“The hotel’s down that way”, the Indonesian criminal lawyer pointed as he depressed the brake pedal. Moments later, the car door slammed shut and he accelerated back into the constant stream of hooting motorcycles, impatient 4×4 drivers and smoke-emitting old buses on a main road in Kupang city. I’d been in Indonesia 25 hours and couldn’t read or say a word in the local Bahasa. So I walked up to the first car I saw to double-check, in English, if I was walking in the right direction.
“Forget the hotel – get into my car! Come stay at my house”, Erick Bebok said enthusiastically. Since I knew nobody locally, I agreed. I soon learned that Erick was a busy entrepreneur with business deals connected to KFC, the Ministries of Fisheries and of Agriculture, and elsewhere. What a proactive guy. I like that.
Erick immediately took a strong interest in my world record activity, seeing potential in events such as my having hung in a suspended cage for 21 days. Erick and I began looking at what Indonesian possibilities exist.
One day, Erick leaned back in his office chair and asked, “Do you know of other business opportunities for me? I have contacts for supplying companies with a wide variety of goods and services throughout this part of Indonesia. In addition, I’m in a good positon to export excellent quality Indonesian products abroad”.
When a family man with this much entrepreneurial spirit asks for help, it’s worth responding to. I’ve put Erick in touch with business people, and I’m hoping his open-mindedness will pay off for him in the near future. The other thing I’m hoping for is to attempt several world records here in Indonesia in the very near future.