Sad to Go

View from my balcony, Ibouh Beach, Pulau Weh island Indonesia.




Greetings rat-racers from beautiful Pulau Weh Indonesia. My time is quickly running out and I will be rejoining your ranks soon, but for now I am still living well and having a very nice time. I write today from my bungalow's lovely balcony. There are tropical fish darting about in the extremely clear coral waters beneath me visible through cracks in my floor boards. Directly across from me lies Rubiah island and to my right or the North lies the broad expanse of the Indian Ocean. Further out beyond my vision lies the Andaman islands. Geologically speaking Pulau Weh is like the southern-most island in the Andaman chain or the most north and west Indonesian island of consequence. The beaches here are small, white and sandy but not what I would call fantastic. I was hoping to find surf somewhere along the island's southwest coast but I have been roundly informed there is none. Despite these very minor disappointments Pulau Weh has been far from a disappointment. The snorkeling here is out of this world. As I already mentioned I can see coral and tropical fish by looking just over the rail of my balcony, the coral reef starts immediately at water's edge! In case anyone is unfamiliar with coral reef ecology that is a fairly remarkable thing especially in a touristed environment. Normally you have to make a good swim out from shore or take a boat ride to find an decent coral or spot much in the way of fish or wildlife, but not in Pulau Weh. In just over a half hour or so of snorkeling in front of my bungalow I saw more species of fish and marine life than I could keep track of. Powder Surgeon fish, Moorish Idols, and Trigger fish were everywhere. Sweet lips, giant red Big-Eyes, Bat fish, Toad Fish, Lion fish or Fire Fish just all seemed especially abundant as well. I saw two sea turtles in the water just around my bungalow too. I have been beside myself with grief that I can't take my D-90 underwater to photograph this amazing world. There's no disposable underwater cameras to be found on this island either.

As good as the snorkeling is on Pulau Weh the diving here is reputed to be much better and it ranks among the top dive locations in the world. Clear deep water, fast currents, big and abundant sea creatures, coral canyons, walls, overhangs and arches all contribute to Pulau Weh's world-class status. I wasn't really planning on taking dive lessons when I came here but when my plans for one last visit to India before coming home proved too complicated to manage I found myself with a small glut of time in a country notorious for slow, uncomfortable, difficult travel. I figured why not stay in Pulau Weh a few more days and take advantage of what its known for? I am pleased to announce that I am now a PADI certified open water diver.

Once again I am absolutely sick I don't have any pictures of any of the amazing things I saw underwater but you'll just have to take my word; it was really cool.

I wish I could say I am excited to come home, but I'm not. I am pretty sad to be finishing my travels. I'm certainly not expecting sympathy from anyone, I know I've had a really good run, just stating the facts for the record. Either way it doesn't matter. My money is gone and my leave is up so it's back to work and back to the U.S. of A. for me. I've got my airline tickets purchased for my return trip home. Banda Aceh, Kulua Lumpur, Tokyo, then from Tokyo, New York, RDU via Continental. Its going to be like a 48 hour nonstop journey or more with all of my connects and sits. The 7:30am to 5:00pm sit in Tokoyo is going to be a real killer after an economy class red-eye from KL. I depart Banda Aceh Monday the 22nd at 12:35p local time and finish in RDU around 9pm or so on the 23rd. (24hour leap backwards in time on eastbound trans-pacific flights, international dateline) I leave Pulau Weh tomorrow via the ferry for Banda Ache where I will have one last two and a half day fling at a Sumatran surf beach known as Lohk Nga. Lhok Nga is basically the southwest suburbs of Banda Ache and was the ground zero of the 2004 Boxing day tsunami. The 9.4 earthquake that devastated Banda Ache was just a mile or two directly offshore from Lhok Nga. Lhok Nga was completely flattened then it was wiped off the map by the tsunami. The wave that hit Lhok Nga was over 20 meters high (66 feet) and traveled 8 kilometers inland. It sounds pretty morbid I know, but apparently the place is quite busy and cheerful on weekends now (despite the lack of accommodations) The surf is supposed to still be good and the breaks are mostly frequented by locals now. Hopefully I can take this trip out with a couple of good days surfing. Nothing puts me in better spirits.

See you Americanos back stateside...

Over and out,

JDD RC



Ibouh beach in the foreground, Rubiah island in the background. (Distant background still part of Pulua Weh)



Can you spot the tropical fish in this photo? (Moorish Idol as seen from my balcony)



Onboard the big dive boat my Dive Instructor Thierry gives instruction to his two Dive Master students, Nano and Elsa.



Monster Gecko mama that lived in my bungalow with her three babies. This giant Gecko had giant poos which it was fond of dropping down into my hammock while I was attempting to relax or sleep. For reference sake that board is a 2"x4".



This photo is from Banda Aceh. Can you guess what kind of factory is at the end of this dead end road?



Answer: That ain't no factory. It's a really freaking big boat that was deposited 5 kilometers inland by the tsunami. This neighborhood is nowhere close to the water. The picture shows the boat's stern in reference to a small house which was almost squashed by it.



Yulia's pier, Pulau Weh (my accommodation) looking North out towards the Indian Ocean.




END.