Is Sumatra Worth Exploring? – Part 4

We agreed to go on a half-day hike to watch the animals. In this part, however, we encountered a different kind of danger - leeches. The guide gave us some kind of ankle protectors, so that the leeches could not get on our skin. We truly saw a lot of monkeys, including gibbons, various butterflies and parrots, and plants that are diverse and unusual to us. Towards the end of the hike, we stopped by the river, where he made us tea. Because of the leeches, we examined each other, and then we listened to his stories.

He told a story to us when we were coming back. Recently, he had found a monkey cub that was quite small and without his group. He found it after it rained and knew its smell had been washed away, so he took it in, so it could grow and survive. He would return it to the forest when it is independent enough and its species of monkeys would be around. What I liked most was that the monkey was free, not kept in a cage or tied down. Nothing. But it came to our laps, so that we could cuddle him a little and feed him. All with the permission of our guide, of course.

First thing in the morning, we set off on a journey to the north and the coast. Again, we had to navigate a lot and change a lot of transports to get to Bande Aceh and then on to Palau Weh Island by ferry.

Exploring the hidden gem of Palau Weh

Palau Weh, one of the islands in the archipelago, which has a rich underwater world and no rules as strict as those of Aceh. Aceh is known for still practicing Sharia law. This means the body of religious law in the Islamic community.

We found a ferry going to the island, and there weren't many foreigners on it. We had been sailing for a good two hours and we couldn't wait for a little rest after a tiring journey. As soon as we left the ferry, we encountered two passengers with whom we agreed to share a taxi. By coincidence we were going to the same accommodation. We were staying in houses on a slope, with a great view of the sea. In the evening, we hung out with other travellers on the terrace and swapped stories and adventures from the trip.

Is it time to relax and lie on the beach?

No, not yet, I need to see what else is hiding on the island. The next day we rented a scooter and went to explore the island, mainly following the recommendations of others. We found a little basin with water in it to freshen up a bit. We wouldn't have gone into the water if there hadn't been one local and one foreigner who both assured us it was safe, so we dared to go in.

On the island, we discovered an even smaller Jaboi volcano, which smelled like rotten eggs and was nothing like a volcano, more like a sloping hillside. On the way back, we stopped at a black beach. Well, the beach itself is not very special, but it has black sand that makes it different from other beaches.

We really enjoyed riding the scooter around the island. However, the day was not over yet.

Danger also lurks in the water, and it is not a shark.

Towards late afternoon, a small group of people met us and we quickly went to the beach nearby to freshen up a bit before going to dinner. We were warned at the home that you should be out of the water by a certain time. We were being cocky, and thought that an hour later would be no different, and this was probably because of religious rules.

Those who went into the water up to their waist or longer felt it. The current carried both sea urchins and red jellyfish. Some would get burns, others would get spikes in their legs.

We all got out of the water immediately. We went back to the front desk for help and the staff helped us with burns and spikes. The latter are too fragile to get out, so they had to be melted with vinegar.

Luckily, we weren't hurt and were soon able to go out to dinner with another American woman. This time, seafood was on the menu at a local restaurant in the village. Even before we went back to the rooms, we agreed to go ...

I'll tell you more about it in the next article.