LEG-1 Jambi - Bangkinang
Two years of lock-down for an outdoor activity enthusiast feels like a naughty little kid being grounded. At the beginning of 2022 the Government began to regulate all kinds of traveling or events with clear and quite strict rules. By complying with these rules, in March 2022 Sumatra Tribute finally launched and was attended by thirty five (35) land rover vehicles from all over Indonesia.
The convoy of the Sumatra Tribute headed for the Suarnadwipa Circuit in Muara Bungo. After several days on the jungle track, the group was invited to come and see the Suarnadwipa Off-road Racing circuit first hand and spend the night in the paddock area of the circuit.
That evening, 2nd February 2022, majority of the Sumatra Tribute group departed from Jakarta to the Merak ferry port. The same night they will cross the Sunda Strait to Lampung, on the island of Sumatra. At dawn they had started moving from Lampung to Jambi, but before that they would stop overnight in Palembang to fulfill an invitation from the Governor of South Sumatra.
Waiting turns for the Ferry at Merak to cross to Lampung, Sumatera.
That evening, 2nd February 2022, majority of the Sumatra Tribute group departed from Jakarta to the Merak ferry port. The same night they will cross the Sunda Strait to Lampung, on the island of Sumatra. At dawn they had started moving from Lampung to Jambi, but before that they would stop overnight in Palembang to fulfill an invitation from the Governor of South Sumatra.
Waiting turns for the Ferry at Merak to cross to Lampung, Sumatera.
Around 3 a.m the participants relaxing onboard of the ferry waiting to reach Lampung.
Arriving in Jambi, all participants carried out health protocols according to government regulations, such as antigen tests. This was all done by doctors and medical professionals directly at the hotel. Of the many participants, there were several people who were covid-19 positive and as according to the regulation, they were referred to the designated hospital for further checks and treatment.
At Griya Agung Palembang invited by Gubernur South Sumatera
Participants arrived in Jambi. Parking lot has been the favourite place to hang out and get your car ready.
Mandatory Antigen test carried out by 3 young doctors. They will join and participate in the event until finish line.
February 6th 2022, the day they all have been waiting for for two years. That morning it rained heavily since dawn. Everyone getting ready and loading goods into the vehicles under the torrential rain. Even at the start location it was still raining. The flag-off of Sumatra Tribute was at Citra Raya, the area which was the finish line of the 1981 Camel Trophy. A monument was made by the Committee as a symbol that the event was once here. Interesting and many participants took turns taking photos at the small monument. Because who knows when they’ll be back.
Flag-off attended by Budi Waseso as the president of (IMI) Ikatan Motor Indonesia.
This journey is too long to write down and has too many stories to only be told from one point of view, therefore let the photos with few captions tell the story of the whole journey.
Long queue before entering the oil Palm plantation. Seems like in 1985 lots of areas here were still jungle.
Torrential rain poured down all night made the plantation into another challenge for the convoy.
An hour ago, they were all still clean and slick. Now it was another different story.
Convoy of yellow Land Rovers moving neatly in and out of plantation and mining routes in Jambi province. Watch out, don’t let your guard down! Even though this road looks like a big road, there are so many intersections. GPS on the dashboard should not be ignored. Miss a turn by a little can make you lost.
This route is not difficult, only at the beginning as they started to enter the oil palm plantation. However, this long and dusty dirt road should not be taken lightly. On a mining road like this, one must be fully concentrated. Besides the boredom that will lead you into dreaming, many large trucks are also going in high speed. In times like these, using radio communication to exchange information is important, and besides that, just to chat around and get rid of sleepiness. But of course, don’t ever lose its true function.
The night was long, and this was only the first night. There is no specific basecamp defined for camping. They just drive as far as they can. But if you look at the look of the track on the picture above, How far is ‘as far as possible?’ According to information from passer-by, about 2 kilometers from that location, there is a housing estate for oil palm workers. That seems like a good destination for the evening. At least there is clean water.
