The Town

View from the airplane, not motorbike. :)

I got to spend a couple days in a cool mountain town, hanging out with my old friend & former room-mate, Melissa. I really enjoyed seeing her again. Also, she was a great hostess -- she took me out to meet some of her friends and showed me how she spends her days (buying supplies for interior teams, running the guest house, keeping the books, and volunteering at a local publishing house [for lack of a better word]).

She also drove me around the countryside on her motorbike so we could admire the scenery. There were rolling hills blanketed with reddish blooming grasses; smooth fields with rows of pine trees lining the wooden fence; traditional round houses with thatched roofs perched beside brown rivers; green bushes adorned with long, white, drooping trumpet flowers lining the road; steep granite slabs rising up from the ditches; pigs and goats strolling down the roads; and a bright sun which struggled valiantly against heavy-laden storm clouds swooping down upon us.

Here I also got to taste a little of the unique flavour of this island. There are racial tensions between people groups, which at times escalate into local wars. There's not much in the way of industry here; everything is flown in from somewhere else. Therefore, prices are high & gasoline is rationed. A motorbike owner is permitted to buy 5 L of gas a week; a car owner can buy 25 L. As we cruised through town, Melissa noticed four men carrying bows & arrows (not the target-shooting kind, but the genuine weapon kind) heading to a nearby field where demonstrations are known to happen. We did not follow them to see what the excitement was; we wisely headed home.

On the other hand, Christianity is the majority religion on this island, which is unique. At one of the main intersections in town, there was an Easter display of three large crosses & a purple cloth. White people here are respected and valued because of their connection with Christianity. Various Christian organizations are based out of this town and there seems to be quite a unity among them.

Also, there are only about 3 main roads in the town, which is perfect for someone like me who is directionally-impaired. :) The weather is pleasantly cool. And did I mention that it's beautiful??

Melissa tells me that this island "gets into your blood." And in the few days I was there, I began to see how that could definitely happen.