Category: Travel

A Day in Pulau Weh

I’m stoked! It took me ages to learn editing a video but finally here we go!!!

This is a short movie of a “typical” non working day in Pulau Weh. We did quite some of this stuff especially when our dive master Kieran was there together with his amazing friends Amy and Owen whom they also became good friends of Dom and I.

Suvi joined the crew for a few weeks while she was on holiday on the island.

Awesome times! No need of further explanation, just enjoy the video and work it out for yourselves.

Special thanks to Dom for choosing the music. It could not be more appropriate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItEVTpSMQfA

31/01/2013
Diving in Pulau Weh

“From Birth, Man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to the earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free” Jacques-Yves Cousteau

The incredible underwater world

Diving itself is a wonderful, magical activity. I simply love it. Get me started on it and I can go on talking about it for hours. It fulfills me, calms me and relaxes me.

Once I am underwater everything else disappears, nothing else matters and I feel free. Freedom, this is what diving is to me. Not to mention the overwhelming feeling I get when I come across the beauties of the underwater life.

I love being a scuba diving instructor. I love diving in some of the most spectacular places and bringing new divers into this fantastic world. It can be a little frustrating at times, but the personal reward I get from it is priceless. The smile on the face of students back from their first dive, make my day.

Dom and I freelanced at the local dive shop on Iboih Beach, Rubiah Tirta Divers. It is a local family business started back in 1970 by Mr. Dodent and now run by his three sons: Yudi, Isfan and Iskander.

We worked most of the time but if we didn’t have any student we could go fun diving which was a bonus since not many dive shops allow their instructors to do so. The relaxed atmosphere of the Island was pretty much reflected at work as well.

I worked and fun dived in several places in south-east Asia and I can say Pulau Weh has definitely something special about it.

Diving conditions in Pulau Weh

The diving is quite diverse, with the Indian Ocean to the east of the Island and the Pacific Ocean to the west, both contributing to the bio-diversity of the marine life. The variety and the quantity of marine species found here is outstanding.

There are colourful fish simply everywhere you look! It also helps that the visibility is always good, normally around 25 mt. and rarely dropping below 15.

Diving is good all year round but when the water starts to get cooler around end of September beginning of October, that’s when the big creatures of the sea come out the most.

Schools of Mobulas (Devil Rays) and Manta Rays can be easily spotted together with slender Black Tip reef Sharks.

Currents are very challenging in almost every dive site around the island. Not for the inexperienced, I would say. We found ourselves on many dives having to perform some “underwater rock climbing” in the middle of ripping “washing machine” style currents.

All for the great of good and a proper adrenaline rush. Loved it! Only five minutes boat ride from the dive shop there is a dive site called “Arus Palee”, literally translated into English as “Bastard Current”. This dive site definitely keeps up to its name!

Diverse dive sites

My favorite dive site is “Tokong” a massive pinnacle of volcanic rock surrounded by a variety of colourful fish, black tip reef sharks, devil rays and the occasional manta ray.

It is also known as the moray eels world capital, in fact they can be found hiding into every hole. Everywhere there is at least a moray eel. Here is where I took most of my underwater pictures in Pulau Weh, it is a paradise for underwater photography lovers.

Pulau Weh is also a great place for deep diving.

There is a particularly exciting deep dive, the Sophie Rickmer Wreck. It is a 134 mt long World War II cargo ship that lays at a maximum depth of 60 mt with the top starting at about 37 mt. We dived it a few times, the only downside was the long decompression time on the way up.

Unfortunately I was unable to take photos of it since my underwater housing can only make 40 mt. I absolutely love wreck and deep diving, so the two combined together were a total high!

We had some pretty awesome unforgettable times! Every time I go diving somewhere else now, no matter how good the place is, I always think of Pulau Weh.

17/01/2013
Life of a travelling scuba instructor in Pulau Weh – North Sumatra

Home is….where I park my backpack! Living the life of a travelling scuba diving instructor requires a high level of adaptability, flexibility and an open mind.

Comforts are not always available and most of the time hot water is considered a luxury (that is of course if there is any hot water anyway).

Not to mention the possibility of little annoying housemates such as jungle mice and ants.

Some might think: “Awww!! Gross!”. But I can assure you it is not that bad. However, it is mostly up to oneself to make the most out of a place and make it home.

The Green House

During all the time spent in Pulau Weh, we made our home at The Green House in Iboih.

