It all started as a hobby

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Can you turn an adventurous hobby into a money spinner?

That was certainly the idea behind Jeram 2000, an organization which offers whitewater rafting in the Cianten River in Bogor.

The people behind this group had been indulging in the hobby for three years before deciding that the sport should be popularized, and money made in the process.

They were also lured by a report that a professionally run whitewater rafting company in Bali was raking in Rp 2 million to Rp 3 million a day.

Jeram 2000 was founded in July 1997 by people who belonged to the Bogor branch of the Nature Lovers Club. They have been rafting along the Cianten River since 1994.

"It all started as a hobby. But we then learned that you could turn this into a business. So we decided to plunge in," recalled Makmur Affendi, the logistics coordinator of Jeram 2000.

Cianten has many rapids, the water is relatively clean and virgin forest surrounds the stream. "If you cruise in the morning, you can see various kind of birds and hear them sing. You can spot monkeys and lizards too," Makmur said.

The river is easily accessible, a mere 23 kilometers to the west of Bogor. This accessibility made club members return frequently to raft.

"When the stream is good, we would come here three times a week," Makmur said. He could not determine what months would be ideal for rafting. "The best time is a day after a rainfall."

By measuring the estimated depth of the river, they have also learned to determine when it is safe to raft and when it is not.

Jeram 2000 provides facilities for those who have already turned rafting into a hobby, or those who want to try it out for the first time. Facilities on offer include the raft, a life jacket, a safety helmet, medicines, snacks, a guide, insurance, a rower and a rescue team is always on standby.

"We provide every thing you need. All you have to bring is spare clothes to change into after the journey," Makmur said.

What are the requirements to take part in this sport?

"You need to be physically fit, aged between 15 and 40, and enjoy challenges," he said, adding that you also need to come in a group of five or six.

Jeram 2000 charges Rp 35,000 to Rp 40,000 per trip per person on weekdays and Rp 50,000 on Saturdays, Sundays or national holidays.

The rafting business in Bogor has not been quite the money- spinner that it has become in Bali. "We're not making a lot, but we are all singles and we make enough," Makmur said of himself and the four co-owners of the company.

Jeram 2000 is not the only company in Bogor targeting a Jakarta audience hungry for dangerous adventures. Another company is Cakrawala Arung Jeram, which is run by Wenny Cokro Suwarno.

This one too started out as a hobby for its founders, and their participation in a national tournament in Wonosobo, Central Java, in September 1997, triggered their decision to establish the company.

"We invested a lot buying the equipment, so that at the end of the tournament, we felt that we should make full use of this equipment. So we opened this business," Wenny recalled.

Many people see whitewater rafting not only as a test of one's endurance and survival instincts, but also as a test of team work and leadership, she said.

"When you're cruising the rapids, all team members must abide by the instruction given by their leader. And they must work together to survive," she said.(24)