Their plan was to reach the camp location around 19.00 and be able to rest in preparation for tomorrow. Target missed. The first group to reach the location was one of the media and medic vehicles, at around 11.00 pm they arrived there. The rest? We heard voices talking on the communication radio that night. Many wanted to just camp by the side of the mud puddles. “Too tired!” he said. It’s better than forcing it and we don’t want unwanted things to happen. We are still talking about the first day. How about tomorrow?
6 a.m that morning a loud noises and voices had awakened all the participants. The oil palm workers about to go to work. There was a tractor that pulls a trailer filled with women, all ready to go to the garden. It seemed that the noise was coming from there. Because most of the participants were already awake, a routine briefing was held at 7 am, before leaving at 8 am.
Tractor towing a trailer used as a transportation method by the workers to go to the plantation.
6 a.m that morning a loud noises and voices had awakened all the participants. The oil palm workers about to go to work. There was a tractor that pulls a trailer filled with women, all ready to go to the garden. It seemed that the noise was coming from there. Because most of the participants were already awake, a routine briefing was held at 7 am, before leaving at 8 am.
Tractor towing a trailer used as a transportation method by the workers to go to the plantation.
Senut looks like someone who didn’t get to sleep all night.
What a view that morning! If you look at all the vehicles and participants, the appearances have changed 180 degrees! Yesterday everything was still neat and clean, this morning a lot of things look like they have just come back from war. Yes, this is off-road adventure! Who told you to join anyway? But that crumpled look doesn’t mean their hearts are crumpled too. On the contrary, everyone was very enthusiastic when listening to the explanation from their respective group leaders about what kind of route and challenge they would face next.
Fixing the small bridge for the locals. The cars didn’t use this bridge, too small for cars.
Not far from the campsite, there was a small river. They saw a small wooden bridge and the condition of the bridge is messy and weathered. For motorbikes it will do the job, but for cars it will definitely collapse. They didn’t want to disturb the transportation routes of the residents there, so going down by the river was the only way. Few cars at the beginning took awhile, because they were still experimenting with several methods of crossing. After finding the best way, all follow. From there, they continued the journey for about 2 hours before arriving at a small village on the bank of a fairly large Batang Hari river, Batu Sawar village.
Doctor Galuh talking to kids afterschool
Range Rover Classic crossing Batang Hari river on a pontoon.
Original photo of Camel Trophy Sumatra 1981 as they were crossing to Tuo Ilir using larger Pontoon. Picture taken from the book Camel Trophy the Definitive History by Nick Dimbleby.
Tuo Ilir Village was the destination for the day. They held social services there, especially educational facilities for children. So apart from staple goods, most of it were school and studying tools. From the village of Batu Sawar, they used a pontoon built by local people, which had been specially modified for these yellow vehicles. At first glance it didn’t look convincing at all. But they all managed to cross and land on the Tuo Ilir village safely. Unlike the previous village on the other side of the river, Tuo Ilir village was flooded. It looked like they got used to it because you can see from the watermarks on the stilts of the residents’ houses. The water mark is about 1 meter above the current flood.
This is no river. It is the main road in Tuo Ilir village.
Moving on, because not much time they have. There was still one more challenge. Another river, but not too deep and their target was to cross the river before dark. Usually when it’s dark, small obstacles can suddenly become technical.
River that must be crossed before dark.
Darkness has covered the plantation. Still struggling around muds and puddles, several participant vehicles started experiencing problems after problems. Conditions that are quite common when you go off-roading. Repairs were made that night in the middle of the tracks, so that they could quickly reach the next campsite. But nothing is certain when it’s about off-roading in tropical jungle, just keep on trying your best, they said.
Many people thought more strategically and chose to find camping locations around the depraved tracks. Because why are you forcing yourself? It will only differs a few kilometers ahead, at most. Might as well do it tomorrow when you’re fully charged.
The rickety bridge that has been around from God knows when. The sound of creaking wood from underneath made you quite nervous.
Dropping by at the Suarnadwipa Circuit. After several days of struggling with mud and sleeping in the forest/plantation, that day they arrived at the circuit and at the same time held a social service for the Anak Dalam tribe. The social service is the donation of Jernang seeds, a Bukit 12 endemic plant which has many benefits. The Orang Rimba use this plant for many things in their daily lives. In addition, Jernang will keep their forest natural because it is Endemic plant of their forest.
