Another World

This looks pretty darn good.

The Road More Traveled

Cleo and I had some plans for a wicked trip this school break. We didn't have many days to work with but we organised it so we would have a good time.

On Wednesday the 22nd of June we would take a night bus from Medan to a town called Singkil on the southern tip of Aceh.

We would arrive in Singkil very early Thursday morning, have to wait a few hours, then take a ferry over to Pulau Banyak. The translation meaning 'Many Islands'. There are roughly 99 islands in the archipelago of Pulau Banyak and we were hoping to stay on only one.

After a few hours on the boat we would then arrive at Pulau Balai. If you're coming from Singkil  you have to go there first before going to other islands. We would need to check in with an organisation called the Yayasan. They started up the conservation for sea turtles on Pulau Bangkaru. That was the island we wanted to get to.

You can see Pulau Bangkaru on the left of the small map above. We wanted to spend Thurs and Friday night there, where we would have a tent set up on the beach and be able to see some sea turtles laying their eggs and maybe even catch a few others hatching.

Saturday the 25th we would head back to Pulau Balai to spend one night there and Sunday head back to Singkil via local boat. In the early afternoon we would then get a bus, well in this case a Kijang, back to Medan and arrive in the evening.

Those were the plans. Just the plans. Sounds pretty cool right?

Here's what actually took place...

Catching the bus on the 22nd worked out fine. I shouldn't call it a bus really, it's a small SUV type vehicle called a Kijang. You can take a wild packed bus all the way there or you can pay a little extra for a seat in a Kijang which seats 8 when full. 

I'd say we finally rolled out of Medan between 9:30-10:00... and started the journey to Singkil. After the  other passengers were dropped off, it was our turn. By that time it had been about 9 hours I believe.

Thursday, June 23

We arrived here. The house of our Singkil contact, Febri.

Febri's House

He invited us into his home and offered drinks until it was time for the boat to Pulau Balai. At about 10am we headed to the dock, which wasn't far and got on our boat. It was a local boat headed to Balai mainly to deliver petrol aka gasoline. As we boarded, a man warned us not to smoke cigarettes on the boat and pointed to all the barrels. Neither of us do smoke but some of the other passengers did and the warning of gasoline didn't seem to bother them even as we passed a half sunken boat in the bay due to an obvious fire.

The boat ride to Balai is roughly 4 hours depending on the weather of course. All you can do is try to rest and catch a bit of sleep because there isn't much to see or do in the ocean on a small boat. Some of the waves were a bit rough and the boat was splashing water about and it was nice. It calmed a bit and I tried to catch some Z's. Most people did the same, but as we all did the waves picked up again and at one point there was this really loud bang that woke everyone up.

The bang had come from the boat crashing down really hard from a wave which sent a container or two flying off the boat. The small crew on the boat said the waves were too rough and they had to turn around.

Half way there and we had to turn around and head back to Singkil. This was disappointing because we knew we probably weren't going to get to Bangkaru that day anymore which meant one less night with the turtles.

After arriving back to Singkil they let us know they are going to wait for the weather to relax a bit and hopefully head back out at 3. We had a little over an hour to kill at Singkil which went by quickly with a small lunch.

3 o'clock comes and the weather looks clear enough so we head out again. 4 hours to go until Balai which meant we were going to arrive much later than we had planned. No chance of getting to Bangkaru that night.

Sunset from the boat

Once the sun went down lights came on in the distance at Balai. These were the only lights... I don't think our boat had any. Well I guess you can count the young lad with a flashlight.

We arrive in Balai close to 8 where we meet Febri's friend, Beju, who would help sort out the rest of the trip. We obviously weren't going that night so he showed us to a Guest House. We got cleaned up and we met him and a friend of his, whose name I forget, to get a bit of food and let them know what we were looking to do during our time in Pulau Banyak.

