[Added 19/11, while at BINUS - hujan lebat di Jakarta - my shoes!] My as well stayed at home, seeing that all I did today was bump into ANU types. Did the ANU stuff in the morning at The Australian Corner. Unbelievably, an ANU PhD student, Citra, was there, doing research on trauma, comparing how communities in Canberra and Banda Aceh dealt with it. Small world. Presented and fielded questions for over 2 hours. Then went to the Aceh Research Teaching Institute. Greg Fealy, ANU Indonesian specialist, was also there! Sign on a tree: "Dilarang pacaran di sini" - Boyfriend and girlfriend activity is banned. No public displays of affection allowed.
Driven around by Samsul, the coordinator of Australian Corner. As we made our way to the city centre, he recounted his tsunami experience. "Here, the water was two metres." Later, "Here it was three metres. Semuanya dirusak, meninggal (Everything was destroyed, dead)." After the earthquake, confusion, people in the streets, then vehicles driving toward the city saying the water was coming, the water coming. And people not understanding what was meant by that, as it hadn't been wet. Then official vehicles came along and spread the word. The water was coming. Get to high ground. From what Samsul said, the tsunami lasted about 15 minutes, and then there was 30 minutes of backwash. For 3-4 days, nothing could be done. City empty. Bridges became like dams, blocked with bodies, furniture, building debris. Mostly women and children. Imagine a bridge, spanning 100s of metres, clogged with bodies, acting as a dam.
"Kota Aceh ini terkenal untuk tiga hal: kopi, mie, dan ganja. Aceh is famous for three things: coffee, noodles, and ganja." Given my healthy respect for Indonesian law, I would limit myself to trying the coffee and the noodles. Two out of three ain't bad. Word has it that sometimes ganja seeds are included with the coffee, but mine weren't. Coffee the best I've had since I've been in Indonesia.
The noodles were hot and spicy, as I expected. Three plates of different sweets were brought to the table.Noting my enthusiasm for the coffee, Samsul suggested we go to where the Chek Yuke franchise started. Just as Australia is known for its plethora of pubs, Aceh is known for its coffee shops - kedai kopi. They're everywhere. Blokes sit for hours, sipping coffee, and chatting.
The barista at these places needs to be seen in action. Buckets of hot water are scooped into a cloth net device and then held aloft over some cups, as the water strains through.
I hope Australian customs lets me bring the coffee that I bought into the country. My friends better be hoping, too!
At 4pm, head to Lhokseumawe. Yuli, Iskandar's friend, is driving. 300 kilometres on a map. Three hours if wer're in Australia, but we're not. Monkeys on the side of the road, which means, of course, that there will be monkey roadkill. And there was. A couple of stops so that the lads could buy oleh-oleh, small gifts (mainly food) for family and friends. Bananas. Dried fruit. Chips made from sweet potatoes.
At 10pm, stopped at a "greasy spoon." Floor like your local garage, walls fit for a student squat, and indifferent service. Iskandar oversighted the preparation of my vegetarian food! Arrived at 11pm. Exhausted.
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