A good trip must be well planned. Make an itinerary, look up the route and planning activities at the destination. And I do the same. Except for a flash trip.
I do a flash trip in this Saturday. This time I only asked advice from my friends as my only plan.
In my whole life, I’ve never went to Puncak. Even in this fourth year I’ve been in Jakarta, I’ve never there. It’s a common destination for Jakartan, escape the metropolis hecticness and breathe the fresh-mountain air. And I must there, someday. That’s my pledge to myself.
So be it. At Friday, I thought a wild idea to have flash trip to Puncak with Tika. And she agreed. If I talked about flash trip, the destination must be able to reach by my vehicle, which is a scooter. So in the Saturday, me and Tika decide to go to Puncak with a scooter.
In this rainy season, it’s not really good idea to have trip to Puncak, especially with motorcycle. Not only you will drenched by the rain, but also high possibility of landslide in Puncak area. But I never think them as an important obstacle. All that I need is just go. With no detailed plan at all.
When the day come, I wake up late. Planned to go at 6 but we really departed at 9. Thought will be high traffic but no. Maybe because the rain’s just keep pouring. It’s an advantage because the road quite cool, unlike usual hot and humid. So we just go. We brought a lunch box to be eaten at Puncak since we have no exact destination.
People telling me that the road to Puncak is easy. Just go straight, follow the traffic direction and you will arrived with no problem. It’s true. The normal route is easy, since there’s no shorter route than just go straight. The hardest part is just dealing with traffic jam in some spots. I need no worry for other. Plenty gas station, mini market, and food stalls along the route. If you feel tired, urge of pee, or sleepy, or hungry, just pull over.
Not thinking much about trip in advance is an advantage. You’re not worrying about the obstacles, length, duration or anything. What you think is just ride. I spent 4 hours one way (8 hours for total round trip). It was tiresome, but to think that I am able to take the ride, I must be proud. Only around 1 hour spent at the Puncak. I stop at coffee shack on the corner of Masjid Attawun; the landmark of Puncak.
Some things I’ve noticed during the trip:
1. The Middle East area in Puncak is true. Even the telco operator advertisement use bilingual (Indonesia and Arabic). It’s kind of unique to find some Middle East restaurants in the highland. Middle East in my mind usually related with desert.
2. The wind is not too cold, even in heavy rain. But when the fog come, it much colder.
3. Puncak pass is not only a tourism object but also route to Bandung, so you will find some group of bikers passing by.
Overall, I do recommend to have flash trip with motorcycle, even in the rainy season.
Woles Lane 