Indonesians Throng Berjaya Waterfront Ferry Terminal To Return Home For Eid

JOHOR BAHARU (Johor), July 16 (Bernama) -- Indonesians working, living, and studying in Malaysia have been queueing up at the Berjaya Waterfront Ferry Terminal here since a week ago to purchase tickets to go back to their hometowns. A survey done by Bernama at the site found that there were those among them who began waiting at counters from as early as 5 am. "I was worried that if we were late, we would be stuck at the ticketing counter, so I told my friend last night to get ready early, and not to remain sleeping until the afternoon," said Aldi Marzuki, a 29-year-old who works as a welder at a factory in Kulaijaya here. According to Aldi, this was the first time he was returning to his hometown in Kampung Lebang, Palembang since he started working here a year back. "On the eve of Raya (Eid al-Fitr) , my mother always makes 'pempek' - a traditional savoury, loved by the people of Palembang. It is made from mackerel, coated with sago, and then fried and dipped into spicy gravy. For Safriani Zainal, 49, who lives with her husband, who is also an Indonesian in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, there was no alternative to using a ferry to get back to her home in Palembang, Sumatera. "An airplane ticket is more expensive and we cannot afford it from Kuala Lumpur to Padang. So, its better to take a ferry from here to Batam, and from there we will board a flight to Padang," said the housewife, who has been living in Malaysia for the past three years. She said it was customary for the couple to buy back some banana cake for their four children, who loved the delicacy, and it was difficult to find such cakes in Padang. Meanwhile, an operations manager at the terminal who declined to be identified said almost 2,000 tickets were being sold per day, for the past one week. A ferry ride from Johor Baharu to the Batam International Ferry Terminal takes 45 minutes, while to the Batam Harbour (30 minutes) and Tanjung Pinang (three hours), with ticket prices ranging from RM101-125. (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA