Amor and The Mountain of Love - Amor dan Gunung Sayang

When typing the word **amor** in google translate it will be detected as Portuguese which means **love** in Bahasa. But if seen in the KBBI, the online dictionary, [amor](https://www.google.co.id/amp/s/kbbi.web.id/amor.html) interpreted as a love of passion derived from the name of The God of Love, Amor in Greek mythology. But what I want to write on this occasion is not Amor or love as in the sentence **He has been hit by the Amor's arrow**, but this is about a Village in Mesidah subdistrict, Bener Meriah District. I do not know how its history, why a village in the Gayo highlands can be called as Amor and The Mountain of Love (Gunung Sayang).

Last weekend I was with my family visiting my mother who recently moved to Bener Meriah. We depart after lunch, through KKA road that connecting North Aceh and Bener Meriah districts. Still in the atmosphere of Eid, street and Cafe along the road at the peak of Mount Sala were crowded with visitors. Because it was late afternoon, we did not stop here.

We stopped at Buntul to call, asking for the name of the destination. My mother mentioned two names, Gunung Sayang and Amor, but she could not explain the direction to get there. she handed HP to her neighbor, we were directed to turn left towards Pondok Baru, after reaching there, find the road to Jamur Atu, we will be picked up there, because it was heavy rain, the road to Gunung Sayang and Amor very slippery. We head to Pondok Baru which is about 9 km from Buntul which is in KKA Road. Arriving at Pondok Baru we asked for directions to Jamur Atu. Apparently still have to travel about 17 km longer to the Jamur Atu. The road from Pondok Baru to Jamur Atu is pretty good but a bit narrow and of course up, down and winding with views of the beautiful coffee farm.

Although guided by Google Map, we passed the wrong route several times, when we arrived at Jamur Atu, no one picked us there and unfortunately there was no signal, we couldn't make a call and according to a resident, the road to Gunung Sayang and Amor very slippery because the road was damaged at some point, we could go "down" there but feared it could not go "up" again, meaning we had to stay there until the rain stopped and the road was dry. We decided to wait for the person to pick us up because we did not know the address of the house we were headed to in Amor. After waiting for half an hour, it began dark and the rain was still flushed although not as hard as before, we have not been picked up, so we decided to turn back and went home.

After turned around, walked up the road about 1 km, we stopped to call because the signal reappeared in a rather high place, then a motorcycle stopped beside us, they were the person who was asked by my mother to pick us up. We went back to Jamur Atu and went head another 6 km, down the damaged and dangerous descent road, but only in two places, then the road is good up to my mother's house.

Out of the car, we were immediately ambushed by the cold air. Mother lit a fire in the stove, using a little damar wood and some coffee tree trunks, which were cut down because they were old and unproductive. Mother made coffee, using roasted arabica coffee beans. The coffee was very delicious. After had some coffee and dinner we went to bed, wrapped in two thick blankets. It was a tiring trip.[]

Ketika mengetik kata *amor* di google translate maka akan terdeteksi sebagai bahasa Portugis yang berarti *cinta* dalam bahasa. Namun jika dilihat di Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia Online [amor](https://www.google.co.id/amp/s/kbbi.web.id/amor.html) diartikan sebagai cinta berahi yang berasal dari nama Dewa Asmara, Amor dalam mitologi Yunani. Namun yang ingin saya tulis pada kesempatan ini bukanlah Amor atau cinta seperti dalam kalimat *Dia telah terkena panah Amor*, tapi ini tentang sebuah Desa di Kecamatan Mesidah, Kabupaten Bener Meriah. Saya tidak tahu bagaimana sejarahnya hingga sebuah desa di dataran tinggi Gayo ini bisa dinamakan Amor dan Gunung Sayang.

Akhir minggu lalu saya bersama keluarga mengunjungi ibu saya yang belum lama pindah ke Bener Meriah. Kami berangkat setelah makan siang, melalui jalan KKA yang menghubungkan Kabupaten Aceh Utara dan Bener Meriah. Masih dalam suasana lebaran, jalanan padat dan tempat-tempat makan di sepanjang jalan di puncak Gunung Sala dipadati pengunjung. Karena sudah sore, jami tidak singgah lagi di sini.

Kami berhenti di Buntul untuk menelepon, menanyakan nama tempat yang dituju. Ibu saya menyebut dua nama, Gunung Sayang dan Amor, tetapi beliau tidak bisa menjelaskan arah untuk menuju kesana. Beliau menyerahkan HP ke tetangganya, kami diarahkan untuk belok kiri menuju Pondok Baru, setelah sampai di sana, cari jalan menuju Jamur Atu, nanti kami dijemput di sana, karena saat itu hujan deras, jalan menuju Gunung Sayang dan Amor sangat licin. Kamipun menuju Pondok Baru yang berjarak sekitar 9 km dari Buntul yang berada di Jalan KKA. Sesampai di Pondok Baru kami menanyakan arah ke Jamur Atu. Ternyata masih harus menempuh perjalanan sekitar 15 km lagi ke Jamur Atu. Jalan dari Pondok Baru ke Jamur Atu lumayan bagus tetapi agak sempit dan tentu saja naik turun dan berkelok dengan pemandangan kebun kopi yang indah.

Walaupun dipandu Google Map, beberapa kali kami salah rute, kamipun sampai di Jamur Atu, belum ada yang menjemput kami di sana dan sialnya sinyal HP sama sekali tidak ada di sini dan menurut seorang penduduk, jalan menuju Gunung Sayang dan Amor sangat licin karena jalan rusak di beberapa titik, bisa saja "turun" ke sana tetapi dikhawatirkan tidak bisa "naik" lagi, artinya kami harus menunggu di sana hingga hujan berhenti dan jalan kering. Kami memutuskan untuk menunggu orang yang menjemput karena kami tidak tahu alamat rumah yang kami tuju di Amor. Setelah menunggu setengah jam, haripun mulai gelap dan hujan masih mengguyur walaupun tidak selebat sebelumnya, kami belum juga dijemput, maka kamipun berbalik arah, pulang.

Setelah berbalik arah, menempuh jalan menanjak sejauh 1 km, kami berhenti untuk menelepon karena sinyal hp kembali muncul di tempat yang agak tinggi, saat itu sebuah sepeda motor berhenti di samping kami, ternyata mereka yang disuruh ibu untuk menjemput kami. Kami kembali ke Jamur Atu dan melanjutkan perjalanan sejauh 6 km lagi melewati jalan menurun yang rusak dan berbahaya, namun hanya di dua tempat, selanjutnya jalan bagus hingga ke rumah ibu saya.

Turun dari mobil, kami langsung disergap hawa dingin. Ibu menyalakan api di tungku, menggunakan sedikit kayu damar dan beberapa batang kopi tua. Ibu membuatkan kopi, menggunakan bubuk kopi arabica pilihan yang di roasting. Kopi yang sangat nikmat. Setelah minum kopi dan makan malam kami langsung tidur, dibungkus dua selimut tebal. Perjalanan yang melelahkan.[]