Island in Indonesia Becomes Street Name in Amsterdam
The more developed the country, the better its traffic system.
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Royke travels along the Rijn-Schiekanaal canal. In this place, traditional windmills that are well-maintained and function properly are still often found.
The impact of Dutch colonization on Indonesia turned out to have a wide impact. One of them is that so many Indonesians live in the Netherlands and become citizens of that country. What's unique is that a number of street names in the city of Amsterdam, for example, take the names of islands in Indonesia.
I arrived in Amsterdam on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 and stayed at one of the hostels on Borneo Street, located in the city center. It was late afternoon at that time.
Once I arrived in the area, I was actually quite curious about the choice of name for this street. However, that feeling disappeared as I became tired from riding my bike the day before for 105.26 kilometers from Zwolle, facing fairly strong winds.
The next day, which was on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, my crew and I chose to rest in Amsterdam. We filled our time by walking to the city center or Centrum.
We do not use cars because the cost of parking vehicles in Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands is truly expensive, at 7 euros equivalent to Rp 120,000 per hour. The local government deliberately applies high parking rates to encourage the public to switch to public transportation such as buses, trams, and trains, or to walk or bike.
As soon as I left the hotel, I was once again surprised to see streets named Lampong, Timor, Jambi, Sunda, Nias, Bali, Celebes, Sumatra, and others. It was truly extraordinary.
Kudos to the Dutch government and society who are willing to name a street in their country with an Indonesian name. Perhaps this is the result of the close relationship between the Dutch government and society with Indonesia in the past.
Royke is on the Leimuiderdijk line in a canal south of Schiphol Airport. The path is one of the bicycle loop paths in Amsterdam.
Clean river
I went cycling again on Thursday, February 1, 2024. That day, my destination was the city of Den Haag. The air temperature was only 2 degrees Celsius with a blue and clear sky, but it was still quite cold.
On that cycling day, I chose to go only as far as 61.61 kilometers. I made this choice because I wanted to offer it to my beloved wife, who will be turning 61 years old on February 1st, 2024.
For the first time, during my wife's birthday, I am not in the same city with her. It's the same as during Christmas in 2023. That is the consequence of my choice to explore the world by bicycle since July 8, 2023, starting from the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta.
Considering that the temperature was still cold, I adjusted my riding clothes to suit the situation. The deepest is a baselayer, then a winter jersey, a rather thin long-sleeved cycling jacket and winter padding trousers. Thick gloves that cover all fingers, head covering, andface, nose and mouth beanie, and special winter cycling shoes.
At exactly 08.33, I started cycling. I went along the Singelgracht canal towards the southwest. Throughout the journey, everything appeared clean. The existing river and canal have been preserved and are in good condition. The water is clear and there is not even a single piece of garbage in sight. Every corner of the city looks clean and tidy.
Instantly, rivers in Indonesia that flow through major cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Palembang, Jambi, Medan, Semarang, Pontianak, and others come to mind. Those rivers are so dirty, murky, and unpleasant-smelling.
On both sides of the river, there are always densely populated settlements. For years, all parties have expressed concern about this condition. However, the arrangement and revitalization tend to be done haphazardly. There is no comprehensive solution like those developed in Europe.
Royke Lumowa is in one corner of Amsterdam city center.
Orderly traffic
Another interesting thing is how disciplined and organized the road users are. There are no pedestrians who violate red lights even on empty roads. Furthermore, even at every intersection without a traffic light, road users will not commit any violations.
They always prioritize other road users who have the right to walk first. Therefore, there is no reckless driving through like what usually happens in our country.
Indeed, in developed countries, it is not difficult for their citizens to maintain order on the roads. It is understandable, as a culture of order and discipline has existed for a long time and has consistently been maintained and preserved by all parties: the community and the government.
The more advanced a country is, the better its traffic system. There are three parameters for assessing whether a country is advanced or has the potential for rapid advancement. Firstly, the existence of a highly organized traffic system. This is related to infrastructure, facilities, regulations or laws, as well as a culture of orderly traffic from society.
Second, the level of corruption is low in all aspects, particularly within the government apparatus and society. Third, there is a concern for maintaining a balanced and sustainable environment.
CYCLING TO SAVE THE EARTH ROYKE LUMOWA
In the route that I passed through to Den Haag, I saw several well-organized, clean rivers, canals, and polders with clear water. The water intentionally flowed smoothly in its path without any stagnant points, thus preventing swamps.
It seems that there is no swamp in the Netherlands. All water flows endlessly in the ditches, rivers, canals, and polders that exist. Even rivers, canals, and polders also function as transportation infrastructure.
Fish and birds also live freely in large numbers. This indicates that the existing water is of the best quality. Free from various waste and pollution. There are also no buildings whatsoever in the water absorption locations.
Throughout the journey, there are bike lanes available. The bike lanes are always connected to city parks, urban forests, or public spaces in the city. These locations are always gathering places for residents to exercise, such as walking, running, cycling, and other activities.
My journey also passed through the city of Leiden. This is one of the most important cities in the Netherlands. There is the University of Leiden, which is the oldest university founded in 1575. The distance between Amsterdam and Leiden is only 50 kilometers.
