Kuala Simpang: Day 2 Hari Raya Aidilfitri Cont'd

It must have been about 5 o'clock in the evening by the time we arrived at Ibuk Ati's house.  We didn't call to let her know we were on the way.  In Indonesia, no one really bothers to call or leave a message; you just show up at the door and hope whoever you're wanting to see is home.  May be a waste of time if it doesn't work out, but that's just the way of life in Indonesia.  Fortunately for us, it only took one loud knock on the front door while my mom called out, "Ati!  Ati!  Ini Kak Nurul dengan anak-anak"  ("Ati, Ati, this is your older sister, Nurul, with her kids.") before Ibuk Ati and her husband, Om Ir, appeared at the door.  They were very happy to see us.  Though she mentioned she and her family came by our hotel three times today to no avail.  Yeah, we've been gone ALL day since 9 AM.  You might be wondering, why didn't she just call us?  Unfortunately, we forgot to give out our international cell phone number to her last night.  We just didn't think it was necessary at the time.  Anyway, no big deal.  Here we stood reunited, and everyone went inside to catch up, eat some more, and celebrate the holiday. 

No sooner had we stepped over the threshold than Zaskia, the adorable and very spoiled baby of the family, came out running to greet us.  She is the cutest three-and-a-half-year-old ever!  And feisty too. 

Zaskia, Ibuk Ati's youngest daughter

My mom and I met her for the first time just the night before.  The girl didn't say much, but she wasn't shy.  She was very smart, and very active -- she couldn't keep still for three minutes -- and she loved her toys and clothes.  She kept changing into one dress after another, and bringing out all these different toys she had.  We all couldn't help but think this little girl was showing off her possessions.  It was funny. 

We finally got her to sit still for a whole minute to do her hair, whose result she did not approve of.

We all sat on the cool, tiled floor to enjoy some more snacks and catch up with one another.  I don't remember now what we talked about exactly, but I'm pretty sure we talked about everything and anything.  I believe most of our conversations revolved around Zaskia.  My sisters and I couldn't keep our eyes and hands off her.  But it was almost impossible to hold or carry her.  The girl was independent and liked to roam free.  Who could blame her?  She must be so sick of people pinching her cheeks and trying to carry her everywhere.  And did I say how smart she was?  Rhevy, Ibuk Ati's eldest daughter and my cousin who unfortunately couldn't make it home for the holidays due to work, had taught Zaskia many English words like 'cat,' 'dog,' 'elephant,' 'bird,' and the colors of the rainbow.  Her mother would say the Indonesian words, and Zaskia would translate them into English.  She got every single word right and without hesitation.  We were impressed. 

From left to right: Om Ir (Ibuk Ati's husband), Okky (their son), Ibuk Ani, Gigi (my sister), Ibuk Ati with Zaskia, Sandra & Dinda (Zaskia's sisters), and Sahara (my sister)

About an hour into our visit, Ibuk Ani, my mom's third sister (FYI: my mom is the eldest of 12 children -- 9 girls, 3 boys) came by to visit with her eldest son and his girlfriend.  My mom and I had seen Ibuk Ani and her family sans her eldest son, Dennis, last night.  It was nice, however, that they came by to see Sahara and Gigi.  The more family members the merrier, right? 

Me with Ibuk Ani, my aunt, and her eldest son, Dennis, and his girlfriend Neneng of four years

Gigi and Sahara with our cousins, Okky and Sandra

Group photo with Ibuk Ati's family.  The only person missing is her eldest daughter, Rhevy. :(

And again, once that camera was out of the bag, it was photo after photo non-stop.  And this was just on my camera.  We had another round of photos with phone cameras too.  Indonesians sure love photos. 

After many hours of chit chat, we finally decided it was time to call it a day and return to our hotel.  Om Ir was nice enough to offer us a ride home where we invited them up and ... more photo-taking continued ... 

In our hotel bedroom -- uh oh, where's Zaskia?

OK, there she is. Everyone looked OK except Om Ir wasn't looking towards me, and my mom was looking away. Darn!

Ibuk Ati and her family then left.  That was fun, but it had been a long day and we all needed a shower.  And of course, just when I was about to hop into the shower, another cousin of ours from my mom's second sister, showed up.  Apparently, unbeknownst to my sisters and me, Ibuk Ani had talked to my mom about her coming by our hotel to visit with all her children and that Ibuk Ida, my mom's second sister, and her family were also going to visit.  I had to put off my shower and greet my two aunts and all my cousins and their girlfriends.  It was now 10 PM and we had to squeeze all 14 people into our small living room.  With a little adjustment it all worked out perfectly.  Remember all that fruit that was swarming with ants?  Well, we still had them (all washed, of course) on the table for our guests to enjoy.  By the night's end, there was nothing left on the table but the fruit's skin. 

My Indonesian family with cousins from both my mom's sisters on the right

Sahara and Gigi with Ibuk Ida's kids, our cousins, Andy, Eva, and Fitri

Me with Ibuk Ani's youngest child, Lara (left) and her son's two girlfriends, Sandra & Neneng

Me with Ibuk Ani's kids, Wahyu (left), Dennis, and Lara

My mom (center) with her sisters, Ani (left) and Ida (right)

Me with my aunt, her daughter, Lara, and her future daughters-in-law, Sandra & Neneng. I don't remember what I was laughing about -- probably the number of times we had to get this photo taken. 

It was incredible to see everyone that night.  We all sat in a big circle and asked questions of one another.  After all, it had been 10 very long years since we all last saw each another.  Everyone was all grown up, yet looked the same.  Though my family and I were all so incredibly tired (remember, we've been on since 9 AM), it was so much fun talking, laughing, reminiscing, and of course, snapping more pictures.  The room was like one huge photo-booth.  It felt like the night was going to last forever, and deep down inside I wanted it to.  Things like this don't come around very often, and life is far too short.  Why not savor the moment.   But with all good things, everything must come to an end, and it did.  Shortly after midnight, everyone got up to leave and we all said our good-byes and wished them a safe trip home in the rain.  What a day it had been.  What a very special way to celebrate the end of Ramadan.  I will forever cherish these memories. 

Kuala Simpang: Day 2 - Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Eid-al-Fitr, or Eid for short, is a religious holiday where Muslims all over the world celebrate the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.  They dress in their best and congregate together at a mosque to pray in the morning, then visit with family and friends throughout the day to exchange gifts, eat good food, and ask one another for forgiveness for any wrong-doing they might have committed earlier in the year.  In essence, it is a time to start fresh on a clean slate -- your sins of the year have been cleared. 

My sisters and I have never experienced the celebration of Eid in Indonesia.  This was to be our first.  However, we did not attend the congregation for prayer at the mosque.  It was that time of the month for me, and women that are menstruating are forbidden to enter a mosque.  We awoke early and waited for Kek Usuf to pick us up for an Eid breakfast at his house.  He said he'd be at our hotel after prayer ends around 9 AM.  Today was going to be a long day, so we dressed as comfortably as we could.  Today was also going to be the day we finally rid ourselves of that big, bulky, annoying, brown bag that we've been hauling all over Asia.  From that big, brown, annoying bag, we were finally going to give out the presents that we have brought from home.  This was going to be a special moment.

Breakfast at Kek Usuf and Nek Embok's house was delicious.  As soon as we entered, Nek Embok rushed out to wish us, "Selamat Hari Raya!" (Happy Eid-al-Fitr) and invited us to help ourselves to the lontong buffet she had set out on the dining table.  We wished her Happy Eid back, and were more than delighted to join them for breakfast.  It was such an honor to experience such a gathering on such a special day.  We got to see many more relatives too, many of whom we met for the first time on this day, and shared stories with one another before my mom came out to present gifts and money for all who had come.  Everyone was ecstatic.  Gifts from America?  Money?  Who wouldn't be thrilled. 

What you see in the clear glass bowl below is lontong, or circular rice cakes that have been boiled in banana leaves.  Instead of steamed rice, it is eaten with various side dishes, many of which were beef curry, roasted chicken in chili sauce, sauteed water spinach with shrimp and garlic, fried anchovies with peanuts, etc.  Lontong always replaces steamed rice on Eid-al-Fitr.  And Nek Embok's cooking was delicious as usual.

And this sponge cake, whose flavors I didn't recognize, was absolutely amazing!  I could have finished the entire bowl!

Saying good-bye, one of our cousins carrying her baby and a new hand-bag my mom gave out.

