Getting to Pulau Weh, North Sumatra ... what a journey!

From Singapore to Kuala Lumpur 0n 14 November 2013

Took an evening Firefly flight to Kuala Lumpur to stay one night at Puchong Setiawalk before catching the morning flight to Banda Aceh though, with the long taxi queue at Subang airport and traffic jam, finally had my dinner just below the hotel at 8.30 pm.

I was surprised to be in such an interesting place at Setiawalk. A long stretch of bars and restaurants, Japanese, Korean, European and local food along a good stretch of pond in the middle. The environment seems pleasant and relaxed. The bars offer promotions at an incredible price for beer towers and mugs. There are one or two boutiques for ladies who like to shop. I settled at "Muzeum" to listen to live Mandarin songs, this kind of entertainment I have not come across in Singapore. So I had two pints of Kilkeny before bedtime.

Think I was confused with too many air tickets, made a stupid mistake by going to KLIA instead of LCCT. Fortunately, there was no morning traffic and not too late to check in on time. 

Banda Aceh on 15 November 2013

Me riding a Becak

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Finally reach Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport at Banda Aceh at 1050 am (local time) , took a becak for IDR120000 to Uleu Ule and as expected, the 1400 hrs ferry was cancelled and the next ferry was 1600 hrs for a Friday. I walked around and found a driver/guide who brought me for a short tour instead of wasting time sitting at the pier. He offered the price of IDR100,000 which I think was reasonable for a private tour. We went to a couple of Tsunami memorial sites and took some pictures.

Cemetery of Tsunami victims

Pulau Weh

Entrance to Iboih Beach

I arrived Balohan port at about 1715 hrs and took a becak (IDR60,000) to Iboih beach. The long, cool and bumpy journey lasted 50 minutes.  From this experience, I would not advise ladies taking becak all the way to the beaches. When I arrived at Iboih village, I had to carry my 16 kg trolley bag + 7 kg photography equipment and regulator set all the way to Erick's bungalow just about 100 metres from the entrance of village. Fortunately, a staff from Rubiah Divers came by to help. Along the whole stretch are full of steps... your leg muscles really got hit after few days of climbing up and down.

Erick's Green House sea-front bungalow

I went up to the third floor at Erick's Green House, said hello to Erick, a friendly owner and stayed for two nights at a room without attached bathroom. There were too many movements of toilet goers just next to my room and noise that I could not have a good sleep, the terrace have frequent visitors and a meeting place for the friendly folks, I managed to move to a better room @ IDR200,000/night for the next two nights with hot water and balcony facing the sea.  It was a beautiful site though I did not have much time during this trip to seriously enjoy the ambience and tranquility.

Rubiah Tirta Divers

I changed into my swim gear, got my equipment ready for night dive and ran to the dive centre.  It was disappointing when Iskandar said they were short of dive torch for the guide and there were a group of eight divers already with booking. But so DID I!!! I did not want to take the risk of the guide without a torch even though I had one. So I missed one dive for the first day. I had left with three diving days with the hope of doing at least four dives a day. I ended up with only nine dives doing three dives a day because after the third dive Moon (my guide) and myself were cold and tired. Those wicked currents around full moon really got on us! So I decided to chill out with the guys at Erick's instead. I had a great time.

Had a good shower after a full day of travelling and started to search for a nice restaurant to chill out.  I found Olala as it was recommended by some folks on the forum that the food is marvellous but I was not impressed at all instead the prices surprised me.  It cost IDR 35,000 (SGD3.70) for a plate of white rice with fried fish and stir-fried vegetables and IDR25,000 (SGD2.70) for a can of Bintang beer. As the lady boss Eka was away, her brother Bob did the cooking ... that was why it fell below standard.  For the next few nights, I bought fried rice and french fries from Home High, the restaurant next to Erick's and it tasted home cooked and much cheaper.

Diving

So I started my first diving day on my first morning. Arrived at the dive centre at 0800 hrs to set up my equipment and waited until about 0900 hrs before we set off to the dive site:

Dive Sites:  Diving was spectacular and I was not at all disappointed.  The visibility was better than I expected. The variety of marine life was rich and rare as it lies between the channel of the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean, you will find rare critters to pelagics and feel the adrenaline rush diving in wicked currents. I could say it is quite dangerous for an inexperienced diver if he does not know how to handle unpredictable situations in such dive sites with strong currents. It could be upper current which will send you up all the way to the surface or bring you deeper and deeper into the blue and leave you in an out-of-air situation. You could be drifted away from your buddy and left all alone.  So ... be very calm, do not panic and always check your depth and deco time.

