ULOG Enjoying 'The Way of the Silence' Takengon-Kutacane
How dare my brother take the Takengon-Kutacane route via Blangkejeren, where will bring the family, "said a friend of the office in Medan. "I'm just the Kutacane people never to Blangkejeren through that path," he continued.
I respond with a smile. I think he is right, I was desperate to take the path with the family after lebaran in Takengon on Tuesday (27/6) then, for the sake of continuing the holiday to Berastagi in North Sumatra. It is also said that the route is notoriously creepy because it splits the wooded mountains. During the rainy season this path often landslide, which handling can last for one-two weeks, as happened in Km 110 area Tangsaran District Weather Pantan, Gayo Lues.
Roads buried in a pile of landslides material in the form of mountain rocks, mud, and logs. As a result, many vehicles are stuck here. Therefore, to avoid avalanche, usually every vehicle from Takengon (Central Aceh) going to Blangkejeren (Gayo Lues) chooses a detour via Lhokseumawe-Medan-Berastagi-Kutacane to Blangkejeren.
So also vehicles from Blangkejeren who want to go to Takengon must play take route Kutacane-Berastagi-Medan-Lhokseumawe-Bener Meriah-Takengon. Indeed there is a route via Banda Aceh to get to the two cities, but the distance further with travel time longer than via Medan.
Wives and children also agree, because they are also saturated if they must go back along the same path with our arrival from Medan via Lhokseumawe the day before, although the road is more smooth, crowded, and not many corners. The condition is indeed making the vehicle that travel the eastern route is faster up to Medan although the distance is longer (approximately 452 km) compared to the middle route of Takengon-Medan via Blangkejeren which as far as 440.36 km.
**
After check-out from Hotel Renggali located on the shore of Lake Laut Tawar at about 12:00. 11:45 pm, I also directed the car to downtown Takengon. We want to have lunch first before trying out the Takengon-Kutacane route via Blangkejeren. While at the restaurant we happened to be with a middle-aged man accompanied by two beautiful women. They were riding in a black car with BK plates parked right in front of the restaurant.
"We're from Medan, it's been two days here ... I do not think Takengon is good," said one of two women dressed in kream. My wife and I nodded in agreement.
He told the story just down from Pantan Terong, the peak area to see the landscape Takengon and Lake Laut Tawar. "Freshwater like Lake Toba, though smaller, but good," he said again.
His confession made me think of waking up just now. I was still lying on the bed felt the cold wind burst into the room, because it turns out the children opened the glass door that overlooks the lake. They scramble to catch the sun rise from behind the mountain that makes the sky color red and reflected to the lake. Those moments they use to take pictures. Beautiful. Takengon is amazing.
Down the edge of the Lake Laut Tawar
At approximately 13:30 Wib we left the center of Takengon City, past Hotel Renggali to walk along the shores of Lake Laut Tawar. Traffic is quite crowded because the atmosphere of Lebaran makes many people take the time to chat with family on the shore of the lake. Food vendors, tenants and tents, until the parking lot provider picks a harvest of sustenance.
This route is rather narrow but has been smoothly asphalted up to the main cross-central path in the region Bintang. I had time to stop the car in a lakeside cafe to enjoy Gayo coffee, as if reluctant to leave Takengon. Just before the hour. 15.45 Wib continue the journey towards Blangkejeren. Takengon-Blangkejeren road along the 137.8 km wide and smooth enough since the newly completed Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) end of 2016 ago.
This road access makes people no longer need to go through Kampung Isak if going to Blangkejeren from Takengon, because apart from the road is more narrow as well as many inclines and sharp turns, especially the road is often unpaved on the path.
When at Hotel Renggali, a hotel staff named Alamsyah said, Takengon's new road route to Blangkejeren via Bintang can be reached for 3.5 hours only to Ise-Ise as entrance to Blangkejeren in Gayo Lues, while through Isak Village takes seven hours journey. "It is much better to go through the new road to Blangkejeren, let alone you want to stop to Berastagi, certainly faster than here than through Lhokseumawe," he said.