By this Author: alexchan

Coming into Melbourne. My last flight on AirAsia for a few months.
From Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, I managed to get 3 seats because some passeners moved. So each seat cost me about NZD10 only! For 8 hours!!

I've always noticed that the Airbus A330 (which operated the flight) is eerily quiet, especially if you sit near the engine (ironical). Many a time I have hopped off an A330 and transferred onto a Boeing B777 at Hong Kong within an hour. My first impression on the B777 while on the ground with the engines off was that it was noisier than the A330 inflight! A lot of the noise on the B777 on the ground came from roaring ventilation ...

Now that I've got 7 hours to kill in Melbourne (in transit to Auckland), I googled for the reasons ... and found this:

Airbus used a latest generation Hamilton Sundstrand product in those planes, which reduces cabin noise due to air circulation through the pressurization system. Air circulation is actually one of the largest noise sources inside a plane behind external wind noise and engine noise .... Boeing is using Hamilton Sundstrand on the 787 to make some key cabin air components which should help it reduce noise. Source [http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/tech_ops/read.main/236779/]is an aviation forum, not Airbus!

I departed Banda Aceh for Kuala Lumpur after midday. On the way to Banda Aceh airport I noticed a woman with a very short skirt on her motorbike. I queried the taxi driver if she would get in trouble ... he replied to the negative, as she was Chinese and not a Muslim.

I think while the extreme position in Aceh allows for stoning, televised whipping etc, the reality isn't too different from the neighbouring provinces or countries.

In Kuala Lumpur, I had managed to prebook a hotel room for USD0.30 within walking distance to the airport. It was cheap enough to use as a day room and check out in time for my flight at 1:20 am to Melbourne.

Unfortunately at Melbourne I won't have such a luxury while I wait about 7 hours for my connection to Auckland.

The last five weeks have just flown past ... on thing that's for sure is that I'll be planning my next adventure shortly!

[http://images.travbuddy.com/5550_12802280335768.jpg]This huge power-generation vessel was brought in 4km by the tsunami. See me and the van?

This morning I took the ferry from Sabang to the mainland and checked into a hotel for the night.

The Tsunami of 26 December 2004

I chose to take in some of the reminders of the tsunami which killed 170000 people in Aceh [Aceh-travel-guide-1322043] but, not the mass graves which are available for visits.

The tsunami did kill some people back on Pulau Weh as well. The waves reached 3/4 height of the ground floor of the dive reception area but fortunately in Weh, there are hills for people to run to.

Some travellers have been told that divers were safe during the tsunami. They felt strong currents and when they surfaced and returned to land, found that their friends had been swept away and the dive resort in ruins.

It is quite unreal that the city which looks perfectly normal had thousands lying dead only several years ago.The huge power-generation vessel is like the tallest "building" in Banda Aceh. One gets a good view from the top.Thanks to international efforts, Banda Aceh has bounced back and the ever-friendly Acehnese are grateful for this. In the central padang (field) there is a plaque for each country (and in that country's language) that helped in the post-tsunami efforts.

Other Sights

Together with Sabine (my German dive buddy), we also visited Kherkhof, a cemetery for 2500 Dutch and Indonesian soldiers who died fighting the Acehnese.

Opposite that was Gunongan, a playground and bathing place for a Malay princess who married the local Sultan.

Acehnese Sweetness

Today is my last day in Aceh ... it has been a short and sweet visit. It was either going to be short or not at all and I am pleased that I made the brief stopover.

The Acehnese are wonderful people ... they are kind, happy, chatty and helpful people ... perhaps a little more so than the Indonesians I've met in the other areas I have visited. Perhaps this has ben facilitated bythe closeness of their language and accent to what I am familiar with.

I hope to come back but there is so much more of the country and the world to see.

