Sungaipenuh to Bengkulu

Another grueling bus ride to no-where! 13 hours of bone jarring roads—from bumpy, pot-holed roads to winding coastal roads. We crossed the Bukit Barisan Mountains, running the entire length of Sumatra. Our bus had a major mechanical problem- the right front suspension system support snapped and we rolled into a small village where the assistant driver took off the offending part and tightened the bolts- and we were off again. We also got to make a stop because the driver was hungry- so we sat by the side of the road for 45 minutes while he ate. We weren’t sure who the paying customer was here - especially since we were only 45 minutes away from our restaurant stop (no surprise, more nasi goreym). The day turned into night and we were on wet, slick roads driving at night. We almost missed one of the bridges and most of the bus was sitting on the edge of their seat until we reached Bengkulu.

Bengkulu was another one street town and we were about 4 km out of town on the coastal road. In pouring rain, we got to our rooms…to find Lethal Weapon II on the TV (the only thing available) and a bathroom with a mandi and squat toilet.

The concept of the mandi is simple-

it’s basically a 3 foot well that you fill with water to use for all basic bathroom functions- washing, flushing the toilet, cleaning the bathroom floor (after you’re brushed your teeth and spit on the floor). To help with all this, there’s a K-Mart style plastic scoop. We were informed that there was no toilet paper—“Indonesians don’t use toilet paper”- so the entire napkin supply in the hotel restaurant disappeared in a few minutes. The restaurant not only served up food, but also entertainment- Minnie Mouse singing kareoke. It was like being at a 50’s prom. A quick dinner and we headed to our room, set up the mosquito net (the mandi serves as a great mosquito breeding ground as well…).