Here I am in Kota Padang. The city I never
thought I would be here. Now I have an appointment with a friend. She will take
me to a homestay and to look around the town. Well she will only accompany me
this afternoon, tomorrow I’ll move to another town, Pariaman. Pariaman is my
main destination. I’ll do my ‘research’ here.
My master asked me to go to ashura. I
searched the net, I didn’t find nearby. At this point I felt lazy to go; one
because it’s far, two I’m not really interested about this stuff, three I don’t
have money. The money my master gave 2 months ago I loan it to my neighbor. I
wanted to ask it to my master but I didn’t think it was good moreover he didn’t
offer it. So I borrowed mom’s.
I thought master would have pity on me to not
going for the distance was so far and I have nobody there. But he said it was
so important. My heart said ‘Haaa… how could he let me go to strange place
alone? Doesn’t he think it’s dangerous for a woman? Maybe he doesn’t. Ok I can
do it. Just me + God, I hope it’s enough.’
Actually I was in doubt to go. I felt
anxious, worried, as if death chasing me. I guess one of the reason was
domestic flights have bad reputation. There always air accident at least one in
a year. Also because I was so afraid if God punish me –for the sins I had
committed- when I got nobody around. When God dislike you, simple thing will be
a disaster. For example you lost all your money while you have no one. Plus, I
was sick when time to travel. This thing made me more anxious. But I read in
Quran says, ‘…go with ease or hardship.’ -I don’t know which surah it is- so I
go.
I surf the net about cost staying there. It
says homestays and transportations are cheap. So I’m being a backpacker without
backpack. And the fact was totally different. The homestays are three times
more expensive than what I got on net! Transportation is also more expensive.
Plus more, I got to buy some gifts for family and relatives back home, this is
a must.
So from Padang to Pariaman I used ‘travel’.
No, it’s not travel agent. It’s extremely different. It’s a car that carries
you to your destination, it’s like taxi but this ‘travel’ carries 6 passengers.
It was raining all day. More than 3 hours, I hadn’t reached Pariaman. I texted
my friend, ‘Padang to Pariaman seems so far.’ Then the driver asked my
destination. Unfortunately I was 50-ies kilos away from my destination. So I
lost my way. I told to the driver, ‘Let me in this car, when you finished
carrying passengers, take me back with you.’ But he said this car will not return.
Thank God the driver was nice, he took me to driver’s quarters. All men!
They said there would be a ‘travel’ to Padang
this afternoon so I could stop in Pariaman. News flash; no bus or public
transportation carries to my destination. Not much public transportation in
this district. It was still raining outside, they gave me tea to warm me. We
talked, one of them asked why would I go to a red zone –since earthquake and
tsunami attack quite often. And you can see many evacuation signs if tsunami
coming-, I said when it’s time for you to die then you will die. They grin.
I reached Pariaman ba’da ashar. It was still
raining but I didn’t want to waste my time, I took a walk with my umbrella to
the streets to ask people about ashura. They called it Tabuik. I will not
explain about Tabuik here, you can get it in many sites. Oh by the way, people
in this district speak their local language, so they knew I was a stranger.
Rain was still pouring in the evening, I kind
of worry if tomorrow and the day after keep raining. I would get nothing if it
happened. I prayed God to give me sunshine. In the morning I did my ‘research’
again. All night I thought how to get to Bukitinggi. After getting some infos,
I headed to Bukitinggi by travel without knowing how I would go back. I would
take care of that later. I didn’t plan to stay in Bukitinggi, I would only been
there till afternoon then went back to Pariaman. Bukitinggi to Pariaman takes 2
hours by car. I went to Bukitinggi just to see the tourism places.
Time to go back to Pariaman, I asked people
how I got there. But I didn’t find the ‘travel’ to go back. In the confusion I
heard a man shouted, ‘Pariaman Pariaman.’ Aaah my destination! There was a bus.
I reached Pariaman in the evening, I moved to another homestay, the cheaper
one. After doing my prayer I went out to look around as usual. I was like a
missing kid, walking alone in the dark.
I walked through the road, I heard there was
a festival this evening. My plan was to see the festival and find something to
eat –I haven’t eaten since leaving for Bukitinggi-, unfortunately, no public
transportation ba’da Maghreb. I kept on walking till I saw a café and
restaurant, I decided to have my dinner there. I tried to get infos but seemed
most natives there don’t know the story behind Tabuik. What a shame.
The big day was coming. We are recommended to
stay in hunger and thirst in ashura. But I didn’t do that. The Tabuik held at
beach. I waited there. I took some pictures. I put my mobile in a pocket, it
was the thing I rarely did. The waves coming at me, I was wet. My mobile was
dead! I talked to myself was this because God rebuked me for not let myself
suffer? How I call my parents back home? I searched the streets to find phone
box. I got nothing. I went to a shop that sells mobile account, I told her ‘I
want to buy account but I need to fill it to your mobile. I need to make a call
because my mobile is broken.’ She borrowed me her mobile for free.
Time to go home. In a plane I sat next to a
baby boy, very cute. He kept looking at me and when I looked at him, he smiled.
He kept doing that along the flight. Hmm… perhaps I looked like a clown. It was
raining when I took a flight. I felt something wrong with this plane. The pilot
said we were facing bad weather. I was restless again, I said to my Lord,
‘Lord, I know my sins are too much. But if this is my time, at least please let
me die as a muslim.’ Then I did shahadat and recited lots shalawat.
The point I can take from this journey is that
God doesn’t hate me, Alhamdulillah. My master asked whether I proud to myself,
the answer is no, not at all. This is not something to be proud of, it is to me
more like an adventure, I’m nothing without Him. Knowing that He is with me in
every step I take, I’m happy.
