ON THE ROAD

Somewhere in Flores last year I had the opportunity but not the pleasure of riding ojek for over one hundred kilometer. It was not the trip that I made because I was glutton for punishment or in hot pursue of excitement or adventure. It was not simply because I wanted to, but because I felt I had to. Originally I was going to take a bemo. So I got in one hoping that the bemo would leave soon which was not going to be the case. After God knows how long the passengers began to trickle in. It was not the peak of travel season. I was starting to doze off when I heard a screaming goat. When I opened my eyes, to my horror, this screaming goat was heading toward my direction. The guy who was carrying this poor creature (feet all tied up) on his shoulder was asking the conductor or whoever he is (we call this person "kenek') whether any space onboard. It was a really stupid question, because no matter how crowded the bemo is, he always say there is always room for just about anything, big or small. I guess he just hate disappoint anyone. The screaming goat was dumped unceremoniously on the floor among boxes, plastic bags and..me. That poor goat was probably thinking that he was on the way to slaughter house, so he was screaming even louder. At the moment like this I thought getting noise cancelling headset would be a wise investment. I have no idea how Dalai Lama would handle this. Just when I thought that the bemo was cleared for take off, a family of four with their belongings forced their way in. Then it just dawned on me, even with a dose of Valium I din't think that I would survive the trip. I had some nasty times at sea ( I was a singlehander during my prime), but getting squeezed (I could hardly moved) in a small bemo with a screaming goat and kids who soon would be puking all over the place while traveling on bad road for over one hundred kilometer was more than I could handle. In a distance I saw who I thought was an ojek resting under at tree. How you can tell an ojek from other motorcycles is an acquired skill that just come naturally out of necessity. At that desperate moment he looked like a knight in shining armor riding a magnificent steed who was sent to rescue me. I decided to make my escape despite effort by 'kenek' who beg me to stay. So, it was how I ended up making that historical journey.