Sumatra: northern tip

We have arrived at the nothern tip of Samatra, flying into Banda Aceh from Medan. A smallish-sized city at over 250,000 inhabitants motor cycles rule here and yes there are as many women as men driving despite being a conservative islamic- practising state that follows sharia law.

Finding good food and laundry-mat top priorities. We score on both accounts.

After spending one night in a windowless, shoe-box room at Alhambra Hotel we were able to upgrade to the opposite. Consumer beware.

The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is very nearby. Crossing streets is the main challenge. Plus the heat and humidity.

Exploring the neighbourhood further, we come across a busy park set up for evening kids’ entertainment.

Calling all joggers. Never mind the heat and humidity ladies.

Google translate helps me digest the rules.

Banda Aceh was the largest urban centre near the 2004 earthquake (over 9.2m) and resulting tsunami. 170,000 of the 225,000 people confirmed dead were from Banda Aceh. A third of these were children.

Museum Tsunami, shaped as a large wave, was completed in 2009 to commemorate the event.

Since the earthquake/tsunami, unfortunately but understandably, the preferred construction material is concrete. Gone is the traditional wood/bamboo construction of yesteryear.

Traditional copper batik stamps caught my eye as I have a few obtained in the 70’s from Malaysia.

We have read Wey Island, just off the coast of Banda Aceh, is a calm get-away with beaches and great snorkling. We opt for the 45 minute rather than 3 hour ferry:

We have a target early dinner destination: D & D Café, out of the village a kilometer or so. Did I say that it is very hilly? It is.

Bad news: owners say they are totally booked. 😳

The owners look at us and feed us. We look that exhausted. Owner later said she couldn’t turn down two ‘young’ walkers that appeared from nowhere. So sweet. We trek home with happy bellies. No one walks  here. Scooters it is!

We opt to move to Freddie’s Villas, for five nights. It is freshly opened. We are Freddie’s first guests and he is so lovely.

Mostly we just snorkle and chill… order in, dinners with our host ( a great chef). Freddie, of South African background, has a very large long-standing  traditional resort and a hotel a kilometer down the road. We are so lucky to be his first customers at this very private small resort where he resides.

A visit into Sadang and walk along the waterfront: