Returning to The Salt Maker of Kusamba

I arrived at Kusamba village again after some time just after midday. It is a seaside village known for its traditional salt-making. I stopped by one of the salt makers in the area. Kusamba salt is quite popular locally for being organic and natural.

A sign by the coastal road reading "Natural Salt Maker" directed me down a small dirt road lined with plants. After walking for less than five minutes, I spotted a bamboo hut on the sand near the beach. I passed the hut and a wooden container used for drying salty water to produce salt.

There, I met Ibu Made, one of the salt makers. It seems that salt-making is a common profession in this village, alongside fishing.

I watched as Bu Made walked toward the sea, carrying two buckets to collect seawater. She scooped the water and carried it to an area near the hut, where she sprinkled it over a 5-by-5-meter patch of sand. She explained that she needs to repeat this process about 50 times, going back and forth to fetch more seawater.

Afterward, she lets the sun dry the sand. Once it’s dry, she scoops the sand into a wooden container inside the hut. This container is connected to several smaller ones.

The dry sand, now concentrated with salt, is then washed. The water drains into the smaller containers, leaving the sand behind. This process separates the sand from the salt. The water in the smaller containers, now highly concentrated with salt, is left to dry in wooden flat trays under the sun. As the water evaporates, it leaves behind pure salt. That, in short, is the natural process of salt-making.

During the rainy season, however, Bu Made said it’s difficult to produce much salt. The rain washes away the seawater she collects, and the lack of sunlight makes it harder to dry the water into salt. As a result, production slows down significantly.

I bought a plastic bag of her salt, which cost me roughly one US dollar. I didn’t ask if she accepted HBD, as I was certain she wouldn’t know about Hive. Besides, the law only permits the use of national currency for payments and trade.

Anyway, I tried the salt—and yes, it was salty. Well, what else would I expect?