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Exhausting yet joy filled homebound journeys begin
Idul Fitri exodus consumes time, money of vacationers, yet still most anticipated time of year Government, companies look to ease burdens of vacationers
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A number of people are walking to Nggapulu passenger ship on June 14 that will transport them from Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta to Surabaya, Makassar and other cities in eastern Indonesia.
(Antara/ Hafidz Mubarak A)
For Siti Muaifa, Idul Fitri is the time of year she most anticipates.
She has lived as a scavenger with her family in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, since 1995, and is used to saving money for nearly an entire year only to travel to her hometown in Lamongan, East Java, and spend most of it.
She usually stays there for 10 days, where she has a home and is surrounded by relatives.
On Sunday, Siti sat on newspaper with her son and mother-inlaw, waiting for a train that would take her to Lamongan.
They left their home in Cakung, Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, at 8 a.m. and patiently waited for a train that would arrive at 1 p.m.
Siti said although they always returned to the capital with an empty wallet after Ramadhan, as they would spend most of their savings with their relatives in Lamongan and Gresik, she never had regrets.
“Nothing beats the happiness of enjoying Idul Fitri with family at home. It is always the time of the year when I am most grateful. And I don’t want to miss that,” Siti said while fanning her 9-year-old son who was sleeping on her lap with her handkerchief.
