I've made a very difficult decision. The becak must be sold.
I'm asking $150.00. (It's a steal at half the price!)
SOLD!
The story of the
Silver Nitrate Queen’s becak: Becak links can be found at the bottom of this page.This becak (pronounced bay-cha, like ya, sure you betcha, only bay-cha.) is originally from Jakarta, the capitol of Indonesia. The Queen discovered it in a basement of a junk store in Seattle ( a city north of Tokeland) and purchased it strictly for use as a parade vehicle. It had spent many, many years in service as a working mode of transportation, thrilling its riders while navigating the streets of the wonderful Indonesian city of Jakarta. Its dilapidated state wasn’t obvious in that dark basement in Seattle, but it became quite apparent in the gray Tokeland dawn.
The refurbishing of the becak took months. It was completely dismantled, stripped of its paint, welded and repainted. Most of the wood has been replaced or restored. All of the old becak licenses remain intact. The old convertible top was made of bamboo and rubber and was rotten. The new top is made of modern PVC pipe and vinyl, with dingle-ball accents. After the refurbishing, the arduous task of decorating began...and continues to this day. The Silver Nitrate Queen’s becak is adorned with many symbols of fertility and prosperity. silver nitrate fetish dolls, plastic cameras, a pope doll and cat figurines complete the becak’s aura. The Becak tells me what adornments belong where, but my position as the president of the Tokeland Chamber of Commerce dictates I use some restraint.
The Silver Nitrate Queen invites you to enjoy the many ways the becak enriches your life.
Click on any image for a larger view:
Becak 2000:
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The Becak in the past:
As found, in that dark basement in Seattle. |
Another view. |
Original paint. |
Prepared for the welder. |
The becak crew, prepared for her first parade. |
Presentation of the trophy. |
The write up. |
The SNQ's Becak's first trophy! (First place too!) |
My friend Judith and her baby Sophia in the Hoquiam Logger's Playday Parade. I pedaled the becak in my silver high heels. It proved to be not nearly as tough as I thought it would be. Though it was mentioned that my dress was "inappropriate." |
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Hey! Isn't that the Queen and the jolly old Lord Of Darkness? |
An Indonesian Children’s song about the becak:
Aku hendak tamasya
Keliling-keliling kota
Sambi melihat-lihat
Pemandangan yang ada
Aku panggikan becak
Kereta tak berkuda
Becak, becak coba bawa saya
Translation:
I would like to go for sightseeing
around downtown
And take a look
at the scenery
I called for becak
The cart without a horse
Becak, becak, take me for a ride
A note about Silver Nitrate:
AgNO3: The most important compound of silver, it is used in the preparation of silver salts for photography, in chemical analysis, in silver plating, in inks and hair dyes, and to silver mirrors. It is used in medicine in the treatment of eye infections and gonorrhea. Fused silver nitrate is also called lunar caustic. Taken internally silver nitrate is a poison. It is prepared by reaction of nitric acid with silver, and purified by recrystallization. It is darkened by sunlight or contact with organic matter such as the skin.
The Queen is searching for good becak links...and good becak repair parts! If you know of a great becak link, please contact me!
Workbike articles: http://www.workbike.org/news/reformasi.html
A page put up by another becak owner in the
throes of restoration:
http://unlikely.org/mike/becak/
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