I've just come back to Jakarta from a short trip to Banda Aceh and Medan. Aceh, you may remember, was the area hardest-hit by the Boxing Day tsunami, and it's estimated that about 160,000 people died in the province of Aceh alone. There are mass graves everywhere, and of course many bodies were washed out to sea and never found.

I have been having a lot of trouble over the last few days trying to absorb and comprehend what I saw in Aceh. I don't think I can do it, and so I certainly can't communicate it. But I can show you a few pictures.

This mosque was the only building left standing in its neighborhood near the beach. The wave engulfed the entire mosque. Take a look at the car parked out front to get a sense of how high that is.

Opposite the mosque. While most people have been moved at least to barracks-style accomodations, some are still living in tents a year after the disaster.

We got a flat tire and stopped in a random neighborhood to change it. It took a while to realize that we were right in front of what used to be someone's house. All that's left is the foundation, but you can see where the living room, kitchen, and bathroom used to be.