froginmythroat (FIMT)

7:00am The cook arrives whilst I am still sleeping, lets herself in, prepares breakfast and sets the table.

9:00am Check email, and see the following message from Upik:

“Hellooo…
its now 9 am and its… new years eve…
if you have any interesting plan, lemme know… =)”

Staff from our partner organisations arrive. They had yet to complete their accounts before the end of the year. They used one of the several computers we have available to complete the task, with me around to provide any assistance.

1:00pm Lunch in home as per usual. Rice, vegetables, fish.

3:00pm Send a text message to Upik – “what are you going to do for new years?”

4:00pm Partner staff finish for the day, some with data entry complete, some not. I continue working on making some automated MIS reports (Crystal Reports programming).

5:00pm Return from 20 minute run around the neighbourhood.

Thought – “There’s nothing happening in Banda Aceh on New Years Eve, the only place that there will be any real celebration will be Sabang/Pulah Weh Island. But the ferry already left, how can we get there?”

Conversation with cook – Q: “Any boats going Sabang now?” A: “Maybe a private fishing boat?”

6:00pm Search for a fishing boat begins. First must pick up Upik. Secondly to the dock to locate a willing seafaring vessel.

8:00pm Boat found, terms negotiated, 4 more willing sea adventurers found for a total of 6 people and 2 boats.

10:00pm It is dark. We set course for Pulah Weh Island with this man in a rubbish bag at the helm:

This is the 24/7 society in action, boat services at whatever time of the day or night you need them.

12:00am Approximately half a kilometre off the western most point of Indonesia, this photo is taken:

A bit of a swell has built up, I am feeling sickly, the noise of the engine is deafening, realise this is a crazy idea and that the boat captain of our fair vessel is possibly madder than us sailing in the dark no radio, life jackets, flares or navigation equipment other than his own two retina and a hand powered torch that can only illuminate the waves one meter in front of us. Wondering whether we will die by capsizing and drowning, explosion from my fellow passengers smoking next to the boat’s open petrol can, or driven insane by the painfully loud engine noise to the point where we become psychotic and start thinking we can walk on water. Happy New Years.

12:30am Time to send a few random New Years text messages. There is network coverage but have to watch out for the water of the waves spilling onto the deck.

3:00am We arrive in Sabang town, where a few ghosts of the night are still up, including the owner of a warung (small shop) where we eat. I sleep where I can, the others talk and enjoy the company of Jonnie Walker.

6:00am At first light, we charter the good vessel for Gapang beach. Halfway through the journey we find the boat’s propeller has lost a blade.

7:00am Arrive Gapang beach. Time to swim and have breakfast, but where are all the bule (Westerners)?

10:00am Arrive Ibioh beach. Still no bule sightings, but plenty of Indonesians are up enjoying the first morning of the year swimming in the sea. Mental note made of this cultural phenomena – all night dancing and partying followed by the morning after sleep-in must a Western thing.

The bule lemah (weak Westerner) in me piked out and took the ferry back. My Indonesian partners head back the same way we came, I just couldn’t handle being serenaded for another 4 and half hours by a four stroke internal combustion engine. Ironically enough, during the return journey the engine died and the noble vessel had to be towed half the way back.

It was in this way that the activities of the last day of the year, Saturday Dec 31 2005, were conducted.