Pedicab driver learns the lingo of his rides

Pedicab driver learns the lingo of his rides

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Widodo may not be familiar with the
phenomenon of globalization, but as a pedicab driver in this
court city he has gone global in his own way.

His clients come from around the world and a stack of letters
written in various languages is to be found in his rented house
in Jogoyudan district.

His modest collection of books is mostly written in foreign
languages.

He started all this about four years ago on the streets in the
city, famed to tourists all over the world.

One can easily bump into Widodo at his usual waiting place
around the Tugu crossroads or in front of the Santika Hotel on
Jl. Sudirman.

Widodo likes to talk to his passengers while gently pedaling
away. He talks about anything; if his passengers happen to be
foreign tourists his talkativeness and breadth of knowledge of
the city will serve as a fine guidebook.

Among his friend-clients was Frenchman Kaquard who regularly
comes to Indonesia and sends him letters when he is back in his
homeland.

Showing a stack of souvenirs, a Belgian tourist, Richard
Steven said of Widodo: "He is a real nice fellow, and likes to
talk about anything, he went with me for two days to places like
Borobudur, the Kraton (palace) Yogyakarta and Malioboro."

His friendliness has sometimes led to problems.

Perhaps captivated by his congenial nature, a young Swedish
woman once became infatuated with Widodo. She wanted him to go to
Sweden with her but on learning this Widodo's wife threatened to
divorce him. He canceled his plan.

Widodo is most at ease when talking about his foreign friends.

"What is funny is that when they have their birthdays, it is
they who send me something and not me," he said.

Asked what "something" means, he said, normally it is
greeting cards or letters with banknotes of varying amounts
attached.

"Sometimes it is 100 francs, 100 dollars or 10 pounds," he
said.

What is his view of his fellow pedicab drivers?

He said most of them have limited communications skills and
some are too money-oriented.

Widodo long harbored a secret wish to be a professional guide.
No sooner had he finished the Aliyah School (equivalent to high
school level) than he started studying a foreign language.

Initially, he joined a hotel and tourism academy but was
forced to drop out financial reasons and lack of moral support
from his family.

He then moved to Jakarta doing odd jobs for one and a half
years before going to Bali and working as a mason for 13 months.

It was here that he came to know about the world of tourism.
To quench his thirst for mastering foreign languages he would
always hang around the most-frequented tourist spots during his
free time.

In 1992, he returned to Yogyakarta. While working in his old
business line of masonry he enrolled into four language centers
at the same time: the Japan-Indonesia, French-Indonesia, and the
Dutch-Indonesia institutes, and the Columbia English course.

"All my classmates at these places were university students.
But I didn't feel inferior, they respected me for what I was
doing," he said.

In early 1996, he abandoned his job as a mason and applied to
be an authorized guide at the tourism office but could not pursue
his ambition because he was unable to pay the obligatory Rp
500,000 registration fee.

This explains why he ended up as a pedicab driver. His reason
is simple: to be able to meet foreign tourists.

In a short time, his amiability and good knowledge of history,
tourist resorts and souvenir centers won him many clients.

Typical

One morning not long ago an Australian tourist left a hotel in
a hurry. He looked perplexed and was perspiring profusely.

As soon as he got to the gate of the hotel, he asked Widodo to
pedal him to Adisucipto Airport, some six kilometers away.

The tourist had apparently left his bag behind by mistake when
he traveled from the airport to the hotel.

The bag containing a camera, clothing and books was nowhere to
be seen at the airport but the tourist was grateful to Widodo
despite of that.

"I was aching all over at that time. But in spite of the pains
I didn't have the heart to charge him more than the normal fare
as I understand that he was really at sea.

"I only asked him to buy me a drink worth Rp 1500. Alas, I
didn't get a chance to find out his name," he said.

That was a typical experience of Widodo.

The trip from the hotel to the airport is a relatively short
one for a motor vehicle, such as a taxi, to cover. But instead
the man chose a pedicab.

His longest journey, he said, was when he accompanied a group
of tourists for two days to Bromo in East Java and Dieng in
Central Java for one day.

According to Widodo, foreign tourists take delight in finding
unusual things and prefer to frequent resorts in rural rather
than urban areas.

Owing to his mastery of five languages, Widodo is quite well-
known among his colleagues.

When asked about a scar on his left arm, he said that he had a
fight with a pickpocket in Beringharjo market about a month ago
in defense of his client.

"My motto is during the time my clients are with me, they are
my next of kin and I have to take care and help them deal with
any problems which might arise", he said. (Singgir Kartana)