True Traveler

I know, I know.

Traveling has been an integral part of my life. And being a traveler has been my other identity. I keep telling this to myself in real life, in this blog, basically everywhere.

But then, there's apparently something about my kind of "traveling", and being a "traveler", that I never discovered before.

Something beyond.

I just realized about this recently. When my parents gone traveling. When a friend came visiting. When a coworker planned having a trip.

It all started with my parents' trip to Japan, for about 10 days. Only the two of them, with no tour, no relatives, no one they know. As a traveler, and as somebody who had traveled there, AND, as a good son blessed by God for them, of course, I helped them with everything. Literally, everything. From booking their flights and hotels, arranging their itinerary and ultimately, assisting them real-time by providing them detailed instructions of where to go now, after this and after that, complete with which transport to take, AND, how to ask locals. It's like I was there, traveling with them.

Then during their trip a friend from Australia came visiting me in town. He went down here absolutely unplanned, taking granted of my expertise in my own city, hoping me to suggest him with whatever. As a friend, and as a civilized human being attempting to give back to someone who was such a big help during his trip in Australia, of course, I helped him with everything. From hotel recos to food options, from just telling him where to go to actually explore with him. It's like I was the one traveling, and he was just a clueless friend tagging along.

Not enough with those two, at the same time something else happened. Remember that I once started an itinerary-making business on my own? Yea, it’s still around. And a coworker of mine kind of needed my help to arrange her trip to... London. As a hungry traveler who wanted to know more about the city, and as a professional, of course, I accepted the job. Creating her one comprehensive, detailed day-to-day itinerary as if I was writing a guide book. It's like I was a citizen of London, telling her what to prepare prior her arrival.

I just realized about this. When my parents gone to Japan and I was the one assisting them. When a friend came to Indonesia and I was the one guiding him. When a coworker planned a trip to London and I, whom never actually been there, was the one arranging her journey as if I had been there thousands of times. All counting on me with not just simple helps, but COMPLETELY counting their life on me—

And with the fact that those three happened exactly at ONE SAME TIME, well, gotta say, my value as a traveler instantly increased.

You do know that I call myself Tricky Traveler, right?

From just a regular guy who traveled,

Doing some normal kind of traveling,

Going home to make a book of travel,

From that kind of traveler,

To a true traveler

Seventy Two

For the first time in my life,

I got a visitor from abroad -a friend I met on my Australia trip, during Indonesia’s Independence Holiday. Which effectively means that for the first time in my life too -since I had to guide this friend of mine around town, I explored Jakarta and its major tourist spots, during Indonesia’s Independence Holiday.

And let’s talk in Indonesian.

Jujur sebenernya gue gak sabar sih buat menyambut temen gue ini. Namanya Paul. Makanan favoritnya steak, kalo nginep pas liburan selalu di hotel berbintang, dan dia ke mana-mana naik mobil atau taksi. Dia baru pertama kali ke Indonesia jadi gue tambah excited! Karena gue pengen ngenalin makanan-makanan lokal gue yang enak-enak, karena gue pengen pamer kalo transport di Jakarta udah nyaman, karena ini pengalaman pertama gue ke Kota Tua pas 17an, dan karena gue mau nunjukin betapa meriahnya perayaan kemerdekaan di Indo which negara manapun di dunia gak ada yang bikin selebrasi seheboh ini.

Awalnya hari ini berjalan lancar. Mulai dari gue sama adek gue nganter bokap nyokap ke airport, trus pulangnya lewat rumah-rumah di area kampung jadi bisa ngeliat orang-orang lagi pada sibuk nyiapin lomba-lomba, trus ke tempat temen gue naik busway yang isinya orang-orang berbaju merah. Intinya, suasana 17an udah kerasa banget.

Namun, lama-lama semuanya mulai gak beres. Panasnya bener-bener gak karuan, trus museum-museum di Kota Tua, yang harusnya jadi atraksi utama dan alasan pertama kenapa gue ajak Paul ke sana, TUTUP SEMUA -sumpah ya gak abis pikir, ini kan 17an, kenapa malah tutup??? Kalo tanggal-tanggal merah lainnya ya gak masalah lah, tapi Hari Kemerdekaan!?!?, udah gitu jalan-jalan arah Pelabuhan Sunda Kelapa semuanya pake dialihin pula, fuck, kesel sih gue gak bohong.

Tapi itu semua gak ada apa-apanya dibandingin pas gue mau ke Istana Negara buat liat upacara penurunan bendera.

