Banda Aceh

Tsunami

It was in 1999 and I stayed one week by the ocean. The entire region is now devastated, and I wondered to the great people of the village

banda aceh in particular and aceh more in general are definitely worth visiting.
one reason is without a doubt the people: i’ve never met such friendly, nice people as the acehnese. they’ve made me feel welcome (even though the staring sometimes gets to me – they seem always and inevitably excited by the arrival of a bulek, a white person, especially if it’s a woman).
another reason is the nature: it’s fantastic. the mountains, the country side, it’s everything you’d expect from indonesia. jungle, huge trees, flowers, basically your typical tropical scenery.
and the last reason is to see the destruction brought by the tsunami, to meet the people, see the condition they live in. from a social and human point of view it’s incredible, the courage, the will to go on…
i will treasure this experience forever.

Visit to Banda Aceh was maybe my best experience in Indonesia. It was during the fasting month though (so the whole place was positively electrified). People were so nice and friendly, but proud and courageous in the same time.
I left many friends in Aceh. Some of them have lost their dearest in the Tsunami.