Gapang Beach, Pulau Weh, Indonesia

Oct 30 to Nov 3 Pulau Weh, Gapang Beach

So this is it. The northernmost island of the 17,000 or so islands that make up Indonesia. My first stop on my 'forced' vacation leaving Bangkok. The plan is to stay for a few days, take a few dives and get my AOWD – Padi Advanced Open Water Diver. Seems like a good place to do it. There's not much other activity going on on the island other than diving and snorkeling.

My first dive of the day is a Fun Dive. I am glad I did a refresher in Koh Phi Phi, so it's no problem for and I get used to everything immediately. The dive itself is amazing but the waves catch up with my seasickness so when we get back on land I don't feel that fantastic. But hey, it's an island I can just relax. After a nap I discover the small stretch of land that is Gapang Beach. There's some small resorts and restaurants, and that's pretty much it. The place is totally laid back everyone is relaxed and friendly. I stop by the one souvenir shop and Mama Donut, who is walking up and down the streets selling fresh sweets for 0.20 € each. And they are so delicious. It is Sunday so there are also locals and visitors from the nearby Banda Aceh relaxing on the beach. I join a group in a restaurant that's singing and they immediately start talking to me, all eager to practice their English. I listen to them playing the guitar and singing some Indonesian songs and sing along when they play the Beatles. This very much feels like vacation.

And then there's some studying for the AOWD. Need to read through the material and answer a few questions before every adventure dive so I can get certified without problems.

The next days fly by with diving, chit chatting with other divers, identifying all the fish, shark, turtles and other reef inhabitants that we've seen, hanging on the beach. And the day I planned to leave originally approaches. I extend for a few more days. I had almost planned out my next stops already. I am asking all other travelers and divers about their previous or next destinations to get some idea of where I would like to go. And turns out everyone has pretty much the same stops on Sumatra. That makes it easier to decide.

The course went without problems but I am addicted now and don't want to stop diving and keep doing 1-2 Fun Dives a day. It is so chilled out here, I do decide to extend my stay again. There is not many stories to tell unless you are interested in fish and the like so I am keeping this one short.

Let's see how much longer this island's got me!