Earthquake #13
Haven't had one in awhile...
Magnitude? 5.3
Date? Monday, 27 February, 04:32:49 local time
Epicenter? 50 miles WNW of Banda Aceh or 5.683°N, 94.615°E
What was I doing? Sleeping
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Random Observations and Happenings
- Instead of speed bumps/humps, there are speed gaps. To save asphalt, there are narrow gaps (about a foot wide) of unpaved areas that span the entire width of the road. Or even better, on the road down to the coast, villagers have set up barriers with empty oil drums and wooden beams, so speedy cars have to slow down and zig-zag its way through speed traps.
- Last week Peter Pan, the most famous band in Indonesia came to Banda Aceh and performed in the stadium (about $2 per ticket, and no ticketmaster service charge!!!) I wanted to go but had a conference call with DC office that night =( But I heard that the crowd was segregated into men and women (since Sharia Law is enforced here) But at least the crowd wasn't split so the men were in the front and women in the back.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Breakfast in Ulee Kareng
My coworker from Jakarta is here in Aceh this week, and he loves to go out in the mornings to have coffee and breakfast at a traditional coffee house and stroll the traditional market for good photo ops.
This morning, I decided to sacrifice 1.5 hours of sleep and tag along. Ulee Kareng is the neighborhood in the southeastern region of Banda Aceh. It was an area that was not affected by the tsunami. The area is also very famous for its traditional coffee houses. No venti lowfat vanilla lattes. You can have black coffee or black coffee with milk. For eats, as you sit down, they bring a variety of sweet and savory cakes, rolls, and pancakes. The most distinctive is a durian paste wrapped in a holey pancake. Very fragrant, if you know what I mean. At the end, the waiter comes and counts how many pieces you ate to determine the price. 4 satiated diners for a little over $2.
We then walked across the street over to the traditional market, where merchants sell their fruits, vegetables and meat. There were quite a few items that I had never seen before.
This morning, I decided to sacrifice 1.5 hours of sleep and tag along. Ulee Kareng is the neighborhood in the southeastern region of Banda Aceh. It was an area that was not affected by the tsunami. The area is also very famous for its traditional coffee houses. No venti lowfat vanilla lattes. You can have black coffee or black coffee with milk. For eats, as you sit down, they bring a variety of sweet and savory cakes, rolls, and pancakes. The most distinctive is a durian paste wrapped in a holey pancake. Very fragrant, if you know what I mean. At the end, the waiter comes and counts how many pieces you ate to determine the price. 4 satiated diners for a little over $2.
We then walked across the street over to the traditional market, where merchants sell their fruits, vegetables and meat. There were quite a few items that I had never seen before.
Monday, February 20, 2006
New Home
Not for me, but for one of my (6) hermit crabs. I brought back from Sabang a couple of nice little shells and one of my little guys now has a new home! So very exciting!
I'm waiting to see who else will upgrade.
Below are some other photos of my scampies.
I'm waiting to see who else will upgrade.
Below are some other photos of my scampies.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Weekend in Sabang
Palau Weh or Weh Island is located off of the northern tip of Sumatra. The island's got some beautiful palm fringed beaches and rugged interior. Before the tsunami, Sabang - as it's more commonly referred to - was a destination off the beaten track and attracted devoted divers and snorklers. Today, it's a easy weekend getaway for people like me.
The easiest part of the trip was the 40-minute ferry ride from the mainland to Balohan. From there, rental vans took us to Gapang, which is this little idyllic beach community about 1.5 hours away from Balohan. I was shocked at how long this trip took, since the island's not all that big. Because the interior of the island is pretty much a mountainous jungle, all the roads are built near the coastline, so getting from one end to the other end takes a long time.
We arrived in Gapang and the only cottage left over was this shabby barrack with mattresses on the cement floor. The good thing was, the cottage was $7 a night and literally on the beach!
We spent the afternoon snorkeling, napping, and playing with hermit crabs on the beach. When we needed a snack, an old lady brought over a basket full of freshly fried tempe and doughnut like pastry. Yum!
On Sunday, before heading home on the ferry, we drove to "Kilometer Zero" of Indonesia, the most western and northern point of the archipelago. Where to our west was the Indian Ocean, to our north was the Andaman Sea, and to our east was the mouth of the Malacca Straight. Pretty cool for a geography nerd like me!
The easiest part of the trip was the 40-minute ferry ride from the mainland to Balohan. From there, rental vans took us to Gapang, which is this little idyllic beach community about 1.5 hours away from Balohan. I was shocked at how long this trip took, since the island's not all that big. Because the interior of the island is pretty much a mountainous jungle, all the roads are built near the coastline, so getting from one end to the other end takes a long time.
We arrived in Gapang and the only cottage left over was this shabby barrack with mattresses on the cement floor. The good thing was, the cottage was $7 a night and literally on the beach!
We spent the afternoon snorkeling, napping, and playing with hermit crabs on the beach. When we needed a snack, an old lady brought over a basket full of freshly fried tempe and doughnut like pastry. Yum!
On Sunday, before heading home on the ferry, we drove to "Kilometer Zero" of Indonesia, the most western and northern point of the archipelago. Where to our west was the Indian Ocean, to our north was the Andaman Sea, and to our east was the mouth of the Malacca Straight. Pretty cool for a geography nerd like me!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Hire Me!
We're in the midst of a hiring frenzy and I just spent the last 3 hours (on a Friday night) going through about 75 resumes. Here are some of the funny lines I came across:
"I am Indonesian Male Christian was born in Jakarta September 13 1982. A spellbinding of knowledge analytical thinking, creative concept and supreme motivation will contribute me to revitalize my credibility, regarding to the evolution of the communication field in working atmosphere captivate me to looking for a career in “Marketing Communication Management”.
"I'm very good looking, 175cm tall, weight proportional to height."
"Refeering to vacancy information work at the moment requiring many worker with hard dedication to reach for success, here with I apply to work in company which is Mr or Mrs lead as staff"
"I enclose all the documents you asked for and I would be willing to take a series of tests any time. I feel confident that you will not be disappointed if you decide not to employ me. I look forward to hearing from you."
"I feel sure that I could give you complete satisfaction and loyal serves if you should see your engage me."
"Health = Good (no visible physical defects)"
"I am Indonesian Male Christian was born in Jakarta September 13 1982. A spellbinding of knowledge analytical thinking, creative concept and supreme motivation will contribute me to revitalize my credibility, regarding to the evolution of the communication field in working atmosphere captivate me to looking for a career in “Marketing Communication Management”.
"I'm very good looking, 175cm tall, weight proportional to height."
"Refeering to vacancy information work at the moment requiring many worker with hard dedication to reach for success, here with I apply to work in company which is Mr or Mrs lead as staff"
"I enclose all the documents you asked for and I would be willing to take a series of tests any time. I feel confident that you will not be disappointed if you decide not to employ me. I look forward to hearing from you."
"I feel sure that I could give you complete satisfaction and loyal serves if you should see your engage me."
"Health = Good (no visible physical defects)"
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Disaster Mitigation
When I found out that I was coming out to Aceh, I had about 2 weeks to close shop in Washington. One thing I didn't have to worry about was changing my address or forward bank bills to some PO box because I long ago hopped onto the e-banking bandwagon, got rid of paper statements and did all my banking online. It was great! I set up all my regular payments on autopay...credit card, my school loan, IRA... And with a decent internet connection in Aceh, I could transfer money from one account to another...
Until tonight.
Mom receives a call in VA from my World Bank account (yes I'm proud to say, I have a checking account with the World Bank*) saying that I didn't have enough money to cover my credit card autopay (due to shopping spree with Lillian in Singapore). I was in a frenzy to transfer money into my ING Orange Savings account this past weekend because they are having a 4.75% interest "sale"
So, greedy me wanted to maximize my interest earnings and transferred a bunch of money into ING. Little did I realize my $50/month student loan payment was withdrawn from my account this morning, leaving me a couple of bucks short. A guy was from the World Bank was kind enough to call me to tell me I had to get money into my account by 1pm EST (this was now 10:30am EST) or risk having my credit history be destroyed, thus never becoming a home owner. Ok, so I'm exaggerating. But still, I don't like to be in the red.
PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! What do I do? What do I do?
Within 2 minutes, Kelly transferred some money to pad my account. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know I have such dependable friends. Thanks Kelly!
*That's the World Bank staff credit union. The WB only loans money out to countries.
Until tonight.
Mom receives a call in VA from my World Bank account (yes I'm proud to say, I have a checking account with the World Bank*) saying that I didn't have enough money to cover my credit card autopay (due to shopping spree with Lillian in Singapore). I was in a frenzy to transfer money into my ING Orange Savings account this past weekend because they are having a 4.75% interest "sale"
So, greedy me wanted to maximize my interest earnings and transferred a bunch of money into ING. Little did I realize my $50/month student loan payment was withdrawn from my account this morning, leaving me a couple of bucks short. A guy was from the World Bank was kind enough to call me to tell me I had to get money into my account by 1pm EST (this was now 10:30am EST) or risk having my credit history be destroyed, thus never becoming a home owner. Ok, so I'm exaggerating. But still, I don't like to be in the red.
PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! What do I do? What do I do?
- ask my mom to trek down to the World Bank in downtown DC to deposit some money into my account,
- find a friend who has a World Bank account and ask them to transfer money into it, or
- risk being blacklisted.
Within 2 minutes, Kelly transferred some money to pad my account. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know I have such dependable friends. Thanks Kelly!
*That's the World Bank staff credit union. The WB only loans money out to countries.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Devoid of Danes, Roses, and Chocolate
Due to the cartoon debacle, the Danish government has recommended that all Danish nationals leave Indonesia because they have receive credible threats towards Danish interests and nationals in Indonesia.
Some groups here have also called for the boycotting of Danish goods. Come to think of it, there aren't that many Danish goods to boycott.
But no worries, no riots or protests here in Aceh (yet). A few of my staff have told me that they really don't feel comfortable with the depiction of the Prophet and they think it would be enough to have the Danish government apologize on behalf of the paper that originally published the cartoons.
No Danes and also no sign of St. Valentine in Aceh. It's a relief to see that Hallmark has yet to penetrate the entire world! Haven't seen a single cupid or anything that is heart shaped! I guess this holy day of commodified love has yet to spread to this part of the world. Apparently even in Jakarta, it's not a big deal. Only some of the 5-star hotels have special events. But I do miss seeing clueless guys scramble around the drug store last minute and picking up a box of Russell Stover's chocolate (bleeeeh) and some uber cheese Hallmark creation.
Some groups here have also called for the boycotting of Danish goods. Come to think of it, there aren't that many Danish goods to boycott.
- Havarti Cheese
- LEGO
- Bang & Olufsen Stereo
- Carlsburg Beer
- Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tales
- Butter cookies
But no worries, no riots or protests here in Aceh (yet). A few of my staff have told me that they really don't feel comfortable with the depiction of the Prophet and they think it would be enough to have the Danish government apologize on behalf of the paper that originally published the cartoons.
No Danes and also no sign of St. Valentine in Aceh. It's a relief to see that Hallmark has yet to penetrate the entire world! Haven't seen a single cupid or anything that is heart shaped! I guess this holy day of commodified love has yet to spread to this part of the world. Apparently even in Jakarta, it's not a big deal. Only some of the 5-star hotels have special events. But I do miss seeing clueless guys scramble around the drug store last minute and picking up a box of Russell Stover's chocolate (bleeeeh) and some uber cheese Hallmark creation.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Soccer Parents Gone Postal - Indonesia Style
I got this article from a friend and thought I'd share it. The article came from the Int'l Herald Tribune. Although the story took place last year, it is still worth sharing.
Theo Toemion, the chairman of Indonesia's powerful Investment Coordinating Board, is, like most parents, passionate about his son's sporting activities. Just how passionate became evident one recent Sunday when he went on a violent rampage, assaulting a 14-year-old referee and several parents of other children in a dispute over a junior school basketball match.
The assault on the grounds of the Jakarta International School left an American oil company executive, the parent of one child in the game, with a broken nose. The executive has since been forced to leave Indonesia with his family. Another oil company employee was hit in the back of the head, requiring several stitches.
Almost two weeks later, the wounds from the assault are starting to heal. But the incident has rocked the tight-knit expatriate school community here and deeply embarrassed the Indonesian government as it strives to attract foreign investment. "A lot of people were upset and a lot of people are still upset," said one foreign witness, who requested anonymity. The children playing basketball "were aged between six and nine," this person said. "They were young kids."
Toemion wields enormous influence over foreign companies investing in Indonesia. The stout, former foreign exchange dealer is essentially the gatekeeper for foreign investors. With so much hinging on the country gaining more investment to keep its consumer-led economic recovery alive, there is a great deal riding on his performance.
On April 17, when Toemion shouted, overturned furniture and punched other parents at the second-grade basketball game between the Mavericks and the Lakers, he was dealing Indonesia's image among investors another unfortunate blow.
Witnesses to the incident at the basketball court said Toemion became enraged when his 7-year-old son Daniel, playing for the Lakers, was accused of a series of fouls. Accounts of witnesses and others familiar with the incident, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, differ somewhat over the exact sequence of events, but it appears Toemion became agitated when he felt his son was being singled out unfairly by the referee and officials of the game.
By Toemion's own written account, he took particular issue with complaints over Daniel's conduct from the game's coordinator, Michelle Mabee, the wife of an executive with the American energy company ConocoPhillips. What started as an increasingly angry disagreement over whether Daniel should remain in the game and whether he was guilty of the alleged fouls quickly deteriorated into violence. Toemion says Daniel, who had been "jumping and playing and enjoying the game very much," had been treated "unjustly" by Mabee. "I concluded immediately that I was dealing with someone displaying a very racist behavior," Toemion wrote.
