Lake Toba

Over the long Easter weekend, I visited Lake Toba with my boss and her husband. Lake Toba is high in the Sumatran Mountains and the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. With beautiful scenery, cool temperatures, waterfalls, cheap guesthouses, and motorbikes for rent, plenty of fun was had.

Nias and a New Camera

With the start of our new water infrastructure project, I was able to travel to Nias Island, which has one of the best surfing breaks worldwide. In the evenings, while the chicken was being plucked, cooked, and served, we sat by the beach and watched the surfers sail through 8 ft. waves with our Bintang’s in hand. With the island’s Indian Ocean location, which is an hour’s flight from the mainland, the Indonesian government has historically neglected Nias. No doubt their Christian religion, fierce independence, and suspicion of outsiders has also contributed to their underdevelopment.

In Nias, a must see tourist attraction is stone jumping. For the jumping, adolescent boys propel themselves over two meter high stones. This feat is a coming of age test to prove manhood before marriage.

Unfortunately, at the Nias Airport, I misplaced my camera or was pick pocketed. Either way, I was forced to purchase a new camera from one of Medan’s glitzy malls. Shopping is sport, entertainment and leisure for Medan residents. At the Medan Fair Plaza, I encountered Bonus Bonus (plural of bonus), when I bought my new Kodak. To reward my purchase, I was given a free memory card, camera case, travel bag, Tupper ware set, coffee mug, and a twenty-dollar voucher for future purchases. This craziness may even make a miser like me enjoy the shopping experience.

Wedding, Palm Oil Plantations, and Durian

Recently, several of our staff members have married, which has given me an excuse to learn more about Indonesian culture. For wedding parties, parents of the bride and groom organize separate events and invite all their acquaintances. Mingling with other guests is not encouraged, as party goers are expected to eat quickly, take a picture, and vacate for the next round of visitors. In the background, women in headscarves sang Karaoke and danced, while the bride and groom repeatedly change outfits that represented their ethnic makeup. As Zaya commented, I look like a normal person within a postcard.

On the wedding trip, we traveled several hours outside of Medan, which allowed me to digest the vast palm oil and rubber plantations of Sumatra. For some time, I have read about the vast expanses of jungle that has been converted to plantations. In the Indonesian newspapers, there are weekly reports of tigers and elephants coming down to loot villages for food, because their native habitat is being destroyed. Seeing the vastness of plantations is quite sad. Besides growing corn or grazing a few animals between smaller palm trees, there is no other agriculture activity within these thousand acre plantations.

During the trip, I had the unfortunate experience of tasting my first durian fruit. Quite unlike anything I have ever tasted, Durian tastes like sweetened rotten garlic. Not only is the taste awful, but the Durian also has incredibly high levels of cholesterol. If given a choice, I would choose mutton fat and mare’s milk.

Banda Aceh

Most weeks I travel for work and the usual destination is Banda Aceh, which was near the epicenter of the 2004 Tsunami. Arriving three years later, few signs remain of the devastation that killed nearly 160,000 people. Now, Banda Aceh is a bustling city, which is undergoing a construction boom. Through our field offices, we are still building houses and constructing schools, while also engaging in longer term development issues like income generation and water/sanitation.

Medan

For better or worse, most of my time in Medan is spent within the TASBI housing complex. TASBI is the premier suburb of Medan and the location of my house and office. During the workweek, I find little reason to leave, especially with a driving range and noodle stand near my house. The quite neighborhood is a sanctuary from the otherwise chaotic Medan streets. Many of the residents are ethnic Chinese and my driver tells me that the biggest Sumatran crime bosses live nearby. Because of my Chinese background, my driver thinks I should quit my UMCOR job and become a businessman. Potential business ideas include starting a palm oil plantation or tourist hotel. On my evening walks home, I am able to peer into the lives of the rich and powerful and hear their children’s violin and piano lessons. Attached our pictures of UMCOR's office and my home.

China and Pre Indonesia Arrival

Over the holidays, I traveled to Beijing and Hainan Island with my girlfriend. In Hainan, Zaya and I enjoyed the escape from Ithaca and Mongolian winters and passed the days at the beach, coffee shops, and street food stands of Sanya. While in Beijing, we were able to explore the Summer Palace with my aunt and uncle who have recently returned to Beijing from the States.

Before leaving for Indonesia, I spent a week in Ithaca catching up with friends and binding my thesis. Also squeezed a short trip back to WV to see my parents and hike to the hawk observatory.

To pay homage to my Scandinavian ancestors, I scheduled a layover in Stockholm before arrival in SE Asia. I was impressed with the hardwood floors of the airport, but was lukewarm about the UP like winter scenery.

Tribute to Kieran

Kieran has left Mongolia. If you do not know him, he is everyone's favorite barroom companion, who not only has a good ear, but can also tell some pretty funny yarns. At his going away party, he was on top form. This was aided by the kegs of Chingis Beer and bottles of Chingis Vodka. For his final toast, he gave the now famous quote, "Hey, my name is Kieran and I am an asshole, but I am the nicest asshole you will ever meet. And when you leave here, you're going to meet a whole hell of a lot more assholes." And similar to FDR'S famous words, John says, "He's an asshole, but at least he is our asshole." Happy Trails and best of luck at the Defense Department.