The Real Cost of Riding Across Indonesia: Money, Sponsors, and Friendship on the Road

Trouble in Pariaman, West Sumatra   Once I felt our touring gear was finally complete, I sat down to add up everything we had spent. The total came to more than ten million rupiah. The equipment for a long-distance ride, it turned out, had truly drained our pockets. Parcels kept arriving in Banda Aceh one after another, and relatives who learned how much we had bought could only shake their heads. That was understandable, since this was an experience we had never attempted before. Normally, a sum that large would have gone toward buying new books to enrich the collection at the KBA Library. The most crucial part of preparing for Touring Indonesia Harmoni was the finances. Logically, I had to prepare two things at once: first, the cost of departure; and second, the cost of caring for the children we would leave behind for months in Banda Aceh. Money mattered enormously, because we had never taken a months-long journey while leaving the children at home. Usually, whenever we went on a road trip, we would bring them along—circling the province of Aceh, for instance, or driving overland through North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Riau before returning to Banda Aceh. All five of our children attend private schools, so there were monthly tuition fees to pay, plus pocket money. On top of that were the daily needs of our two children living at home, Qyara and Qinar. There was no way we could leave them in an uncertain financial situation. Moreover, our three children at the Islamic boarding school—Qatrin, Qaishar, and Queen—also had to be provided for, so that no problems would arise while they were away.TrendingConsciousness 2045: From Artificial Intelligence to Artificial Consciousness and the Future of Humanity Financial Preparation Likewise, the journey itself required no small amount of