Ini kan main dish ya. Jadi gue berharap banget setelah semua ke-rese-an yang terjadi barusan, at least buat yang satu ini beneran kejadian. Tapi dunia berkata lain. Jalan yang ditutup makin menjadi-jadi, sehingga busway gue memutuskan untuk gak berhenti di Monas dan langsung ke Harmoni. Di halte itu ternyata udah penuh gak karuan. Dan bus arah balik ke Monas lamanya gak nahan. Antreannya panjang, panasnya bukan main, dan ketika bus tiba, kita mesti dempet-dempetan masuk dan desek-desekan di dalem bus. Terakhir, busnya ternyata muter sehingga kita gak lewat Monas dan ya, intinya, perjalanan gue barusan itu sia-sia dan cuma dapet apesnya aja.

Temen gue, namanya Paul.

Dia ke mana-mana naik mobil atau taksi, tapi hari ini dia mesti kebawa arus orang-orang busway yang, well, tau sendiri kan betapa liarnya mereka kalo mau naik bus yang udah ditunggu-tunggu 45 menit? Paul baru pertama kali ke Indonesia, dan di hari pertamanya ini dia harus ngeliat betapa bobroknya negara gue, harus gagal ngerasain meriahnya 17an, harus ngerasain sisi-sisi kelam Jakarta yang sebenernya sehari-hari udah mulai gak kerasa.

Gue bisa liat si Paul udah mpet banget. Tapi muka paling mpet ya muka gue. Karena gue pikir bawa dia keliling pas lagi 17an itu adalah ide yang bagus, tapi ternyata nggak. Karena gue pikir ajak dia naik transportasi umum itu adalah pengalaman seru, tapi ternyata bau.

Dia bilang seru sih -yang gue sangat yakin dia bohong, dan makan malem yang gue kenalin ke dia, which were tongseng, pisang goreng, otak-otak dan es jeruk kelapa, katanya enak banget -kalo yang ini gue sangat yakin dia jujur, karena keliatan lah dari mungkenye.

Tapi tetep aja, gue kecewa…

Karena ternyata, meski udah berusia 72 tahun, Indonesia (dan Jakarta) masih buruk banget pengaturannya. Oke buat hari-hari biasa, emang udah kerasa bagus dan rapihnya. Tapi giliran ada hari besar kayak gini, dor, langsung deh keder. Kaget. Shock. Jelas banget kalo persiapannya kurang. Acara-acara kenegaraan yang ditayangin di TV, keliatannya emang mewah. Tapi gak ada yang tahu kan kalo ternyata biar orang-orang bisa sampe di Istana, buat ngeliat “kemewahan” itu, susahnya bukan main?

Tapi bicara soal “orang-orang”…

Selesai main sama Paul, gue pulang naik ojek. Ojeknya agak dodol karena muter-muter dan ngelewatin daerah-daerah terpencil yang -gue pikir gue bakalan diculik sumpah, karena- gue gak tau itu di mana. Tapi justru di atas ojek inilah gue termenung soal, “orang-orang”.

Orang-orang Indonesia tulen yang baru aja selesai ngerayain pesta kemerdekaan. Yang lagi beres-beres gawang bola, yang lagi gotong tiang-tiang buat panjat pinang, yang lagi bagi-bagi hadiah lomba. Semuanya gembira ria dan ketawa-tawa.

Lalu gue teringat seharian ini gue berinteraksi terus sama mereka. Yang ada di bandara, dengan muka cengengesan karena baru tiba di Jakarta, yang dilewatin sama gue dan adek setelah nganter bonyok, yang ada di bus yang bajunya serba merah, yang memenuhi tiap sudut alun-alun Kota Tua dan Sunda Kelapa, yang dempet-dempetan sama gue dan Paul karena semua berebutan pengen liat upacara di Istana...

Mungkin si Paul nggak ngerasa itu menarik.

Tapi buat gue, itu sangat menyentuh.

Karena gue liat langsung dengan mata gue bahwa gimanapun juga, apapun situasinya, mau itu di bawah panas terik matahari ibukota, di antara kerumunan liar, atau di tengah ketidakadilan pemerintah yang bisa nikmatin perayaan 17an sedangkan orang-orang harus berjuang di luar Istana—

Masyarakat Indonesia masih semangat keluar rumah,

Gabung dengan warga lain buat ikut ngerayain serunya 17an,

Dan ngebebasin diri dari kesibukan sehari-hari yang kayak berak.

It’s still a mess, okay,

But honestly, at least

It’s feisty, too