Two Heads are better than one.  Well that’s how the old cliche goes.

But sometimes, I’d rather just have one head than Two Heads.

Check out this photo from the Museum in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.  It’s a bit off putting, isn’t it?

Yes, this is a freakish photo of a Two Headed Buffalo calf that was born in the 1950s – and it actually lived for a couple of months.

I can imagine this Two Headed Beast cruising around searching for the best 2 for 1 all you can eat buffet grass menu.

This is the accompanying blurb that is shown with the Buffalo with Two Heads:

I thought this was somewhat of an unusual exhibit considering the rest of the museum consists of artefacts from previous kingdoms, almost extinct stuffed animals, and other recent history.

And I did freak out a bit just watching the eyes of this stuffed beast.

The Two Headed Buffalo is a somewhat different attraction when compared to the Tsunami landmarks you can view around Banda Aceh.

But it’s worth having a look at the Buffalo with Two Heads at the Banda Aceh Museum.

I've been back home in Brisbane for the last few days thinking about the awesome trip to Indonesia I have just experienced.

The 4 week trip felt like it lasted for 4 days!  I had such a blast, and I'll never forget it!

I was amazed at the variety of experiences I had on this trip.  Each place was just so different in character, feel, and food!

When I originally thought of this trip idea, I wanted to experience the real Indonesia – not the tourist one. 

The only way to do this is to stay with the locals and have them show you their world.  That’s exactly what I received – and so much more.

I was shown the very best of Indonesia.  And I saw the very best of the Indonesian people.

So to all of Indonesia – Thanks so much for everything.

Unfortunately, Indonesia does receive some bad press, but the hard reality is that 99.9999999% of their people are extremely wonderful, hospitable and caring human beings, and I have definitely been grateful to receive this hospitality.

My job was to show all the good in Indonesia, and I think I've accomplished that!

Thanks to the local blogging communities, there were so many things that I experienced that would have been almost impossible as a solo traveller. 

Things such as drinking Teh Telur (Tea With Egg), Kacang Memet (Shaved Ice with Red Beans), eating Cow’s Nose with Peanut Sauce.

Experiences such as an Indonesian Wedding, the off the beaten path areas of Banda Aceh, and Muara Takus temple.

These are experiences that money cannot buy.  I am so grateful that I was able to be part of your lives.  I consider myself very lucky.

And I think I’ve made a few more friends in Indonesia!

Thanks so much again, and I hope to see you again soon!

I would also like to thank Air Asia for their support for flying me to and from Australia.  Hope to to this again sometime!  

For other bloggers out there in cyberspace, the websites of each Blogging Community I visited are listed below. 

Drop an email and say hello – I'm sure the Indonesian bloggers will be happy to hear from you, and follow each other on Twitter.  They're a friendly bunch and love to have a good time.

Here are the websites:

Banda Aceh – AcehBloggers.org

Pekanbaru – Bertuah Blogging Community

Palembang – Wongkito Blogging Community

Bandung – Bandung Blog Village, Batagor, and RumahBlogger.

Semarang – Loenpia

Surabaya – Tugupahlawan

I had such a good time this year. I might have to try and swindle another trip next year!

Anyway, normal service at The Travel Tart will be resumed from next week! 

Keep an eye out for a return to the crazy, wacky and downright absurd aspects of world travel today!
 

The Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman is a stunning piece of architechture located in Banda Aceh.

I went out a couple of nights ago to take an evening shot – this mosque photo doesn’t do the Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman justice.

It was first built in the 1870s by the Dutch and bits have been added on since.  It survived the 2004 earthquake and tsunami intact – a sign seen by some as divine intervention.

The best time to see the mosque in action is during Friday afternoon prayers, when it is packed inside and also in the yard.

That’s it for me from Banda Aceh.  I have loved my time here, and I highly recommend coming here to check it out.

You can read more at The Great Mosque of Banda Aceh: Its History, Architecture and Relationship to the Development of Islam in Sumatra.

Next stop: Pekanbaru, central Sumatra.

Air Asia are the kind sponsors of this trip.  Check out their website for their flights all over the place!

Pulau Weh is an island off the coast of Banda Aceh.  It’s probably one of the best little bays I have ever visited.

This post is definitely for those of you who are trapped in the office (or your fluorescent prison)!

Have a look at what was my office today:

Yes, it was pretty hard to take.

If your main passions are snorkelling and diving, then Pulau Weh is definitely for you. The main snorkelling and diving beachs at Pulau Weh are at Gapang and Iboih.