I had to test my new underwater housing without the camera for fear of leaks as it have not done any pressure check before. On the first dive at Pantee Peunateung, I saw schooling barracudas, schooling Jacks, schooling blue-fin trevallies, black tip reef sharks, honeycomb morays etc... all the wonderful pictures of these creatures and good wide-angle pictures were missed! Sadly enough, I did not see the honeycomb moray or big school of barracudas again. 

We start most dives with negative descent and were deep, almost 28 to 30 m in strong and unpredictable currents and you got to watch your dive computer all the time as you drift with the currents which may unconsciously bring you all the way to 65 m. I almost drifted far away during my fourth dive at Batu Tokong. My dive computer was reading 36.5 m. I remain calm as I was all alone in the sea of planktons and thermocline. I inflated and moved upwards to 27 m, banged my tank repeatedly and finally saw my buddy. I was relieved!

The worst currents were on full moon when I dived Batu Tokong for the third time. Moon and myself had to grab and crawl on the corals in order to move up the wall. It was only the beginning of the dive and holding the corals until our air was left 100 psi. While fighting against the currents, schools of fishes swam by. It was a good experience though.

I loved the muck diving at Gapang House Reef as I found my favourite twin leaf scorpionfish, ribbon eel, hermit crab, yellow boxfish, big mantis shrimp and some other common critters. The dive sites were full of orange red anthias, lionfish, angel fish and butterfly fish. Sadly, I could not spot any nudibranch or devil rays. I was regretfully too busy fiddling with my new camera and white balance settings. The underwater volcano experience is unforgettable though, feeling the hot bubbles from the sand with your hands and legs was fun and interesting, it was like having a hot jacuzzi underwater!.

Another interesting part is that you can find many giants diving Pulau Weh, giant porcupine fish, giant morays, giant pufferfish, giant octopus, giant black sweetlips, giant trevallies (Jacks) and many variety of schooling fusiliers. Since it was my first attempt with a new camera, I did missed out a lot sadly. However, I will have to plan to be back again with a strobe at least. The next trip here I will be more ready to take good pictures. Of course, please do not forget my gloves again ... definitely will have to grab the corals. 

I did a total of 9 dives, honestly not enough to satisfy my hunger but they were all awesome dives ... no regret though. The least dives I have done in a single trip yet one of my best trip so far. 

On the day of departure, I got up at 5 a.m. to pack everything and set off to the village at 6.15 a.m. After waiting for the rest of the guests, we left the village almost 7 a.m. and arrived the port at 7.40 a.m. just on time to board to ferry.  The ferry left on time and arrived Uleu Ule at 8.45 a.m. As I got off, I saw Heri, the same driver who will bring me on his becak again for another tour around Banda Aceh Tsunami sites.  Went to the Tsunami museum where I could see and understand the lifetime tragedy of the Acehnese. You could feel the enormous grief and emotional turmoil suffered for the loss of lives, homes and shelter. The short video at the auditorium will leave all walking out in tears.

Heri brought me to Lhonga beach with a beautiful panorama and relaxed near the beach resort. Went to another nearby resort and had a beer and a short nap before proceeding to another site. It was a small and quiet place good for small groups or solo travellers for a night's stay before catching the morning flight or ferry. I did not notice the name of this resort, but if you need help, please send an email to Heri Faudi heribulek@gmail.com.

He will be delighted to pick you to and from the airport with a short tour in between. He speaks good English and is an honest man. On my next trip, he will definitely be the one I will call on.

Well, it has been a long but fruitful journey, as it took me one and a half day to get to/fro Pulau Weh and touring the Tsunami hit areas on my birthday, I can conclude that this trip is really worth it and a good birthday present for myself. This is probably not a place many people will want to go to due to its frequent earthquakes and volcano eruption. But Pulau Weh is well protected due to its higher ground. If you are in for adventure, understanding the misfortune of the world and reality of life, this place should be in your bucket list. On my next trip I hope to stay at least 7 to 14 days to explore the island. If I am allowed a long break,  taking the Divemaster course will be most ideal on this island.