Big ruts and large stones along the way finally took their toll. With such a heavy load, the Land Rover driven by Luqman and Hendra twisted and broke the propeller shaft! Of course they couldn’t continue because they needed the 4×4. The solution was fixing it or towing the car. Although towing a car in this terrain will be risky for both of the car.
In the end, it was repaired as it was and then assisted in pulling it out by a another vehicle, so that the burden on the welded shaft was not too heavy. Even when moving, you have to be extra careful so it doesn’t break again. Still a long way to go! We’ve heard that the next obstacle is the river. Hopefully there will be no more problems until we reach basecamp.
In the end, it was repaired as it was and then assisted in pulling it out by a another vehicle, so that the burden on the welded shaft was not too heavy. Even when moving, you have to be extra careful so it doesn’t break again. Still a long way to go! We’ve heard that the next obstacle is the river. Hopefully there will be no more problems until we reach basecamp.
Big ruts and large stones along the way finally took their toll. With such a heavy load, the Land Rover driven by Luqman and Hendra twisted and broke the propeller shaft! Of course they couldn’t continue because they needed the 4×4. The solution was fixing it or towing the car. Although towing a car in this terrain will be risky for both of the car.
Finally, they left the oil palm plantation and began to enter the wilderness of Sumatra. Palm oil in Sumatra is indeed old, meaning 40 years ago when the Camel Trophy was held, there must have been a path that passed through oil palm plantations as well. But the forest path must have been much more thicker than now.
This was the Sitiung area. As they entered the forest the adrenaline started to race, and sure enough, it wasn’t that far away until they were faced again yet with another challenge, a steep descent with a small creek at the bottom.
The process of going down was thrilling because it was quite steep, which means all vehicles had to hook the winch onto the car behind them so they wouldn’t slide down into the creek bed. The creek itself is not deep at all, it’s just that the bottom is muddy. It’s easy for cars to get stuck which will result in a long process of winching up.
The group was separated on this river, there were those who spend the night before the river and after the river. Group C (after the river) was tired because of the long recovery process. Whilst group A (before the river) was tired because of the long waiting process. That night, the faint sound of happy birthday song was heard. Alex Musni Hafas, a participant from Aceh, had birthday. What a luxurious event this year, accompanied by sprinkling stars in the sky and a concert of crickets and other forest animals.
The next day the crossing in Sitiung continued. Everyone wanted to take part in this process. These young doctors were no exception. The stereotypical image of a clean and slick doctor seemed to have disappeared here. The Sumatra Tribute doctors don’t want to sit and do nothing, they all took on roles that made them doctors / crew / co-drivers / others. In this expedition people must be ready and willing to take double, triple and even quadruple jobs.
Finally, next to the campsite, there was a quite large river and the water was clear! This time they arrived at the campsite around 4 in the afternoon. Enjoying the free time which was rare in the past few days to clean up the stream of fresh water was a must! Having a campsite by the river felt as like a child going to the pool on the weekends. Happy and refreshing!
Finally, next to the campsite, there was a quite large river and the water was clear! This time they arrived at the campsite around 4 in the afternoon. Enjoying the free time which was rare in the past few days to clean up the stream of fresh water was a must! Having a campsite by the river felt as like a child going to the pool on the weekends. Happy and refreshing!
The next day all the participants had been ‘fully charged’ with enough rest, and also the cars been repaired. After the morning briefing they continued their journey, because even at 8 in the morning the sun was already getting too hot. What would you be doing there for a long time? BBQ.
After some inspections, this wooden bridge turned out to be weathered in several parts. In order to support the weight of their vehicles, reinforcing several sections is a must.
Syamsu (Leader Bravo) helped by Iwan Sakri (president IOF DKI) reinforcing the wooden bridge.
Using sand ladders and some straps, the weathered wooden bridge parts are strengthened. It was not the most optimal, it would better if there were wood logs. At that time, no wood or anything else could be found around that location. Improvisation and adaptation to circumstances is the key to ‘survival’ in adventure.
When passing through the Lipat Kain area, ofcourse you will stop by at the Equator Monument. The majority of the Camel Trophy events were held along the equator line. Maybe because where there is an equator line, the tropical weather must be natural and extremely humid. The physical endurance of the human participants was really tested to an unclear extent. Everything depends on nature.
This equator monument is the same as the one they visited during the Dry-Run, only it was still under renovation at that time. This monument looked just like an ordinary monument, the funny thing is that the font looked like the ‘Comic Sans‘ font that comes free with the Paint software on Microsoft Windows.
Not long after Lipat Kain, they began entering the off-road section again. The track was already hardcore at the very early stage. Luckily nothing was damaged, because the winching process on this route was quite something for the winch and battery, definitely draining the battery. The combination of ‘WARN’ winch and ‘EMTRAC’ battery turned out to be perfect! One by one the vehicles pass through these obstacles safely.
Discussion between group leaders, because the participants were just going into left and right lane like a total mess.
The twin freelanders going through the deep mud.
This diesel P38 Range Rover definitely had something wrong with the engine. Thick white smoke constantly puffing out from the exhaust.
Gravel roads that can be considered as ‘very smooth’ after passing through the previous puddles. Especially because the beautiful scenery in this Eucalyptus plantation. Seeing this convoy of cars is like watching cinematic films.
Participant cars lining up before entering the next obstacle, a river. That’s right, river again! Luckily the water was in low tide. What was about 170 cm before, now there is only about 30 cm left.
Cleaning the path from the wooden logs and others carried out by high tide during last monsoon season.
Harry Oktavian’s CT Zaire ’83 style Series III was one of the first vehicles to penetrate this track. Being up in the front is a challenge itself, especially when clearing the path of fallen trees and shrubs.
After leaving the small river, Bravo group continued winching up reaching the hill ahead so that the other groups could cross. The path has been reclaimed by the forest. Thus the thick bushes and ferns. Beside that, the winching points were far away. It was often seen that the winch drum was almost completely drained off the rope.
After this long winching process, they were again faced with a river. The last Dry-Run here, the trees were dense. Now it looked like it was just recently cut down. Maybe because this was a production area, the trees were cut down for harvest. The problem for the majority of the participants was that there were so many scattered logs that were blocking the path. For example in the media car. When winching up from the river, a piece of wood pierced in between the tire and the rim of the car. The tire was flat but the car must first go up to a leveled place for repairs. It was a very difficult position to do anything, on the climb with lots of scattered logs.
In addition, the weather that afternoon was extremely hot and humid. Many participants chose to go bare-chested while some took the advantage of the river to bathe. “Not bad for cooling off,” said Bule.
It’s a different case for “The Twins”, the Freelander duo. One of them broke its axle mount while winching up the river. It may catch on a tree stump when winching. It’s impossible to continue winching upwards like the media car earlier. This must be fixed in place. This is related to many things like suspensions and shafts as well. If forced to go up, the other parts might get dragged along and break too.
That day, it so happened that the Bravo group (the twins’ group) was in the rear position, so that it didn’t disturb the Alpha and Charlie group’s path, which had crossed earlier. Therefore they immediately setup the tools, equipment and made repairs. This was a kind of repair that will take time.
The entire crew from the two cars helped each other so that the work could be completed before dark. The Leader of the Bravo group, Syamsu Setiabudi, faithfully waiting next to their car and ready to provide assistance to the Twins if needed. Good decision and responsible as Leader. Syamsu advised all Bravo group participants to go to Bangkinang first so they could rest on the Green River (that’s the name of the area, not obstacle anymore). Meanwhile, Syamsu is waiting for the repairs to be completed and plans to go with the twins to the Green River afterwards.
You may plan things out but reality can say otherwise. The repair took quite some time, they could only reach the next basecamp (green river) at dawn. But that’s okay, the important thing is that everyone reached their destination safely and healthy. Kudos to the Twins who were never discouraged and also the Leader of the Bravo group who did not leave their group members! Solidarity at a maximum level.
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