Witnesses said Toemion lost his temper and slammed his fist repeatedly onto the officials' desk. The referee, a 14-year-old Australian boy, approached Toemion and asked him to leave the premises. Toemion grabbed the boy by the neck, causing some bruising. Several parents also intervened and were struck by Toemion, the witnesses said.
According to one witness, Toemion shouted threats that he could have the non-Indonesian parents thrown out of the country. Among those trying to restrain Toemion were executives from U.S. companies like ExxonMobil, Nike, Unocal and ConocoPhillips. "The implication was that he could revoke anyone's work permit if he wanted to," the witness said. Another person familiar with the incident said Toemion had advised those present not to bother calling the police, because he "owned" the local police. The ConocoPhillips executive, David Mabee, coach of the Mavericks, received a call from three people the following day telling him he had to meet Toemion, according to a person familiar with the situation. Mabee, who had his nose broken in the melee, was told there would be serious consequences if he refused the meeting.
Following this call, ConocoPhillips decided that Mabee, his wife and three children should immediately leave the country for Singapore. A source in ConocoPhillips confirmed that Mabee and his family had been taken out of the country "due to concerns for their physical safety after he had received threats." Although those injured were reluctant to report the assaults to the police, the U.S. Embassy was informed of Toemion's violent eruption. An embassy official said the incident had been raised at high levels in the Indonesian government and the police force. The Indonesian police are making inquiries.
On Sunday, Toemion sent a three-page letter of "sincere apology" and explanation to the headmaster of the Jakarta International School and "members of the community." In the letter, seen by the International Herald Tribune, he acknowledged the assaults, but also repeatedly justified his actions as the result of provocation. "My sense of nationalism and Indonesian pride began to dominate and I was prepared to defend myself against all the foreigners who were accosting me," he said in the letter.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Trip Report
I've returned from my trip to Lhokseumawe.
It was the first time I've ever ventured down the eastern coast of Aceh Province, and got a glimpse of what life would have been like on the western coast before the tsunami. We traveled down the Jalan Medan-Banda Aceh, which is the "highway" between the 2 large cities in Northern Sumatra. The road is the main way construction materials travel into the tsunami devastated areas. I must have passed countless trucks hauling cables, cement, wood, tractors on my way down. For those of you who's lived/traveled in developing countries, you know how a "highway" is nothing like the Beltway or Hwy 80. Instead, you find everything from heavy duty mega trucks, to vans, to minibuses, to bikes, to cows, to goats, to monkeys traveling up and down and across the road. Thus, making the 2-lane highway rather hazardous, with everyone trying to reach their destinations at a different timetable.
Lhokseumawe itself isn't really worth writing much about. The provincial town is smaller than Banda Aceh and not (over) crowded with aid workers. I even got some stares at the hotel - which I never get in Banda. I was able to finalize the lease on our office property pretty quickly. The landlord was really really nice and accommodating. I'll post photos of the house later on. It does come with a badminton court in the front yard! I'll need to put a couple of high wattage spot lights in my renovation budget so I can play badminton after hours. Beware: I'll be a pro when I come home . I do live in the land of badminton - the current world champ hails from Indonesia.
My hotel at Lhokseumawe was the worst $35/night hotel I've ever stayed at. The place probably had the highest density of mosquito per square meter of anywhere I've ever been to*. I killed 14 before I went to bed but still had 'em bzzzzzz-ing in my ears all night. Def did not sleep well. At least next time, I'll be in our guest house. Bye bye Hotel Plaza Samudra Internasional!
I'll probably be going there again later next week or maybe the following week. Definitely will be making very frequent trips down east.
*In an indoor space. Highest outdoor mosquito density was a miserable hike I took on the Schoodic Peninsula in Maine.
It was the first time I've ever ventured down the eastern coast of Aceh Province, and got a glimpse of what life would have been like on the western coast before the tsunami. We traveled down the Jalan Medan-Banda Aceh, which is the "highway" between the 2 large cities in Northern Sumatra. The road is the main way construction materials travel into the tsunami devastated areas. I must have passed countless trucks hauling cables, cement, wood, tractors on my way down. For those of you who's lived/traveled in developing countries, you know how a "highway" is nothing like the Beltway or Hwy 80. Instead, you find everything from heavy duty mega trucks, to vans, to minibuses, to bikes, to cows, to goats, to monkeys traveling up and down and across the road. Thus, making the 2-lane highway rather hazardous, with everyone trying to reach their destinations at a different timetable.