Underwater Volcano

Porcupine Fish

Juvenile Catfish

Twin Leaf Scorpionfish

Moon & Me

Scorpionfish

Diving Pulau Tioman - September 2013

We planned this trip together with Diana Guo, a lady of Chinese origin I met during my last trip to Tioman. She brought her friends, Eva Wang and friend of Nigeria origin.

We arrived at B & J almost 3pm and missed the afternoon dive schedule. So we started drinking at the Jetty Bar, Sunset Bar and by the time, I was pissed, I tripped and fell several times. We continued with a short drink at Halo bar before we rested outside our chalets. Yup, things were not right.

I guess the Long Island Tea got into me ... my liver could not handle it! It went straight up to my head because my liver was slow to process the hard liquor. My wounds hurt and heart hurt so much. The blisters were physically painful and my heart was in pain about Garry's latest news.

On the next day dives went well, good visibility with good guide, Priscal (Korean girl .. I like her a lot). However, I could feel my congested lungs limited my breathing and consumed more air than normal. I took many videos of nudibranch and moray eels which were the consolation to the painful sores on my legs. Did a total of 6 dives and took pics and videos of the usual suspects ...

After these two trips to Tioman, I can say that if I have more time, I would dive somewhere else.

Pulau Tioman - August 2013

Too much complaints .. after diving around Indonesia and Thailand ... this trip is the WORSE!!! Visibility is one of the worse, comparable with Pulau Tiga - Kota Kinabalu.  However, some memory must be kept for future reference:

Getting to Nusa Lembongan

Fast boat service along Sanur beach

It was a relieve to get into the air conditioned car and out of the immense heat of Denpasar. I was glad to arrive at Sanur beach within 45 minutes after being  picked up at the airport. Fortunately, there was no massive traffic congestion along the popular highway. Waited about 30 minutes to get on to the 5 pm boat. It is a fast boat taking only 25 minutes to reach Nusa Lembongan. However, as the boat got nearer the island, it could not continue because the tide was so low. All the passengers had to transfer to a small "dinghy like" boat to step right onto the island and all the waiting took us another 30 minutes and another 15 minutes for our baggage and the jeepney to send us to our respective hotels.

This is how we get to the baot

As we drove through the narrow alleys of this small village, there are quite a number of provision shops, one handphone shop and a few homestays along the way. By the time I checked in, briefed with the manager of the dive centre, had a shower and it was already dark. The roads are wet from the afternoon rain and there are no street lights! I was kicking stones, wet my feet and searching high and low for a shop to buy my necessities. After a few minutes of walking and turning, I found a great store where I got everything I need. The owner speaks good English and surprisingly, many of the locals do.

Sunset @ Nusa Lembongan boat dock

I am just too lazy to write any review at the moment ... might probably do it much later.

However, I have done my work, editing and uploading the videos...

Kota Kinabalu and Pulau Tiga

This was my first trip meeting up with a buddy and also my first time visiting Kota Kinabalu. It only took 15 minutes from the airport by taxi to reach this small town.. I was surprised  to see so many local Chinese, the highest percentage compared to Malays and there were few Indians.  More surprisingly, the local Chinese speaks Malay without their original accent unlike those we meet in Kuala Lumpur. Not much variety of Chinese food but at least get to taste their Bak Kut Teh (Herbal Pork Rib Soup), one of my favorites. We met at Best Western Hotel where the wi-fi never worked. We have to get to nearby restaurants for the connection to book another hotel.

We book 3 dives online with Downbelow Dive Centre and dove Tungku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP) at RM350 each (not cheap ha!). It was utter disappointment when we realized the visibility was so bad.  There was nothing much to shoot except to ourselves. We went for 3 dives and that was all. The next day we decided to go to Pulau Tiga and stayed for 2 nights. The beach was quiet and a beautiful sunset.  Lots of hammocks but there were lots of mozies and sandflies too! We did  our very first shore dive together without the dive guide and felt the ocean belong to just the two of us. During our stay, we were the only divers and the rest of the guests mainly did snorkelling. There was schooling yellow snappers and baby barracudas, some common nudibranch, sea slugs and lionfish. The corals are nothing much to comment about yet we had a great time shooting each other.

The hike uphill to soak in the volcano mud was an experience. It took 30 minutes to reach for 10 minutes bath. Since it was reputated to be able to heal skin problems and improve complexion, I think it did for my leg ulcers but not the rash from the wetsuit though. In the evenings, we enjoyed Karaoke and pool in a room without aircon. Now I hear the way Garry sings! lol but we had a great time.

