Stulang laut: The annual 'mudik' (returning home) exodus of Indonesians ahead of the Aidiladha celebration has triggered an extraordinary surge in departures at the Berjaya Waterfront Ferry Terminal in Stulang Laut here, with nearly 5,000 passengers recorded crossing the maritime border over a six-day period.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the country's key maritime exit point recorded a steady movement of 4,985 Indonesian passengers leaving Malaysia to return to their hometowns between May 20 and 25.
The homebound travel movement involved ferry routes from the Berjaya Waterfront Ferry Terminal (Stulang Laut) to four major destinations in Indonesia's Riau Islands province, namely Batam Centre, Harbour Bay, Tanjung Pinang, and Gold Coast Bengkong.
Daily departure figures showed that the outbound movement began on Wednesday (May 20) with 880 passengers, followed by 748 passengers on Thursday (May 21), before rising to 787 passengers on Friday (May 22).
The peak of the 'mudik' travel trend was recorded on Monday (May 25), when the highest number of departures was logged, involving 909 Indonesian nationals in a single day, while Saturday (May 23) and Sunday (May 24) recorded 877 and 784 departures respectively.
A check by Bernama at the terminal found that most passengers chose to arrive several hours early to avoid congestion, reflecting their excitement to reunite with loved ones back home.
For lorry driver Heriyanto Masrudi, 53, he and his family were willing to wait at the terminal as early as 8 am, even though their ferry to Tanjung Pinang was only scheduled to depart at 11.30 am.
'We came early because we are excited to return home and wanted to avoid rushing. The facilities here are also comfortable and well-equipped with various amenities.
'I'm heading back to Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia. It has been quite some time since I last returned home, and Aidiladha there is usually celebrated in a lively atmosphere,' he said when met at the jetty today.
The cheerful and festive mood was also shared by grocery store worker Siti Lestari, 26, who expects this year's journey back to Batam to be even more meaningful after her husband, who works as a contractor, was granted a week-long leave.
She also expressed relief that ferry fares offered by operators remained reasonable and affordable.
'My husband works as a contractor and received a week's leave, so we are taking this opportunity to return home and reunite with family in our hometown. The ferry tickets are still reasonably priced at RM195 for a return trip,' she said.