Ode to The Legendaries: Travel and Bus of Parakan

TheIndonesia.co - Overland trips have always been one of my favourite choices when visiting my hometown, Parakan, a district in Temanggung, Central Java. However, during my latest visit, I experienced a situation that made me feel sad.

It felt like an ode to say goodbye to the legendary, classic mass transportation that had once been so vital to this small city, now seemingly left behind.

Or is it just my sentiment? Let's find out.

During my recent visit to Parakan, a small town nestled at the foot of the twin mountains, Sumbing and Sindoro in Central Java, I felt a sense of disconnection from the nostalgic overland transport that once shaped my travels. It was an eye-opening realization: the era of long-distance buses is moving forward, and I must move on too.

In its heyday, when I was a child through my teenage years, the "travel" service—a door-to-door passenger car pick-up and drop-off—played a pivotal role.

The extreme terrain of the small, lively city of Parakan, which served as a hub for larger cities like Semarang, Yogyakarta, Magelang, as well as smaller towns such as Wonosobo, Banjarnegara, and the Dieng Plateau, was more easily navigated by these services.

It was incredibly convenient, and I remember it fondly—like the image of my grandparents standing at the gate of their front yard, waiting to see me running toward them.

Or another memory of mine, taking the night service bus from OBL, now called Safari Dharma Raya. That experience still brings a sense of brilliance to mind, especially when traveling in the 1-2 seating layout: one seat on the left side and two seats on the right. As a solo traveller, it was perfect because I didn’t have to worry about anyone next to me when I needed to get in or out.

These memories, which have been paused since I moved abroad, give me a nostalgic feeling that I’d love to rekindle—reconnecting with travel cars and long-distance buses, just as I did in my childhood and teenage years.

My first attempt was with a travel service. The distance was now a 2-hour drive, meaning I had to catch another form of transport to get to the bigger cities first. But here’s where it gets odd: from larger cities to Parakan, booking is easy, but travelling from Parakan back to the bigger cities is a matter of “waiting in uncertainty,” as demand is much lower.

I called one of the travel agencies I’d cherished in the past and was met with a reality check.

An elderly woman, whose voice reminded me of my own mother at that age, answered the phone politely in a mix of Chinese-Javanese. She said, “Darling, your favourite service is long gone. We now only pick up and drop off goods, and all the air-conditioning units have been removed. But you can still join if you’d like, for a small fee to the driver.”

I sighed. I missed the travel cars from their heyday, including the conversations among passengers and the drivers.

She then advised me to try the newest travel service from one of the big cities. It seemed promising, and I could see how glorious these new cars were compared to my memories. Still, the service to bring me back to Parakan would only be announced last minute, due to the low demand.

Next, I turned to my old favourite bus service. However, when I tried to book it for the day I needed to travel, it was canceled because only two passengers, including myself, had booked tickets!

Finally, I had to try something new—a travel and bus service that wasn’t the bus I was familiar with. It wasn’t a brand-new service, but it felt new to me, in terms of my experience.

The travel was great. Even the staff at the starting point mentioned, “This is a brand-new vehicle model!” I could see that—it was huge, almost like a minibus. It came with a bottle of mineral water, a cake, and peanuts. What a service! The 2-hour drive from Yogyakarta—it means I take another mass transportation from Jakarta, and opted long distance train—was easy, and I only needed to walk and cross a bridge to reach my brother’s house.

On the way back to Jakarta, I chose a double-decker bus and sat on the second floor. The crew handed out plastic bags for my shoes, and I slid into a seat that resembled a beach chair with a soft mattress underneath. It was comfortable—more so than the economy class seats on airplanes or the cubical sleeping areas in airports that I’m used to when backpacking abroad!

Each sleeping compartment on this luxurious bus had curtains, and I could store my belongings in my compartment. Snacks, water, a pillow, and a blanket were provided as well. The seating arrangement was 1-1, with only one seat per side, which made the space feel much larger. It was quiet, too, since most passengers were busy with their gadgets behind the curtains.

In my compartment, I kept the “tradition” my grandmother had introduced to me when I was a child: bringing my own food. Sometimes she’d cook it herself, or we’d buy it from the only Chinese restaurant in Parakan, called Bah Kebek.

This time, my brother and I ordered white fried rice and fried kekian (ngohiang), which are sausage-like rolls made from diced pork, chicken, and shrimp wrapped in tofu skin from Bah Kebek.

I enjoyed this nostalgic meal on the second floor of the bus, in silence, just like the other passengers. I’d missed hearing conversations among fellow travelers. Simple things like: “How are you? What football team is leading?”—these little exchanges that give life to mass transportation.

As for the bus ticket price, considering the service, I felt it was worth it. But I did have mixed feelings when I reached Jakarta. Navigating the chaotic terminals was a struggle, and the most convenient terminal was far from the accommodation I’d booked. Plus, the traffic jam on the way there trapped the bus for nearly two hours after exiting the tollway.

When I finally reached my destination, I told myself: This is like an ode to my favourite overland transportation from more than 30 years ago. Could it ever come back? The voice of the old lady from the travel agency echoed in my mind: "Darling, your favourite service is long gone."