MOBILITY IS extraordinary. It is a practical drive to move from ‘here’ to ‘there’, which then precisely becomes an important element of human civilization. Its influence is felt not only in the comfort of movements, but also in the styles, which then become lifestyles, starting from wearing smart clothes and riding on the latest BMW, the typical bearing of fans of Harley Davidson or old Volkswagen, up to the recklessness of the bus drivers, and the 3-in-1 jockeys.

All those become a kaleidoscope of sorts, made up by mobility. One form of mobility that has a personal impact for me is the Cipularang toll road, connecting Bandung and Jakarta, which had cost Rp1.4 trillions and was built in a year, starting from April 7, 2004 to April 7, 2005.

Previously, a full preparation would be necessary before one undertook the travel from Jakarta to Bandung—starting from preparing the wrapped rice for victuals, up to ordering the suburben cars (Indonesian way of pronouncing ‘sub-urban’, which then becomes a label for rented cars). All the carsickness around the Puncak area, the Padang food at Cipanas, and the moci cakes at Cianjur had become a part of the obligatory rites that I undertook before I left for Bandung.

All those rituals changed when the Cipularang toll road opens. Now, in one day, we can go back and forth from Bandung to Jakarta, without having to struggle to cover the distance. A friend of mine joked that the trip from Bandung to Jakarta took such a little time compared to the time spent in the traffic jams we had to face once we arrived in Jakarta. Many people then choose to live in Bandung and work in Jakarta, although they certainly must be prepared to play a role in creating the traffic jam at the Pondok Gede toll road gate every day. The existence of the Cipularang toll road also adds to the problems faced by the inhabitants of Bandung, with the deluge of people from Jakarta every weekend. On one side the people of Bandung often feel fed up with the bearing of the people from Jakarta; on the other side, however, the visits by Jakartans contribute to significant incomes for the residents of Bandung, especially due to the Jakartan zest of consuming the myriad local products of Bandung, from the clothing ‘factory outlets’, the restaurants, up to the ‘distro’ or ‘distribution outlets’, where indie (or independent) products are sold.

Shortly thereafter, travel services mushroom. Such a service is always fully booked, especially on the weekends and the beginning of the week. The shortened travel rituals also enable us to travel without having to do some elaborate planning. Travel services exist every hour on every day, making it easy for us to take care of a lot of things.

Previously, after the era of the suburben car, I was once familiar with the train service, which at the time was the only means of travel from Jakarta to Bandung that was calm and supposedly on time. Unfortunately, the number of passengers every weekend was never adequately anticipated, and obtaining a return train ticket from Jakarta to Bandung was a struggle. The Cipularang toll road changed all those and made trains so lonesome.

I was amazed when I first experienced the Cipularang toll road. In just a while I arrived in Jakarta—and I had not even started to enjoy my sleep on the car. For me, it is a unique example of how the changing paradigm takes place so real; a real example that I am indeed living in an era that keeps on moving forward and continually demands speed and ease. Some of my friends even bragged that they had traveled from Jakarta to Bandung in only one-and-a-half hour; the same amount of time that I often use to travel around Bandung.

Some urban theories often mention that a travel is not merely about a physical process from one place to another, but simultaneously also a psychological process. To me, travels are basically a rite, similar to a pilgrimage to experience a space. If previously the trip to Bandung was a series of suburban rites—the Padang food at Cipanas, the preserved mangoes at Cianjur, and the winding roads at Puncak—now this spatial pilgrimage has been replaced with a continuous stretch of toll road asphalt.

In some developed countries, the monotonous stretch of the toll road has been taken as a habitat problem, not merely a technical building problem. Therefore, landscape designers are also involved in designing these spaces so that the toll road looks friendlier. These designers arrange spatial elements such as the kinds of plants and the potential colors that would be presented, up to the shapes that reaffirm the spatial compositions, such as the configurations of massive rocks at some locations along the toll road. Although it still exists within the exterior space that is not an urban space, the design creates a composition of the exterior space that is habitable for human. With such designs, travels become a series of impressions generating a sense of pilgrimage. With us, awareness about habitat still stops at the level of economics. It is indeed logical; however, too great a consideration about capitals will merely create designs that tend to be impulsive and too enthusiastic in enticing us to shop.

To grab the business opportunity arising from the existence of the Cipularang toll road, Bandung Supermall (BSM) was built, proclaiming to be the biggest mall in Bandung. They provide bus services from Bandung to the Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, north of Jakarta. Bandung Supermall seems to become a milestone for the ease to travel the world over, departing from Bandung.

