Touring Indonesia Harmoni #28: Across Java from Merak to Cirebon and a Welcome from BNPT

Our journey can also be watched on the YouTube channel of Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad

After riding from Banda Aceh on 28 July 2021, along the western route of Sumatra, Nyak Ver finally reached Merak on 5 August 2021 after crossing from Bakauheni. Once we arrived in Merak, we had to travel for three hours to reach Tangerang. This was not because of the distance, but because several road lanes were closed due to the PPKM restrictions in force across Java. That night’s target was to reach a starred hotel in Serpong. A hotel had been booked for us to stay several days in Tangerang. This was because, on 8 August 2021, Touring Indonesia Harmoni would be welcomed at a motocross training ground in Bekasi by the Director of Prevention at BNPT, Brigadier General A. Nurwahid.

So we made use of three days to rest in Serpong. Our activities in Tangerang were really just gatherings with our friend Mr. Chandra and the Tangerang BMW car community. We were invited to enjoy the local cuisine and to be guests on a podcast on the radjaruni_Chanel YouTube channel.[1]
After three nights in Tangerang, we hurried on toward Bekasi. We set off on the morning of the 8th, because the welcome event was held at the Grandwisata Motocross Circuit in Cibeureum. When we reached Bekasi, we immediately surveyed the event location before booking a hotel to spend the night in the city. We deliberately chose lodging not far from the welcome venue.

In the late afternoon we were officially welcomed. The event was a simple affair, attended by various communities of biker and IMI Bekasi. After the event ended, we returned to our lodging to rest. However, before reaching the hotel, we had already been warned that we would be invited to dinner by a senior TNI officer at his eatery. In the end, that night we enjoyed food and relaxed conversation until nearly midnight. That evening, we were also joined by Senior Commissioner Dr. Tabrani, a mid-ranking Polri officer serving at headquarters. We discussed many things about various issues and problems of radicalism and drugs in Indonesia.

The next morning, we hurried toward Cirebon. The route to Cirebon is actually a short one. Even so, we had to leave early to avoid getting caught in the morning traffic jams. Usually the roads would be packed with the motorcycles of workers in the Bekasi industrial zone. Once we had passed through the congested area, we took the chance to have breakfast by the roadside. Ketoprak was the star dish, accompanied by hot tea. As it turned out, Cirebon has two administrative areas: the City of Cirebon and the Regency of Cirebon. The area we passed through first was the Regency of Cirebon, from where it was another 10 kilometers to the City of Cirebon.

Even so, before reaching the City of Cirebon, I wanted to change Nyak Ver’s oil, because it had already covered a fairly long distance from Banda Aceh to Cirebon. Totaled up, the distance Nyak Ver had traveled was 2,724 km. So I looked for a workshop that could change the oil. Here, I had to be extra careful in choosing a workshop, because there are quite a few that are not familiar with a motorcycle like Nyak Ver. After some googling, we finally found a workshop that was recommended
by the biker local bikers. Nyak Ver was given only an oil change and a light service, just to make sure it was ready to tackle the Pantura coastal route all the way to the island of Kalimantan.

[1] Radjaruni_Chanel,
“Prajurit Indonesia Harmoni,” diakses 1 November 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQmYdNhATZw. Radjaruni_Chanel,
“#Part 2 Prajurit Indonesia Harmoni,” diakses 1 November 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEoIK5amvQs.

About The Author

Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad

Prof. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad (KBA) has followed his curiosity throughout life, which has carried him into the fields of Sociology of Anthropology of Religion in Southeast Asia, Islamic Studies, Sufism, Cosmology, and Security, Geostrategy, Terrorism, and Geopolitics. Prof. KBA is the author of over 30 books and 50 academic and professional journal articles and book chapters. His academic training is in social anthropology at La Trobe University, Islamic Political Science at the University of Malaya, and Islamic Legal Studies at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. He received many fellowships: Asian Public Intellectual (The Nippon Foundation), IVLP (American Government), Young Muslim Intellectual (Japan Foundation), and Islamic Studies from Within (Rockefeller Foundation). Currently, he is Dean of Faculty and Shariah, Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

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