We are currently anchored in Sabang on Pulau (Island) Weh attending their 2nd annual Marine Festival. It lies within the province of Aceh in Sumatra which is a semi-autonomous region situated at the extreme north-western point of Indonesia.
This was the closest point of land to the epicentre of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2004 which killed 190 000 people and left over half a million homeless in Sumatra alone. Nearly twelve years later, there is little physical evidence remaining but the magnitude of this disaster is certainly still very much a part of their lives.
This region has had its fair share of civil wars over the past century, the most recent being a bloody civil war between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, the Acehenese people wishing to secede. This violent war went on for a number of years but came to an abrupt end as a result of the tsunami disaster. At least there was a positive aspect to the tragedy.
Relative to most of the country, it is a religiously conservative area and has the highest proportion of Muslims mostly living according to Sharia customs and laws. Alcohol is not served or sold but in an effort to attract tourism, this seems to be changing. We heard that last year, several boats were threatened with arrest for just having alcohol on their vessels which is why we were more than a little surprised, and delighted, to each be given a case of beer by the organisers of the event.
They are really going all out in their efforts to promote Aceh to the cruising population. By entertaining us in this manner, they are hoping that we will spread the word and that, in the future, this region will become a popular location for cruisers, divers and tourists in general.
They have even gone to the extent of building a marina in a lovely secluded bay not far from here. Half a dozen boats sailed over where we were treated to a wonderful show of traditional dance and music before being taken to the next village for a fabulous lunch at a rebuilt restaurant which had nothing left but the cement foundations the day after the tsunami.
Sadly, the marina itself is very inadequate for yachts our size. The piers are simple floating plastic platforms with no pile driven supports, there are absolutely no facilities (water, electricity, ablution block, nearby shops, restaurants etc), in fact, there is not even a road at present to reach it. We were asked to give our suggestions and recommendations to help them create a proper marina but, at this stage, none of us could honestly say it was likely to become viable. I hope we're all wrong.
Throughout the days of the festivities, we were treated to all manner of games (canoe races, greasy pole climb, races, rope pull, etc), tours and endless food, gifts and entertainment. Suffice it to say, our stop here will not be forgotten easily and we sincerely hope that they continue receiving positive feedback along with many more tourists.
PHOTO ALBUM:
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| Cooking one of their famous dishes - Murtabak |
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| Traditional dress |
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| Sumatran fishing boats |
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| Entertaining us with traditional dancing |
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| Watching the games |
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| Some of the greased pole contestants |
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| Sparkling clear waters |
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| Lunch break |
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| Kilometre Zero, the farthest extent of Indonesia |
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| Wash day |
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| Hiking up to the waterfall |
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| Sheer bliss |
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| More traditional dancing at the Tsunami Museum |
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| A fishing boat that landed on top of a house 3km inland, kept as a reminder |
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| This was a floating power station that was washed 5km inland! |
They are really going all out in their efforts to promote Aceh to the cruising population. By entertaining us in this manner, they are hoping that we will spread the word and that, in the future, this region will become a popular location for cruisers, divers and tourists in general. 
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