Lhokseumawe itself isn't really worth writing much about. The provincial town is smaller than Banda Aceh and not (over) crowded with aid workers. I even got some stares at the hotel - which I never get in Banda. I was able to finalize the lease on our office property pretty quickly. The landlord was really really nice and accommodating. I'll post photos of the house later on. It does come with a badminton court in the front yard! I'll need to put a couple of high wattage spot lights in my renovation budget so I can play badminton after hours. Beware: I'll be a pro when I come home . I do live in the land of badminton - the current world champ hails from Indonesia.
My hotel at Lhokseumawe was the worst $35/night hotel I've ever stayed at. The place probably had the highest density of mosquito per square meter of anywhere I've ever been to*. I killed 14 before I went to bed but still had 'em bzzzzzz-ing in my ears all night. Def did not sleep well. At least next time, I'll be in our guest house. Bye bye Hotel Plaza Samudra Internasional!
I'll probably be going there again later next week or maybe the following week. Definitely will be making very frequent trips down east.
*In an indoor space. Highest outdoor mosquito density was a miserable hike I took on the Schoodic Peninsula in Maine.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Lhoks..seu..what?
I'm off to Lhokseumawe tomorrow morning. Pronounced Lauk-sa-mao-we. Our project is starting a new program in eastern Aceh (traditional GAM strong hold) that will help to rehabilitate 30+ villages that were affected by the 30-year long armed conflict between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement. Lhokseumawe is also home to a very large ExxonMobil oil field. Exxon even has its own flights flying in/out from Medan. Pollution (due to Exxon) is suppose to be pretty bad there.
I get to go down to find a new office space, finalize the lease, and start hiring some security and office workers. Some other people from the project have been down there since Monday meeting with the government and doing some additional surveying in order to finalize the villages we'll work in.
I should be back in Banda by Saturday afternoon.
I get to go down to find a new office space, finalize the lease, and start hiring some security and office workers. Some other people from the project have been down there since Monday meeting with the government and doing some additional surveying in order to finalize the villages we'll work in.I should be back in Banda by Saturday afternoon.
Friday, February 03, 2006
My New Friends
I've found some new friends. I was down at the beach on Tuesday afternoon with my coworker John who was in town from Jakarta. Like myself, John's a big photo buff and with his brand new snazzy Nikon digital SLR camera, John takes some amazing photos.
So we were on the beach, John photographing the sunset and me beachcombing for cool shells. I picked up a pretty spiral shell and found myself face-to-face with a pair of tiny pinchers. A hermit crab! It was love at first sight. I decided to take hermie home with me but didn't really know what to do with it. So I put him in the biggest tupperware I had and started googling for "hermit crab care". To my surprise, there were like 500 hits! I guess there are lots of people out there who love hermies. I stayed up until quite late reading about caring for my hermies and how to set up a "crabitat". Most of the sites said that hermies are social animals and they like having company.
The next afternoon, I went back out to the same beach in search of "hermrades" (comrades, get it?) for my hermie. I easily found 2 smaller critters and also loaded up on substrate (a.k.a. sand). I found a big-o plastic box in the office and emptied sand into it, along with some shells. My hermies now have a new home! They're now in my bathroom, as it is the most humid place in the house.
Tomorrow night, I'm gonna head out to the beach again to fetch for some sea water. My hermies are giving me a good reason to go out to the beach to catch sunsets more frequently.
And no...don't you even think about crab cakes.
So we were on the beach, John photographing the sunset and me beachcombing for cool shells. I picked up a pretty spiral shell and found myself face-to-face with a pair of tiny pinchers. A hermit crab! It was love at first sight. I decided to take hermie home with me but didn't really know what to do with it. So I put him in the biggest tupperware I had and started googling for "hermit crab care". To my surprise, there were like 500 hits! I guess there are lots of people out there who love hermies. I stayed up until quite late reading about caring for my hermies and how to set up a "crabitat". Most of the sites said that hermies are social animals and they like having company.
The next afternoon, I went back out to the same beach in search of "hermrades" (comrades, get it?) for my hermie. I easily found 2 smaller critters and also loaded up on substrate (a.k.a. sand). I found a big-o plastic box in the office and emptied sand into it, along with some shells. My hermies now have a new home! They're now in my bathroom, as it is the most humid place in the house.
Tomorrow night, I'm gonna head out to the beach again to fetch for some sea water. My hermies are giving me a good reason to go out to the beach to catch sunsets more frequently.
And no...don't you even think about crab cakes.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
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