Towards my departure, I felt some pain on my right wrist again. It did not bother me until a few days later  when it seriously swell with unrelenting pain. This has been written in detail on my post Tendinitis again on my other blog.

Sipadan-Mabul Diving

After weeks of planning and arrangements to set up my new rig, Got my tray, handles, lights, spare batteries, etc. I was ready to test my new rig and the very first serious videography of Sipadan and Mabul islands. God knows! A strand of hair caught between the housing o-ring caused the camera to flood and the whole trip was almost spoiled. I was left with no other choice but to rent a camera to capture some memories of my diving adventure. The pictures taken were of bad quality, so were the handler (me) could not hold the camera steadily. White balance were off and colors all eaten up at depth.

The dive guide was co-operative enough to ascend with my camera to let it dry. The next dive without camera, I was in complete focus on the diving and enjoyed the beauty of the underwater world with Garry, the Divemaster. On the 3rd dive, water could not purge from my regulators,. I could not breathe, kept swallowing water and panicked.  I thought it was time for me to go.  I have forgotten what I learned and what to do. Garry was close by and I used his octopus to ascend. My octopus could still work though it was not in top condition. I did not know what actually went wrong except the fact that the second stage was kinda block. 

I am grateful Garry saved my life. He is also very special compared to the other guides I have dived with. Besides being meticulous and dedicated to his work, he is sincere and true. Someone you can entrust your life to and make you feel secured. I am so glad I met this wonderful guy. He is also funny in his special ways and makes you laugh endlessly. I decided to stay at the same resort and got to know him better. The rest of the dive crew were not helpful enough. They seemed to leave every responsibility to Garry. They were not accommodating enough.

There is no fresh water on the boat, for drinking or rinsing. No towels provided on 2 dives trip and no snacks or hot drinks. The boatman even took my snacks without asking! So I brought my own towel for the next day dives. When the towel was blown away, they said it was my fault that I am supposed to take care of it, and not they.

Every morning, I wake up every morning as usual at about 6.30 and hoping to have breakfast at 7.30 but surprisingly, the kitchen staff got the food ready just before 8 am but the crew wake up only after 8 am! Some don't even have time to take their breakfast because the first dive is supposed to start at 8.30. There is no system, discipline or rules in this resort. They seem to only do things at their own pace and not providing adequate service to their guests. The other disappointment with this diving center I had was not having the opportunity to explore the other dive sites around Kapalai because I was the ONLY guest. The boat will only take a minimum of 2 guests out to the slightly further Kapalai dive sites (approx 20 minutes journey) though.  So ... friends, if you are planning to dive these islands, make sure the dive center have other guests diving together with you or you will be left out alone missing out many dive sites.

Aside from these complaints and my camera's problem, the whole trip was well compensated with Garry's good companionship on land and underwater. I had no more qualms though.

Diving at Sipadan was fantastic. Watching white tip reef sharks, schooling jacks, barracudas and bumphead parrotfishes swim by face to face will be my unforgettable moments during my diving adventure. The more I see, the more I yearn for.

Diving around Mabul island were mostly critter hunting. We found lots of critters especially my favorite nudibranch, morays and frogfish and took lots of pictures and videos. It was awesome especially with Garry beside me. The diversity of macro life is awesome but as compared to Lembeh Straits, it is still at second place.  I would be back  to dive Kota Kinabalu, Sabah etc not so much for the critters, but to dive with Garry again.

My 4th Movie @ Lembeh Straits

Testing GoPro Hero 3 without LCD display, with and without SRP Blurfix3 CY filter, with and without +4+2 diopter lens. Maximum depth 28m.

My Tanah Lot Tour

Tanah Lot Temple

Spring holy water

As we arrived at 1145 hrs (wrong timing), after about 45 minutes' journey towards north-west from Kuta (where I stayed), the much anticipated not-to-be-missed icon of Bali is located Beraban village in Tabanan regency about 30 km from Denpasar. We fought through the vendors of a marketplace selling the usual souvenirs, arts and handicrafts, paintings etc before getting the spectacular sea view with Tanah Lot , the Temple perched on a rocky islet when the sea water is tide. It is looked to be adrift in on the ocean and owns the magnificent view of sunset in the late afternoon. Tide was low and tourists could walk across to get a closer look at what is going on over below the cliff. What you can experience below the temple is cleansing your body with the holy water. It is prohibited to step on the stairs leading to the shrine. You can also see "holy snakes" the Balinese believe to be "temple guards" where a small donation is appreciated. 

