Warung Kopi

After our solemn visit around the coastal region of Aceh, Thay and Aan brought us to one of the neighbourhood warung kopi (coffee shop) to sample the famous Acehnese coffee. It was a cosy place, but I personally wasn't in any mood for coffee and relaxation. After what I had seen today, I couldn't help but imagine the tsunami waves rising up over the horizon, sweeping over the land and stripping it of buildings and trees while people screamed and ran in vain for their lives. Few could outrun the water, even fewer could survive. I heard that in some regions of Indonesia, such as Meubolah, the damage was far worse - entire communities were wiped out with almost no survivors.

That night, Team Pembantuan decided to have dinner again at the Banda Aceh Seafood Restaurant. It was our last dinner there. And somewhere else in Aceh on this day, Dutch Red Cross worker Marije Mellegers was hit by two bullets in the leg.