Pulau Weh aka: Sabang

In 2000, we took a ferry to Banda Acheh from Medan City. It was full of people and we had narrow planks to sit and sleep on (under glaring white light). Hubby and I wanted so much to hug and cuddle but were told by our Malay and Indonesian neighbours not to do so. They also warned us that the police and soldiers carry guns at the port at Acheh and may not hesitate to shoot us if we carried out “unmuslim” behaviour…As gunfights were common at that time, we took the warnings seriously.

At Acheh, we took a boat to Pulau Weh. The island has a traditional Malay village at the jetty where we were not allowed to expose our shoulders etc. We walked towards the “tourist” part of the island where there was a beautiful beach, diving school, huts built on stilts, a restaurant in a wooden hut…

Hubby dived while I suntanned on the beach (yes, in my bikini). Shark meat curry was on the menu, can’t remember if we tried it. Anyway I’m fond of shark meat, it goes beautifully with curries and preserved Chinese vegetables.

On certain evenings, we put on our T-Shirts and dined in the village, simple but delicious fare e.g. grilled fish (catch of the day), stir-fry vegetables, ayam goreng. We ate better there than in the rest of Sumatra. I still remember how at 7pm, when the sun set, all the chicken that were walking around on the ground suddenly flew up all at the same moment onto a big tree next to our table (to take shelter from predators at night). It was an amazing sight. And I thought that chickens couldn’t fly.

The huts on the beach had no private facilities. We had to wash ourselves next to the well or something in the middle of the main “street” and the toilets were way back in a small building. In the middle of the night, I would usually go do my business on the beach as I was too afraid of the dark and whatever to make my way to the toilet.

It was a lovely stay. I wonder if the island survived the Tsunami.

i went to one of the main beaches on pulau we (or sabang, as local people generally call it), gapang. imagine crystal clear blue water, the whitest beach, thousand of shells, and bungalows in the middle of the jungle…

accommodation is a bit basic, but who cares when you’re in a place like this? there’s little bars and restaurants, but not too many – the beach being quite small it doesn’t get too busy with people staying there, but you still get the occasional person to chat too in the evening.

my memories of sabang will be… snorkelling, without a doubt: i’d never done it before and there’s nothing, nothing like the amazement i felt at seeing huge turtles, thousand of brightly coloured fish, coral, blue and pink and yellow star fish, i was just swimming in complete awe for an hour. then there’s the little terrace of the bungalow i was staying in, with view of the sea and the jungle, perfect for an evening game of cards and a beer or two. the salad sandwiches in the cafe’ we went to every day (maybe called limbo?), lol, they were amazing. and generally just spending some wonderful time with my friends swimmings, suntanning and doing absolutely nothing.

go go go, cause it’s so damn worth it.

…i really want to go! i’ve heard so many things about pulau weh, and since i’ve fallen in love with the sea around this part of the world – i’ve got to go!

since i’m not far at the moment i’m really hoping to make a little detour at some point…

On the 31st of december, the last day of this year and the day before the first day of a new one i will fly to Jakarta from where i´m going to fly to banda Aceh and take a boat to the the island of pulau weh. Where i will stay for 6 ehole months. Nice!