After Leiden or around 3 kilometers before the city of Den Haag, precisely at Kilometer 61.61, I decided to end my cycle ride that day. The total elevation was only 159 meters or a flat road contour.
I have fulfilled my promise and commitment to dedicate a bicycle ride distance that day as a gift for my beloved wife in Jakarta. Cycling for a distance of 61.61 was not easy. It required concentration and the right emotional management technique while cycling. Because even a slight mistake can cause the desired number to be exceeded.
Barokah's food stall is owned by Sri, who hails from East Java. It is a favorite spot of Royke's during his time in Amsterdam. The stall offers delicious and complete menus.
Indonesian Culinary
Upon arrival in The Hague, I immediately accepted an invitation to lunch from Aunt Sunarti. He is a friend of mine from Makassar who opened a travel business in the Netherlands. This business only specifically serves friends from Makassar who want to vacation in Europe.
In fact, the E2G bicycle club from Makassar every year always goes on a cycling trip in Europe, always managed by Aunt Sunarti. The duration of the tour is around 10-14 days. I once took part in an E2G touring in Europe, namely cycling from Amsterdam to Paris in May 2022.
Our lunch was at an Indonesian restaurant. This restaurant provides a variety of typical Indonesian culinary menus. I chose rendang rice and meatballs. The meatballs were so delicious that I ate two portions. While rendang is also delicious, but too spicy.
On Friday, February 2, 2024, the air in the city of Den Haag was clear with a temperature of only three degrees Celsius. That day, I rode my bicycle around the city of Den Haag until Delf, which was 24 kilometers away.
In the morning, I rode my bike from the lodging to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) to meet with Ambassador Pak Mayerfas and hand over a plaque from the Retired Police Association.
Royke met with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands at Den Haag Mayerfas.
The issue of air pollution is not new. The condition of the community threatened by air pollution has been going on for a long time. There is also no shortage of research evidence indicating the threats of its impacts. However, in reality, significant efforts in controlling air pollution have not been able to materialize. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering from the effects of air pollution. The Netherlands is indeed somewhat unique. The Hague is not the country's capital, but it is where foreign embassies are located. Meanwhile, the government center is in Amsterdam. The Hague has a population of approximately 474,291 people.
I utilized my presence at the Indonesian Embassy to delve into the management of Schengen visa extensions (for the European Union). According to regulations, visa affairs are conducted in the country of origin. However, I hope there may be an opportunity to manage the extension process in Europe or a nearby country.
Previously, I had also contacted Mr. Mayerfas regarding the plan to extend my visa. This is important because it is related to the continuity of our journey. Will it continue until July or stop until May? My visa expires on May 9 for its validity period, while my stay period ends on March 30.
Actually, since from Iran and Turkey we have tried to approach the Indonesian Embassy to handle the visa applications for the crew of Oom Yayak and Dimas for their new visas. Their visas have intentionally not been arranged in Jakarta because their bicycle journey from Jakarta to entering Europe cannot be predicted in terms of time.
Visa problems
We were worried that when we arrived in Europe, our visa would already have expired. In fact, our duration of stay had already ended before we even entered. It was proven that since we started our journey from Jakarta on July 8, 2023, we only entered Europe on December 14, 2023.
We also tried to arrange for visas to the European Union while in Iran and Turkey. The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran managed to approach the French Embassy in Iran, who allowed us to arrange for EU visas in Tehran.
However, the interview and biometric process takes two weeks, which we believe is too long. It takes two weeks just for biometrics alone. Waiting for the printing process also takes around two weeks, so we will spend a month in Tehran.
Therefore, we request that visa matters be transferred to Turkey in order to save time. Finally, through the efforts of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, we continued our journey to Turkey and applied for visas in Ankara. As a result, we spent no more than two weeks and our EU visa matters were resolved. Five days for biometrics and a week later, the visas were issued. These visas are for Dimas and Yan and are valid for only three months.
The next issue is extending the visa beyond 90 days, in February or March. In addition to The Hague, I also made approaches to the KBRI that we passed through earlier, namely Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Turkey, and also Portugal, a country that I have not yet visited.
However, it was unsuccessful. Because the visa extension requirement must be done in the home country, which is Indonesia. Finally, we decided to return to Jakarta on February 26, 2024, to process our European Union visa extension.
Royke met Bob Mantiri. He has lived in the Netherlands for decades and is a Dutch citizen.
After finishing at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, I headed to my family's home in Rijswijk, specifically Uncle Bob Mantiri's house. He has been living in the Netherlands for decades and has become a citizen of the country. Currently, Uncle Bob is 80 years old.
I was welcomed by Uncle Bob and his wife, who are also of Indonesian descent. They were very happy with my presence, especially since I came by bike from Jakarta.
Royke ate gudeg given by Kombes Sugeng.
After that, we continued our journey to the city of Delft and its surroundings to simply enjoy the Netherlands. Along the way, I looked left and right, but there were no restaurants.
We also remember before the morning ride, we received a package from the Indonesian National Police Attaché in The Hague, namely Commissioner Sugeng. He gave us a supply of food in the form of nasi gudeg. We enjoyed the food greedily.
