Is Sumatra Worth Exploring? – Part 5

There used to be a big and beautiful coral reef here, but it was badly damaged. In December 2004, a tsunami devastated the area, followed by a massive earthquake in early 2005. But less than 10 years later, the reef has already been beautifully restored.

The coral reef was next to the beach on a small uninhabited island right next to ours. Only about ten metres of sea separated us from where we were sleeping. We were taken there by a local man on a boat, and we agreed on the time when we would be returning right away. We walked the rest of the way. It was just us three girls on the beach. What peace and quiet.

The locals told us exactly where to go to avoid being swept out to the open sea by the currents. It was really great – a calm sea and lots of colourful fish. I managed to spot an eel and something that looked like a colourful lobster. To this day, I still don't know what it was, because I couldn't take a photo of it. It was a great, calm day at the beach, and I was full of strength again.

Last evening we sat on the terrace, rested and exchanged stories. Suddenly, one of the workers came walking by. He was accompanied by an about 1.5 metre long black snake hanging on a stick. We had so many questions: Is it dead? Is it venomous? Did he find it among our huts?

He did in fact find the snake among our huts, and yes, it was venomous, so he killed it and took it to the sea, where it was eaten by fish. At that time, I realised that there was also danger on land, not only in the water. I am still in an exotic country where poisonous animals are all around and care must always be taken.

Slowly we had to go on, or rather go back, because we still hadn't seen Banda Aceh.

2004 tsunami devastation - Banda Aceh

The journey was slowly coming to an end, and we had only one stop left, the town of Banda Aceh. The capital of the province of Aceh, the only province where the laws of Sharia law are still applied. This is a collection of rules of religious law in the Islamic community.

We are tourists, but that doesn't mean we were walking around half-naked or covered up like some Muslim women. We respected the culture and covered parts of the body, such as shoulders and knees, and wore looser clothing.

We went to see an exhibition at the tsunami centre, showing the town before and after the tsunami. A very nicely decorated centre, and although we already knew a lot about this natural disaster, we were still surprised by some information.

Around 170,000 people died or went missing in Indonesia. During the tsunami, the city was completely destroyed, and the only building that remained intact after the water drained away was the mosque. At the beginning of the tsunami, everyone was able to enter the mosque, regardless of religion and clothing. Only the people who climbed the highest areas of the mosque survived in the town.

After the disaster, international organisations from around the world stepped in to help get the town back on its feet. I'm not sure that I understand the people in this case. The place has been built back up, but the people don't try to keep the donated things in good condition, so they are slowly deteriorating.

Our exploration ends here, but the journey home, not yet. We had a very stressful wait for the flights home, and managed to catch it in the last seconds. It was a happy ending, and that's what matters.

Who should go to Sumatra?

Are you a traveller at heart, looking for unspoilt nature, a little tourism and a lot of adventure? Then definitely yes. As far as available information is concerned, this is still a destination that is not very touristy. It has a lot to show, you meet genuine people and see a lot of animals.

Are you more used to tourist destinations or don't have a lot of experience as a solo traveller? Then definitely not. It's a very adventurous destination and if you want to get anywhere, it requires a lot of organisation and resourcefulness. Then there is the language barrier, because they speak English very poorly. For the more tourist-oriented, littering would also be a shock.

I will return to Sumatra one day, I don't know when, but there is still a lot of the island left unexplored that I would like to see. To this day, it has remained my most unpredictable trip, where I had to show a lot of ingenuity. And maybe another destination like this will surprise me and take a piece of my heart.