Banda Aceh from the sky.
Banda Aceh from the sky.

Indonesia again

  Indonesia: Pulau Weh [Sumatra] - May 2014

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text: 

Ten days off. Ten days of freedom. From May 10 to May 20, 2014, I left. In Pulau Weh, Indonesia.

Take off again

"Nooo!!?"
"Again?"
"Tell me it's not true!!!"
I burst out laughing when I discovered the little indignant-amused words of colleagues and friends on my Facebook page.

Yes, Indonesia again. The journey has its reasons that reason does not know.

My destination: Pulau Weh, a small island off the coast of Banda Aceh, in the west of Sumatra.

It was short but intense. I don't regret at all this escapade, decided almost at the last minute. Pulau Weh regenerated me. The trip itself has exhilarated me. Rennes - Paris - Abu Dhabi - Kuala Lumpur - Banda Aceh - Pulau Weh. Too long, too complicated, too tiring? Carried by the joy of this new trip, I plunged back into the atmosphere of the airports with delight, and went through the successive immigration controls with bliss.

Departures give me wings. I feel each time like a kid who was offered an extra ride.

Air Asia flies between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. This is the tarmac at Banda Aceh airport, May 2014.
Air Asia flies between Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Banda Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia). Here the tarmac of Banda Aceh airport, May 2014.

Pulau Weh

Pulau Weh is the most western and northern inhabited island of the archipelago. On the western tip of Sumatra, in the province of Banda Aceh, it is the "kilometer zero" of Indonesia.

There is a beach there, Gapang, that I liked a lot during a previous trip, four years ago, and that I wanted to see again. A quiet and authentic place. As in 2010, I settled in one of the bungalows of the excellent Lumba Lumba diving center.

Lumba Lumba Diving Center. Pulau Weh, May 2014.

If you want to have a look, all my articles about the 2010 trip are at the end of this link :
Pulau Weh - Sumatra - Indonesia - March 2010

In May 2014, the beach has hardly changed. Atmosphere always as peaceful, at high tide, at low tide...

Gapang Beach, Pulau Weh. Banda Aceh, Indonesia, May 2014.

Gapang Beach, Pulau Weh. Banda Aceh, Indonesia, May 2014.

Gapang Beach. Pulau Weh, May 2014.

The people of Gapang are always so friendly and welcoming. The tourists who choose to come here are almost all divers.

Batee Tolong, Pulau Weh. May 2014.

On land and underwater, Indonesia is irresistible...

8)

  Indonesia: Pulau Weh [Sumatra] - May 2014

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  1. Well I say you were right! 🙂
    When we love, we do not count! Let's enjoy it!
    Et puis l’endroit parait tellement charmant ! 🙄

  2. C’est vrai que ça commence à devenir un peu suspect tout de même cette obsession indonésienne. Ne serais-tu pas une agent double 😉 J’imagine que tu vas nier catégoriquement, mais bon …

  3. Addicted to Indonesia, I know what it means !!!
    Over there, so far away is this archipelago...you will find what you need to live magical moments on holiday. Wild islands, welcoming population, exceptional seabed.... 🙄
    Tu as découvert les Maldives juste avant la nouvelle loi réhabilitant la peine de morts pour tous, à présent on peut boycotter cette desti car y’a tout aussi bien voir mieux ailleurs pour la plongée et les contacts avec les habitants !
    For my part, I still galley the choice being so vast from KL! ❓
    Dévoile nous d’autres belles photos de Pulau Weh, on a tendance a oublié que le tsunami est passé par là et a fait de gros dégâts…

  4. “Les départs me donnent des ailes. Je me sens chaque fois comme une gosse à qui on a offert un tour de manège supplémentaire.”

    Totalement et intégralement d’accord avec toi! Encore une semaine et je vais avoir droit à mon tour de manège gratuit, et à mon frisson à moi!
    May be less exotic but departure anyway.
    Talking about travel or reading your travel stories allows you to breathe a little! 😉

    keep on going

    Eric

  5. But why deprive yourself when you can treat yourself 😉 You're becoming a real ambassador!
    Sinon, je prends note! Maintenant que j’ai mon brevet de plongeuse (un peu grâce à toi d’ailleurs, Corinne), je regarde l’Indonésie avec encore plus d’intérêt qu’avant.

  6. Très belles images! Je n’étais pas montée jusque là lors de mon voyage en Indonésie mais j’en avais entendu parler!

    C’est drôle car je connaissais déjà un peu ton blog (en tant que plongeur, on se doit de connaître 😉 ), et je viens de voir que tu as rencontré une de mes meilleures amies lors de ton séjour (Rimen)!

    C’est ce que j’aime par dessus tout dans les voyages: les rencontres 🙂

    Look forward to following your next aquatic adventures!

    Emma

  7. Beautiful articles, beautiful photos, Indonesia is a beautiful and very hospitable people .. I just returned from Flores and even n being a diver, I could appreciate the beauty of this island and its surroundings. A lot of divers also give Rv .. The giant manta rays, coral reefs, sea turtles, .. Are in range even snorkeling .. By cons small flat about cleanliness in the streets but I think it is general in Asia .. Good trip to all ..

  8. Et bien même si je ne suis pas une plongeuse (rien qu’une plongeuse occasionnelle) je dois bien dire que je comprends ton envie de retourner en Indonésie, les paysages , qu’ils soient sur terre ou sous terre y sont fantastiques !

  9. Hey,

    We will have to go back to dive Shark Plateau and Sophie Rickmers (a bit of deco but worth it so much) ...

    Congratulations for your site.

    AT.

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