W

hile most people have been enjoying their hometown stays in Sumatra, West, Central and East Java, some have only just joined the massive exodus three days after Idul Fitri on Wednesday.

Every year, millions return to their hometowns to spend Idul Fitri with their families in a tradition called mudik. The peak of the annual exodus was on July 25-27, or three days prior to Idul Fitri.

Even after the peak of mudik, Kampung Rambutan terminal in East Jakarta and Pasar Senen train station in Central Jakarta were still packed with Jakartans headed to their hometowns in Central and East Java.

At Kampung Rambutan terminal, hundreds of people could be seen waiting to board buses.

One passenger, 54-year-old Joko, said that he purposely waited for the peak of mudik to pass before heading back to his hometown.

'€œDuring the peak, terminals are so crowded and tickets are so expensive,'€ Joko told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said that last year he traveled during peak days, when the terminal was crowded and buses was packed.

'€œWe were like canned sardines on the bus. It was very uncomfortable,'€ he said.

Joko, who was traveling to Ponorogo, East Java, said that ticket prices were also '€œmore humane'€ after Idul Fitri.

'€œTickets before Idul Fitri are inhumanely expensive. For example, a ticket to Ponorogo was Rp 485,000 [US$41.88] last week. I bought my ticket for only Rp 325,000,'€ he said.

Another passenger, 53-year-old Mardian, said that she wanted to spend Idul Fitri both in Jakarta and in her hometown of Balaraja, Banten.

'€œI spent the first two days [of the holiday] in Jakarta with neighbors and several relatives. I will spend the rest of the week with my siblings and parents in Balaraja,'€ she said.

Mardian added that tickets to Balaraja were also cheaper after Idul Fitri.

'€œMy ticket only cost Rp 50,000. Last week, it was Rp 85,000,'€ she said.

Meanwhile, Pasar Senen train station was even more crowded than Kampung Rambutan terminal over the past three days.

The line to enter the station tailed to more than 10 meters long, while security guards struggled to keep passengers calm.

One woman, Rukmini, said that she initially intended on visiting her hometown of Madiun, East Java, before Idul Fitri.

'€œThree months ago I tried to reserve a ticket to Madiun scheduled for seven days before Idul Fitri. But all the tickets were booked, so I had to buy a ticket after Idul Fitri,'€ she said.

Rukmini added that her ticket to Madiun cost her Rp 55,000.

'€œTickets before Idul Fitri were really expensive, even for economy class tickets. I heard prices reached up to Rp 300,000,'€ she said.

Meanwhile, 59-year-old Paimin, who was headed to Yogyakarta, said that he waited for the peak to pass.

'€œIf you think [the station] is crowded today, you should see how packed it was during the peak. This crowd is only a quarter of the amount of people traveling during the peak,'€ Paimin said.

He said that his ticket to Yogyakarta cost him Rp 85,000.

'€œI would rather wait for the peak to pass. Not only is it less crowded, tickets are also cheaper,'€ he said. (dwa)