A Rebellious Jungle Hike

Yesterday, I went on a jungle hike with three ex-GAM (Free Aceh Movement) rebels.  These guys spent two years in the jungle fighting against the Indonesian army, it's really incredible.  The company that I took this tour on is called Aceh Explorer, and it's run by a Dutch guy named Mendel who wanted to employ former GAM combatants.  Apparently, it's difficult for them to find work now, so he wanted to give them an opportunity to earn some money.
I left the asrama at 9 am, and we finally began the hike at around 10.  The mountain was absolutely beautiful - I was completely captivated by the scenery.  We walked down a bridge, at which the end turned into a narrow trail leading into the jungle.  The first thing I saw was an old ulammah's grave, where the GAM combatants used to pray.  As we went further up, the trail began to get harder and more treacherous.  My guides had to help me from falling multiple times, holding my hand, and placing my feet correctly on the rocks so that I wouldn't slip.  The first hour flew by, and before I knew it, we were stopping for lunch.  During our break, the guides and I talked a lot - about everything.  They asked me about how it was living in America, if I liked Aceh, etc.  And I also asked them a lot of questions about GAM, carefully wording my questions.
They told me that the reason they joined in the first place was because they felt that the Indonesian government was unfair to Aceh.

"Aceh is very rich in natural resources, but we weren't seeing any of the profit.  It was all being taken by the Indonesian government, and that wasn't fair.  If Aceh was independent, we all would be rich."

 They also told me that if their old GAM commanders asked them to pick up arms again, that they would.

After lunch, we went further up the mountain to the very top.  I definitely underestimated the mountain - I have never been on such a difficult hike before!  There were parts where I couldn't walk, but had to climb on rocks to get to the next spot.  Thorny plants clung to my clothes and cut my legs, and when it started to rain, I began to slip in the mud.

Before we reached the top of the mountain, my guides showed me their old GAM base.  I expected a fort of some kind, but all I saw were boulders!  We also saw an old cooking site they had - the only things remaining were a rusty pot, lantern, and cup.  It's so unbelievable to me that these guys spent 2-3 years living in the jungle like this, completely secluded from the outside world.  They went up and down that mountain in the dark, with no sources of light whatsoever - absolutely amazing.  Since the tsunami didn't reach all the way up the mountain, the GAM combatants never knew that it happened.  They said that afterward, when they looked down on the villages below, that they thought those villages had been bombed by TNI (Indonesian army); the only reason they knew it was a natural disaster was because they saw a lot of foreign helicopters coming in.

When we finally reached the puncak, or top of the mountain, I felt so ecstatic.  The rocks up there were extremely sharp and jagged, and it was very difficult to get up, but I'm glad that I finally made it.  The trip back down, however, was equally as difficult.  Since it started to rain some, the path was pretty dangerous and I needed all the help I could get from my guides, who were absolutely wonderful.  "Just keep smiling," they said.  "Your smile gives us the motivation to go on!"  I slipped and fell so many times, but they kept on catching me.  The last slope we took to go down was ridiculous.  It didn't slant, but went straight down.  I was pretty terrified.  I grabbed hold of one guide's backpack and followed his lead, while the guides behind me held on to my backpack to catch me just in case I fell.

By the time the hike ended, it was already almost 6.30.  When I finished, I was filthy, soaking wet, and half dead.  I don't think I've ever been happier to see a road in my entire life.  I can't believe I spent over 8 hours hiking in the jungle!  The scrapes and pain were all worth it though, and I had an incredible experience.  My guides were absolutely amazing - I couldn't imagine doing what they did during the conflict.  If I hiked that mountain by myself, I doubt that I would have come back down in one piece.

Before the hike

Fresh water source, GAM used to collect their water from here

You can tell I wasn't tired yet because my camera radar was still functioning

The view from the top!Grave of an ulammah who was killed by the Dutch.  GAM used to pray at this site.

Old GAM living/eating quarters, complete with rusty pot and lantern.  There was a cup off to the side that I didn't catch in this picture.

At the top of the mountain!!!  Balancing precariously on a tree limb with sharp, jagged rocks beneath me.

AFTER the hike.  You can't really tell, but my backpack is filthy.  Level of exhaustion:  100%

A view of the mountain I conquered!

Winding down

This week has been the first down week I've had since I've gotten here.  I didn't really do that much at all, so it was pretty restful. 
I was able to meet with Pak Marzi Afriko this week at the World Bank, and he gave me a lot of interesting information about my research topic as well as people to get in contact with.

One really cool thing - my friend Muhajjir knows a guy who collects old Islamic manuscripts, and he invited me over to his house to take a look at them.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera, but it was interesting looking at all of them!  The collector, Pak Tarmizi, has been collecting these manuscripts since 1994.  They're all Acehnese, Qur'ans, books, all types of things.  The best thing about visiting Tarmizi was that unlike other collectors, who don't let people touch the documents etc., he actually let me hold them and flip through the pages!  It was a very special experience.  

Next week,  I should be going to Lhokseumawe to visit with Pak Al Chaidar, another guy I met at the ARTI book launching last weekend.  He specializes in terrorism studies, so he should be especially interesting to speak with.  Afterwords, I have plans to visit a pesantren in that area - Pesantren Darul Mujahidin.  It's headed by a man named Pak Muslim Atthahiri, and it has been associated with the terrorist group FPI (Islamic Defenders Front, Front Pembela Islam).  Apparently, Jemmah Islamiyah also tried to associate with them, but they were rejected by the pesantren.  It will be interesting to find out why they didn't want to associate with JI, and what their current relationship with FPI is.

I really hope this goes through - I'm very excited to go, and it would be so disappointing if I didn't get to visit them.  I guess it's a good thing that this has been slow, especially considering that next week should be full of activities!

I've also gotten closer to the girls at the asrama.  I know I've said this before, but they really are freaking hilarious.  And because they've gotten to know me better, I think they feel more comfortable and open with me than they did initially.  I was hanging out with a couple of them after maghrib prayers one night, and the discussion turned to boys, and boyfriends.  I had asked them a couple weeks before if they had boyfriends (jokingly), and of course they giggled and said "of course not!".  This time though, they were telling me that yes, they have had boyfriends.  One of them was so funny - she said that she's had five before, and is currently in a relationship with two.  She said, "It is cheating, but it's only pacaran* and not marriage, so it's okay!"  I thought that was too funny.  They really cracked me up.

Last night, the power went off, so a group of us sat together in one of the girls' rooms around a candle.  We were able to talk history and politics.  Yesterday, the founder of the separatist rebel movement GAM (Free Aceh Movement) passed away, and there was a huge ceremony at Mesjid Raya.  We had a really interesting talk about that, because a couple of the girls went to the ceremony.  One girl, Lisa, said that Aceh was crying for him because of the sun shower that took place after he was buried.  There was also a minor earthquake.
This is the link on BBC about his passing - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10225928.stm

Maybe I can ask some of the girls questions about my research topic, as it does focus on Acehnese society.  I'm sure that they'd have a lot of interesting things to say about it.

*pacaran - The term used for dating, or having a boyfriend/girlfriend.