What a fantastic place! A green wooden building nested on the rocks with only few rooms, a shared kitchen, a fantastic terrace with magnificent views over the sea and only one minute walk to the dive shop.

What a place to live! The owner, Erick, is probably the most amazing, friendly and chilled out person I have ever met. He is the best host ever, making always sure his guests have a memorable time. “My home is your home” he says, and it definitely is that way.

When he is home, it is easy to find him sitting on his terrace chilling out with friends, listening to some good music, munching on some local treats and sipping tasty Ache coffee.

“So lucky” he says and no doubt he’s right!

The Green House, or Erick’s as everyone calls it, is the perfect place to hang out for a chill out evening.

So many times after a day’s work or just a day out, we hung out on the terrace enjoying the views, good music and lovely company.

If we were feeling really lazy, Mama, next door to the Green House, would cook a fabulous tasty Indonesian dinner for us. She was my favourite cook on the Island and she surely looked after us. Such great times. I actually miss Erick and the Green House. I always find myself with a smile on my face when I think about it!

Where to eat and hang out

Iboih is a cozy little place that only offers very few places to eat and hang out. My favourite restaurant, besides Mama’s cooking, was Deedee’s Kitchen. She has a great choice of local food but also a great range of fresh salads and other western treats. She made the best fried tempe.

For those who don’t know what tempe is, it is an Indonesian produce made out of fermented soya and mushroom extract. It is a good alternative to meat and it is very versatile since it can be deep fried and eaten like chips, pan/stir fried mixed to salads or cooked with curries. Quite a unique flavour but once I started to like it I could not stop eating it.

I am a food lover and I love eating local food. However, I do get western food cravings occasionally.

Deedee’s sister, Mama (not the same Mama next door to Erick’s), has her own restaurant just across from Deedee’s and makes the best “Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato & Fresh Tuna” I have ever eaten abroad.

Being Italian, I do not normally eat pasta in restaurants abroad but Mama makes it just perfect. Cooked “al dente” with a deliciously tasty and fresh tuna and tomato sauce made to order.

Oh, I forgot to mention that everything in Pulau Weh is made fresh to order so it does take a long time before getting your food. And when I say a long time, I mean a LONG time! But it is definitely worth it!

Meat is a great part of my diet. I like all kind of meats. Here beef is not available and pork is not allowed (except in Bali and other non Islamic areas). The selection is left with chicken and the occasional goat.

Goat is delicious in curries and chicken is mainly fried or made into a curry. The best fried chicken and chips I had was at O Lala Restaurant. A big piece of crispy fried chicken with a mountain of handcut chips. What a treat!

O Lala is also a great hang out place for a bit of a party and definitely a good point for travelers to gather together. Not many places in Pulau Weh sell beer or other alcohol but Eka, the owner of O Lala, always makes sure she has beers in the fridge for her guests. She is also a wonderful hostess. She is to O Lala like Erick is to the Green House.

Iboih, Pulau Weh, it is definitely a home away from home. I don’t really have a home back home so that was a home!

16/01/2013
Indonesia

Indonesia is by far my favourite country in south-east Asia. It is simply amazing! First of all it is huge! There are over 17,000 islands forming the Indonesian archipelago, 34 provinces and over 238 million people.

Across its many islands there are hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups and a variety of religions are found here with the Muslims being the biggest religious group.

Other religions are Hindu, Buddhism and Christian.

I was impressed by the variety of scenery and landscapes that are found in this country. I considered myself lucky to have been able to spend a total of about ten months here and to have had the opportunity to touch many different areas.

Most of the time was spent in Sumatra. Sumatra is the less touristy part of Indonesia, it is still very cheap and it offers, in my opinion, the best scenery of all. Mountains covered with jungle, waterfalls, volcanoes,lakes and it is one of the only two places in the world where Orangutans live.

We were lucky to see them during a short jungle trek in Ketambe, in the Aceh province. During a four hours walk we spotted two mums with their babies jumping from tree to tree. It was magical and overwhelming, especially because they were in the wild.

People are very friendly and sometimes shy and food is the tastiest in the whole of Indonesia. I was absolutely in love with the Achenese curries and beef Rendang. My mouth waters just at the thought of them!

Sumatra is mainly Muslim with the exception of Lake Toba where the population around it is Christian. This is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world.

