Sumatra, Indonesia

Our Indonesia adventure started in Medan, Sumatra. After reading the Lonely Planet we expected the worse but for us it was actually like arriving back in Asia. The Asia we experienced the beginning of our trip. Medan is definitely not the most beautiful city of them all but its charm are the people and numbers of crappy food stands with basic but delicious food. It wouldn't be our last stop in Medan.

We took a flight to Banda Aceh in the north of Sumatra to make our way to Pulau Weh. This island is a small paradise for divers. We took some Indonesian motion sickness pills before we started the 3 hour ferry journey. The ferry was an old and rusty ship that was definitely overloaded but before we could really worry about it the pills started to kick in and we both fell asleep. The pills turned out to be way stronger than we needed. We woke up in the harbor and the rest of the day we were terribly tired and walking around like zombies.

We got a a tuktuk to one of the diving resorts, unfortunately it was fully booked, so we checked-in in one of the bungalows next to it. What turned out to be a good decision, it was cheap as chips. The beach was of course beautiful, and a favorite for locals. There were only a few restaurants, but the food they serve was delicious. We did some dives there and it was unbelievable. The water was so clear, and so rich on fish. We saw some large tunas in the blue, an octopus hiding between stones, fabulous corals. It felt like swimming in a aquarium.

We went back to Banda Aceh to catch our flight to Medan. (don't underestimate the size of Indonesia, it's huge) Banda Aceh is also one of the cities where the Tsunami in 2004 had a really big impact. We read stories from locals survivors where they were telling their experience about it. near Banada Aceh are also two mass graves and a monument, a big fishing boat on the top of a house. The city is almost completely rebuilt, thousands of houses were newly built within months and streets were new planned and built. All of this gives the city a vibe that you can't put in words.