I recommend Tanah Lot as excellent for photography with its breathtaking view of sunset as backdrop. Normally a half day tour including Taman Ayun Temple and Alas Kedaton (Monkey Forest).

History of Tanah Lot

Photo Gallery

Book Tour

North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Manado

Manado, the capital of the province and cultural center of the Minahasa people for a long time Manado prospered through trade with the Philippines and in the vicinity of the spice trade with the rest of the world. Ah, the bombing of the Second World War and the suppression of a local insurgency in the 1950s flattened most of Manado's older buildings. 

As I travelled from Sam Ratulangi Airport to Bitung, I was strucked by the number of churches along the way. Crucifixes adorn the landscape from hillside to roadside. On the main roads, you will see bigger ornate churches while the small pristine houses of worship on the side streets.  As most of the Manadonese have Chinese or Philippino blood there is little chance of racial tension but in fact a very ethnically stable region with a tolerant and pluralist society.

Bitung

Sharing a taxi

Bargain taxi

Lembeh Straits

Lembeh Straits is a 12 km long stretch of water separating Lembeh island and the mainland. The direct translation of the word "Lembeh" is "soft" but some have suggested its meaning as "unwanted". Bitung is actually the point midway along the banks of the Lembeh Strait. The boat journey is about 20 minutes. It can be reached by car (1.5 hours) from Manado. 

Lembeh Straits is one of most popular and interesting marine habitats we have heard around the world, a great macro paradise and muck diving! This pristine section of water in North Sulawesi is home to many unique marine animals including the pygmy seahorse, Mimic Octopus, ghost pipefish, and many other species. There are over 50 dive sites for underwater photographers and the diversity of the smaller creatures responsible for many memorable photo opportunities.  Underwater temperature I experienced was about 26 degree celsius on rainy days. 

Muck Diving

So it was my first experience diving in sandy conditions.  I was indeed surprised that within the bad visibility we could find the weirdest creatures on earth! It was astonishing to see the Mandarin fishes mating which has always been one of the achievements for diving Lembeh Straits. The other critters we saw were too many to mention, some we do not even know the generic name.  The most commonly found are the nudibranchs, scorpionfish, lionfish and all kinds of shrimps and harlequin shrimp. We also saw white octopus, wonderpus, different kinds of seahorses, local pufferfish, stonefish, frogfish, Ambon scorpionfish, dragonet etc.

After 2 morning dives, we could have a shower and lunch back at the resort or just stay on the boat to standby for the 3rd dive. The kitchen would send our lunch by boat to our next dive site. Night diving is awesome in Lembeh and a total different experience. As I descend into total darkness, I felt handicapped like a blind man. I struggled with the torch, switching camera lens, looking out for my guides, The torch did not work well enough, I panicked. I rented a torch for the next 2 night dives but it was attached with the head lights facing upwards! OMG, another thing to handle!

After our last dive for the day, we went back to the resort to wash up and have our meals  as usual, together with Deky, the Operations Manager. Back at the cottage, there is no need for a fan or air-condition at night. We would go through the critters and dive log with the 2 guides - Dovan and Andre. 

With a wide verandah, a blanket is important to get a peaceful sleep. As the afternoon sun shines in, you may need to turn on the air-condition.

      

Froggies Resort

When I arrived at Froggies resort @ Lembeh, received a warm welcome from all the staff who passed by.  Another land of smiles uncovered.  Despite the language barrier and their lack of experience, their excellent service and hospitality throughout my stay  did not quite affect me much. 

The beachfront cottage offers a panoramic view of the straits and Bitung harbor. It gave me the tranquility of solitude though it was total boredom after dusk.  The perfect place to relax and reflect.  Silence, except for the sound of waves hitting the rocks below my cottage and the insects buzzing away as well as from my ears.  The only way to counter the  buzzing was to play music from my laptop and stay underwater.

My two cute and lively guides, excellent critter hunters. 

For without them, I could have gone home with an empty SD card.

My Movies .. with GoPro Hero 3:

without LCD display, with and without red filter, with and without close-up lens