You know you got to go through Hell before you get to Heaven

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4 hours car ride back to Medan. At Medan we took this shuttle bus service, Raja Taxi. 70K to get Lake Toba. It was very promising, they have good cars with air conditioner, they promised the 4 hours the longest to get Toba. It turned out like this:
2 hours they went around and around Medan picking up other passengers. They packed the car more than its capacity. At 3 pm suddenly the car stopped at the restaurant. The driver said he wants to have lunch first. We told him we need to catch the ferry at 6 pm. He yelled at me very rude that we will make it, the last ferry is at 8 pm he said. We waited about 40 minutes until he finished his lunch. The next 2 hours was hell. The driver was smoking all the time, he opened the window so we didn’t feel the air conditioner at all. And it was hot. We complained about 3-4 times, he closed the window then still do it again 10 minutes later anyway. The way he drove really scary, 12 people on the car were very close to death. We got to Siantar at 5 pm, then they changed driver to take two passengers to their home. And then went around the traffic for another half and hour. It’s even still upsetting to remember it now. Then he picked up new passengers from the street, then there was 15 people in a car, close to death. 10 minutes before 6pm the driver just realized that he messed up. He thought we were gonna take the big ferry, but the last small ferry is really at 6 pm. After, he drove even worse. Luckily, one of the girl in the car has a friend who’s already in the ferry and she asked for the ferry to wait for us. I usually don’t do regrets, but I wish I just rent a car for only 200,000 rupiah difference.
Raja taxi shuttle bus was really lousy. If it’s the driver, then they should fire the driver who took us on 8th April 2009 to Toba, at 1pm shuttle bus.
Enough for the bad things, we will go back there later in this blog.
We got to Prapat harbour at 6.30 and straight to the ferry. The view of Lake Toba made my mood feel better. Huge lake, cool breeze, green hills.
We arrived at Carolina’s jetty when it was already dark. Carolina is a good hotel with deal price. It’s a hotel with many rooms. We went there on a long weekend so the place felt more touristy, and we just went to the jungle where everyone treat us very special.
We had dinner at the restaurant, we expected good food but then we realized we ordered too much for a taste we didn’t expect. We picked up 2 bottles of beer to our room. When we walked the waiter run to us and told me that I mentioned the wrong number room number. “If there’s a mistake it’s us who will have to pay for it.” He said. Very rude isn’t it? Like I did it on purpose to make him pay for my beers? “I showed you the key.” I told him, too tired to be upset. Sometimes I think I should be more aggressive in confrontation, but then I think again that’ll just be waste of time and emotion. But before went to sleep that night I promised myself to complain to the hotel manager and Raja Taxi too.
Woke up the next morning we rent a motorbike. All hotel’s motorbikes were rent so they had to get from the outside.
“I only have one helmet for you” the motorbike’s owner said.
“Okay, I don’t have to wear it” I said.
“I will not ride it if you don’t wear helmet, Astrid.” LM said to me.
Then they got me a really old, smelly and broken helmet that saved my life later that day.
It was a good ride, first we went to the Kings’ Tombs. Two sites of kings’ tombs and plenty of souvenir stalls. We spent more time there shopping for people at home.
After we went to the opposite way to look for the stone table and chairs site. On the way there we saw this heart shaped waterfall, people around here called it broken heart waterfall. It’s really a random thing to see. Very beautiful.
We continued our trip and got to the next site. I really liked this one. A guide took us and explained everything there. He explained the houses, the women and men used to live in separated houses. Even if they’re husband and wife.
Then there was this megalithic stones of tables and chairs. A guide offered his service and we really interested to listen to the history of the place. First interesting I heard that they used to separate the women and men live in different houses. Even husband and wives. Then he explained about the architectural designs and meanings of the houses.
This megalithic stones of chairs and tables not else was a trial place for the.. the.. convicted?
This is quiet mean and not easy for me to write. So I will forget about past tense and use whatever grammar to tell this paragraph below.
So they keep the criminal for a week, without food without drink, with the legs locked by wood(1), inside a cage (2) next to the chairs and tables (3), where everyday the kings and others talking about how they should do torture and execute him.
After a week, they will put him in the middle of them and sit him on the small chair (4). Give him what he wants to eat and drink for the last time.
After that they will bring them to the execution place. (Here the guide used his child for demonstration)
So first they will close his eyes (5) and cut his body(6). If he doesn’t get hurt, then he got black magic power. So they will read them book of batak(7), which mean to spell the magic away. After the cut works, they will squeeze lime into the cuts.
And then they cut the bird(8). After they will make him knee to the king and cut his neck around(9), put the bowl under his head to get his blood(10), for the king to drink. Let me take a minute to rest. …………………
