After a late night/early morning talking to my family on my birthday, I got up for a 2 1/2 hour trip to Lamno in Aceh Jaya. (South of Banda Aceh.) Lamno is the area where I will be implementing the project for which I was hired. So, this was my first recognisance trip down to the south. Wow, it was an amazing trip. Firstly, the roads are dismal. Apparently, they have been working on the road for awhile, but there are entire stretches that they have been working on for months/years and still are not complete. We sometimes forget the luxury of cement, but the gravel roads along the road make me appreciate paved roads, even if they aren't in the best shape. Secondly, the views and scenery are just incredible. As there were others in the car, I did not make them stop for pictures. But, I figure I will be travelling this road quite a bit in the upcoming months, so I have a few more chances to share them with you. The road weaves along the beach and up into the coastal hills/cliffs. The water is an amazing, the colors incredible and the the scenery spectacular. Really, I need to get some pictures for you.
We went to the offices (picture) down there and even checked out the guest house. I will likely be spending a good chunk of my time over the next few months down there, so this is important stuff. Generally quite nice, but not the fanciest accommodations. From what I understand there is no electricity during the days and right now the water is a lovely mud-colored brown. But I believe that we will be addressing that issue by getting water delivered to a tank rather than just using the well water. And while the guest house has a fancy western toilet, the office does not - so I will be need to improve my squatting skills. I know, very exciting stuff.
We then went on a quick visit to four of the seven villages in the area where CHF has built houses. This trip was just to see what the villages are like, we did not even get out of the car and had no meetings set up. But I just wanted to see what the areas looked like and what types of economic activities were occurring. Mostly is was nothing. On our way into one of the villages we saw these jumping monkeys. From what I am told, these are not so typical. So it was essentially a welcome just for me.
We went to the offices (picture) down there and even checked out the guest house. I will likely be spending a good chunk of my time over the next few months down there, so this is important stuff. Generally quite nice, but not the fanciest accommodations. From what I understand there is no electricity during the days and right now the water is a lovely mud-colored brown. But I believe that we will be addressing that issue by getting water delivered to a tank rather than just using the well water. And while the guest house has a fancy western toilet, the office does not - so I will be need to improve my squatting skills. I know, very exciting stuff.
We then went on a quick visit to four of the seven villages in the area where CHF has built houses. This trip was just to see what the villages are like, we did not even get out of the car and had no meetings set up. But I just wanted to see what the areas looked like and what types of economic activities were occurring. Mostly is was nothing. On our way into one of the villages we saw these jumping monkeys. From what I am told, these are not so typical. So it was essentially a welcome just for me.
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