NOMADIC JOURNEYS: Banda Aceh and Sabang

Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh is the capital and the largest city (0.25 Million residents) in the province of Aceh, Indonesia (5.4 Million population). Founded in 1205, It had been the seat of the Aceh Sultanate in the late 15th century. In 1874, the city was taken over by the Dutch, however the Acehnese continued to actively oppose Dutch rule.

Stranded Ship

After becoming part of an independent Indonesia, it has been at the center of protracted conflicts between the Acehnese and the Indonesian government from 1976 to 2005 with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. This is because there is a cultural and religious difference between Aceh and the rest of Indonesia. A more conservative form of Islam is practiced in Aceh than the rest of Indonesia. The secular policies of Suharto's regime (1965–1998) were especially unpopular in Aceh where many resented the central government's policy of promoting a unified 'Indonesian culture'. Further, given the location of the province at the northern end of Indonesia, there was a widespread feeling in the province that leaders in distant Jakarta do not understand Aceh's problems and have little sympathy for local needs and customs in Aceh.

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra and triggered a Tsunami in which around 60,000 people which is around 25% of the city's population died as a result and many more injured. The aftermath of the tsunami brought a peace agreement and an eventual end to the insurgency. With help of domestic and international aid, a major modernization and reconstruction of the city has happened over the past decade.

Reaching Banda Aceh

My connecting flight from KL landed in Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport. This is a small airport and immigration was pretty quick. I had booked a hotel called Sulthan International which was about 17 Kms and took around 30 minutes from the airport. The hotel is located in the Peunayong area, also referred to as the city's "Chinatown" where the Chinese community, or "Tionghoa," resides, having been a significant Chinese trading area since the 17th century.

The first thing I did was to search for a tourist SIM card with a data plan that would last for one month. I asked my way to GraPARI Telkomsel where the ladies at customer service were excellent and I came out with a SIM and a 30 GB plan for IDR 135K (Rs. 700/-). Excellent value for money!

Ramadan and Initial observations

I had landed in Sumatra during Ramadan and all restaurant and food shops used to be closed during the day and opened up only after 7 PM in the evening after the evening prayers. This was the case throughout the trip including after Eid because of the holidays, with lot of establishments closed.

Aceh is a conservative province and the only region in Indonesia that implements Islamic law, or Shariah. The enforcement of Shariah in the province was part of the central government's efforts to put an end to an insurgency and a drive for independence in the region. I saw more men with the Islamic cap and women with the Jilbab and Abaya (other than Hijab). However, I also experienced a positive energy in the city and a population that has moved beyond its tragedies of its recent past.

Exploring the City

Boat on the Roof

In the evening, I went for a walk along the Aceh river front and visited the "Boat on the roof", which is a fishing boat perched on top of two houses. This happened during the Tsunami when the boat swept into the village from the sea and resulted in saving many lives as people clambered onto it from the rising sea. Along the waterfront, I could see remnants of the Tsunami with a few boats stranded on high grounds. Over the next few days, I went around the city visiting the main sights.

Masjid Raya Baiturrahman

Grand Mosque

This is the grand mosque originally built in 1612 during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. It featured a multi-tiered thatched roof, a typical feature of Acehnese architecture, but however got burnt down during a battle with the Dutch East Indies. In 1879, the Dutch rebuilt the Mosque in Mughal revival style, characterized by grand domes and minarets. More domes and minarets kept being added and today, the mosque has seven domes and eight minarets, including the highest in Banda Aceh.

The exterior is dazzling with white walls and black domes. The interiors are very pleasing with marble staircases and floor which were brought from China, stained-glass windows from Belgium and has intricate wood carvings and ornate bronze chandeliers. Outside are giant folding umbrellas to protect worshipers from the heat of the sun during prayer.

Museum PLTD Apung

PLTD Apung

This is an extraordinary sight of a huge 2500-tonne power generator vessel that was carried almost 5 km inland by the 2004 tsunami. It serves as a memorial and tourist attraction and I explored the vessel's deck to learn about the tsunami disaster. The information is in Bahasa and I used Google translate to understand the information.

Museum Tsunami Aceh

This is the main Tsunami memorial and educational center and has a great design and curation, especially when one enters the museum. It was designed by renowned Indonesian architect Ridwan Kamil.

