Following on from her visit to the UK in 2024 Karmila (Mila) has now returned to tour with the troupe for 2025 and beyond. Following a short return to Indonesia over the winter period Mila has written a short documentation of her trip back home and the differences she now sees between the walls she has ridden in her home Country and the ones she has visited here.
Hello, I’m Karmila Purba but everyone calls Mila. I was born and raised in Sondi Raya, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
From ever young age I fell in love with the Wall of Death. So when the opportunity arose to become a rider I asked to be trained. I have since work on various walls across Indonesia and meet some fantastic people along the way.
Most recently, I was involved in some film work which brought me to the UK in 2024. Where I had the pleasure of meeting Ken and his family. I toured as part of the troupe throughout the season before I returned home in October.
From October until April I toured with Berkahria03 and we visited Semarang. I like Semarang because there are many places to visit and buy food. There are also many historical sites to explore. And then we visited to Magelang. I like Magelang because there are many great tourist spots to visit. The natural scenery is beautiful, and the weather is cooler than most other parts of Indonesia. And then we go to Ungaran, Tegal Rejo, Kopeng, Sragen. I like in Sragen because it’s crowded with visitors there.
Having only ever rode in my home country, previous I noticed some major differences between the walls there and the one I rode in the UK. The difference is, in the UK it’s mush safer. And they have very good procedures and rules in place to ensure our safety. They always prioritize safety above all else. And the wall in the UK is much smoother. And they have safety cabel.
Another difference is is the opening days and time. In Indonesia, we only open at night and the event usually lasts for a whole month in one places. It’s different in the UK – we only open during the day, and the event usually lasts for just one, two, or three days before moving to a new places. There are also a lot more events in the UK.
And the type of motorbike is also very different. In Indonesia, I ride an RX king 135cc. But in the UK, they taught me to ride a 1926 Indian Scout. That was an incredible experience for me because I had never ridden a bike like that before. It was really confusing at first, but eventually I got the hang of it, and now I love it.
Whilst there were lost of things that are different it’s amazing how many things are the same. We have the same tricks, same team spirit, we build the wall in the same way, and the audience reactions are very similar too. In my opinion, the Wall of Death is the same everywhere, but always different.
As much as I loved being back in Indonesia, I realised that I missed being with my UK wall family. I had kept in contact with everyone from England whilst I was gone. Danny even came to visit me in Tegal Rejo, Indonesia for a while. Since then Ken and the troupe have worked tirelessly along side some of my friends here in Indonesia to ensure I could return for another season. I look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces as I tour with the troupe in 2025 and am very excited to be back.
And can’t wait to see Ken and his family again – they’ve been so kind and always caring towards to me. Especially Hunter, the sweetest and funniest little baby.
