Turbulence to Banda

Flying to Banda Aceh on the United Nations Plane. After take-off we flew over the town I’ve been living in for the past two months: Meulaboh.

We proceeded over the long West Coast of Aceh and then inland over the beautiful West Coast of Aceh over pieces of the 133 million hectares of serene forests of the Leuseur National Park Ulu Masen Conservation Area. There is serious illegal logging activity there and a new moratorium against logging passed through law this month has brought up some new controversial issues. I was now flying North though, to the tip of the island of Sumatra; to the capital of Aceh, Banda Aceh. Our small plane had to pass between two massive volcanoes and the wind was really strong. It felt like our plane was being tossed around like a toy in the wind. Some people actually screamed. Enjoy...

We arrived safely:

Jangan Terlalu Manis

Coffee is part of the culture in Aceh. It’s what people do. Before I came to Aceh I often heard stories about the coffee here. What I had imagined was this place known as the “veranda of Mecca” for their strong ties with Islam and as an instrumental location in spreading the religion into Southeast Asia. Someone also told me they drain their coffee through something that looks like a big stretched out sock. I had this image that guys with buckets and long spouts pouring stuff back and forth through this sock. I also had this Turkish-style image of curled shoes and sultan hats on. My vision was not far from the truth.

When I arrived in Aceh, my first day I had six cups of coffee. People say Acehnese are not very friendly but it’s all a matter of approach really. Like my earlier description, small doors but spacious interior. The important thing is to want to learn about Aceh and their rather stubborn image of themselves--a fact they recognize. I said one word in Acehnese, and we were off to the coffeeshops. And in the last two months I think I’ve developed a caffeine addiction.

What people do here is go out and meet for coffee and smoke a lot of cigarettes… Sitting around with a bunch of guys at the coffee shop, 90% will be puffing away. Of course women are not allowed.

Sometimes they drink it upside down. They cook the grounds and mix it with rice, corn and other herbs—some places are very well known for the “coffee that will make you fly…” as this province is famous for its ganja trade. I have not tried it and hope I don’t accidentally drink it--which has happened to some people.

They also drink their coffee upside down sometimes. They cook the grounds in a pot, making it a rich thick coffee and pour it in a cup. Then they place a saucer on top of the cup and flip it upside-down. They give you a straw and you sip it through blowing through the straw, wait for some to come out, and then sip it up. Bizarre.

They also pour tons of sugar into each cup. Sometimes a third of the cup will be filled with sugar before the coffee goes in. This is no exaggeration. Jangan Terlalu Manis (“Not too sweet”) is not understood. If you specifically ask for just a little bit of sugar, the people preparing the coffee can’t really imagine good coffee without providing you with so much sugar. They don’t want to feel like they are ripping you off, so they go ahead and dump in the excessive regular amounts.

Country Music—The Dangdut of America. Alive in Indonesia

In the Capital, Banda Aceh, where I have been for the past two weeks, I made a friend who opened up a backpacking equipment store. He likes to climb mountains and go cave-ing. We talked quite a bit about my walk last year and came up with ideas to motorbike the massive island of Sumatra, ferry to Java and then make it to Bali. It’s Saturday night so we decided to drive around town. There’s not much to do and the youth seem to be rather frustrated. Boys and girls are not allowed to mix, alcohol is completely prohibited except for dingy speakeasy’s for the rare alcoholic, and also some pricey locked away restaurants that are strictly for foreigners/non-muslims. We drove around town for a while.

We got in the car and he put in a tape. John Denver came on and he said he loves this music. “Are there still cowboys in America?” I didn’t really know what to say…

“Are there still guys who wear flannel shirts? Is there still livestock in the US? I really want to go to Oklahoma. I have no desire to go to the cities. I really want to see America but I want to see the ranches—Texas, Montana, West Virginia.” I tried to think about what his visions of America was like. John Wayne…?

We stopped for coffee (see “Jangan Terlalu Manis” log) and some other friends showed up. Someone had heard of a billiards hall that had just opened up. We drove around some more, through a long and generally crowded street, there were motorbikes lining the sides of the streets. People were getting their spots ready to watch some motorcycle street racing. It Reminded me of rural America and stock-car racing. Pretty dangerous for a major street in the middle of the Aceh Capital however.

We drove around Banda and the city was really crowded. They explained to me that because there is nothing to do, and that they are not really allowed to do anything, people mostly just waste gas by driving around town and guys and girls riding two per motorbike yell and flirt with each other. There seems to be no other way.

We arrived at another coffee shop and walked to the back, through a dark corridor and up a flight of stairs. Techno music was pumping and there were three billiards tables as I descended into the cloud of cigarette smoke. The sign on the wall said “It is illegal to drink hard alcohol and gamble.” Next to the sign there was a poster of Absolut Vodka and another of a very scantily clad Jennifer Lopez. Playing cards and pool are a symbol of gambling and are looked down upon in Aceh. People don’t even play chess—a very popular game in rural areas throughout North Sumatra; but I suppose that stops at the Aceh Border.

Playing pool for a couple hours it would have been nice to sip on a beer but we had to settle for cold tea in a bottle—a favorite across Indonesia. Selling Alcohol is too risky. There is a specific police task force called WH that are assigned solely to protect Sharia Law, specifically punishing any alcohol trade/consumption, gambling, the mingling of unmarried men and women, and the incorrect use of attire (women must wear Jilbabs, clothes that are not tight, and covering their bodies completely except face and palms).

At the end of the night and on my way home, I had had a good time but my friends seemed unsatisfied. They wanted to do something a little more exciting, perhaps mingle with women their own age or have a place to more freely express themselves.