To get there, you have to catch a ride to the Uleh-leh port from Banda Aceh city.  The fast ferry takes about 45 minutes to get to Pulau Weh and leaves twice a day.  When you get to Pulau Weh, you have to catch a bemo (minibus) to Gapang or Iboih which is about 40 minutes away via a pictueresque, hilly drive through a number of rustic villages.

Basically, you can turn up to either Gapang or Iboih, see which bungalows you like, and stay there for a while – from about 50000 Indonesian Rupiah, or about $USD7-8 per night.

An example of one of these bungalows is shown below.

There are loads of coral reefs that are an easy swimming distance from the shore.  If you are into diving, there are PADI dive operators that can take you to places further out to explore other dive spots.  I took this shot of a boatload of people about to be transported to coral reefs further out from Gapang.

Otherwise, if you don’t feel like snorkelling or diving in the Indian Ocean, for a change, you can do sod all and sit in one of the few, laid back beachside cafes that serve up reasonably priced, and quite tasty food.

There’s no beer here.  So if you want to detox as well, Pulau Weh is also great for that.

Imagine copping this sight every day for a week at lunch, breakfast, and dinner.  Terrible, isn’t it?

What I like best about Pulau Weh is that it is not geared for tourism at all.

You don’t get hassled by anyone to buy anything, and like everywhere else I’ve been to in Aceh, the people are always smiling and say hello.  People just go about their business on Pulau Weh, and you are invited to take part, or just do your own thing.

It’s so laid back, you may never want to set foot into an office ever again!

Kids play happily on the beach on their swings, and say hello when you walk past.  These two little tigers were happy to pose for me – and they were really polite!

People fish off the nearby jetty and throw their lines in, hoping for a bite from one of the many fish swimming past.  Just be careful not to swim too close to the jetty, or you might be the largest fish this guy has ever landed!

So if your office is feeling just a tad stale, I highly recommend going to Pulau Weh to chill out for a while!

Also check out Diving Indonesia: A Guide to the World’s Greatest Diving.

Air Asia flies regularly to Banda Aceh from Kuala Lumpur.  Make sure you obtain your Indonesian visa before going, because there are no ‘Visa On Arrival’ facilities at Banda Aceh Airport.  Otherwise, the friendly staff at Air Asia will not let you on the plane!

Hi everyone. 

Thanks for the great response to yesterday’s article about Banda Aceh – 5 Years On Since the Tsunami. It obviously struck a chord with many people, and it’s really something else to see the area with your own eyes.

However today, I wanted to concentrate on non-Tsunami things to do.  It’s a bit hard to ignore that, because so much here was affected by that event.  I was also feeling a bit eerie when I saw the news about today’s Tsunami in Samoa. My thoughts are with those all affected.

Today, my guide was Maimum, or his nickname, ‘Doank’.  I met him last night and he is one of the local bloggers here.  He kindly offered to show me the surrounding areas of Banda Aceh on the back of his motorbike today. 

I thought he was a bit foolish to do this because I weigh twice as much as him, and his motorbike struggled up a few hills, but his mechanical beast is still alive.  Maimum, if the suspension on your motorbike needs fixing, let me know.  Here he is below:

Today, we went north east of Banda Aceh city, to the areas known as Ujung Bate and Krueng Raya. 

Maimum took me to the Indra Patra Fortress, a set of ruins that were built by the Acehnese kingdom in the 1400s to protect their territory from potential invaders.  There are a couple of forts there that I would not have otherwise known about, as it’s not listed in my guidebook, and only a local would know about this!

Here are some photos of the Indra Patra Fortress below.  We had the place to ourselves, and this is right next to the beach!

After being roasted by the midday sun, we stopped for a quick lunch break and I had my first sample of the superb Acehnese coffee.  There is a bag of this stuff with my name on it somewhere, and I’m taking some home with me.

Later on, Maimum took me to ‘Little Aceh’ – the Taman Shulthanah Shafiatuddin – which is effectively a museum of all the architectural styles located in Aceh province.  This park was completed in 2003, about 1 year before the Tsunami hit, but it was wiped out.  It has since been rebuilt and has opened recently.

Some of the house designs are intricate and detailed, and are shown below:

There are two good sites on things to do and see in Aceh Province. 

The first one is actually Maimum’s site, called Come2Aceh.com (in Indonesian), and the official government site in Indonesian and English is VistAceh.com.

Anyway, I’m off.  I’m in an internet cafe that doubles up as a gaming room, so my eardrums are being belted by gamers shooting things and large explosions.

More soon!

This trip is kindly sponsored by Air Asia.  Check out their site for their extensive network all around South East Asia.