It was then time to say good-bye to Kek Usuf's family and visit Nek Neng and her family.  Nek Neng is another one of my mom's aunts.  My mom has three aunts from her mother's side.  Like my mother, my grandmother was the eldest daughter, and Nek Neng is the second daughter.  The two were very close.  After my grandmother's passing, Nek Neng fell into a deep depression.  She had lost her best friend in the world.  Nek Neng is a very animated and interesting character.  She talks and laughs easily.  She likes to share stories, and she loves to put on lipstick before bed.  When I asked her why she did this, her response, "So that I am pretty in my dreams."  She is also a bit melodramatic and enjoys creating a scene where all eyes are on her.  The woman loves to faint unnecessarily and feign unconsciousness.  She did this many years ago and she did it again when we went to visit Nek Yus' house.  

Nek Neng donning the beautiful top my mom gave her for Eid

Nek Neng and her side of the family were already waiting for us when we arrived at her house.  As expected, there were a lot of relatives and new faces to be acquainted with.  There was also more lontong to be eaten.  

Us with our second and third cousins

My sisters and me with Risa, my mom's mom's sister's daughter's daughter -- in other words, Risa is Nek Neng's grand-daugther, and the couple in the center is Risa's parents.

More lontong with chicken and beef curry -- good, but not as good as Nek Embok's lontong!

Our relatives admired us all.  They stared at us and asked us lots of questions, and talked about us as if we weren't in the room.  Nothing bad was said, but we noticed Indonesians like to observe you and call out all your physical features in your presence as if you weren't there, if that makes any sense.  For example, Nek Neng kept commenting on the fact that I looked Japanese.  Then about 15 minutes later, she told the room that I looked Filipino.  Someone else then commented on the pointedness of my sister's noses, which in the eyes of Indonesians, is beautiful as many Indonesians have flat noses.  Then of course, everyone turns around to stare at us some more.  We all couldn't help but smile and nod, and tried our best to start a conversation in a different topic.  We also noticed that once you bring the camera out, there was no going back.  We must have taken 20 photos of the same thing.  I'm not at all complaining.  It was just an interesting observation, and something we noticed throughout our travels in Indonesia among our relatives and locals in general.  

We then left Nek Neng's place for Nek Upik's house.  Nek Upik is my mom's youngest aunt, and my mom's closest friend growing up.  Nek Upik just so happens to live across the street from Nek Neng.  Nek Upik is the exact opposite from Nek Neng.  Unlike Nek Neng, Nek Upik does not like to be the center of attention.  She is a woman of few words because she is shy and would rather watch from the sidelines than get involved in anything.  She is, however, very sweet and patient.  

Nek Upik with her son Denny, her daughter Suci (in the doorway), and Gigi (seated)

We were given a plate of timpan cake, coconut or durian-flavored rice cakes in banana leaves -- Yum!

My mom (center) with Suci (left) and Ibuk Ilin (right) in front of Nek Upik's house

We spent the least amount of time at Nek Upik's house as it was the smallest, not all of her children were there, and we were being rushed to Nek Yus' house.  So we went back to Nek Yus' house to celebrate Eid.  This was the fourth family's home we visited, and the day was far from over.  We were of course, offered more lontong and by this time I wasn't sure if I could eat anymore, I was so full.  

Back at Nek Yus' house, we visited with Om Zendri, my mom's cousin and one of our favorite second cousins, who unfortunately had a stroke not too long ago. He's only 32.  He lost all memory of who we were.  :(

Nopal (aka the happiest kid in the world) and a cousin we just met whose mother died two years ago from a heart attack

My sisters and me with Suci, Nek Upik's daughter.  The last time we saw her she was just 5 years old!

Once we bid Nek Yus farewell, we were driven to Ibuk Ilin's house in the city of Langsa, which was a 40-minute drive north of Kuala Simpang.  Ibuk Ilin is Nek Neng's eldest child and she had been asking us to visit her at her house for years.  We had never been because she was always at Nek Neng's house in K. Simpang, so this time we agreed.  Nek Neng, Nek Upik, Kek Usuf, Risa, Ibuk Ilin and her youngest son all came along for the ride as Ibuk Ilin's husband, Om Jol, drove the van.  It was a medium-size van, but with 10 people in one vehicle it was a tight squeeze.  We stopped for iced cold beverages and roasted corn on the cob along the way.  I chose not to have any corn because a) I still wasn't hungry, and b) corn on the cob never fails to get in between your teeth.  No thanks. 