If it is about the capitals involved, such a travel-service-in-the-mall makes things easy for the consumers. While waiting, they can explore the malls, looking at the things for sale, before they proceed with the shopping, or perhaps they are merely sight-shopping. There will be no time wasted; all the spare time would be filled with activities absorbing the capital enticement to conduct transactions, to the fullest extent possible. With this means, Bandung Supermall positions itself as a specific destination, not only for the people who want to shop or have recreations, but also for those who are going to undertake a long trip. In the future, perhaps people who live in Bandung and want to take a plane trip from Soekarno-Hatta, might have a ritual that sets Bandung Supermall as an important landmark for a pilgrimage.

To me, this is absurd. Usually, at the point where there is an exchange of modes of transportation, for example at a bus stop, the proportion of the space provided for the bus would be dominant, and it would then be supported by such secondary functions as canteens or shops. Meanwhile, what happens in Bandung Supermall is the existence of a puny bus stop, supported by a mall that is complete with world-class retail chains such as Hugo Boss and Starbuck, and a children playground in the mall, equipped with a merry-go-round and a roller-coaster. One familiar sight would be that of a trendy momma who shops while dragging a big suitcase, waiting as she is before she departs with the bus that will send her off for her trip around the world.

Human needs for travel rituals have accidentally been put into advantage with the existence of facilities along the toll road. As we know, the Cipularang toll road will be linked to the Cikampek toll road, continuing the trip from Jakarta to Bandung or vice-versa. Along one particular stretch of the Cipularang toll road, a unique resting facility has been built: KM 19.

Designed wholeheartedly by its architects Supie Yolodi and Maria Rosantina, the architecture of KM 19 is very enchanting, unusual, and has become an icon before the monotonous Cikampek toll road. KM 19 accommodates various activities that not only support the need for a rest such as eating and drinking, but also for recreational needs that will refresh one’s sight, such as retail shops. Had the Cipularang toll road not been built, probably KM 19 would become a mere service facility for the Cikampek toll road before it. However, the existence of the Cipularang toll road, which had been linked to the Cikampek toll road, makes KM 19 become a favorite resting place. Some of my colleagues say that they always stop by at KM 19, simply for a sip of coffee at Starbuck, or to relax before speeding back to Bandung.

KM 19 probably has become a ritual destination, a part of Jakarta – Bandung spatial pilgrimage There is a big information board, asking visitors to please continue their travel when they have rested enough, because if you rest too long, the internal circulation of the place would be disrupted. Apparently KM 19 is a very busy joint. There are actually a lot of other resting places built along the Cikampek toll road. The unique architecture, the varied retails, and the absence of a point of pilgrimage in a travel might have been the recipe for the success of KM 19.

The cases of Bandung Supermall and KM 19 are examples of efforts to gain advantages from the access that is the Cipularang toll road. If we review Bandung Supermall according to its position and scale, at a glance Bandung Supermall seems to have become a destination in itself, and what it does by providing the bus services to the airport serves as an effort normally taken by malls and shopping centers to lure as many visitors as possible. If we review it and put it in the perspective of the Cipularang toll road, however, Bandung Supermall precisely becomes a quasi-destination, as it positions itself just like KM 19, a supporting facility visited due to the existence of a more important destination. Meanwhile, a destination is normally the end point of a travel.

Still, managers of Bandung Supermall have been quick to see that in the series of steps taken prior to a travel, there will be vehicles parked and waiting time that might be comfortably spent in cafes or in shops—and all these constitute a flow of capitals, which will of course be profitable. The managers of Bandung Supermall have successfully mapped the attitudes of those needing the Cipularang toll road, and they thenceforth seized the business opportunity that has arisen.

This confirms that basically one does not merely need simple products or end destinations, but also a process. Travels are an extraordinary spatial experience, which should not be merely about the asphalt road, but also about specific events and places. Jakarta – Bandung is not merely about a tale of two cities, but also about the moments in between, a spatial pilgrimage.

Bandung, April 2007
Translated by Rani Elsanti

T. ISMAIL REZA finished his degrees in architecture and urban design from Parahyangan Catholic University and Bandung Institute of Technology. He is a collector of experimental rock music and moderator of the mailing list prog-rock@yahoogroup.com. Along with some of his colleagues, he established the Bandung Center for New Media Arts. This observer of the town of Bandung thinks that Bandung should explore the potentials of the underground community and those provided by the many distribution outlets, and use them as a specific and characteristic image branding. This loyal user of Apple Macintosh since 1995 works as an urban designer in UrbanE, Bandung, and was an editor for the Karbon journal until 2007.