Idul Adha sees mini-exodus out of Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): The weekend saw an unexpected mini-exodus out of Jakarta as many people decided at the last minute to extend the Idul Adha Moslem holiday on Saturday to Wednesday, which is Buddha's Day of Enlightenment, by going to their home towns.
Pulogadung, Jakarta's main intercity bus terminal, reported that thousands of people turned up there after the Idul Adha prayers on Saturday morning looking for buses which were far too few.
The congestion at Pulogadung was a marked contrast to the easy traffic in the rest of Jakarta on Saturday as most people spent the day at home.
Lack of preparation by terminal authorities may have escalated the problem although the number of revelers was not as large as the traditional exodus to the villages normally seen during the Idul Fitri holidays.
Each arriving bus was mobbed before it entered the Pulogadung gate by a crowd anxious to get home as soon as they could, the Antara news agency reported.
"It's the only way of getting seats," said Dadang, who was heading for Cirebon, West Java, to spend four days with his folks. "Since Wednesday is also a holiday, I can celebrate Idul Adha and vacation in my hometown for several days," he added.
It was simply a case of poor planning because some buses were leaving the terminal in the morning before the rush happened virtually empty.
But by the afternoon, chaos was the order of the day at Pulogadung as tens of thousands were stranded waiting for buses to take them home.
"The number of passengers was beyond our anticipation, far more than last year's Idul Adha," said a terminal official who wanted to remain anonymous.
Similar scenes were also reported at Kampung Rambutan terminal which serves buses bound for cities in West Java, including Bogor, Bandung and Sukabumi. There were also mini-rushes at the railway stations in Senen, Jatinegara and Gambir.
Deserted
Elsewhere in Jakarta, the streets looked pretty much deserted, especially in the morning when most Moslems went for their Idul Adha prayers in the open fields.
There were moments of traffic congestion around some of the most popular places for the prayer, including the Al Azhar mosque in South Jakarta and the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta.
The traditional beating of the drum on the eve of Idul Adha on Friday night was also slightly dampened with many people deciding to stay home to watch the live telecast of the Uber Cup women's badminton finals, which saw Indonesia beat the title holder China.
Open trucks filled with people beating the drum and glorifying Allah cruised around Jl. Sudirman, Thamrin, Hayam Wuruk and Gajah Mada till dawn.
Thousands of people also converged on Monas park to spend the evening.
The usual entertainment places, except at star-rated hotels and restaurants, were closed in compliance with a gubernatorial decree in respect of the Moslem holiday.
Some billiard centers however looked to have violated the decree. One such open center is located in front of the Koja police station.
At Kramat Tunggak red-light district, the only legal brothel in Jakarta, it was also almost business as usual during the holiday, Pos Kota reported. (jsk)