Very impressive, it is 100 km long, 300 km wide and over 500 km deep. The atmosphere around this lake is kind of surreal, part of it is due to its population the Bataks, a particular ethnic groups with traditional Batak houses noted for their pointy roofs that resemble a boat’s hull (to me they looked like gnome houses!).

Magic Mushrooms are sold legally here by almost every bar and guest house.

As for the diving, Indonesia offers some of the world’s best scuba diving spots. Divers cannot go wrong with scuba diving in Indonesia weather is Sumatra, Bali, Lombok, Komodo or Sulawesi.

I considered myself lucky for having had the opportunity to dive all these places. I have heard that Raja Ampat, in the Papua region, is also world class diving and according to many it is incomparable.

Unfortunately I have not made it there. This is another excuse for returning to Indonesia sometime in the future.

From Sumatra Dom and I hopped to Bali and its surroundings (more about it on the Bali section). I went solo to Komodo and Lembeh (also more about these areas on the respective sections).

I also stopped briefly in Gili Trawangan, Lombok where I caught up with a couple of mates that were working on the Island.

Well, being Indonesia such a vast country, that was quite a big part of it covered. Domestic travel in Indonesia can be quite challenging especially over land. Roads are very poorly kept and journeys can be long and uncomfortable especially on overcrowded buses.

But this is all part of the adventures! Going local style.

14/01/2013
Pulau Weh – Where the Indian Ocean Meets the Pacific Ocean

Pulau Weh was love at first sight. A place where time and stress do not exist. “Bagus!!!” As the locals would say which means “Good!!!”.

The island

Pulau Weh is a small island at the very north tip of Sumatra, in the Aceh region. There is a point on the island called “Km 0” (Kilometer Zero) and this is apparently the extreme point of Indonesia where the country starts.

Until a few years ago it was very difficult to reach the island since it was not very well connected to the local and international airports.

To these days, tourism is not very well developed which is an awesome thing cause the island maintains its natural local beauty and it is the perfect place to chill out away from the busy world. However, it is easy to fly to Banda Aceh and from there catch the ferry to the island.

Unfortunately Banda Aceh was very badly affected by the 2004 tzunami which destroyed most of the place. Pulau Weh was not so much damaged thanks to Rubiah Island just in front of it that act as a barrier to the wave.

Dom and I had just finished a very busy working season in the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia and we wanted a place with good diving where we could relax.

I had wanted to go to Indonesia for a long time, but for a reason or another I always ended up in other places. Now this was the right time for this adventure.

Dom knew of Pulau Weh through friends that had been there and loved it, so he proposed it. I never heard of this island but it sounded awesome.

Getting to Pulau Weh

Off we went. We flew from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh and caught the ferry to the island. We arrived on a rainy day but nonetheless we fell in love with this jewel island straight away!

It was simply beautiful! Despite the rain, we hopped on a motorbike taxi that drove us from the ferry dock to Iboih Beach where I read it was the best place to find accommodation.

We drove for about an hour under the rain through breathtaking settings! Up and down the mountains covered in jungle, we came across some of the best views ever.

We ended up staying on the island for almost two months, chilling, diving and doing a little bit of freelance work at the local dive shop. We became part of the community, the locals made us feel at home!

We loved Pulau Weh so much that five months later we went back and ended up staying for almost six months, again chilling, diving and working at the local dive shop.

Diving in Pulau Weh

The diving in Pulau Weh is simply amazing! Two Oceans meet here, the Indian Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Visibility is always good, very rarely dropping below 15 mt and most of the time around 25 mt.

Some of the most colourful marine species are found here, including the Juvenile Emperor Angel Fish, one of the cutest little creatures of the Oceans.

On a lucky day you could come across a school of Mobulas (Devil Rays) or the giant of the Oceans the beautiful Manta Ray. If you are not so lucky you can still face an encounter with a slender, graceful Black Tip Shark.

There are some of the best deep dives ever and some of the strongest currents ever (washing machine style, underwater rock climbing!!) for a little bit of adrenaline rush!

Other things to do in Pulau Weh

Pulau Weh offers much more than just diving. Waterfalls nested in the jungle, hot springs hidden away, and the most beautiful sunsets from Km 0. The best way to explore the island is definitely by motorbike.

Rubiah Island lays in front of Iboih Beach and if the currents are not too strong in the channel between the islands, it can be easily reached by swimming. We spent some lovely days there, chilling, playing volleyball and snorkelling around.

All this is surrounded by the most amazing local people and the tastier Indonesian food! Definitely a place to go back.

10/01/2013