From Bromo I decided to go to Surabaya and then head to Sulawesi. To get there I had to catch a bus at Prombolingo. Lonely Planet says that most tourists don’t go to Surabaya, and there is nothing interesting to see. I knew I had to see the town.
I was on my way from Bromo to Probolingo. On the way, on a minibus, I was sitting in front, next to the driver and a guy who looked like a normal, regular tourist (I mean, really touristy, colorful t-shirt, longer hair, big headphones around his neck – an example of an European who comes to Indonesia to party around and surf etc.). The driver said something in bahasa Indonesia. I looked at the tourist making a face like I would have understood, which of course was meant to be a joke. The tourist asked “do you understand what he said?”. “Yeah, sure. I’m fluent. Aren’t you?” He didn’t say anything. But instead… started to talk to the driver in bahasa Indonesia. Well, I was speechless (and it doesn’t happen that often). After a few minutes I got a grip “OK. I’m impressed. Where did you learn the language?”
We started to talk, turned out that he was no tourist but a real traveler who took a year off to travel in Asia and has learned the language on the way. He thought about staying in Prombolingo for a couple of days, but as the conversation developed he decided to join me on the way to Surabaya where he eventually also had to catch a plane. And so, I found a rather unusual travel buddy. The traveler was a bit younger than me, bright and personable. He was like a magnet for the people – everyone wanted to talk to him, take pictures with him, smiled at him and he had a good word for everyone, he laughed with the people, took time to talk to them, tried to speak not only in bahasa Indonesia, but also used some basic words in local languages (mostly Javanese) which was highly appreciated by everyone we’ve met. People seemed to get attached to him once he looked at them. Remarkable. I don’t think I’ve ever met such an extraordinary character before – and as you know I did meet some amazing individuals along the way.
He was a simple man (in a good way, like the Lynyrd Skynyrd “Simple Man”), without sophisticated schooling, but well traveled and well read which is far more important than formal education (yes, it really is – I may have my PhD but only with travels my horizons really opened; remember what Mark Twain said? “Never let your schooling interfere with your education”…). The traveler was extremely intelligent, with a terrific sense of humor and, a man of values and a charismatic personality. And I knew he would make not only a perfect travel companion, but also an inspiration for one of the characters for my next travel novel.
If my life was a movie, in the Surabaya episode I would be playing only a supporting role. The leading part was without any doubts his – he was the 'social butterfly' chatting with everyone. I must say that I’ve learned quite a few things from him, I watched with attention his behavior, gestures while he was talking to the local people. I also listened carefully. And it was a precious lesson which I used later on the road, when I was - again on my own - in some remote corners of the Sulawesi island.
Anyhow, it was an adventure to wonder the streets of Surabaya in his company. We had street food, and coffee at local eateries, used local transport, talked to people (well, he talked, I watched). Btw, it was right after Borussia won, and Lewandowski became the star, and as I’m from Poland it was one of the frequent conversation topics with people we met on the way :)
We got lost in the city, walked a lot (by ‘a lot’ I mean - to the point of muscle pain), visited some enchanting streets, saw the Sampoerna tobacco factory (where I got hooked on kretek cigarettes ;) We also spent time doing nothing, just watching an Indonesian TV show for kids (I will never forget a fluffy flower singing in bahasa Indonesia…) and laughing; we drank beer talking and watching geckos and rats which were really huge (the rats I mean) at our hostel. We watched photos from his trip around Asia, listened to some old rock hits and German hip hop from the time I lived in Berlin, and basically had some highly interesting conversations.
I must admit, I find it somehow easier to talk about myself to strangers. I mean, normally, I don’t talk much about happenings in my life (well, of course except for my travel stories which I share with everyone interested), but sometimes I open up to travelers – they share my values and can understand me, even if we sometimes get lost in translation. I told him a lot about myself, and could in return listen to the story of his life. He was no saint, but I actually believe the ‘scars’ make people interesting, build up personalities. I truly enjoyed his company which was both - fun and interesting. But well, it was time to move on. Like it always is when I start to get attached to someone.
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