Sinabung Jaya Part II

In Keling we walked through the village and stopped at the tea shop. Teh Telur is the most popular drink and I said I’d have one too. Teh telur, literally “egg tea” is exactly it means. They make tea and dump the raw yellow yolk of an egg into the tea and mix it up. It’s thick and with so much added sugar in it, it is an intense drink. That afternoon we went to the fields.

Sinabung Volcano was in the distance and we walk towards it through fields of cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and other vegetables planted in this lush region. Down some cliffs below some people planted rice and there were also fish ponds to add to dinners and to the economy. The system of ownership is as complex and inter-related as the familial ties and I realized this as Sakti kept insisting that the carrots grown over there are “our” lands. We picked some chives and squash for dinner and also took some oranges with us for the walk back. On the way back we walked on the road and stopped by my “Bapak tua,” Sakti’s father’s grave. I remember the last time I was here his wife Nande wailed and wailed when we visited the grave. He was an incredible man and left his imprints on many people. I remember the crying was contagious and almost magical as everyone became extremely emotional remembering him at the place he was put to rest.

We paid our respects and walked on, stopping for lunch at the side of the road. This was one of my “uncles” stops that sell cigarettes, coffee/tea, and also the famous Babi Guling of the region—Barbequed pork. It was refreshing to see the meat because in Aceh even the handling of swine is strictly prohibited. The Bataks laughed about the Acehnese when I told them about the stories of pig-hunting in Aceh. Pigs are an uncontrollable pest to crops in Aceh, and people hunt them but refuse to eat the meet that the Bataks value so much. “The Acehnese don’t know what their missing,” Sakti said.

Continuing back walking on the road we heard some very unique and strange music coming from the house. “You know what their doing?” I shook my head. I looked in and saw an old woman dancing. “They are raising the spirits. Somebody has died and that woman is consulting her husband and other ancestors and loved ones.”

It was Sunday morning and women were on their way home from Church. Sakti continued. “We are all Christians up here in the mountains but we still very much believe in our traditions, customs, and the belief of our ancestors. They are separate types of beliefs, the traditional view and the christian view, but I also believe in both, both in their separate ways.”

To be continued…