Trip to Aceh

Selamat Pagi Teman-Teman(Good Morning Friends),

I have finally made it off the mainland, and have arrived on Tuangku Island. Ross and I had a fairly smooth trip out here, for Indonesia that is. Unusually, both our planes flights left on time (Bali-Jakarta-Medan), and miraculously we weren’t charged a cent for our 100+ kilos of baggage.

Another pleasant surprise came on the second leg of our trip. As we were both adjusting to our knees crammed against the seat in front of us, a kind stewardess by the name of Christien came to say hello. Being the only white people on the plane, she asked us if we would be more comfortable occupying the empty business class section.

Although we were quite content with a few drinks and the added room, the hospitality did not end there. After the flight was over we were invited into the cockpit to meet the captains, and in return, felt obliged to satisfy the crew of stewardess’ request for a group picture.

After we landed in Medan, we headed straight to the Medan Club for pitcher of draft Heineken. There we met up with the lovely Mrs. Friska, co-owner of the Banyak Island Lodge. She was kind enough to escort us on our shopping mission to Brastagi, the Coscto of Indonesia. We stocked up on supplies to last us until our spear fishing skills improve and the garden starts bearing fruit.

Next, it was back to the Medan Club for a few pitchers with Dean, former Australian Iron Man, and co-owner of the lodge. After we were well prepared for the long journey to the hardcore muslim region of Aceh, Ross, Dean, Friska, and I got into the car around midnight and began the 10hr journey.

I had a feeling things had been going to smoothly, so I wasn’t surprised to wake up a few hours later to an overheated engine. In the middle of nowhere, we had to make a few phone calls and wait 3 hours before another car arrived to pick us up. We moved the 300 kilos of gear from one car to the other, and were back on our way.

The delay caused us to miss the weekly ferry, but fortunately my good buddy Mr. Erwin was happy to show off his new boat and give us a ride from Singkil to the lodge.

That sums up our journey out to the Bay of Plenty where I will be staying for the next five months. Looks like swell is on the way, and there is lots of work to be done before I can start the garden, so I will sign off for now…

Next post coming on Tues after the swell fades!