| 24 April 2005 – Aaron Back to Acheh The journey to Banda Aceh from Austin is not for the weak. The 7:00 am departing flight on United from Austin takes you through San Francisco (5 hours plus layover), through Tokyo Narita (13 hours + 5 hours layover), and on to arriving in Singapore (7 hours + an overnight stay) at midnight. I made it to the hotel by about 1:00 am and needed some spicy Singaporean food, which I picked up at an all-night, outside food court next to the Allson Hotel. Being the self-proclaimed jock that I am, I asked the concierge guy about the gym and he assured me that it was fully equipped to handle the workout I was going to do the next morning. Well, after a total of about 4 hours of sleep, I hit the gym. All equipment sucked and after doing pushups and sit-ups in my weird, jet-lagged and sleep-deprived state, I rushed for my next flights departing at 11:00 am the morning after my arrival in Singapore. My arrival to Medan had me in a major rush with a 20 minute connection. As happens anywhere you go in Indonesia, someone is always there to take your bag or give you a hand in hopes of a little tip. A dude there made it his personal goal to help me make my flight, and helped me rush through customs and getting a temporary visa, through two security checkpoints, and onto my plane in time for departure…all without me having to show my ID even once. The lack of security was pretty scary. When I told Eric about what happened to me in Medan, he said he had experienced virtually the same thing a few days earlier during his return to BA from Singapore. At least this country is consistent. Once I made it to BA, Eric was waiting at the other terminal and I missed him. But guess who I ran into? Once again, none other than Yoss from Yogjakarta. He is currently working for another agency and was there to pick someone up. The guy seems to be everywhere and he gave me a ride to the office/warehouse/room we call AIRO headquarters. Upon arriving and after lots of hugs and bullshitting with Eric, we went to the Bigtop Restaurant to eat. Playing over the speaker system was a very nice saxophone rendition of “Silver Bells”-a little unexpected in April and in an area that is 99% Islam, but hey, this is Indonesia. The Christmas ambiance was eerie. The village of Lampuloh considers itself the fishing center of Aceh province. Once home to 6800 people, only 2200 people survived the Tsunami and although most immediately left the area, about 1200 have returned. The place is scattered with boat debris. These are BIG boats 60 to +100 feet long, and are strewn about as though they were toys, including an 80 footer still perched precariously on top of a house. A few weeks back Eric had come across a report prepared by Pak Subidah, the local sea commander, listing the boats, their condition and whether the owner was alive or dead. Of 91 large, +60 foot boats identified by Pak Subidah, only 27 survived the tsunami enough to even be considered repairable. A few examples are as follows: -The Jasa Ikan Terbang (Flying Fish II) is owned by Mr. Abu Bakar. Originally purchased for around US$45k, this boat is about 75 feet long, normally has a crew of 30 guys and brings in an average of 50 tons of fish per week. Of 3 big boats like this one and 5 smaller ones owned by Mr. Bakar prior to the Tsunami, only two big ones remain. Mr. Bakar lost all 4 daughters, his son, his wife, his house and office in the tsunami. He has been trying to salvage this boat using scrap materials and is very close to getting it back in the water. Literally a couple of days and 6 or 7 thousand dollars away, he is at a standstill as he has run out of money. He simply needs a used fish box and a few smaller repairs to get his guys back to work. -The Ikan Terbang (Flying Fish I) is also owned by Pak Abu Bakar. It is about 70 feet long, normally uses a crew of 35 fishermen and brings in 50 tons per week. Instead, it sits waiting for a Mitsubishi 6 cylinder 220 HP engine, a gear drive to the prop and a 120 HP Mitsubishi 4 cylinder 30 kilowatt generator engine. Some stern and hull work remain unfinished. If a used engine and generator were purchased and the remaining woodwork completed, this boat could be back in business within 1 month for about US$5k. However, this boat is also missing its 1300 meter-long (!) net system. These ¾ mile-long nets are worth almost half as much as the boat itself at +US$17k. Although a handful of used nets are available for around US$8k, most of the boats in the area will require new nets. -The Bintang Purnama I (Star and Full Moon I) is owned by Pak Subidah, the local sea commander. This huge 80 foot boat needs a 350 HP Nissan 8 cylinder engine, a smaller 100 HP electric generator engine and some small repairs to the hull and bow. For about US$6k and a month of repairs, this boat could be back to work employing a crew of 25 and would be bringing in 30 tons of fish per week and subsequent economical benefits to the area. -The Fortuna, owned by Pak Usman, is a 60 foot boat that sustained very little damage, requiring about US$2-3k to be back in use. There are a couple of holes in the side and bottom that will take a few weeks to repair. Once again however, the 1300 meter net was destroyed and must be replaced as well before the boat can be used to fish. -The Bolivia is a 65 foot boat owned by Pak Rusdi. It needs about US$5k and a month of repairs to the boat itself, but is also missing the fishing net. -The Aneuk Syukur II (Thankful Child II) also owned by Pak Rusdi, was built in 1998 at a cost of about US$45k. It is 65 feet long and uses a 140 HP Mitsubishi engine. Presently, only the cabin can be seen above the water as it sits at the bottom of the river and is a total loss. -The current boat-repair crew of Lampulo uses 2 master craftsmen and about 6 apprentices. They work together, moving from boat to boat as a group, sharing the very limited tools that remain. The tools needed for these boat repairs are extremely simple. To be most effective, the crew needs to purchase additional drills and saws, simple generators and hand tools such as hammers and screwdrivers, all at a cost of around US$2-4k. It is crazy how such small amounts of funds can do so much. AIRO’s approach is to do a case-by-case evaluation of each boat and the feasibility to repair or replace them. Our model is to apply our limited resources to benefit the most people in the shortest amount of time. We verify ownership, and apply judgment as to the total economic impact to the region in a given situation. Yes, it is good to be back in Aceh. Although this place is disorganized, crazy and certainly frustrating at times, I am so excited that we are making huge progress on our current boat project in KR. Possibly more exciting yet is the progress the AIRO team is making towards identifying new and meaningful projects going forward. Once our filings for non-profit status are complete and approved, AIRO’s Adopt-A-Boat program, our Lend- Repay-Relend funding program, peripheral fishing-support industries, and other projects will be rolled out. Thanks and Merry Christmas! Aaron Aaron C. Lyman President, AIRO Austin International Rescue & Relief Operations Indonesian Cellular from USA: 011-62-81-51356-0011 From Indonesia: 081-51356-0011 USA Cellular: 1-512-750-5096 alyman@austin.rr.com www.austin-international-rescue.org |
Becak cycle is forty five years old
Net care
Pasar Neusu
Just when you think it can't get
any deeper...
any deeper...
it gets deeper
Boat at rest
Lampulo rebuilds
Journal Entries
Journal Entries
The entire Lampulo boat-repair
tool kit: Can I borrow the
hammer??
tool kit: Can I borrow the
hammer??
Nets and boat four months later
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