Like I said before the plan was to spend Thursday and Friday night in Bangkaru. Well it was already Thursday night and we were about to spend it in Balai so our trip to Bangkaru would have to be shortened.

We weren't just hoping to see turtles on Bangkaru, we were also hoping to do some kayaking and of course snorkeling. After chatting with the two fellas for a while we find out that you can't really go kayaking or snorkeling in Bangkaru because of the waves being too large there.

We both really wanted to see the turtles but not just that. So we inquired about another island I read about called Pulau Tailana. Go ahead, scroll back up and see if you can find it. This island is very secluded but it is one of the few that has bungalows to stay in.

After some amazing kopi aceh, coffee, we decided on the new plan. The next day, Friday, we would leave for Tailana about 11. Spend Friday there and on Saturday, close to noon, we would go from there to Bangkaru. Spend Saturday night there and early Sunday make our way back to Balai to catch a boat to Singkil so we could catch a bus back to Medan.

Again, here's what actually happened...

Friday, June 24

We got up on time in the morning and met the friend of Beju, whose name I still can't recall, it was really long and confusing. We went on down to the Yayasan to check in for our one night in Bangkaru and organised the cost for that night and the one in Tailana.

We were told that there is a package you have to pay for when going to Bangkaru. It's 800,000 rupiah per person for 3 days and two nights. This includes the transportation to the island and your food while you're there. On today's market that's about 90 dollars. The silly thing was that we wanted to only stay one night and they could not change the price! After a moment of pondering we decided we really wanted to see the turtles so we would pay that.

With that cost plus the night in Tailana with a rented kayak and snorkeling gear would run us close to 2.4 million rupiah total. Cleo doing some smooth talking, along with the fact that she is originally from the Aceh province, they brought it down to 2 million rupiah, 225 dollars.

We grabbed another amazing coffee and waited for the man to get the boat ready.

He called us over when he was finished and off we went to Tailana.

Heading to that small fueling station and then off to Tailana

Happy to finally be on our way...

...and so was he

After about an hour or so on this little boat in the middle of crystal clear waters, we arrive at Tailana.

About 20 steps from our bungalow

We came in on the grey boat

We ate and went swimming for a bit. It started to rain slightly but we were still able to see some interesting things underwater.We couldn't get a lot of good photos though due to the overcast skies!

We then went for a stroll around the island a little later in the afternoon to see how big or small it really was. We were able to walk around the whole thing in about 20 minutes with a few stops along the way.

While on our walk, he went out to catch our dinner

Can you spot the crab? It's actually quite easy

It started to get dark as we headed back to the bungalow side of the island.When we got back the man, whose name is lost, came over and showed us what he caught for dinner.

Cleo was very hungry...

The sun finished setting and dinner was ready. After we ate, there wasn't much we could do because it was completely pitch black outside. I grabbed my flashlight and we went down to the beach to check out the stars and we saw all these crabs along the beach as well. They all ran back in as we got close though and they were surprisingly quite fast.

Our plan for the next day, Saturday, was to get up early to see the sunset, go kayaking and snorkeling for a bit and then head off to Bangkaru.

Saturday, June 25

We woke up for the sunset only to see that it was extremely clouded over, so we went back to sleep. Woke up at 8 to start the day only to find a huge downpour outside. We were upset that we couldn't go snorkeling or kayaking but we still had hopes for Bangkaru.

We lazed around for a bit hoping for the rain to stop but it didn't. That didn't stop us from going for a swim though. We talked with the man without a name and he said we couldn't go to Bangkaru in this weather. He also said when it cleared a bit we would need to go back to Balai because we had no more food on Tailana.

It was a drag because we had to hope the rain would let up so we could leave Tailana and we had to go back to Balai, which was not where we wanted to spend our last night.

For most the afternoon we were trapped in out Bungalow.

In the end the rain didn't really let up much at all but we had to leave anyways because it was getting late. Everything we brought with us, including us, were put into giant bags. (We forgot to pack raincoats, so we wore big plastic bags as raincoats.)

