snorkeling

It’s been awhile since I’ve written, so please accept my apologies for the delay in updates! Moving into the new house this week and trying this weekend to get settled, allowed for no rest for the weary after a long, long week in the office.

The island trip last weekend was fantastic and relaxing. I learned on the ferry ride there that the names of my destination that I had shared were wrong – the island itself is Pulo Weh and the main city there is Sabang. We stayed in a “resort” area called Gapang on the north side of the island that was situated at the center of a magnificent blue lagoon. But don’t be mistaken – by “resort” I mean a very rustic cabin with running water and not much else. I even had to take a “bucket bath”, which means I splashed water on myself with a bucket from the little basin, and used the squattie potties because that's all there was! The little community had three hut/house type restaurants and a dive shop, all of which had either withstood tsunami waters or been rebuilt afterwards. So it wasn't like Panama City or Cancun or other beach towns, and rivaled only the island of Pulo Aceh where I went the week before in its exquisite natural beauty.

I decided not to try scuba diving on this trip and opted to snorkel instead, and soon learned that depth isn't required to see some amazing underwater sights! A coral reef which miraculously stayed in tact during the tsunami ran along the perimeter of the lagoon, providing one of the best underwater viewing sites on an island world-famous for its aquatic opportunities. The first day was primarily a beach day, swimming a bit and sitting around lazily with colleagues and new acquaintances enjoying the spectacular scenery. But by the second day, I strapped on my rented flippers and mask and headed out to the reef. Inching along on the water’s surface, everything below me shimmered in vivid, fluorescent colors. Coral of all shapes and colors erupted from the ocean’s floor, and fish of unimaginable varieties darted and drifted all around – I felt like I was inside Finding Nemo! Over the next few days, I patrolled the waters of the lagoon like Jacques Cousteau and never ceased being amazed at Life under the water. Huge sea turtles, baby octopus, and my favorite – giant purple and green starfish – were absolutely incredible to witness. Oh, how I longed for an underwater camera…

It was a great trip, and just good not to have to use my brain for a few days. As vacations like that should be, my most taxing daily decision was what to eat next. And we did a lot of that! One of the “restaurants” was literally the front porch of a family’s house and we feasted there several times on grilled tuna and mysterious dishes drenched in deliciously spicy sauces. Fantastic! But even leisure days seem to go by quickly, and before I knew it, I found myself back in Banda and back to work.

And in the midst of a busy week in the office (national program director coming in, media beginning to arrive, lots of meetings and multi-tasking and what not) I moved into the new house. It’s so nice and incredible spacious, but like any new house was missing lots of things when we arrived, like furniture and dishware and cooking and cleaning stuff and so on. So evenings and this weekend, we’ve been scrambling around trying to get the basics, and shopping even for what you’d consider “basic” things in Banda Aceh is like the hunt for the Holy Grail. But I think at last we’re about to get there. We even have an adorable housekeeper that’s young and sweet and speaks some English, plus she cooks like a gourmet chef! It’s wonderful (and yes, absolutely everyone here has housekeepers, so I’m only as spoiled as all the other foreigners in Aceh!) It’s a one-level house on the edge of town near the mountains, which makes for lovely sunsets, provided I leave the office in time to actually seem them. My room is on the west end of the house and has its own porch and door outside. I’m even on the hunt for a swing. But perhaps the nicest thing is to have a housemate that I can sit up and chat with at night, or watch a movie (we bought a DVD player this weekend) or whatever – just having good company in a place where it’s easy to feel far away from loved ones makes an immeasurable difference. So I’m thankful for my new living situation here for many, many reasons, and thank you all for your prayers to get me here…

I should be traveling some next week gathering new stories, so hopefully my next post won’t be tales of island hopping again! Speaking of stories, my first story is posted online after weeks of delay, so have a look if you get a chance, keeping in mind that it's been edited, so any awkward wording didn't originate with yours truly! And I’ll send some new photos in soon, too, of Pulo Weh and the new house and room.

I love and miss you all.

-bj