Ibuk Ilin gnawing away on her spicy roasted corn on the cob, while my sisters and I enjoyed Sosro Teh Botol (iced tea).

One of the things I like about Indonesia -- there are plenty of road-side stalls to keep you going on both short & long road trips.  Noodles?  Satay?  Rice cakes?  Sure! Just pull over and park.

We also made a stop at my grandparents' and great-grandparents' graves before we continued on to Ibuk Ilin's house.  We were not in Indonesia when my grandfather and great-grandparents passed, but we were fortunate to be here when my grandmother passed.  She died on August 5, 2000 at the age of 56 to cancer.

We arrived at Ibuk Ilin's colorful home to a beautiful spread of assorted cookies, both butter and coconut, roasted salted peanuts, banana chips, kolang-kaling, or candied palm fruit that comes in an array of colors, and other goodies.  And this was just the appetizer.  We then dined in her kitchen on her version of lontong, which she presented to us on a Lazy Susan.  Regrettably, I forgot to capture this moment in photos. 

There were so many snacks!  I think I had one of each.

It is not uncommon to sit on the living room floor at an Indonesian's home. If your host is on the floor, you must be too. Otherwise, it's considered disrespectful.

My sisters and me with Ibuk Ilin, our hospitable host at her pretty home

My sisters and me with Ibuk Ilin's daughter, Risa, who was to marry on Sahara's birthday in September 2012.

After everyone's stomachs were full, we said our good-byes to Ibuk Ilin and her family and were driven back to Kuala Simpang, this time Om Deddy, Nek Neng's eldest son, at the wheel.  My mom had asked that he drop us off at her sister, Ibuk Ati's house.  My mom and I had seen Ibuk Ati and her family late the night before while Sahara and Gigi were fast asleep at the hotel.  It was an unplanned, brief visit but we promised we would see her again the next day.  Ibuk Ati's home would be the sixth house of the day.  And the night was still young. 

Kuala Simpang: Day 1 Continued

We went back to Kek Yusuf and Nek Embok's house for a late lunch and to catch up with relatives and meet many cousins for the first time.  There were so many people, we all couldn't keep everyone's names straight or whose son, daughter, brother, sister was whose.  It was very confusing!  But the kids were all so cute, hyper, and funny.  We were magnets -- they couldn't keep their hands off us.  It was fun though, and the food was amazing.

Stewed beef, chili-smothered chicken, rice & a bucket of ice cold sweet tea

Mom & me enjoying our food at Nek Embok's house

All of the above and a plate of pan-fried anchovies with roasted peanuts, and a jar of krupuk -- everything was delicious, we went back for seconds and thirds.

The most delicious pound cake EVER!!!

After a couple of hours at Kek Yusuf and Nek Embok's house, we were driven to my mom's other aunt's house, Nek Yus.  She is married to a retired police lieutenant who is currently the mayor of Kuala Simpang.  They live a pretty happy life in a big house.  As kids we used to play with her kids, despite her kids being much older than us.  She has three sons, and had three daughters, but one of them passed away two years ago.  All but two of her children are married and have children of their own, whom we all got to meet for the first time on this trip.

Our welcome drink at Nek Yus' house: fresh watermelon juice!

Me and my third cousins, Nopal & Tashia, who are siblings

My mom and her cousins. The lady in pink is Tashia's mom. And Tashia was crying over who knows what. This girl was very temperamental. One minute she's happy, and the next minute she's upset.

My sisters and our second cousins and their kids

We, Indonesians, are always eating. There's my mom chewing on a huge chicken leg. Nek Embok is on the left and Nek Yus is near the fridge. We are at her house, and clearly I wasn't aware this photo was taken.

Haha, look at Nopal with the chicken leg there. He's such a happy kid!

We returned to our hotel soon after we had dinner at Nek Yus' house.  It had been a long day, and we needed rest because the next day was Eid al Fitr, the celebration of the month-long fast.  Many people dress in their best at this time, visit with friends and families, attend prayers at their local mosque, and gather around a lot of food and laughter.  We knew we had more relatives to see.  But what a great first day it had been!

