No cheap travel in East Kalimantan
Thursday, 29 April 2010
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""If you want a cheap ride, you can go on foot ... there's no such thing as a cheap ride here,"" a friend says. It may sound a bit cynical, but that is the answer one is likely to get when making inquiries about the cheapest way to travel in East Kalimantan.
In Java, people can rely on various modes of land transportation to take them from one place to another at an affordable price. In East Kalimantan, people rely on car rental services for fast transportation, although they come at skyrocketing prices.
Covering an area of 211,440 square kilometers, the province is the largest in Kalimantan and the second-largest in Indonesia, after Papua. Although its forests have been largely destroyed due to deforestation, there are still many isolated areas in the province due to the many rivers.
At least 162 large and small rivers wind their way across East Kalimantan. Rivers separate one town from another and the only means of getting from town to town is by boat. Water transportation, which is a lot cheaper than that on land, is therefore the main intercity travel means.
But traveling by water takes longer compared with land transportation. For instance, a river boat from Samarinda to Melak can take 10 hours to 12 hours, compared with six or seven hours by car. Traveling by boat is also much cheaper. A boat ride from Samarinda to Melak costs Rp 55,000, while a car ride costs Rp 800,000. Despite the cost difference, land transportation remains the popular choice.
Car rental services thrive as demand for fast transportation continues to rise. These services are available at hotels, airports, seaports or downtown areas.
Prices vary, from Rp 175,000 to Rp 1.5 million, depending on the distance and road conditions. A short trip on a good road may cost Rp 150,000 to Rp 300,000. To cover the 36-kilometer distance on a relatively good road between Samarinda and Tenggarong, the capital of Kutai Kartanegara regency, for example, one must pay Rp 250,000 for a round trip.
The most-traveled, 120-kilometer, Samarinda-Balikpapan route costs about Rp 150,000 to Rp 175,000 one-way.
The more isolated the place, the higher the journey cost.
To get from Samarinda to Melak, a small town upstream on the Mahakam river, located around 200 kilometers from Samarinda, one must pay at least Rp 1.5 million for a round trip.
In fact, road conditions are one factor that makes land transportation very expensive. Most intercity roads are still dusty, dirt roads with very little asphalt surfacing. The poor roads not only lengthen journey times but also cause premature damage to vehicles.
""I refuse to undertake long-distance trips because the roads are so poor. I don't want to spend most of my income on car repairs,"" Junaedi, 55, a rental car driver, told The Jakarta Post.
Junaedi's car serves the Samarinda-Balikpapan route. He sometimes takes passengers to Tenggarong. He usually operates from Mesra International, a three-star hotel, offering his services to hotel guests.
Despite such high prices, business has continued to grow. Passengers are mostly engineers or employees of mining companies who have to travel far into the interior to reach mining sites. Shop owners from remote towns who need to go shopping in Samarinda or Balikpapan also use the service.
There are ways, however, of reducing the price a little. Familiarity with locals is a valuable advantage when one wants to haggle with the car rental owner. Often, when accompanied by a local resident, the price is slightly lower.
Helping the drivers to find passengers is another way. With more passengers, the price can be divided between them. One may be squeezed into a Kijang van with four or five other passengers but it is still better than shank's mare. --JP
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
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Judul: No cheap travel in East Kalimantan
Ditulis oleh Lambang Insiwarifianto
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