After celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns, some 28 million travelers have started to return back home, including to the capital.

Each day, more and more people crowd the highways, airports, stations and ports, with the return traffic expecting to reach its peak this weekend.

Each year, millions of people religiously embark on the ritual to spend the holiday with family and friends in their hometowns. They travel across Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua and other regions to meet their loved ones.

 The trips are not always smooth. The National Police announced on Friday there were 2,003 traffic accidents from July 22 to 30 and 429 people had died in traffic accidents nationwide from July 22 to 31. The accidents have also badly injured 704 people and another 2,595 suffered minor injuries.

Many have arrived back in Jakarta, the massive metropolis that offers hopes and dreams to many, and, as predicted, many did not return empty handed. It is not unusual for people to bring along their families and relatives from the regions to the capital, tempted by their success stories in the country’s capital.

The government has estimated that some 300,000 newcomers will enter Jakarta after this year’s Idul Fitri holiday. They will tag along with the millions of residents who have made Jakarta the place to earn their livings.

Soon, with more residents, competition for food, shelter and work will become stiffer. While some of them may fail to survive, a small number may be able to make it big and reach their dreams.

And another year from now, when they once again return to their hometowns to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday, they may again spread enchanting tales of glittering Jakarta, luring more daring hopefuls and dreamers to follow their paths.

The party’s over: Hundreds of returning travelers from Makassar in South Sulawesi and Bau-Bau in Southeast Sulawesi disembark from the KM Sinabung passenger ferry at Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon, Maluku, on Thursday. (Antara/Izaac Mulyawan)

Reality bites: Several bajaj (three-wheel motorized pedicabs) drivers take a break in Indramayu, West Java, before continuing their journey to Jakarta on Friday. The bajaj drivers, from the Central Java towns of Tegal and Slawi, were returning to the capital after the Idul Fitri holiday. (Antara/Dedhez Anggara)\

Blessing in disguise: A repairman fixes a car on the hilly Lingkar Gentong route in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Friday. Amid the intense post-Idul Fitri traffic, he was repairing between eight and 10 cars a day. (Antara/Adeng Bustomi)

After celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns, some 28 million travelers have started to return back home, including to the capital.

Each day, more and more people crowd the highways, airports, stations and ports, with the return traffic expecting to reach its peak this weekend.

Each year, millions of people religiously embark on the ritual to spend the holiday with family and friends in their hometowns. They travel across Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua and other regions to meet their loved ones.

 The trips are not always smooth. The National Police announced on Friday there were 2,003 traffic accidents from July 22 to 30 and 429 people had died in traffic accidents nationwide from July 22 to 31. The accidents have also badly injured 704 people and another 2,595 suffered minor injuries.

Many have arrived back in Jakarta, the massive metropolis that offers hopes and dreams to many, and, as predicted, many did not return empty handed. It is not unusual for people to bring along their families and relatives from the regions to the capital, tempted by their success stories in the country'€™s capital.

The government has estimated that some 300,000 newcomers will enter Jakarta after this year'€™s Idul Fitri holiday. They will tag along with the millions of residents who have made Jakarta the place to earn their livings.

Soon, with more residents, competition for food, shelter and work will become stiffer. While some of them may fail to survive, a small number may be able to make it big and reach their dreams.

And another year from now, when they once again return to their hometowns to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday, they may again spread enchanting tales of glittering Jakarta, luring more daring hopefuls and dreamers to follow their paths.