Village of Iboih on the Island of Sabang

I had someone just say, "You know Sarah Palin...she's very beautiful." ug.

Anyway, it was a beautiful weekend in Iboih. The snorkeling was really nice with a wide variety of creatures to see.  I spent hours and hours in the water. I swam across the channel to the island, which, now that I'm back people keep asking me if the current wasn't too strong. I guess I timed it right because it was fine, except that it was spookily dark most of the way across. I saw 5 lion fish, 1 sea turtle, and lots of lots of fish that I need a book to identify.

The accommodations were humble. The bungalow was right over the water and the reef is all along the shore. There was little sandy beach as the jungle went right down to the water. It was easy to go snorkeling since I jumped in the water from in front of my bungalow. The toilet and shower facilities were less than desirable. I didn't shower all weekend.

Anyway, I feel like the weekend warrior, even here. Now it's Monday morning. I'm back at work and there is lots to do and everyone is working busily...so I better stop blogging and actually contribute...

Meunasah Balee Village Beach Resort Site

This is the site of the beach resort master plan project and Meunasah Balee. What the aerial photos do not show is a freshwater pond that is fed from an underground spring. This is new after the tsunami.

Here's what the 2007 Lonely Planet has to say about this area:

These coastal weekend spots, only 17km from Banda Aceh, were levelled by the tsunami. In Lampuuk the wave travelled some 7 km inland, killing four out of every five people. One elementary school in the area went from a student population of 300 children to 35; nearly a generation wiped out. Many of the villagers are still living in temporary shelters.

Somewhat cruelly, the beach and ocean are just as beautiful as ever, perhaps more so. None of the beachside development, except for the now repaired cement company has been rebuilt.

Going to Sabang Island to snorkel

After work today I'm headed to Iboih to see what is supposed to be a world class reef with a large variety of sea life. I will take a 45 minute ferry from Banda Aceh to Sabang, and then go by car for 45 minutes to reach Iboih. From what I've been told, it's ok to wear a swimming suit here. In the mainland, women must swim fully clothed. Not many Acehnese ever learn how to swim.

Local Architecture

These photos are from my evening neighborhood walk. Everyone I encountered was so friendly. I was even invited into the mosque to pray - maybe next time. These are some of the more interesting houses with texture. The plaster houses aren't so interesting - are they Dutch inspired or just what they consider modern? 

Driving around all the villages this morning it is striking to see all the new construction that occurred after the tsunami. It all looks the same, with the same colors.

It is interesting to hear people's accounts of the tsunami. Luca's nanny who is 23 years old, was out of town with her parents for the weekend visiting another relative. They lost 33 members of her family from her father's side. She has not gone back to the village since. We drove by one of the two mass graves today. I'm not sure if it was the one with 45,000 or 65,000 bodies. It is planted with grass and has a single monument. 

"Research" for Meunasah (Mns) Balee

This morning I went with Tadbir, who is part of the community development department, back to Mns Balee, the site of the community owned beach resort. (Nana, a translator also went) We met with Mahdhan, a local Acehenese man who is the secretary of the project committee. The community has 408 citizens. It was good to hear first hand what they want out of the site and what their ideas are. They want a kitchen, 8 bungalow (4 for families, 4 for couples), 2 bungalows for staff, restroom facilities for guests and staff, parking for 100 cars and 200 motorcycles, and a slide into the pond. I had heard previously from the MC team that they did not want overnight guests in the bungalows for religious reasons, however that is not what I heard today. I'm still having a hard time finding any sort of map to use to draw on. The next step will perhaps be to hold a community design workshop. It's so much fun having an interpreter. 

We also went to check out another nearby beach facility at Mns Lampuuk. They have 30 restaurants and many small eating bungalows that are raised above the sand close together. From what I understand, it gets busy on the weekends. 

Then we went to another site for a Toko, or market, which Mercy Corps will build for Mns Lampuuk. These are the module / pod type structures that can get expanded horizontally and vertically. This one is nice because it wraps the corner. 

It was a fun trip. I'm hoping to get to a market or something tonight. I still have a bit of jet lag because I wake up before the alarm clock which is so unlike me. Steve and I skyped this morning when I got to work. It worked pretty well. It was nice to chat, and to see Tomba too.

My living arrangements

This is Karla, Sandro, and Luca's house where I am staying. My bedroom is upstairs. That is my bedroom window to the left as you look across the "malaria" pond. We sit on the other side of the concrete wall and have dinner outside. People fish in the pond even though it seems to be pretty shallow. There are no inlets or outlets, but still fish. I guess there's lots of bugs and mosquitoes to eat. The house does not look as big as it is. It has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

Prayer Call Video

The sound of prayer call is quite beautiful. There are so many mosques that the sounds come from all different directions so that the tone and timing is different but complimentary. It's interesting to see the differences in Asian Muslims as opposed to Middle Eastern Muslims as I am more accustomed to. It gives me the ability to separate culture from religion. In many ways, being here is very similar to being in Thailand, except that people are Muslim. My experience with people in the workplace is that they are friendly, polite, curious, and casual. Women hold all sorts of professional positions such as Cut, the Civil Engineer I am working with here at MC. It seems to be a Muslim society that is very tolerant. I'm sure this will be something I will write more about.