Luci and I plus our new guide,Ricky, and a driver took a 3 hour bone jarring ride on pothole infested roads to a homestay in a village a few kilometers from the sea.
We were met by the mother, two children and host of neighborhood kids. The father was in the city buying goods for the family's store.
The house consisted of one family room, one bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom, complete with squat toilet. Furniture was one bed, a wardrobe, an entertainment center with tv and stereo and some shelves in the kitchen. No tables, no chairs, no sofa, no bookshelves, no Xbox, no computer. The walls were hung with family photos.
We watched as the mother and her friend cleaned some anchovies that would be part of our meal and then Ricky taught us to cook a potato dish. In Indonesia, it seems that all cooking is done earlier in the day and then the food sits around until you eat it. Fresh means since the morning. How we didn't get food poisoning I have no idea.
Luci and I took a walk along the village's one road where we treated like celebrities. Everyone wanted to practice their English shouting hello to us as we greeted them. Two high school boys drove up on their scooter to get pictures with us (probably only wanted a pic with Luci). I kept my eye on them. One's English was very good.
When we returned to the house, it was time for the older girl , 11 year old Ariel's, Koran lesson. She donned her head scarf as the imam made a house call to read with her in Arabic. When she was finished, she, her sister Sabrina, a neighbor girl, Iney, and a little boy Oran piled in the car with us for a visit to the docks. We saw anchovies drying and shrimp being loaded into coolers for transport to the city via truck and motorbike. We visited a crab nursery and watched as a woman set her traps. The sun set, turning the clouds brilliant colors and we saw our first Asian stars. The mosquitoes came out with a vengeance, feasting on our sweet American blood!
We ate dinner with Ricky and our driver but, unfortunately, not with the family. I think the mother was a bit shy. We went to sleep in the only bed, it was ungracious to refuse and fell asleep to the sounds of motorbikes whizzing along the gravel road.
In the morning, we went fishing. When the tide rose high enough for the boat to reach the pier, Luci, Ricky, the driver, and I boarded and joined the crew of three for a pleasure cruise to the fishing grounds. A half hour to the sea and then we cast handlines into the water and caught small fish which were grilled up right on the boat. There was a cool breeze and the boat rocked gently, a pleasant way to spend a few hours before the excruciating drive to the city of Medan and our hotel for the night.
Now we sit in the airport awaiting our flight to Bangkok and our new adventures.
Thanks for reading!