6:30 am, and the day was already bright. We had about 4 hours to kill before my maid's family would arrive to pick us up. We took a walk, past the famous Jambatan Merah (I think - since it was coloured red) towards no specific destination. Plenty of becas were offering us a ride. We obviously didn't look Indonesian. We preferred to walk, at least until we realized that our road to nowhere is bringing us exactly there -- nowhere. We were also feeling empty in the stomach. So we decided that taking the beca is a more reasonable option. 25,000 rupiah for an hour but first we asked the beca man to bring us to a shop for breakfast. We saw several stalls but don't think were were ready for stall food.
After breakfast, it's off to a flea market. It was at the flea market that I saw something familiar. I couldn't believe my eyes. Could it be possible? A Brooks saddle? I went closer, much to the amazement of the owner. Indeed, a Brooks saddle. I looked at the owner.
The saddle that introduced two new friends
The conversation went like this:
"Pak, ini Brooks saddle", confirming more than asking.
"Ya, bapak tahu pasal Brooks saddle?"
"Tahu. Saya pun guna satu. Baru saja beli di Dublin. Sudah order lagi satu"
"Ooo...speda ini jenis Raleigh, bikin dari Malaysia. Jenama nya tertulis diframe"
"Ya Pak. Saya Ramli"
"Saya Ramlan"
The 2 BR's - Bapak Ramli & Bapak Ramlan
The Classic Raleigh
And we became friends, immediately. Two gentlemen with same love. I admired the "newness" of his antique Raleigh, the original Sturmey Archer shifter, the original green paint, the lights, the reflector, well...the everything. We posed for a picture, and Muna became the photographer, smiling quietly at these 2 kids excited about an old bicycle. Very hard to comprehend. We exchanged our cyber connection and promised to keep in touch. In touch I did and I hoped to meet Bapak Ramlan again, in Jakarta.
Before we parted ways, he suggested me to go to Kota Madya the following day (Sunday) where cycling enthusiasts converge, including a group of antique bike collectors. Terima Kaseh Bapak Ramlan, sampe ketemu nanti. Kota Madya, here I come.
THE FLEA MARKET
So, what do they sell at the flea market? Anything and everything. What Malaysians threw away, the Indonesians found use. I asked myself whether these "discarded" items were sellable? What a stupid question. Would they be there if they were not sellable? We should and must be like them? Recycle we must. The word sounded similar with my hobby too? Isn't that great?
I told you they sell everything here
Ngak panas lagi.....
Pram untuk bayi anda
Kasut roller blading untuk remaja
Ada wc juga ada sinki
Untuk ibu-ibu, rice cooker jamin nasi tak basi
Surabaya is a land of the motorbikes
Having done our rounds, we headed back to the hotel to wait for the entourage from Lamongan to arrive to pick us to my maid's kampong. Gave a 5,000 Rupiah tip to the beca man. I felt great. Pak Beca went off smiling.
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