Asia 2006: Random Bozo goes to Pekanbaru

scribblings (paper diary entry)

• gado-gado and rokok
• danau and soldiers
• putar dan putar (round and round)
• don't confuse the above with putur (drugs)
• Tity's party
• Oyong
• Nova

What did that mean?

I appear to have been fed gado-gado (vegetables in peanut sauce) and bought some cigarettes.

The photos of the boat trip that are on yesterday's page must have been from today. I remember driving with Ridha and Dita to a friend's house, a brief prayer session and then us driving around for quite a while, trying to find our way to the lake and the puttering around on it for an hour or so, then driving back through Pekanbaru.

Back at Da In and Uni Ai (Dita, Icha and Uul' parents)' house, there was a party for a young girl called Tity. I think it was her 8th birthday. In runs a car-wash next to the house. The front part of the house is also a restaurant, where 'Tuan Nasi' (Mr Rice) and another female worker (who is delightfully mad) cook vast amounts of rice and other foods each day.

Later in the evening Da In and Adriani's brother Oyong arrived. I think he lives in Palembang, miles to the south of Pekanbaru.

Later still, Nova (Da In, Oyong and Adriani's oldest brother) arrived to take me to his logging kampung to the west of Sumatra. Nova's a wiry, brilliant and fun bloke. To other Sumatrans, he describes himself as Minangkabau (people from the Bukit Barisan mountains on the west of Sumatra). To me, he is Adriani's older, protective brother. If you are reading this, Nova, my heart is with you!