Hitchhiking in Indonesia: way to Surakarta
9th of February, 2025.
Andi and Rizka soon enough stop for me. They are two very kind young man going to a two days course for their work, in Klaten, a small town just outside Yogyakarta. It’s all over 200 km from here, which is great for me, but again, the roads…
Both the guys are married and have two kids each. They tell me a bit about Yogyakarta and it’s “system”. We stop for lunch in a very nice restaurant, and I cannot manage to finish all the food they order. Everything is delicious! The guys are going to a hotel in the highway, outside Klaten and on the way to Surakarta, the next big city, which is perfect for me!
I think it would be great if I manage to get, at least, somewhere outside it today. It’s nearly night time already, but I manage to make a quick sign saying Bromo, with the hope that people will understand that I don’t want to go into the city centre of Surakarta. But they don’t. After the first couple who offers to take me there, I decide accept a lift to the city, and hope for the best.
Two friends, Twin and Rudi, take me to Surakarta. They show me a little bit around the Old Quarters of Surakarta, where the old Palace used to be, and it seems like a really nice place. It’s more like a citadel, surrounded by walls, and nowadays people live and transit around it. Twin even offers for me to stay with him tonight, so I can go around the town tomorrow, before continuing to Bromo. I consider doing that, but as they drive me to this “camping” spot, which is right outside the town, I decide to try my chances and camp somewhere here.
The place where they suggested for em to camp is closed for restoration, I suggest for us to go and ask around in some family houses, right nearby here. In the neighbourhood there’s a Chinese temple, and there’s some event going on until 22.00 hours, with live music. Twin stays in the car, while Rudi and I start walking. I want to simply start talking with the locals from the houses, but Rudi is very much in denial. As he finally starts explaining to a woman with a small food stand. The woman says we must talk with the RT (again this bullshit), and I say fine. But I know she doesn’t has the whole information about me, and the whole story of my travels. So when her husband, Haryo, comes around, I tell him everything. He patiently listen to my story, and tells I can come with him to the RT’s house, right nearby.
Haryo seems like a very reasonable and decent man, and he reports everything to the RT once we are in there. The RT and his wife seems like alright people too, and they want to help, but the amount of questions and doubts I feel towards my character makes me sick. They not only ask to see my passport but also want to keep it overnight. Bullshit! That’s when I remember Adi’s lovely and kind family, knowing just by their heart that I am a good person, and not even ask me a single question to “verify” the authenticity of my story, before letting me stay inside their house. These people are making this whole circus just so I can camp in the streets. Yep! Because none of them even consider inviting me to stay inside their gates (the RT’s residence has a huge garage, covered, where I could stay safe and sound for the night), I must camp in the small public park, across the street where Haryo lives. There are mostly hundreds of people attending this event, and if I decide to camp before 22.00 hours, so many of them will witness me. That’s great for the hospitality of this neighbourhood!
As I know that, after all, Haryo is a decent man, he tells me I can camp in front of his house, which is way better. But his wife seems very uneasy with my presence. I use the public toilet of the park to take a bath and wash my clothes. I have also nothing for dinner as nobody even though about offering me food. Thanks to the previous guys who gave a lift in the morning, Andi and Rizka, I had a full filling and great lunch, which together with the incredible breakfast at Adi’s home, were my only meals today.
I make sure to leave very early, right after the first light in the sky. When I already have my backpacks on, and am ready to leave, Haryo asks me if I want a coffee or something. What if I had said yes…?
10 Years Around the World 