My Jakarta - Joko, High-Rise Window Cleaner: It is amazing what people can overcome when they put their minds to it. Take Joko, for example. This window cleaner at Menara BCA in Thamrin, the tallest office building in Indonesia, has learned to put aside fear as he sways in the breeze high above Jakarta. The 25-year-old has been cleaning the same office windows for three years now and shares with us what it feels like to hang 56 floors above the earth.Don’t your knees get weak when you’re outside looking down from the 56th floor of Menara BCA?
I was committed to doing it from the very first time, so I’m not scared. And now that I’ve been cleaning office windows for three years, I’m used to it.
Don’t you ever worry that the rope might break and the gondola fall to the ground?
Luckily that has not happened to me. And it’s very unlikely to happen because we were all trained and tested at the start. We also use all the necessary safety equipment: harness, helmet, goggles, safety shoes, gloves, carabiner and so on. Just like rock climbing.
We? How many people go on the gondola with you?
There are three of us; an operator, myself and another cleaner. There’s also a supervisor watching us from the top floor.
Can you take visitors on the gondola with you? You could charge money, like skydiving or bungee jumping.
We only take guests who have obtained permission from the office management. But we haven’t taken any guests since I’ve worked here.
That’s too bad. It could be the next big thing. So how often and how long are you out there?
We clean six days a week, unless it rains. We clean about 20 floors a day, starting at 6 a.m. through till 2 p.m.
Wow, you hardly touch the ground for eight hours straight. Don’t you ever want to take a break and go for a walk?
Well, after 2 p.m. I go back to my parents’ house in Jatinegara and rest.
So no coffee break or time to relax while you are on the gondola?
[Laughs] No, but I find it enjoyable to view Jakarta from above, places like Ancol. But I especially like Mount Putri, which is visible in the morning.
That’s so cool. I didn’t know you could see a mountain from Thamrin. What about animals? I saw a bird once. It was a short-faced tumbler. It came flying into the glass. I think it got dizzy because it paused for a little while before flying away.
What do you do when you go home to Jatinegara?
I own a home-based business renting out three PlayStations. We could have anywhere between three and 15 people playing at our house until 9 p.m. Sometimes I play too. Other times, when I’m tired, I just go to sleep.
Don’t your parents ever complain about the noise?
Their room is upstairs so they don’t really hear it.
What is your favorite food in Jakarta?
The baso [meatballs] in front of the East Mall of Grand Indonesia, just next to Menara BCA and close to a Korean restaurant. The place is called Mie Bloon [Idiotic Noodles].
Is that what do when you finally touch the ground? Eat and hang out at Mie Bloon?
When we are back on the ground, we continue to clean windows at the ground level, like those in the lobby. We also have a briefing with our supervisor after work.
What else do you like about Jakarta apart from the baso?
I like the fact that there are many people from different ethnic groups living in Jakarta.
Haven’t you ever been scared
while up there? What about the first time you did it? The first time, I just prayed that I’d be safe up there. But I don’t get scared. One time it got really windy, but I wasn’t scared, just shocked. I know it’s safe. The gondola is attached to the building so it won’t sway much.
Can you see what people are doing inside the building from out there?
Yes, I can. But people are usually just working.
Do you aspire to be like Alain Robert, the French Spiderman who came here last year and climbed the City Tower with only his hands and feet, no rope, no nothing?
Who? I’ve never heard of him. No, I don’t want to do that.
What do you have planned for the future?
I have a girlfriend and we are getting married this year [blushes].
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