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Published: April 10th 2007
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After jumping city to city, my body was starting to crave some place that moved at a slower pace. That is when I found Pulau Weh. It is off the northern tip of Sumatra. The small town I stayed in was Iboih. It was a great surprise for me. I was only planning on staying for one week to do some diving, but ended up staying two. The town itself is just a small walking path with several very rustic bungalows on or near the water. Power isn't 24 hour and is often out. Made for some very quiet nights.
When I first arrived to the island of Pulau Weh (often called Sabang) I met up with a South African, Richard. He has been living in London, but for the last 6 months he's been a dive master in Thailand. We had similar interests so teaming up was a good choice. We ended up doing most of our dives together and a few nights because of the full moon we did night snorkeling with lights looking for sharks, rays, and other nocturnal animals. One day we stayed dry and rented motorbikes and drove around the island. There was a
nice waterfall along the way that we stopped off at for a dip. The cool, fresh water made for a good bath. Along the way we tested our off road skills because at points the road turned into a rocky path. It was a fun day, even though we both had some bad sun burns to take care of after.
In Iboih we stayed at Mamamia bungalows. My place was a very simple wood hut that hovered over the water. The bath was about 100 meters ways and was a basic communal mandi that many poeple from the village used. What it lacked in luxury, it more than made up with location. From my porch I could see into the water (only a few meters away). The water was so clear that I could see fish swimming around. With the full moon I could still see them. Sleeping was easy. The sound of the water tucked me in every night. The only thing that would wake me was a pack of monkeys that insisited on jumping on my roof most mornings while they ate their mango breakfast.
The owner, Mamamia, was an energetic, old woman who insisted we
call her mama. Never found out her real name. She made us breakfast and dinner every night. The home cooking made for a nice change from all the street food I’ve been eating the last five months. One night she made a special octopus curry, which was one of the best i've had. I made sure to get her recipe so I can try making it at home. By the end calling her mama became natural and I hope I can come back and say hi again.
During my time in Iboih I did many more dives than I planned on. The life there is impressive. Some times of the year Whale Sharks and Mantas come, but not when I was there. Will just have to come back again. There were so many highlights in the water. I saw many new species. One biggie was seeing an eel and sea snake having a fight. They were going crazy. When the fight split up the snake charged toward Richard's fin. Took about ten meters before it stopped. The eel slowly swam away with the venom visibly starting to kick in. Another fun event was one night a pack of small
squid came close. They were attracted to our dive lights and came so close that a few even attacked the light. They were only babies, so no harm. So much went on during my two weeks there. Too much to list. The variety of life and dive sites makes going back an easy choice. The dive company I used was Rubiah Tirta Divers. Going with them is an easy choice. They've been in business for over thirty years and know all there is to know about the sites and changing currents (which shift very quickly and often). They adjusted dives to styles that I like, so I always had fun. They have a website at rubiahdivers.com and can answer any questions about getting to Ibioih or the dives.
Most of the nights in Iboih were very mellow when not in the water. During the weekend it had more of a crowd because of tourists from Banda Aceh, both local and NGO's, but during the week it is was absolutely dead. It is no doubt a good place for some rest and to get away from any noise. I hope to be able to come back soon.
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Elena_Alexia
Elena
Beyond the sea..
I ve just run into ur blog... those pics look absolutely surreal... have fun in ur journey!