Week 22: Indonesian Scuba and Chinese New Year

 

Ever since I was a little guy going to the dentist I've imagined how cool it would be to scuba - floating weightless like a spaceman, surrounded by sea creatures just like the ones in the tank there in the waiting area. Also, it was in a scuba class in college where my parents first met. So this whole idea has been pretty romanticized for me. This last weekend, I finally got my chance to go get an open water certification. 

The three of us flew to Banda Aceh, Indonesia (about an hour away) and then took a ferry (also about an hour) to the island of Pulau Weh. A couple of things I learned about this place in the lead up to our departure: 1) Banda Aceh to a huge beating from the 2004 Tsunami - of the 230,000 people that died that day, 160,000 were in northern Sumatra where Aceh is located. 2) The state is under Sharia law and is a semi-autonomous district of Indonesia. All this meant it's not really known as a tourist destination like a lot of other places in southeast Asia...I was hoping all this meant that the Lunar New Year crowds that were building in Penang and every other destination wouldn't be a thing we'd have to deal with there. 

We were not disappointed. We stayed in bungalows on a secluded beach with just a handful of other divers and locals. The only exception was one morning where a some partiers got pumped up with a speaker blasting Metallica on the beach at first light...but that was as rowdy as it got - in a strictly Muslim town where booze is hard to find and drug possession will get you 3rd-world prison time or worse. 

But besides that it was uber mellow and just right. Which was good because I'd say the scuba instruction and skills demonstration wasn't really low-key. Huge kudos to Abbi who did the whole thing while fighting a cold (not recommended) and Jo who overcame mask and ear issues. And our instructor Anna, who was so excellent at helping us master the skills

And then kudos again to all of us, when we found on our 3rd dive and final skills test that we were in the middle of a jellyfish hatch, and surrounded by about a million of them...that apparently learn to sting as soon as they're born. Arms, face, lips, neck, pretty much all of us. It was painful but nothing a little vinegar shower and Benadryl couldn't fix. Actually that part sucked. But we were still able to finish and the payoff for our final dive was 100% worth it - the fish, creatures, and coral were incredible

Here's a couple more shots from our bungalow and the surrounding jungle

Also, some cool land creatures too. Like this thing - which Abbi informed me was a flying fox. I'm pretty sure its actually Dracula - it was enormous

Our travel logistics didn't lend themselves to a departure that would get us all the way to Penang in one shot - so we ferried back to Aceh and then spent the night there. I was interested to see the famous Baiturrahman grand mosque. To be fair, it wasn't famous to me until I started looking for what people do when the visit - this was #1 on the list. 

What makes it special is that it was the lone survivor of the tsunami. Here's a pic from the internet showing what it looked like right after - protected by God from the destruction

My experience in visiting it was memorable - besides it being really beautiful, I definitely felt a little of the "what are you doing here" vibe from the locals - lots of questions about where I was from, what my religion was, and some initial reluctance to letting me enter. Once I was able to make it more clear that I just wanted a few pictures on the grounds and wouldn't go into the building during prayers they let me take off my shoes and enter. Pictures of course don't do it justice.

Following the theme of faith and miracles, I offer you our Grab (think Uber) driver while we were in town

This guy picked us up from the ferry and took us to the hotel - giving Joanna just enough time to leave her glasses behind in his car. Despite calls to the taxi company we weren't able to connect. So we wrote them off and figured Jo could feel her way home or learn braille. The next day we called a Grab - and guess who showed up! He had searched for them in his car without success. Jo slumped into the back seat and then -  voila! found them in the door pocket.

In Penang there are hundreds, maybe thousands of Grab drivers - I don't ever expect to get the same one twice and never have...fortune smiled upon us that day.

To celebrate, he played a little American music for us in the car. In a strange callback to the only other American music we heard on the trip it was....the mighty Metallica. I loved it so much I shot a little video in the car.

Lunar new year festivities are called Chinese new year in Penang. Maybe because the island is 60% Chinese ancestry. Anyway, its quite a fiesta. Even at work, where the gods of good fortune prowl the halls handing out oranges

And where Lions dance

And midnight fireworks look could pass for the artillery of an invasion (ack. Abbi for this video - I fell asleep before the shelling reached its peak

Semi- related (maybe only because it happened during the holiday week) we did a work lunch and then popped in next door to the snake temple. Where they have one of these you can befriend

One last thing... It kind of looks like a firework, but instead its a burning bus as seen from our apartment. Good news - everyone got off safely. I was interested to go check out the aftermath the next morning

I strolled up to the burn site and they were just finishing patching the hole that got burned in the road. I took a few pictures and the foreman got nervous. After I complimented him on how fast he got it done and how good the patch job looked he asked if he could pose for a picture. 

Love this place.

Week 20: Thaipusam!!!

 

There's the little things we love about being here - warm weather, people on the street that all seem eager to smile at the strange american approaching them, new foods to taste...and then there's next-level cultural experiences that are a fun reminder of the bubble we've lived in most of our lives. This week was a good one. 

Thaipusam a Tamil festival to celebrate the event by which Lord Murugan vanquished the evil demon Surapadman with his righteous spear or vel - actually split him in half. One half became a mango tree, the other a peacock and a rooster...the rooster became his flag, the peacock, his steed

Here in Penang, the good times get rolling with gold and silver chariots moving throughout the city. Naturally there was an app to locate them them along their journey to join with the pilgrims who were making offerings of fruits and handing up babies to be blessed. Also along the procession were mounds of coconuts, smashed as a part of the ritual

 Also, this guy got all painted up for the procession

By the following morning the chariots had made their way to the temple, which was the eventual destination for all the worshippers bringing an offering of milk in silver urns carried on their head. Estimates were that ~800k people came to the island for the holiday weekend. I think we rubbed shoulders with about half of them on our hike up to the 500 steps to the top. In retrospect we should have gotten an earlier start so we didn't need to roast in the late morning sun waiting for our chance to take the next step

On the other hand, we weren't carrying things on our head in ceremonial clothing while barefoot. 

Nor were we trying to do it with a bunch of new piercings to demonstrate our devotion. 

This guy is covered with little containers of milk all hooked into his skin. And a few in his face.

Everyone was very gracious and kind even though it was obvious we were there as sightseers in the middle of their religious moment. We felt lucky to have been a part of it.

Then we went home and showered. I felt like this kid