Inong is a 15-year-old youth of slim build like most others his age, but his strength is beyond average standards.

The teen is capable of carrying sacks of cement or jerry cans of gasoline on long, hazardous treks through steep forest paths for hours.

He is one of many such porters called kijang in Pinogu. The primary school dropout started the work in 2011, and said he enjoys the labor because of the rewards received. “In a week, I can earn Rp 1 million [US$106],” he said.

Toil: A kijang or laborer carries containers of gasoline to be sold in Pinogu. The men, aged between 15 and 40, charge Rp 5,000 (53 US cents) to 6,000 per kilogram of goods carried, which can be the likes of refrigerators, TV sets and household furnishings.Kijang laborers get Rp 5,000 to 6,000 per kilogram of goods carried, which can be as heavy as refridgerators, TV sets and household furnishings.

Andri, a peer of Inong, is also accustomed to the work though his family has objected to his choice of the arduous profession.

He insists on carrying loads more than just for the monetary gain. “My father used to be a kijang and he died while conveying goods,” he said. The primary school graduate decided to succeed his dad in the same occupation.

Most young porters have to walk as far as 30 kilometers from Tulabolo in East Suwawa to Pinogu for six to seven hours.

Meanwhile, motorcycle taxi or ojek drivers on the 46-kilometer route rely on skills driving their vehicles rather than physical strength to conquer the rough terrain.

Going to Pinogu by ojek gets one’s adrenalin running; the route is not suggested for anybody with a heart condition.

Ojek drivers take a narrow path like a rail track that lies partly on the edge of a steep hill with a ravine below. The track is actually an endless groove dug by passing motorcycles, which in some areas is quite deep.  

Ronal Tangahu, 22, a driver from Pinogu, said motorcycles frequently plunge into the valley. “Falling downhill is a common experience, but fortunately there have been no fatalities,” he added lightly.

In a week, the father claimed to net Rp 3 million from the high-risk job. Most of the motorcycles used as taxis have been modified, including the brakes to adapt to the terrain and for safety, with other parts altered as well.

An ojek on average can carry 150 kilograms. In the past Pinogu residents relied on horses to transport passengers and goods, but today the animals are rarely used.  

Ojek drivers also come from other regions to try their luck amid the harsh roads, mostly Javanese migrants from Gorontalo or Bugis from South Sulawesi.

An ojek fare is Rp 500,000 per trip, about the same as the air ticket prices to some destinations.

— Syam Terrajana