We started at 6am, in the rain, to walk to catch a taxi from the centre of the small Iboih village. The taxi was waiting and took us to the ferry which was scheduled to leave at 8am.
Luckily, we arrived early and were told the ferry was now leaving at 7.30. We rushed, collected our tickets and just made it just in time.
The ferry journey was very pleasant although too busy for us to find seats. We arrived in Banda Aceh, negotiated a lift to the bus station via one last tsunami monument. The monument was a huge ship washed ashore, now set in a small park with other features left by the tsunami too. Unfortunately, the gate was closed so we couldn't get in!
At the bus station we waited for the 10.30 am, L300 minibus. We set off at 10.30, just as the ticket said. However, after picking up additional passengers, stopping at the ATM, buying drinks and other items plus filling up with petrol ... we left Banda Aceh a little later!
We had seats on the minibus which was great and it wasn't jam packed. But ... we had to suffer a Gangnam Style (remix) playing on the stereo!
The journey was intetesting and mostly sealed road. We noticed a lot of motorbike seats covered with cardboard to protect them from the heat. Or, maybe they were protecting something else from being burnt. We saw many men and young boys returning from Friday prayers. The scenery was wonderful but rather blurred. We wandered why? Well, the L300 bus should be renamed ... The L300 Formula 1, Super Turbo Charged Racing Bus! And for sure, it was driven by Jensen Button's brother.
We arrived in one piece and got dropped in the centre of Takengon. The hotels seemed a little pricey (for Indonesia) and quite spread out, so we commissioned the help of a becak driver. He took us to a small Losmen (cheap room) but they were full. Next we tried another and they had a room, which we were quite glad about as it was now dark and we had been traveling all day.
We ate ... then slept!
Luckily, we arrived early and were told the ferry was now leaving at 7.30. We rushed, collected our tickets and just made it just in time.
The ferry journey was very pleasant although too busy for us to find seats. We arrived in Banda Aceh, negotiated a lift to the bus station via one last tsunami monument. The monument was a huge ship washed ashore, now set in a small park with other features left by the tsunami too. Unfortunately, the gate was closed so we couldn't get in!
At the bus station we waited for the 10.30 am, L300 minibus. We set off at 10.30, just as the ticket said. However, after picking up additional passengers, stopping at the ATM, buying drinks and other items plus filling up with petrol ... we left Banda Aceh a little later!
We had seats on the minibus which was great and it wasn't jam packed. But ... we had to suffer a Gangnam Style (remix) playing on the stereo!
The journey was intetesting and mostly sealed road. We noticed a lot of motorbike seats covered with cardboard to protect them from the heat. Or, maybe they were protecting something else from being burnt. We saw many men and young boys returning from Friday prayers. The scenery was wonderful but rather blurred. We wandered why? Well, the L300 bus should be renamed ... The L300 Formula 1, Super Turbo Charged Racing Bus! And for sure, it was driven by Jensen Button's brother.
We arrived in one piece and got dropped in the centre of Takengon. The hotels seemed a little pricey (for Indonesia) and quite spread out, so we commissioned the help of a becak driver. He took us to a small Losmen (cheap room) but they were full. Next we tried another and they had a room, which we were quite glad about as it was now dark and we had been traveling all day.
We ate ... then slept!
