After our ill-fated attempts at partying it up on New Year’s Eve, we decided to stick to what Pulau Weh was known for: diving. Our five days on the island pretty much followed this schedule: wake up reluctantly at about 8am, wander down to the local nasi campur (rice with a bit of everything) place for take out, dive for two hours, eat a delicious lunch and have coffee on the beach, dive again, hang out in the hammock til dinner time, wander down the road for family style dinner with the five other foreigners in town (with beer!), and start the day again. It was a pretty good week.

Even with less than stellar weather (it was definitely the wet season), the water was clear and the visibility good. I can only imagine what the dry season is like. We saw octopuses, (look at dive book), and the corals were incredible. And there were about 20 dive sites a 10 minute boat ride away. This is a place to come back.

Squeezing one last dive in before heading to the ferry, we managed to catch the fast ferry to Banda Aceh this time, springing an extra $2 for VIP seats which seemed to mean extra air conditioning. We got a motorbike to our hotel, arranging an early morning pickup to get us to the airport, and headed out for some satay and coffee. We ended up at a coffee shop that looked like it could be in Vancouver, full of teenagers eating hamburgers and enjoying delicious Aceh coffee. It was a great way for me to end my trip, while Marieke headed out to see more of Sumatra and Indonesia.