested us to go to eat fish at a lakeside restaurant. The sight there was pretty and calming, wasn't it?
And the food was good. The grilled fish were great. Most importantly, it's really cheap comparing to any fish dish sold in Jakarta.
If we're not eating out, many foods were served on the table. My aunt would buy jajanan pasar. It was my favorite menu for breakfast, gooey and sweet, best mated with a cup of black coffee. However it won't satisfy my Lebaran's appetite because several hours later, I would have some rice with meat for pre-lunch, and have lunch at 3, and went out to eat at night. If we summarize my holiday in one word, it's all about eating.
Took the pic in front of the house, right before I went into car and headed back to Jakarta.
