January 4: Saying Good-bye to Noir Village, Sumatra

Been here 1 month–5 more to go!

Back in Bengkulu City. My host family was wonderful! The last night I was there the father insisted on giving me one of his rings. He called it moss stone.

Saturday, before I left, we went to the local market. Kind of reminded me of a cross between a farmer’s market and a flea market. You could buy everything there. I bought a metal pasta strainer for $.80. I am pretty sure it is handmade. You can see where the holes were punched through the metal with a tool. I bought a pair of pants for $3. I made a short video of the market. Noir Village Traditional Market

They sell all kinds of things at the market. I am sure you remember these from being a kid–hermit crabs. They had hundreds of them with brightly painted shells. They do not reproduce in captivity so all of these were taken from the wild. The Siamese Fighting Fish are from Thailand and considered a vulnerable species.

This is a farmer’s market so there is a lot of food. I love they way they grind the coffee. They had a generator to run the grinder. The coffee smelled really good. I saw fresh turmeric for the first time–still had dirt on it!

Of course you MUST eat at the market!!! This was the best pancake/crepe! I got mine with chocolate in the middle. After I took this photograph, the cook insisted on taking my photograph. She said I was the first caucasian she had ever seen in person–most people say that or I am the first American. I am not sure when they say American, if they mean Caucasian. People stare at me a lot.

I am learning a lot about beliefs. The market is next to a graveyard. When I went into the graveyard to take photos, Putra said he would not go with me. He was afraid of the ghosts–they might get in you. The Dukun–native healers–remove the ghosts. Many of the graves are taken care of–you can see brooms where someone keeps the grave clean.