Indonesia | Jan 25-26 |
After an amazing week or so in Weh and Lhoknga, the time came to get far off the beaten tourist track and drive south along the Indian Ocean coast of Aceh, a trip I did by bus in 1991, and always wanted to re-visit. Soon after Lhoknga the scenery went into 10+ mode, with incredible views of endless beaches and no people. There must be some epic surf breaks along here. It was solid jungle, with Gibbons hoots and other creatures making themselves known as I rode by. The planned 4-hour drive took 5 due to all the stops I made. The road is excellent, top quality pavement with little traffic. It was rebuilt after complete decimation by the tsunami.
Meulaboh is a pretty basic place, fairly large for northern Sumatra, with 170,000 citizens. It was ground-zero for international aid post-tsunami, one of the worst-hit places. Tripadvisor.com shows a blank page for Meulaboh, first time I have seen that result on their site. While it may be off the grid, Meulaboh has the largest KFG and Pizza Hut buildings I have ever seen (I went with pizza, after 10 excruciating days w/o). Doesn't seem to have an Indian restaurant though!
Ride: 225 km | 5 hrs
Stay: Tripa Homestay | $15 | 4/5
Comments