Kuala Simpang: Day 1

My mom and I awoke early the next morning to get our exercise in.  There's a fitness center on-site, and one of the ladies with whom we met at the fitness center yesterday said it would be open at 6 AM.  We arrived at the gym at exactly 6 AM to find the doors locked, and the front desk empty with no sign of life.  We waited 10 minutes, then went down to the lobby to ask the front desk clerk to see if he knew anything about the fitness center.  He said, "Oh, I believe the gym opens at 7 AM, not 6."  OK ... so we went running outside.  Big mistake.  With cracked sidewalks, smoke-filled air, and constant whistling from men traveling the streets, we decided we couldn't run out here.  Actually, all it took was for something to enter my eye, and that was it.  I don't know what it was, but I wear contacts and the pain was not unlike an eyelash in one's eye, but worse.  We went back to the hotel and checked the gym.  Still not a single soul.  We decided to then run up and down the stairwell until we broke a sweat, returned to the gym to find the same cold, locked doors, then went back to the lobby.  The same front desk clerk then said it might open at 8 AM.  Uh-huh, right.  He really didn't know.  He picked up the phone to speak to someone and then said, "Oh so sorry, ladies, but the gym will be closed the rest of this week due to Ramadan."  Aha!  We didn't mind the gym being closed, but seriously get your facts straight.  These people were just clueless. 

The gym remained closed while the restaurant stayed open.  Hmm, that makes a lot of sense.  Silly hotel operation.  An all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast was included in our room rate.  We were the only people there, and let me tell you it was very awkward because the three ladies at the cashier were all fasting, and we felt really bad for being there wanting to eat when they couldn't.  To lessen the awkwardness and out of respect to the ladies, we chose a table that was far from the them on the other side of the restaurant where a huge column at the buffet bar obstructed their view of us eating.  Well, we tried anyway ... it was still bad when we got up to get our food.  And little did we know we sat near the kitchen, and the ladies periodically walked from cashier to kitchen and back.  We didn't stay long, however.  The food was terrible.  Some was bland, others were over-seasoned, and all of the food was lukewarm.  We attributed this failure to Ramadan.  We assumed the cooks couldn't taste the food when they prepared it.  Mom was the most disappointed since she was the one who wanted to return to this hotel just for the 'wonderful buffet.' 

Our van arrived 15 minutes early, which was a surprise because in Indonesia its people live by 'jam karet,' the idea that things in life are supposed to happen in a relaxed fashion and that tardiness is not a moral crime as it is in much of the Western world.  We appreciated this, and hopped in the van along with all our luggage to meet Pak Feri, or Mr. Feri, who was our driver for the day.  A nice, friendly man in his mid-40s who has a good sense of humor and a lot of patience.  Anyone who drives long distance in Indonesia on these narrow roads alongside crazy, road rage-driven people is patient in my book.  I climbed into the backseat with my sisters as my mom took the front seat next to Pak Feri.  In just a few short hours, we would be back in Kuala Simpang where all our relatives live!  We were so excited to embark on this journey passing many lush, green fields, small towns, food hawkers, and locals along the way.  We've made this trip so many times in 2000 and 2002, but back then the drive was always dreadfully long, boring, and hot.  We got so bored we used to play 'count how many bridges and mosques you see.'  And I also remember the roads were in horrible condition.  But this year was different because we were all grown up and completely enthused with everything this trip entailed.  And of course, we were traveling a road with very few tourists and getting a very authentic feel and look into everything Sumatran.  We're now old enough to appreciate this.

My sisters and me in our van

Within an hour into our trip we stopped for snacks.  Indonesia's streets are lined with warungs, mom and pop shops selling fresh fruit, Indonesian brand bag of chips, ice cold beverages, anything your heart desired.  All of this helps make these road trips all the more interesting.  And why not support local businesses.  For many Indonesian families, a warung is what puts food on the table.  On our first stop, Pak Feri was nice enough to get out of the car to pick up some fruit for us.  He got us rambutan, buah duku, and our most beloved Indonesian drink, teh botol. 

Rambutan

The perfect drink on a hot day ... BEFORE ...

AFTER ...

The rambutan, whose taste is similar to lychee, was sweet as usual.  My mom handed us some and we all screamed because there were so many ants on them!  Ha.  Fun times.

