Learning the language

Monday thru Saturday I (Lori) walk uphill, sometimes on the sidewalk, sometimes on the road (because the sidewalk is broken in many places) to school. Sometimes, usually during the afternoon, I'm too hot and tired to make the 30 minute hike, so I look for a pedicab (becak) on the way. In the afternoons, I can usually find becak drivers taking a nap in their cabs at the side of the road after the roundabout. I try to find one that's still awake, and that actually wants to work. Most of the time, I can understand most of what they say in Bahasa Indonesia, or at least guess what they are saying. The following is a translation of our conversation, which I mostly guessed, cause this time the driver may as well have been speaking Japanese...

Him: Brubel grabel grub "You want to go where?"

Me: Nanggulan, please.

Him: Brubel grabel grub (pointing) "Nangulan up there?"

Me: Yes, is it possible?

Him: Brubel grabel grub (Nods) "Yes"

Me: How much will it be?

Him: brubel grabel grub (pointing at me) "How much do you want to pay?"

Me: (a bit nervous, I’ve never been asked this before, they usually start with a highish bid) Ah, 50? (lima puluh)

Him: Ayo! (waving me in the cab before I change my mind) "OK, let's go!"

Me: (a bit confused as to why he agreed so quickly, when I usually pay more than that to go downhill, and a shorter distance) That’s OK?

Him: (nods vigourously) "yes!"

Me: (realizing that i had said 50,000 (lima puluh) rather than 5,000 (lima ribu) Oh, sorry ! I meant 5,000.

Him: (Lots of belly aching laughter) Grubel grabel grub (pointing at me) "No, no, OK, how much do you want to pay, then?"

Me: No, you tell me how much you’d like (firmly this time)

Him: grubel grabel grub, (holds up 10 fingers) "10,000?"

Me: 7,000? (holds up 7 fingers)

Him: Ayo! (Waves me in the cab) "Done, lets go!"