So after the king drink the blood, they kill the guy, cut him to pieces, and the king will eat some of the flesh. This isn’t an act of cannibalism but it meant to scare the people to not mess with the king and his kingdom.
Now what I just wrote I heard from the guide. If I missed or mistaken a detail I really apologize.
That of course was too many long time ago before the Christian missionary came. And Batak people are one of the friendliest people I’ve ever known. My best friend is one of them and I would never worry about she would ever eat me. Next time I will tell you about how the family trees and strong cultural marriage rules. Next time when I understand more the complexity of it.
We went on with the motorbike. Around 2 km later we had an accident. It happened so fast. A dog ran crossing the road and the next second I was trying to breath and sit on the road, I saw scary blood next to me, the motorbike was already 5 meters away from me. I looked at LM and asked if she’s okay. When I feel my wounds I realized there were already a crowd helping us. And right after that it was raining as hard as I couldn’t believe it.
After I checked out that the camera was fine (I borrowed it from a friend, an expensive one. I was so worried.) then I managed things for us to get the hospital as soon as possible.
I’m not sure how much money or time we spent to get a car, get two guys to take the motorbike, paid the crashed motorbike, paid the helmet that saved my life, argued with the doctor at the small clinic, hotel bills, rent the ferry for ourselves to get back to the mainland, and rent a taxi (Raja Taxi) for another 4 hour trips to Medan.
The accident happened at 2 pm and we got to the emergency room at 11 pm.
We even stopped by somewhere at Siantar around 7pm to have a dinner because we hadn’t eaten since morning. With all the bleeding head and broken arm. The best noodles I ever had and I couldn’t even chew it. I just swallowed half of it.
3 am we checked in the 5 stars hotel. half price. LM decided to cancel the aceh trip because she wanted to go back to Jakarta to get her arm scanned. She suggested me to do the same thing for the sake of my head. I thought if something is broken with my skull i wouldn’t be able to stand the pain. So I decided to keep going by myself. And I was a bit proud of that stupid decision.
6 am my forehead got swollen pretty bad and I looked like chucky or probably his bride.
10 am went to airport and I walked with one leg like a zombie.
12 pm got to banda aceh. Nice city, nice people. went around the town to look for a pharmacy because I didn’t have time at Medan to change the doctor receipt.
1 pm waiting at the ferry port to Pulau Weh. Eating 2 cup noodles and people are watching me. Trying to cheer myself up. It really could have got worse. For a motorbike accident, i considered myself as very lucky.
3 pm on the ferry reading. Wounds are getting worse, left eye getting smaller. Had to listen two stupid foreigners talking shit about indonesia. They probably thought no Indonesian around could understand what they were talking about. This zombie could.
4 pm got to Sumur Tiga and checked in. This is my place to rest for 3 days and pray that the injuries would be better before I start my first diving course.
Aceh was hit by tsunami back in 2004 and since that there are hundreds of NGOs working there. Many foreigners work for the NGOs. They sometimes go to Pulau Weh for a holiday from Banda Aceh and its strict Syariah Law. They’re just looking for beers, really.
This place I stayed in, owned by a.. I don’t know where he’s from actually. But he’s been in business at Sumur Tiga pretty long. His name is Freddy. The place was quiet busy when I was there. They have this buffet meal system. They knocked my door when it was dinner but I still wanted to have my rest. So told them that I’ll go down later. Later when I went down they didn’t have anything left for me. So I cried. Because I missed my dinner.
Haha it was actually an accumulation of pain, loneliness and fear, disappointments, and all the other bad things. After having LM and her jokes the whole week at great places I felt empty to suddenly had to rest alone and embarrassed to go out to hang out with people because I looked awful and people would just feel sorry to me. I act tougher than I was, and it wasn’t easy to be positive back then. But then I’d feel the same if I went home anyway so at that point I was glad I continued the trip. That night I cried Freddy’s staff put a plate of fried chicken in front of my room for me to eat. It was very sweet.
The next days I was there I never missed any meal and Freddy and his crew always get me soft cooking so I could chew.
And there were this 2 stupid ********* I saw in the ferry I had to sit with in a dinner and had conversation with them. They turned out working for NGO there when I asked which one, one of them answered :
“The best one.”
“Which is?”
“IRC.”
“Ive heard so many, but never heard of that.” Just to make them feel upset. I got nothing against IRC though, I have some friends working there.
They were rude, they talked bad things about everyone and everything there. Their jokes were not funny, it was even very tiring to keep my mouth shut and listen to their conversation. And I hope they read this blog someday.
Sumur Tiga was good, feel sorry that I couldn’t go down to check the beach and snorkel. But all the hot water, van, Freddy’s cooking, and good view was really helped me to have good rest and healing.
And most of all the refrigerator with many cold soft drink cans I could use to compress the injuries. 😊

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Photos

reality check
this is how i kept checking how the swollen got worse and worse