We arrived in Ayawasi at 11.11 pm after 10 hours driving from Sorong. This long, tiresome ride was mostly due to the bad condition of the road. Some parts of the road do not even deserve to be called road. It was so bad that it took us 10 hours to get to Ayamaru which is only 164 km away from Sorong. That included the time we had to spend to wait for or help other cars that got stuck in the muddy road. A truly off-road experience! Luckily we’ve got a first-rate driver who seems to know the road like his own palm. Oh I so trust Oom John, the driver! In the past, Ayawasi can only be accessed by small aircrafts flown by the Catholic missionaries (Association of Missionary Aviation). The runaway in front of the church complex was built by the missionaries. But Ayawasi can now be accessed by cars in spite of the ridiculous fare. From Sorong to Ayawasi one has to pay Rp300.000 one way per person (with no baggage) to sit in a 4x4 wheel-drive small truck (Mitsubishi L200). Should you bring lots of stuffs with you (your basic necessities or groceries that you couldn’t find in Ayawasi) you could rent that car from Sorong for Rp2.500.000. That’s one way fare! Phew … that’s a lot of money, isn’t it?
I find the transportation fare here outrageous. The local government must work harder to bring it down. To go to Teminabuan i.e. the capital of the Sorong Selatan Regency which is only 117km away from Ayawasi you have to pay Rp 150,000. That’s for 3 hours drive and the road condition is not as bad as that of Sorong – Ayawasi. In contrast, the air conditioned bus fare from Banyumas – Yogjakarta (4 hours drive) is only Rp 35,000 (March 2007). I know it’s not a fair comparison. But, neither should we take this situation for granted. The administration of Sorong Selatan should take this problem very seriously. The absence of affordable public transport has made the prices of basic necessities in Ayawasi and nearby kampongs unbelievably high. It has made life here harder than it should be. Everything is so damn expensive here. They have to pay Rp15,000-20,000 for 1 liter of gasoline which is normally sold at Rp4,500 everywhere else. 1 bag of cement is traded at Rp135,000. Feel like eating chicken? Well, you have to be willing to spend Rp100,000 for the whole piece of chicken (ayam kampong). Meanwhile 1 egg costs Rp3,000. Phew … It’s so unfair.
2 comments:
It's all about supply and demand, my dear..
could be ... but in this case, good infrastructure would really make a difference. yeah it's expensive. therefore, the government's intervention is badly needed here. can't leave it to the private sector. have i changed? ;-). not very capitalistic, huh?
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