Go to Banda Aceh to swim on the active crater

Banda Aceh is located in northwestern Indonesia, is the capital and largest city in Aceh province. English is not a common language here, so I decided to hire a local guide for my mother and my son to take a full trip. The most stable weather to visit here is January to July. However, even though we go in October there is no rain and the scenery is still very beautiful.

There is no direct flight from Hanoi, to get to Banda Aceh, we transit in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). We fly Malindo from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur and choose low cost airline AirAsia to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh. The total cost for round-trip air tickets is about VND 5.4 million.

It takes about 1 hour from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh, then Heri - a local guide - takes us to the pier to Sabang Island, with a fast train journey of about 45 minutes. The price of the VIP fast train ticket is 100,000 rupees (the exchange rate of 100,000 dong is 62,000 rupiah).

The island is still quite unspoiled, without a 5-star resort. We were booked by a tour guide for 2 double rooms but later changed to 1 big room at Panorama Bugalow. Our room is facing the sea, is quite large and 5 people stay comfortable.

After spending the afternoon scuba diving to see fish and corals, we arrived at the sea area just above the crater. Just coming here, the characteristic sulfur smell, with bubbles floating on the surface of the water. At first, everyone was scared, but the boatman encouraged that people in the area said bathing this sulfur water would help beautify their skin. So we quickly jumped into the water.

This volcano is still active, so underwater, long lines of gas columns emerge. I was swimming and scared, because the volcano just below me made me feel a bit thorny.

At night the island is quite sad because the shops are far apart, the road is dark and many bends. We chose to eat at a restaurant near the accommodation, unexpectedly it was also a crowded restaurant and the food quality was also good. Because Aceh is an area of ​​strict Islamic practice, the food at the wire is mostly hard to eat, salty and spicy.

The next morning, we were taken by the bungalow owner to visit famous landmarks in Sabang. The first point we arrived at was Indonesia's zero milestone. This is the place that marks the top of this nation of thousands of islands, as well as one of the check-in points for visitors. As for the Gua Sarang cave, you can sit around on the swing. From this area looking to the other side of the island, the scenery is truly romantic because the forest is adorned with the red of the leaves, right below the shoreline of the blue water.

Leaving Gua Sarang, we continue to move to this famous white sand area on Sabang Island. The sea is still quite pristine, so our team enjoyed the strange sea creatures. Remember to bring shoes or sandals because the rock has many small stones, which will hurt your feet if you walk barefoot.

That afternoon, the boat took us to visit the island of Rubiah, the island known as paradise in Sabang with lots of beautiful fish. However, this place also hides many equally dangerous sea creatures. The coast here is full of sea urchins (sea urchins) lurking in the rocks. When the whole team was swimming, when a girl screamed, I hurriedly turned around and pulled her to the shore with my legs barely able to move along with the burning sensation.

While walking on the sand surface in the sea, both of her legs were stepped on a thorn. Hastyly asking the driver how to relieve the pain, he asked someone to urinate into the pain or use vinegar. While waiting for the other man to run to get vinegar, the two men in the group hurriedly urinated on their feet to ease the pain. But to admit, this tip works because the pain is much better. However, the train driver told him not to pluck the thorns, but daily smeared the vinegar to let the sprouts dissipate. What a memorable memory on Sabang Island!

The next day, we check out the hotel, take the train back to the city to visit Aceh. In 2004, Aceh was the site of the strongest tsunami of 9-10 affected countries. We visited the tsunami museum where many photos and videos of the victims were kept when the tsunami struck.

Until now in Aceh, people still keep the ship weighing more than 2,700 tons hit by tsunami from the port to the mainland with a distance of about 5km. They have kept the ship's position like this and turned it into a museum so that visitors can visit and relive that historical disaster.

Coming to Aceh province, take time to visit the magnificent Baiturahman cathedral, the only place intact and also a place to shelter, save many lives when the tsunami struck here 15 years ago, to the central market I want to buy some souvenirs from Banda Aceh. Note that most sales people do not use English, our team has to ask the driver's help.

Not as prosperous as Jakarta, nor as crowded as Bali or as dusty as Bromo, Banda Aceh has a very own peaceful beauty. If you have the opportunity, visit here to see how the beauty of Aceh was revived after the tsunami that year.