Got a backlog of blogging to do. Firmed up with some strong coffee and apple cake. Internet rates at the hotel border on extortion - 100.000 rupiah per hour versus the 6.000 rupiah per hour at the internet cafe, but if it means there'll be no blackouts, then it's worth it.
Last night, Iskandar offered to show me how to make nasi goreng (fried rice) for tomorrow's breakfast. Haven't had roti for a week, having given in to rice for breakfast.
Ingredients:
- garlic (1)
- scallions (2)
- spring onion (1)
- coriander (1 TS)
- tomato (1)
- egg (2, beaten)
- chili (to taste)
- oil (2-3 TS)
- curry laksa paste (2-3 TS)
- Precooked rice (enough to feed 4 people)
- Soy sauce
- Salt
Add garlic and scallions (30 secs)
Add tomato and curry paste (mix thoroughly, about 1 min.)
Add telur (egg) and mix.
Add rice.
Add some soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Stir a lot.
Top with coriander.
Add spring onions.
Quick and easy. Iskandar's a wizard in the kitchen and, given the gender division, a little unusual in that he knows his way around the dapur. Yet to get a family photo. On the verandah, but took a while to convince Raffa (4) that this was a fun activity. Most shots involved the back of his head. Eventually, encouraged to look my way.
Dropped Ella off at ARTI, a research teaching institute, and then, following Iskandar's suggestion, used my last 40 minutes in Banda Aceh to visit the Aceh Museum, which was closed yesterday. Nyakni, our driver, dropped Iskandar off at his office, so he could do a little work, and then we sped into the city centre for a quick tour of the traditional Acehnese house in front of the museum. A good exhibit and, surprisingly, gratis (free).
Love driving through the streets of Banda Aceh. Main roads are wide, tree-lined, and clean. Median strips create a sense of order. Ah, this city appeals to my Canberran values! A clear day, so can see the mountains that surround the city. Truly beautiful. If I could forget the heat, it reminds me of Vancouver, though not as sublime. Near the airport, a mass grave (kuburan massal) for tsunami victims, thousands bulldozed into this area.
Had my last coffee in Aceh at the airport. Said goodbyes and expressed the hope that Suatu hari kita akan bertemu lagi (One day, we will meet again). Iskandar had confirmed my booking and arranged for a window seat. He gets things done in style: my window seat, near the emergency exit, had no seat in front - luxury. A fantastic host. Suitcase is over the limit: 24.3 kilos. Garuda staff advised me that I would have to pay, but then they decided against it. Tonight will cull paper and see if anything else can be sent via post.
Views sensational as I leave Banda Aceh. Ballbearings sparkle in the sun - the domes of the many mosques, I assume.Nearly finished on Toltz, about 30 pages to go. One of the benefits of spending three hours in the air: reading time. Two books in two months. A bit sluggish.
Nearing the airport, the sea seeps into the land, boundaries porous. Cubist grids of sawah (rice fields). Global warming will devastate Jakarta.
At Jakarta, approached, as expected, by a swarm of taxi touts, eager for bule trade. Impossible to exit the baggage claim area without passing their clamour. Made it clear that I didn't need their assistance, but like an unwanted melanoma, one attached himself to me. Useful, as he showed me where to find the ATM, which was a source of anxiety because as I was exiting the plane I could not recall my PIN. Various permutations percolated to the surface, none of them convincing. Rolled the same four numbers around and around. Wondered would Commonwealth give me the number over the phone. First attempt at using the card failed. Thought a bit, and then the right sequence materialised. My tout was still hanging around. Berapa harga, I asked. Dua ratus ribu rupiah (200.000) he replied. Where's your taxi ID card, I asked. He showed me. Next, to prove how long I've been in Indonesia, I said: "Wait a minute. I want to compare your price with another company's." Went to the taxi stand, one recommended by Greta. Asked for the price. Given three options. Looked at the cheapest - 190.000. Turned to the tout, looked at the new guy, mumbled something about how the price was not really different to the other price. In response, the new guy dropped the price! I haggled, successfully. 150.000 rupiah. Take that, taxi touts of Jakarta! Catching a taxi the official way, however, also commits one to paperwork and a bit of a wait, but worth it for the peace of mind. Now that I can haggle, my education here feels complete.
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