We left the island on what Cleo and I both agree was the scariest boat ride we have ever been on. The boat really wasn't all that big and we were going through waves that were almost twice the size of it.

I was reminded of this painting...

With almost every wave we hit it felt like we were going to flip over. We were both holding on the best we could in the pouring rain just hoping we would make it there safely.

The ride took almost twice as long with the boat battling all the waves but in the end we made it there a little shook up and soaked but safe.

That night we had dinner and just went to bed a bit early because it was still miserable outside. There really isn't anything to do in Balai and it is no where near as beautiful as Tailana.

Sunday, June 26

We got up early hoping we could catch a boat leaving for Singkil maybe about 9. The ride would be again, 4 hours, but we would be in time to catch a bus at 2 back to Medan.

Remember that happy photo earlier when we started our boat ride to Tailana?

Here's how happy we were when we had to stop because of the rain on the way to the boat for Singkil.

Due to the wonderful weather again, no boats were leaving early in the morning. They were waiting for the weather to calm down before they headed out.

We waited and waited until they said they were ready. We weren't going to be making the bus at 2 back to Medan. We arrived in Singkil I think close to 5 where we were met by Febri.

We were hungry so Febri took us to a restaurant then back to his house where we waiting for the bus, Kijang.

We got on the Kijang about 8 and spent forever picking up the next few passengers. Once the bus was full, we were off to Medan. I felt bad for Cleo because we would be arriving in Medan, if the bus was on time, just a couple hours before she had to go to work. She said she is able to sleep at her work... apparently.

There were many winding roads on the ride too. So many that Cleo actually was a bit sick on the way to Singkil but on the way back the guy in the front must have hurled out of his window at least 5 times during the ride. Those were some wonderful sounds to try to fall asleep to.

Monday, June 27

The bus wasn't on time and so I wasn't dropped off at my door until 7am, then Cleo at hers shortly after. 11 hours in a Kijang with a very unpleasant driver is never much fun.

In the end the one day we had in Tailana was nice, even though it rained. The whole trip just felt like more 'trip' than anything else. We were on the move too much and didn't have enough time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the place.

I'd love to go again but I'd be sure to spend more time there and look into the flights they have headed that way once a week. I'd definitely do some research about the weather beforehand as well.

Here are a few links about Pulau Banyak if anyone is interested.

http://www.sumatraecotourism.com/pulaubanyak/index.html

http://tailana.webs.com/

http://www.acehturtleconservation.org

Darkest Hour

There's no salvation
In a world where you worship proven fiction
And no redemption for a life of servitude
You bow and you heed
Unhallowed command
Your only care is the money we gain
It's the same place
A hollow escape
A palace of concrete and glass
Keep waiting, keep waiting
For no god
To erase you
No god
To make you fall to your knees

There's blood on these pages
And the war inside your head
Is with yourself
Through the ages, through every form of "Hell"
It's the same face
A hollow escape
A palace of concrete and glass
Keep waiting, keep waiting
For no god
To consume you
No god
To bear your burden
No god
To use you
No god
There is only illusion

The usurper of life
It'll bleed every last drop
And it'll suck all the breath out of you
And leave you forsaken

There's no god
To release you
There's no god
To make you fall down to your knees
There's no god
To deceive you
There's no god
To bear your burden
There's no god
There's no god
There's no god
There is only illusion

Give it a listen.

Film Updates

These are a few movies that I have watched recently. All given high ratings by yours truly. You should watch them if you haven't already.

Dead Island

This is so well done for a game trailer.

The Tree of Life

2011 here we come.

Christmas Dinner

Charlie, Tom and Daryl organized a Christmas Dinner for all the expats in Medan.
Here's the ticket I put together for the dinner.

Pub Quiz Posters

For a while now Tom, Charlie and I have been doing a Pub Quiz at a German bar in Medan called Roland's. We have done two so far, with our third tonight, and we're hoping that someone else will do the next one so we can actually play.
These are the small and cheesy posters I made for the past quizzes and the two I made for tonight's quiz.

Scott Pilgrim

This is worth checking out. I wasn't sure a while back when I first caught the trailer but it's really well done and not as cheesy as it looks.

This ain't the down it's the upbeat, make it complete.

Got some photos out of the way finally. They were overdue but it felt good to finally complete a little 'project'. One of many.
Guitar is ummm... getting there. Gym is still the gym and it still feels good to be going. It's my longest stretch at the gym yet.
My TEFL course is coming along. I'm just about finished the largest portion of it and then I'll have just a few smaller ones to go.

I went on a Hash run last night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

It is basically an excuse to get drunk and socialize with a decent little trek before hand.
You show up, pay your fee 45000 rupiah (5 dollars Canadian) and you just gather around meeting the other 'hashers'. Once everyone shows up you head out on the hash. One member has already gone ahead and laid a paper trail on the route through the jungle so you know where to go. We had a group of about 20 plus heading out on this hash and it took a little over an hour to get through the trail. Once you're back at base camp there are showers, food, kegs of beer and someone who cleans your shoes for 2000 rupiah (20 cents). Once everyone's back, showered and had a few they had out punishments.
All the members form a circle around the ring leader who has a tray of beers ready. He basically just goes around the circle taking the piss out of everyone and giving these 'punishments'. The things they call you on could be completely true or just absolutely random. It could be something like 'you were the last one out of the trail so you get a punishment' or 'your shoes are new so now you have to drink a beer from them. When you get called to the middle of the circle they hand you a glass of beer, sing this little song and at the end you have to chug it back.

The new guys get called to the center quite a few times their first night and it was no exception for me of course. I got called in a few times just for being the new guy, no other reason. Once I got called in because I had my hand in my pocket. The ring leader just pointed at me and yelled 'he's wanking! there's no wanking allowed'. For that I had to chug another beer and also have cold water poured down my shorts. That happened to me 3 times. This goes on for quite a while until they announce 'social drinking' where you finally sit down and realize how much beer you just drank.
Got home pretty late and didn't get much done at work today. I'll have to make up for that tomorrow.

Been thinking about Christmas lately. I think it's because they have already put up decorations at my work... Can't decide what to do. I'm kind of wishing I went home for Christmas instead of in the summer. Maybe I miss the winter a little bit.

Anyone want to fly me back?

Arcade Fire

Amazing song. Amazing video.

Stay Positive

Cos this world swallows souls
And when the blues unfold
It gets cold silence burns holes
You're going mad
Perhaps you always were
But when things was good you just didn't care
This is called irony
When you most need to get up you got no energy
Time and time shit'll happen
The dark shit's unwrapping
But no-one's listening your mates are laughing
Your brethren's fucking and then you start hating
Your stomach starts churning and you mind starts turning.
So smoke another draw
It won't matter no more but the next day still feels sore
Rain taps on your window
Always did tho but you didn't hear it when things were so-so
You're on your own now
Your little zone you were born alone and believe me you'll die alone

Feels nice and still
Good thing about brown is it always will
It's easy, no-one blames you
It's that world out there that's fucked you
You know less of a person and if God exists
He still loves you
Just remember that - the more you sink the further back from that brink
Maybe you've lifetime scars and you think tattoos might be more fitting
But who's picking?
Searching for yourself you find demons
Try and be a freeman and grasp that talisman
Cos your the same as I am
We all need our fellow man
We all need our samaritan.
Maybe I'm better looking than you tho
Maybe I've got more dough - but am I happier... no.
Get the love of a good girl and your world will be much richer than my world
And your happiness will uncurl

