¡Installs Complete!

As of two days ago, all 22 sensors to be deployed on this push have been successfully installed! They’re all, seemingly, set to run for the next six months until we return for a service run to see if our seismic prayers have been answered. The remaining two stations were deployed in western Timor in the towns of Lelogama and Oni in that order. The drive to Lelogama was harrowing. To say we got there via “road” gives the wrong impression so I’ll use the term trackway instead. It took us about 3.5 hours to cover about 35 kilometers on the map. In other words we were moving at about 6 miles an hour. The difficult path notwithstanding, Alicia Keys kept me company in the truck and we made it there with all our equipment intact. The actual install itself was just ducky. We put the sensor behind the local regent’s office and took pictures with the locals. 15 or so teenage boys lined up and took individual shots with me so I think my digital footprint on Indonesian Facebook is now larger than I’d ever imagined (or hoped) it would be! A little PR goes a long way though: The more popular we are with the villagers the safer our equipment - definitely a good investment. 

The 22nd station!

The next site (above) was unremarkable aside from its relative ease and the fact that it marked the end of our current mission. Having sewn all our beloveds into the Earth, it was time to say “sampai jumpa” (‘til next time) or “sampai enam bulan” (see you in 6 months) to all our favorite buddies. Before we left, our old pal and former neighbor Adi and our new friend/BMKG staffer who did a great job assisting with the final two stations took us to one of Kupang’s most popular restaurants to sample the city’s signature pork dish. It’s kind of like barbeque and is dangerously tasty. The photo speaks for itself, Nova, Adi, Adit and I were all “kenyang sekali” (stuffed)!

Hubba hubba! The divinity in the foreground is called sate and behind it is a stunning mountain of se'i, one of the signature dishes of Kupang. There were no leftovers.

So, here’s our final array as it stands now:

Pretty amazing, huh? Two and a half months, 84,000 liters of sweat and dozens of delightful friends later, we are on the cusp of returning to California to see the people and catch up with the beers we’ve missed most. I’m very excited for Thanksgiving, but I fear there might be a paucity of white rice and an overabundance of eating utensils for my new Indonesian palate and dining customs.

Here's a more zoomed-out version to help consider the broader tectonic environment: