Meulaboh - Tsunami Destruction

The city of Meulaboh, Aceh, was one of cities hardest hit by the December 26, 2004, tsunami that struck many countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia. As best as I can tell from talking to people and checking internet sources, an estimated 25,000 of the 40,000 people from this city were killed. I recently spent a week there observing NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) relief and development work among farmers in areas surrounding Meulaboh.
Part of the city of Meulaboh pre-tsunami

The same part of Meulaboh post-tsunami

I found this picture on the internet and am 90% sure that the big house with a red roof right above the airman's shoulder is the house I stayed at during my week in Meulaboh. It's about a mile or so from the beach and its construction was almost finished when the tsunami came. It held up under the wave and floods, and was soon after finished off and used as a home to house NGO workers.

An "on the ground" view of the tsunami destruction soon afterwards. Three years later, most of the city has been rebuilt, and yet rubble and houseless foundations still dot the landscape as a reminder of the magnitude of destruction.

HERE IS A NEWS ARTICLE WRITTEN SOON AFTER THE TSUNAMI:

"The large town of Meulaboh, which had a population of 40,000, has been almost completely levelled. A Sydney Morning Herald journalist who flew over Meulaboh described the scene. “[I]t looks like the people of Meulaboh never got the chance to run. Picture the bombed Hiroshima—that’s what it looks like ... Meulaboh had not received any outside help or emergency supplies such as medicine, food or water ... We could see tiny figures walking among the debris. They must have been desperate for food and water”.

A police officer who left Meulaboh on Tuesday morning told Agence France-Presse that when he left “they only had enough food for a day. I told my men to try to sustain themselves by eating coconuts, but they will only last for another day. I saw residents in the area scavenging for dirty rice on the ground.” Sea water, debris, corpses and sewerage have contaminated drinking water in virtually every affected area.

According to a military spokesman, the first six tonnes of supplies arrived in the town via two naval vessels on Thursday—five days after the tsunami hit. A Sydney Morning Herald reporter who reached Meulaboh yesterday described the suffering as “unimaginable”. Most of the survivors had received no food, drinking water, medicines or outside help and were desperate. Yuda Suria, a father of two, begged: “Please help me. Please. We have had no rice or water for two days. How can we live?”

Estimates of the number killed in the town vary from 10,000 to 20,000. If the surrounding district is included, the figure could be 40,000. As of Thursday, many areas had yet to be reached, including islands off the west coast. A police officer who reached Meulaboh on Wednesday reported that only several hundred of the 6,000-strong fishing community of Calang survived. After a helicopter tour, provincial military commander Major-General Endang Suwarya said 75 percent of the west coast was destroyed and whole communities wiped out."

Adventures in Flying

Flying out of the coastal Acehnese city of Meulaboh was a little different than flying out of, say, LA International Airport. First of all there was no Starbucks or perfume stores. That was just the start of the differences. When we showed up at the airport (the building above) at 7 am for our 8 am flight, there wasn't anyone there yet, so we opened the unlocked gate and walked in. Eventually a guy showed up to check us in along with the 2 other passengers (making a total of 4 passengers and the pilot). There was no terminal to wait in, so we hung out under a tree until a guy from the airplane hollered from about 50 meters for us to come over and load up.Our plane was a Cessna C208b Caravan 1, capable of seating up to 10 passengers.

This carcass of airplane that tried landing without its landing gear rests next to the airstrip overgrown with grass, a gentle reminder that you really ought to be a little nervous if you fly planes this size.The airstrip (already behind us in the picture) sat less 200 meters from the ocean, the same ocean from which emerged the huge tsunami waves that destroyed so much of the coast up to 2 miles inward. Now 3 years later, a 2 lines of simple look-alike houses (to the left side of the pic) line the road, a sign of the rebuilding efforts of these people and relief organizations from around the world.

I road shotgun for the entire one-hour trip from Meulaboh to Medan. The pilot (an American guy) and I chatted about the views we were seeing below us, his kids college applications, and his days in the Gulf War. After awhile I started asking him about the airplane's instruments and how to fly, realizing that if he had a heart attack the stick was in my hands. Not that I was worried, but just wanted to be prepared!

Ice Skating

Ice-skating with Indonesians makes for great entertainment. No, its not just the trill of gliding along the ice and doing triple sow-cows that got me excited (ok, I'm really not all that good myself), but instead the gut-busting hilarity of watching people step, and fall on the ice for the first time... and the second... and the 64th time. We skated at a mall where the glass-walled rink is surrounded by a huge food court. So not only do you have the humility of falling, but falling in front of over 500 people who are eating their fried rice. We skated for more than 5 hours and all left a little wet on the bottom but with stomaches aching from all the laughter and fun.
These two friends graduated from the top technology university in Indonesia, but knowing the ins and outs of frictional resistance and gravity forces doesn't prevent you from experiencing them. Having never skated before in his life, this little guy was gliding around with no problem after just a few minutes of help. It sure helps to start young.


Gerry was a champion. He had to have fallen at least 64 times or more during our 5 hours of skating, but he kept getting up and trying again until he got it down. This was just one of several wipe-outs that I caught on video. Enjoy!

Idul Fitri Holiday

Idul Fitri is the biggest holiday in Indonesia. It's kind of like the Indonesian equivalent of Christmas (although they have Christmas too). Universities and schools are out for two weeks, businesses close down for a number of days, and families leave the big cities to return home for celebrations with extended family. A tradition of "house-to-house" visiting also exists. My housemates and I took advantage of the opportunity and visited the home of our house helper, Ibu Yoyo (center, in the red dress). Throughout the year we pay her to come and cook two meals a day and wash and iron all our clothes. She's great.
We visited Ibu Yoyo's house for an hour and a half and enjoyed a wide selection of special foods, including ketupat, the rice dish above that is cooked inside a package of woven coconut leaves.

Idul Fitri is celebrated as the breaking of the fasting month. For one month many of the people in this country fast during the days (from 4:30 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening) from all food and drink. During this month, the fast is often broken in the evenings with the sweet fruit dish shown above.

Surprise Birthday Party

My Birthday in Indo!

Indonesia flips things around when it comes to celebrating birthdays. Instead of getting treated out, you're the one who "gets" to treat others out. Despite the differences in cultures, I greatly enjoyed my first Indonesian birthday. The cake above was the product of a cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, decorations, and candles sent over by my dear sister and baked by a close American friend.
I found a restaurant where birthdays are free, so I took advantage of the offer and ordered a tenderloin steak, pancakes with strawberries on top (not pictured), and avocado juice mixed with chocolate. The latter might not sound real appetizing, but it actually is quite tasty. I'm not sure which made my friends happier, my birthday or the free food that I treated them to. I'm guessing it was more the food, but we had a great time anyways!

Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival

This past Tuesday I had the privilege of celebrating "Mid-Autumn Festival" with my Vietnamese friends. They cooked up a feast of traditional foods (below) and topped it off with a "lantern" star (above) like those traditionally made by children in Vietnam during this holiday.