Bismillah...
I'm currently sitting on the balcony of my room which faces the ocean. It's full moon tonight, very windy and you can hear the sound of waves fiercely hitting the shores.. Honestly, I'm quite worried if the waves are going to be as big as today tomorrow. The fast ferry was cancelled due to rough sea and we had to take the big ferry which was slower. But still it was a bumpy and rocky ferry ride that many got seasick and puked..
Luckily I did not.. Just imagine.. The waves were so big that even as I stood on the deck I could feel water spray on my face..
We arrived on Sunday in Aceh after spending a night in KLIA2.
There's this carpeted area in level 2 where everybody spread their sheets and sleep there. So we slept there with the other travelers but obviously it was not part of our plan because we were hurm.. ill prepared hahaha
It was really cold and by 3 am I was already shivering!
I got with me my sweat shirt and then I'd to take out one of my pashmina to make it my blanket while everybody else are all ready with sheets, fluffy blankets and pillows
We spent the whole day sightseeing; focusing on the 2004 tsunami remembrance attractions.
"Kita mesti menginsafi kejadian tsunami!" Kataku sebelum bertolak.
But I had one of the most demoralizing experience ever! Hahaha I was not allowed to enter the Baiturrahman Mosque because I was wearing jeans! The exact words of the security guard,
"Kakak.. seluarnya ketat... Ini masjid..."
I was flummoxed! I'd always entered masjid wearing jeans but was never stopped haha
So if you're planning to visit Aceh and visiting the mosques that survived the tsunami is in your itinerary, DO NOT WEAR JEANS.
Well I manage to enter and performed solat in the end because our driver told the guard that we are from Malaysia and I need to pray there..
We went to the beach in Lampuuk to watch the sunset and stopped by Masjid Rahmatullah before heading to the stalls which are famous for grilled fish. In the mosque there were still some cracked columns from the tsunami and the pictures of pre, post tsunami and during the reconstruction process.
At the beach there were small huts where you could sit crossed leg and enjoy grilled fish.
Actually, ikan bakar dia nampak biasa jak tapi sedap gila!!!!!! (^^)
It took some time for them to prepare the dish so I was a little too carried away with my own emotion while gazing at the coastline while my friend dozed off.
It was almost hard to believe that the land was once destroyed by the waves upon seeing how normal things are like around there. I know it's been a decade but looking at how they are now seems like it never happened at all. If it were not for the fish trawler and that big ship and the dome that got drifted away inland, there are barely trace of the catastrophe...
I was blinking away tears thinking how many lives were lost on the coastline where my eyes were laid on. I can't bear the lost of one, I can't imagine what pain the people here have endured from losing many loved ones in one fateful incident.
It was almost dark when we left the beach. The two men seated at the front were talking about the aftermath of tsunami. According to Pak Saiful, Banda Aceh changed a lot after the tsunami. Even though it was indeed an ordeal, if it weren't for that day, Aceh might not be as developed as it is today. He said, the people have very much improved in religion, in akhlaq, in education, in economy etc etc...
"Walaupon tsunami ini musibah tapi hikmah yang datang dengannya itu juga banyak ya pak.."
On top is the view from my room in Fina Bungalow. We booked a diving package in Rubiah Divers which include all transportation, accommodation and 5 dives. Meals were not included but there were very good food in the area where we were staying and the price were very cheap! Like around RM 15 per meal and for that you can get a very decent portion and delectable ayam penyet set and drinks. There was also this food stall where we like to buy pisang molen. How I wish we have it here in Malaysia
To be honest, I freaked out a little bit when I saw how small the diving boat was. I had some silly thoughts when we first board it. Because the waves were big, and there were 9 of us on the boat plus the tanks and the other equipment; I was actually thinking what would I do if this boat were to capsize hahaha
But the boat was actually totally safe. It rocked violently as we were set to jump off but it was alright. 2 divers have to back roll on opposite sides simultaneously to gain balance and I thought that was hurm.. cute hahaha
My favourite site would be Canyon because the corals are so huge there and there were a lot of beautiful colourful coral fish. Although they didn't come in large school but still they are beautiful. And my newest encounter would be the Devil Ray! Yeay!
It was quite far but it was big enough to be visible in that distance.
The three of us v(^^)v
Best jugak travel dengan dorang ni walaupon suka pegang handphone... After our second dive, I actually vomited.. Three times... And these guys were cool enough to held me tight as I vomit in the violent sea dan dorang pasrah gila berendam muntah aku hahahaha
"Jom balik bilik..."
"Awalnnye..."
"Ya! Supaya kamu bole maen handphone di bilik..."
Hahaha