The museum features exhibits about the tsunami disaster, including photos, illustrations, remnants, and interactive stations. However, the maintenance has a lot to be desired and there are not too many visitors.

In front of the Museum, there is a nice public park and open field (Lapangan Blang Padang) where I went for my evening walks. There are also monuments of gratitude for the countries that have helped and contributed to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh after the Tsunami.

Museum Aceh

Aceh Museum was established during Dutch colonial rule and is one of the oldest museums in Indonesia showcasing

Museum Aceh

Acehnese history, culture, and artifacts. Displays are in a new permanent building and include Acehnese weaponry, household furnishings, ceremonial costumes, everyday clothing, gold jewelry, and calligraphy.

The original building of the museum which is in the front is in the form of a traditional Acehnese stage house called Rumoh Aceh which is rarely seen nowadays and I enjoyed exploring the house which also has objects displayed.

The Rumoh Aceh had stilt stakes on the ground to support the house and the lower part of the building is usually used to raise livestock. In the past, the supports on Acehnese houses also functioned so that wild animals could not enter the house. The house itself had three sections consisting of Seuramoe Keue (front porch), Seuramoe Teungoh (middle porch), and Seuramoe Likot (back porch), as well as an additional part, namely the kitchen.

Food

Mi Aceh

The food to try in Aceh is Mi Aceh. This is a thick yellow noodle similar in size to Japansese Udon noodles served with slices of meat or seafood, such as shrimp or crab. The noodles are served in rich, hot and spicy curry-like soup with a bumbu spice mixture (black pepper, red chili pepper, shallot, garlic, cardamom, caraway, cumin and star anise) and cooked with bean sprouts, tomato, cabbage and celery.

I tried out the Mi Aceh at Mie Razali which was near my hotel and is famous as the place where the Indonesian President Jokowi had gone to eat.

Pulau Weh and Sabang

Pulau Weh is an Island 15 of the coast of Banda Aceh in the Andaman Sea, famous for its snorkelling and diving sites. I went out to explore the Island for a day. The way to reach the Island is by Fast ferry from the mainland port which takes around 45 minutes (IDR 100K). The island lies about 15 kilometers off the northernmost tip of Sumatra. The island is small at only 120 Sq Kms, but is mountainous and has dense forests.

Rahmad

There is a road all around the Island and my plan was to hire a bike and travel round the Island discovering its various beaches and coves. As the ferry reached the Island, there was a commotion and I noticed a welcoming party at the dock waiting for what seemed to be an important person to disembark. While I was waiting to see who it was , I met a person called Rahmad who had his own trading house Indatu trading House and he was into importing commodities from India through Andaman Islands, primarily Sugar. He had a partner in Kerala and now was thinking of also importing Basmati Rice. Sabang which is a town in Pulau Weh and includes a few other Islands is designated as a free trading zone by the Indonesian Government, so there were no taxes to be paid and this was a profitable business for him.

Gapang Beach

Rahmad helped me rent a bike from Balohan Rental near the Jetty (IDR 50K) and after promising to keep in touch with him, I set out to explore the Island.

Towards the North West, the best beach that one can sit and relax by is the Gapang Beach. There is a Patissere there called Pachamama Indah where I met the owner, a swiss lady called Leticia who had settled down in the Island for 5 years now. I finally had an Americano that I had been pining for sometime. She also makes great empanadas which I had at the back of her shop as it was Ramadan and food couldn't be served openly.

From Gapang beach, I went further up to Panorama Seulako where I had a nice swim by the white sand beach and then circled around the Kilometer Zero monument at the top of the Island. The distance from here to Indira Point in the Nicobar Islands in India was only 150 Kms.

Wisata Gua Sarang

I circled back to Gapang and from there went westwards through Wisata Gua Sarang and Pasir Putih Beach and came back to the Pelabuhan Balohan Jetty for the ferry back to Banda Aceh.

I found the Island rich in vegetation in contrast to my experience in Koh Rong in Cambodia where there is heavy logging and deforestation. Overall, it was a good experience and worth staying for a few days for diving and snorkelling as there are some great diving sites off the Island.

After Banda Aceh, it was time to move to the next destination. Initially I thought of taking the bus from Aceh to Medan, but the buses were overnight and looking at the time required (15 hours for 600 Kms), I decided to take a flight instead. The cost of a bus would be around 300K whereas the flight costed me 780K which was quite reasonable considering the time and effort saved.