http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Cogito/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Cogito en-us Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:13:44 +0000 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:13:44 +0000 My birthday 3rd of December for those who missed it was so legendary that it warrants 2 blog entries.During the day I received the welcome phone calls from friends and family. It was really special to hear from home.Then I went to the beach with 4 local staff from work 2 tunas 11 and a BBQ. It was great to spend a day on the beach I really love to swim in the sea. It was also cool to ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-30922.html OK this is where I feel a little guilty and really lucky.Once I officially got the job I moved into one of the NGO houses. For someone who had spent the last month backpacking around Sumatra living in some fairly grotty accommodation just having space to call my own was luxury. But it was far more than just that.I am sharing the house with an older Peruvian doctor called Atilio. Hersquos gre http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-28157.html Well herersquos where things kinda just happened. I returned from my tropical island and the next day Nick brought me into the office of the NGO he worked for. Hersquod already talked to the head office in New York and they were pretty keen to take me on. In fact they said that if Nick didnrsquot want me in Aceh they had work for me in Africa It was just a case of them checking out my r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Pulau-Weh/blog-27499.html Hey guysI'm just writing this post to let you know that I'm moving my blog site towww.fromthehorizon.comI'm still getting things set up with the new site but there are afew posts up there already so check them out http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Medan/blog-36818.html OK so itrsquos been a while since I made a Blog entry what can I say Irsquove been busy it is the silly season after all. So I may as well get straight to the pointChristmas Day.Now Irsquod presumed that being overseas in foreign lands Christmas would be a rather subdued affair. I was wrong. I thought that I was on top of things in October when I brought my family Christmas presents in http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-34910.html On the weekend of New Years Jo Me Nerys Remko and Erica went back to Sabang for some chill out time.I stayed in a slightly better Bungalow than my last visit Although Jo was adamant that it was merely a hut ldquoBungalows donrsquot go on stiltsrdquo. It got me thinking about how much else has changed since last time I was here only 2 months ago. When I came here last time I had no tie http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Pulau-Weh/blog-34911.html Well the first couple of weeks were relatively easy. I wasnrsquot being given that much to do at work. I was pretty much finding work for myself learning Microsoft Access to play with a prototype database they had for all their logistics data. I was enjoying the social side of things as well hanging out with Oliver who I knew from Auckland and going to parties Sean and Remko from Sabang Pala http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-30719.html So what does an Australian guy who works in Indonesia with only 2 days holiday do when there's no ferry He charters a boat and drags me along for the ride and to share the cost.Sure it totally blew the days budget but hey it'd be an adventure. As it turned out abit too much of an adventure. A 6m boat which the driver pretty much surfed down the ocean swells a diesel engine right next to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Pulau-Weh/blog-26401.html The following day I got in touch with Red Cross to see when I could start and what I could do to help but unfortunately bureaucracy got the better of me. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent had an arrangement with the local Red Cross which meant that they couldn't accept any volunteers. Arse. The guy from the Red Cross said he'd look into other possibilities for me but b http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-26465.html OK this is where things get REALLY interesting. My primary reason for coming to Aceh was to find some volunteer relief work to help people who were affected by the tsunami. It has been quite an adventure. I will be putting daily updates to cover everything if you're still interestedAfter getting off my flight from KL I easily enough caught an overnight bus to Banda Aceh.Arriving in Banda Aceh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Banda-Aceh/blog-25708.html I probably should make some reference to my trip to Malaysia. Even though it was only a means to an ends a new Indonesian visa getting there is half the fun.In between running round the country like a madman trying to get my visa I spent a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.KL is similar to Singapore just a bit dirtier. I actually had a bit of culture shock arriving there from Indone http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/blog-25713.html The highlight of Sumatra is definitely Bukit Lawang.Set right in the jungle next to an Orangutan Rehabilitation Center the place is amazing. Everything is quite minimalist power is from generators etc. This is partially because huge floods came through the area in 2003 killing 300 people and destroying a huge number of houses.Initially I was staying in a pretty grotty guesthouse but then I t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Bukit-Lawang/blog-24848.html I was 3 weeks into my 30 day visa for Indonesia and decided that I really wanted to do some volunteer work in Aceh. This meant a visa run.Rather than choosing the cheaper option of a ferry to Penang in Malaysia I choose a flight to Kualu Lumpur. However about an hour after paying for my tickets I found out that the Indonesian Embassy in KL didn't issue 60 day visas and that I would have to go http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-24849.html The Lonely Planet describes Berastagi as a Grotty Town. I loved it. As soon as I arrived I could feel that this was a place which was actually lived in wandering round the market seeing the people I was in heaven.The next day I went for a trek up Gunung Sibayak and active volcano 2094 meters. One of the highlights was riding on the roof of the bus to the base of the mountain. At the top ther http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Berastagi/blog-24847.html Lake Toba is the old crater of a volcano which a large island in it where I stayed. Although I had heard that it was meant to be beautiful and a perfect place to relax I thought it was arse. The place is entirely set up for tourists to the point of which it has no culture of it's own.To make matters worse there were virtually no other tourists around so I had no company and the locals were http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Lake-Toba/blog-24846.html Traveling in Sumatra is far from a stress free experience. To start with requires getting a ticket. None of the ticket offices speak any English so I have to find some English speaker who will get me a time and no doubt add his margin for doing so.The Buses seldom arrive on time and in one case I was waiting for 2 and a half hours before the bus finally arrived. All this time there was no one http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/blog-24845.html I was glad to get out of the sweaty industrial town of Dumai although the overnight bus trip wasn't exactly bliss.I arrived in Bukittinggi early in the morning and with the help of a local girl found my way to my hostel.Walking round Bukittingi was an interesting experience. I really came to appreciate that I was in a foreign land. Bukittinggi is rather unique it is 930m above sea level meaning http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Bukittinggi/blog-22733.html After arriving in Lake Maninjau my guide left me. It was raining and I was damp and alone in a strange land. A motorcycle took me to my homestay read hostel Lilliersquos.I had to weave my way through the rice paddies for about 5 minutes from the road to reach the homestay. Arriving was a surreal experience. A cluster of chalets nestled amongst luscious trees right against the lake and the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Lake-Maninjau/blog-22745.html Ok now things start getting exciting.So I find myself a guide in Bukittinggi and the next day we head off into the jungle. Now I'm having fun.The jungle was interesting and I was introduced to many of my favourite spices in their native habitat Cinnamon Cardamom and Lemon Grass. But what was truly amazing is walking through the rice paddies with the locals working the fields by hand and by b http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Lake-Maninjau/blog-22736.html I have just spent 2 days in Dumai staying at with Mr Muchsin the teacher of a local English school and helping his students with their english.I have been feeling quite cut off because I haven't seen another foriegner for about 3 days now.It has been an interesting experience getting to meet the local people. I have been asked a number of times what I think of the Bali bombing.My opinion is that http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Dumai/blog-22200.html