The next stop my mom jumped out to buy some mangis, or mangosteen whose interior is white and compartmentalized like garlic, but soft and tangy like mango.  

Mangosteen

We talked the whole ride where my mom told Pak Feri stories of our past trips to Indonesia, her upbringing, drama amongst her nine siblings, life in America, etc. etc.  We also passed by many mosques of varying styles and colors along the way.

This was probably the most beautiful mosque we encountered on the ride.

Before we knew it, we arrived in Kuala Simpang and turned down an even narrower, long, dirt road which we followed for about 200 feet before we came to a stop.  We were here, we were here!  Here at my mom's uncle's house on top of a little hill.

Many homes in rural Indonesia have tin roofs -- this is the view from my mom's uncle & aunt's home.

My mom and her aunt, Nek Embok at Nek Embok's house

We knocked on Nek Embok's house and it was as if the last 10 years hadn't occurred at all.  She looked exactly the same as I remembered her.  She was so happy to see us, and I honestly don't know if she even expected us at all.  It wasn't long before Kek Yusuf, my mom's uncle, showed up from work.  He was going to show us the hotel we'll be staying at just outside the city.  While we waited, I played with my great cousin's son ... I tried to anyway, but he cried. 

My little cousin and his mom

Kek Yusuf then led us to our accommodation for the next two nights, Hotel Morielisa.  We contemplated on staying at any one of our relatives' homes, but my mom ultimately opposed the idea because we wanted our privacy and believe it or not, we wanted the convenience of a Western toilet.  In rural Indonesia and many Southeast Asian countries, a toilet is a hole in the ground where you manually flush down your waste with a bucket of water.  If you've ever experienced this, you know it's a real inconvenience.

We thanked and paid Pak Feri for his services, and requested that he meet us at the hotel on Monday, August 20th at 11 AM for the drive back to Medan.  He's such a nice person, we were blessed to have had him as our personal driver.  Kek Yusuf also left us to rest before coming back to pick us up later. 

Hotel Morielisa surprised us.  After all, this is Kuala Simpang where many things are still behind, old, and rough.  But it's a relatively new hotel, having only been opened for probably about a year, and everything is very clean.  We didn't have a reservation because we didn't know where exactly we were staying in town, but the hotel staff were so nice they allowed us to see several rooms before we agreed to stay here.  And because of the Ramadan holiday daily breakfast was not available so they gave us a discounted rate.  We decided on two rooms conjoined by a door in the middle.  The entire cost for two rooms per night was $68 USD, taxes included.  What a sweet deal.  The rooms were very clean, each had its own bathroom, and one of them had its own living room.  So we booked two nights.

Our room was at the top of the stairs, 2nd floor

Sahara settling into our hotel living room

Our living room views of the countryside below

A view of some of the homes near our hotel

One of the first things we did upon settling into our hotel rooms was wash the ants off all the fruit we purchased!

My family hard at work!

Again, the hotel staff were so nice they lent us a few bowls for our fruit.

The end result

Rambutan & Buah Duku

In Indonesia it's typical to have fruit or snacks laid out on the living room table -- that way when guests come to visit there is something to offer them.  We also enjoyed watching mom pull open a gigantic fruit by the name of cempedak, which almost looks like a durian, but tastes similar to a jackfruit.  On second thought, it probably looks more like a jackfruit than it does a durian, but has a slight taste of durian.  Confused?  You can read all about it here. 

Mom excited to share this giant fruit with us

She pulled it open like it was nothing

Ta-da!  The fruit is compartmentalized and has the texture of a jackfruit. 

Its brown seeds look like chestnuts

Gigi enjoying some cempedak

I don't remember how long it was before Kek Yusuf and his sons whisked us away for a late lunch at his house.  But we left the hotel in style ...

Kek Yusuf (back left) and his two sons & grandson.  We fit right in -- this is Sumatra's main mode of transportation, a ride on a motor-run becak -- woo hoo!

A ride into town

Crossing the town's long bridge and looking back at mom, Kek Yusuf & family

Weeeeeeee!!

We've always loved a ride on the becak.  It's almost inevitable.  Because Kuala Simpang is such a small city, it's just much easier, more convenient, and cheaper to get around on a becak.  We were lucky, however, Kek Yusuf and his sons own a small becak business.  Check back for details on Indonesian food, family, and more fun to come.