Kenakelayan quoted this in one of her entries:
...you will come across people who will leave you increased in some good way or other, and you keep a part of them with you forever. These are baraka people.
Anang, the driver who took care of our trip from day 1, fits the above bill very well. A well mannered and mild-tempered person, he forever spoke with a pleasant tone and expression. Never did we see him once, losing his temper or showing his annoyance towards anyone. He tried his best to answer our queries, answering to our barrages of questions left and right.
Always wearing a sincere smile, he is ever polite in his ways. When eating with us, he chose not sit too near, perhaps in fear of disrupting our privacy, eventhough we felt so comfortable with his presence. Once at the hill at Parangtritis, as he was imparting valuable knowledge to us ladies, an old woman who was on foot, greeted him and made some query, to which he answered with a smile. Others would probably brush the woman aside but not Anang!
He completed high school and started working immediately without acquiring tertiary study. But let not that make you think poorly of him! His knowledge of his motherland is to be praised. His knows ancient history of the Hindu and Budhhist power colonising his homeland as much as he knows of the whole gamut of the present day politics. And he even read serious books like Hamka's!
Patience is written all over his face especially when following us around bargaining for things at the market or when we had to wait for the sun to set its best crimson color at Parangtritis or when the guys were in a state of despondence for not able to capture Merapi at its best. As if reading the guys' mind, he made a detour, taking a route with a better view of Merapi.
Here are some exerpts of our conversations with him (retrieved from my memory box, thus, some distortions might have occured)
"Yang bahayanya, awan panas, dihasil dari proses letupan gunung itu. Di sini dipanggil Wedus Ghembel. Panasnya bisa capai 2000 darjah. Ia bisa gerak laju sekali"
"Biar saja saya yang bawanya" and off he took all our shopping goods and we walked around hands free.
At Parangtritis, we were amazed on how the villagers managed vegetable farms by the beach. "Iya. Sayur bisa hidup di pasir. Cumanya, perlu ada air yang di lalukan ke situ."
I could rave on and on about this guy who is a walking encyclopedia in his own unique way!
From day one, Anang had carried an unspoken motto that says: I am here to make your stay worthwhile!
Anang is one of those people whom you keep a part of them with you forever! May Allah swt give him His blessings constantly, insyallah.
10 comments:
Anang's pic you've posted tell us that he's a nice man. Sometimes, you can tell a person from his looks. In this case, his kindness and sincerity shines through. I dont have to listen to a word he says to tell you that he must surely be a nice, friendly man.
Should we ever get the opportunity to visit Jogja, can any of you arrange for Anang to be our guide too? It's always better to go by reccommendation. ;)
It's wonderful to hear of such a person, and even more blessed for one to be friends with them.
Pycno- You're absolutely right! We sure can give you his contact address and number. Just tell us when you need it.You just need to pay for the car and his service which is counted by days of utilisation.
Crimson- True!
:) Nice people reflect the adab of Rasul saw.
I could still remember when we 'dismissed' him for the day, around 3/4 pm. hopping that he can get to his family early on that day.
That evening we have some problems concerning the rates at the Manohara Hotel as quoted by his boss and earlier I was searching high and low for a card reader(the one i brought broke), he was there listening quietly. He later asked me weather I wanted him to search for it. I just told him that on his way back, just drop at a shop that is nearby and if he is not sure, it will be allright for we can get it on the next day.
For all we knew that he arrived home at 9.00pm. Searching high and low for the card(with the damaged card reader) and also trying to sort things out at his office with his boss concerning the hotel rates.
Anang, a responsible worker, a 'teacher' and a friend.
What you've written about Anang matches perfectly with his picture in your entry.
Thanks to people like Anang, the visits we make to other places become a little bit more special :)
lucky you...Allah sent u such a wonderful person like anang to make ur trip memorable...
ur trip somehow wake me up to the fact that..tak payah pergi jauh jauh kalau nak melancong kan? negara jiran pon u can learn many things walaupun diaorang speak the same languga (sort of) and somehow share the same values as ours..
Salaam..
I found all your entries about your trip very enlightening and fun to read :) It definitely was a good trip for you, isn't it? I've never been anywhere out of Malaysia, since returning from the US (where I was born). My dad isn't so much of a traveller. Hope I'll be able to go to Indonesia one day :)
Here indeed buffoonery, what that
Two is company, three is crowd.
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