Arrival at Pulau Weh

Today was finally the day: it was vacation time! Finally! Somehow I really needed it... To make the most of my vacation, I woke up at four o'clock in the morning. Actually stupid, but I had to catch my flight. And a later flight would have meant a later ferry, and then I probably wouldn't be here yet. So I got on the plane at around seven o'clock, took off at 7:30 and landed safely at 8:00 after an hour and a half (Yes, that's correct, why don't you think about it yourself ;) ) At the airport, I was immediately intercepted by a taxi driver who took me to the ferry. Here it got a bit complicated, as I couldn't find anyone at first who spoke English well, and everyone wanted to send me to the Fast Ferry (which is not much faster, but more expensive than the other one). But eventually I figured out where I needed to go, and I sat there waiting for the ferry. I was approached by people from time to time, and one of them arranged a Tuk Tuk for me on the island. The ferry finally arrived at around 9:30, and finally departed at around 10:45. By now, I had already been in several photos of the people here, all of whom absolutely wanted a selfie with me. Nobody asked, they just took one. And when an older lady rudely nudged my knee during the ride, trying to make me smile in her photo, it became too much for me. So I just lay down on my bag and caught up on some sleep. As we approached the island, I was naturally wide awake again, and I saw the rain falling on the island. That's when I first thought about the weather... well, now it can't be changed anyway! When we arrived, the rain had stopped, and a man with a sign that said 'Nicole' greeted me. He then took me to my hotel in an hour-long drive. And what a ride it was! For those who don't know what a Tuk Tuk is: it's a motorcycle with a covered sidecar. And there I was, sitting inside, speeding through the countryside at 60 km/h. Without a helmet, of course. Honestly, it's not going to be my favorite mode of transportation, although it was a bit fun in the end!

The hotel I'm staying in is quite okay. It probably wouldn't win a cleanliness award, but it's not dirty or anything... a bit like home ^^ I can definitely handle a week here. After arriving, I still explored the surroundings a bit. I actually wanted to take a swim at the nearby Iboih Beach, but it's not suitable for that. Too rocky, and too many creatures. But I actually found them really cool, so not being able to swim is not so bad after all! I discovered small fish, a lot of sea cucumbers, two starfish, and a crab. If that's what the beach is like, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the sea life is like! I'll find out this week! So fingers crossed that the weather holds up! And now I'm going to watch some Netflix and try to catch up on sleep ;)