Sampean

We prepared light sticks for a second night paddling. I did not relish a repeat of having the whole group searching for friendly lights. So I told Halim to bring the first group to find and mark Sampean, while I waited for the 'rescue team'.

The rescue team arrived just after sunset. This time, everyone seemed to know what to expect and what to do. The forward markers found Sampean and then located themselves at the turning to lead us in.

The first indication of Sampean was the smell of rotten eggs. I thought it was accumulated trash, as Sampean was near populated areas. Only later did I realized that the lodge was built among white yellowish rocks. Volcanic sulfur.

Sampean was not exactly a village but a 'place to stay'. A row of rooms that just seemed purposed-built for paddlers who dropped by in the middle of the night. With no roads in sight, I wondered how it could be known and accessible. The kitchen and owner's house were some way up the slope. Apart from that, we were alone in the parched wilderness.

Later, everyone was surprised to see spaghetti being served for dinner. Mie Gomak is a 'traditional Batak dish'. It came with a Batak version of Bolognese sauce, only that the paste was made of chili padi instead of tomato.

"...."

No words could described the extreme spicy sauce which came with the spaghetti. Famed chili lovers sweat and puffed, while non-chili takers were welling up with tears. I surrendered my plate to Chan.

JB of the latter group was wilting at each mouthful. And that night, the Mie Gomak must have gotten into his head. As we prepared to sleep, he exploded.