From the air you can see that quite a chunk of Banda Aceh is low lying.
Fashion Crisis Takes a New Meaning

It was a midday departure from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh [Banda-Aceh-travel-guide-861194] on a short flight of 1h25min. I had time for a leisurely curry breakfast (rendang, tempeh, cucumber and pineapples) after dropping off my bag at the baggage drop.

The implementation of Sharia law in the autonomous Aceh province is different from that in neighbouring countries like Singapore or Malaysia (eg. covering inheritance, marriage, proximity etc). One can supposedly be stoned to death for adultery and men (local Muslim men, anyway) cannot wear shorts.

So I wasn't sure whether to wear my long shorts or my jeans. Fashion crisis takes a new meaning here!

I made a brave move and opted for my long shorts as they had handy cargo pockets.The maroon and blue roofs are new homes on higher ground.At the boarding gate, I noticed a few men with long flowing robes ... I felt underdressed.

Strangely they boarded the flight to neighbouring Medan at the next gate ... strange because that is a rather Christian city.

Held up at Immigration

Upon arrival I chatted up a couple of Norwegians to share a ride to the Banda Aceh's port of Ulee Lheu (pronounced like Eulalie). I whisked through as I didn't need a visa.

Unfortunately for them, the Bank counter collecting visa payments ran out of receipts and they were held up for about 2 hours while more receipts were requested from town. It didn't help that the runner bringing the receipts got involved in a car accident!

I don't think it is some kind of bribery scam eg. hoping people would say "I don't need the receipt" as the payment is collected by a bank rep while immigration sights the receipt before stamping the passport.Green padi fields (sawah) just before touch down.

Looking on the bright side, foreigners couldn't even have got Visa-On-Arrival at Banda Aceh airport a couple of months ago ... this is very new. They would have had to apply to the embassy in their home country or fly into anothe airport like Medan.

At 2:30pm I couldn't wait any longer for fear of missing the boat from Eulalie to Sabang on the island of Weh. So I left the airport by myself shouldering the full fare of the taxi ride (about USD10).

It was sad talking to the taxi driver as he had lost his entire family (including wife and 3 kids) in the tsunami ... they were all at home together but he was the sole survivor.

Ferry to Sabang and onwards to Gapang

Fortunately my new found Norwegian friends made it on to my 4pm ferry by just a whisker. Things got strange again upon our arrival at Sabang ... I managed to get a local minivan to my dive resort (Lumba Lumba) at Gapang beach. They weren't permitted to join me but had to go in a taxi at the same price per head.

Apparently the minivans and the taxis have a rostered responsibility for the transport of white people to Gapang beach even though there's no price difference. I had the privilege of getting honorary local status.

I find the Acehnese very easy to understand as they have a similar accent to my fellow countrymen. They are also very gentle, kind and friendly. Their opening price is always the price indicated in the guidebooks and there seems to be no overcharging or bargaining ... so far.
I had dinner at a beach shack with my Norwegian friends chatting and swapping travel stories.

There had been a storm and the weather was actually quite cool. The last thing on my mind was being in the sea! I was surprised at how cool it can get at sea level in the tropics!

More on Sharia Law

On paper the upper limits of the Acehnese Sharia law seems severe ... but the day-to-day look-and-feel is no different from, say, Malaysia.

Women, young and old, ride around on their motorbikes wearing fuschia headscarves. Men wear long shorts and take their shirts off on the beach. In the rural areas, women literally let their hair down (and out) without a headscarf.

They even have dogs around ... which is really unusual for Muslims. I often associate dogs in Indonesia with Christian villages where they are a delicacy!

Beer is available at selected places, though I'm not sure if it is legal.

I left a family dinner a little early to catch my flight to KL departing at 9:50pm. I was very fortunate to have been able to see my brother-in-law visiting from the UK.

Walking through the tarmac at KL Airport (LCC or Budget Terminal) at midnight offered a different insight as nearly all AirAsia's red birds come home to roost. Instead of the usual hive of activity, one gets to see nearly all their fleet in one place.

I walked to the nearby Tune Hotel for my nightstop.