Stop dreaming
People who say that are blaspheming
They're doing nine to five and moaning
And they don't want you succeeding when they've blown it
And you idols - who are they?
They too dreamt about their day
Positive steps will see your goals.
Whether it's dollars or control, feel the gold.
I ain't helping you climb the ladder
I'm busy climbing mine.
That's how it's been since the dawn of time
If you reach a cul-de-sac
The world turns it's back
This is your zone, it's like blackjack
He might get the ace or the top one
So organise your two's and three's into a run then you'll have fucked him son
And for that you'll be the better one
One last thing before you go though
When you feel better tomorrow you'll be a hero
But never forget today. you could be back here
Things can stray
What if you see me in that window?
You won't help me I know.
That's cool, just keep walking where you go.
Carry on through the estate, stare at the geezers so they know you ain't lightweight
And go see your mates

I hope you understand me
Just trying to stay positive
I ain't no preaching fucker and I ain't no do-goody-goody either
This is about when shit goes pear-shaped
And if you aren't or ever have been at rock bottom then good luck to you in the big wide world
But remember that one day shit might just start crumbling
Your bird might fuck off or you might loose your job
It's when that happens that what I'm talking about will feel much more important to you
So if you ain't feeling it, just be thankful that everything's cool in your world

Where The Circle Ends

No one even lives here
We're too busy crashing our cars every morning in the same house
Paving the same roads
Unwilling to walk them
And even when we extend ourselves, its only to be included
In a moment that stands still
And so often we don't struggle to improve conditions
We struggle for the right to say "We improved conditions"
And so often we form communities
Only to use them as exclusionary devices
And we forget that somewhere man is beside himself with grief
And somewhere people are calling for teachers
And no one's answering

Hello Mister

Again I feel I'm juggling too many things at once. I'm teaching myself how to play guitar, trying to get to the gym 3 days a week, working on photos I have been putting off for ages along with new ones I keep taking, working on school work outside of office hours so I can get a bit ahead with planning and I just started an online TEFL course which has already started chewing up more of my time! A little while back I started to write something as well but I don't really know where that's going at all...

Also a new friend of mine, who I feel I am just starting to get to know, will be leaving Medan soon so I've been spending most of my weekends with her. I'm not complaining about her taking up my time at all. If I did I would probably get a few angry messages back saying "bloody this and bloody that you bloody twat."

Another busy weekend coming up and I know for sure at least one day will be a complete write off... I'll just have to hope for some magical Indonesian holiday to appear, like they do, so I can have some extra time to knock a few things out the way.

Come on indo holiday!!

127 Hours

My favourite director does it again.

Big City Dream

The last words I heard before I slammed the door...
"You gotta be humble in this life."
But my shoulders tell me that ain't right
as I race down the stairs and step out into the night.
I scan the city skyline...
smoking like a neon mechanized Christ.
So I walk with intent towards my salvation.
Thoughts rise and fall... sharpen my mind into a razor.
I try to see into the future.
I try to sense impending danger.
There's a bum on the corner with his shopping cart filled with plastic bags.
Somedays I would wonder how he got there.
Not tonight, I don't care.
Steam rising up from the gutter...
shining in the headlights of passing cars.
The sound of distant sirens drowned out by thick concrete walls.
My state of mind makes me all alone on this platform in this subway station.
If you can make it here...
no one will care.
I see faces cut by lines of weariness.
Intelligent eyes hardened by cynical resignation.
I catch my reflection...
my face is changing too.
I find the reasons while I suffer just like all the others.
Up the stairs into a hazy dream.
I hear the neons scream.
I hear the billboards scream.
Fields of concrete stretching infinitely.
The industries that made us free...
with money to spend on all the wrong things.
I get down on my knees. The crowds rush past me.
I pray to no one and I feel nothing.

TRON TRON TRON

The colours are a bit off in this but you'll have to deal with it.

True Grit

A remake of a classic John Wayne film. It looks like the Coen brothers will do it justice.



Or you could watch the original.

The Fighter

Jalan Labu (Pumpkin Street in English)

The house I live in.