Traveling to Ancient Tombs with Acehnese Traditional Clothes

2010 became the first year I went traveling abroad. I live in Aceh, one of the provinces in Indonesia. At that time I went to Kuala Lumpur with my friends at an English learning course. My trip to Kuala Lumpur was a journey I could not forget, because I lost my passport in the plane. The first time I went abroad, I was really panicked. Missing passports was something I did not want to be happen. The head of our group immediately contacted the Indonesian Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to report the loss of the passport. I was detained at the Immigration Office of LCCT Airport, Malaysia (Now the flight at this Airport was transferred to KLIA 2). After returning from my first trip to Malaysia, I seemed to want to return again for the next trip. Traveling has made me open to new things.

At that second time my mother also followed with us. She was a Stroke sufferer. Before leaving for Kuala Lumpur, I purchased a Stroke drug stock to prepare for anything in Kuala Lumpur. In fact, not a single tablet of medicine was consumed by the mother. Traveling became a cure for her then.

The first trip then made us realize that traveling is an investment. I immediately took care of a new passport at the Immigration Office in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. We went traveling relying on cheap promo tickets offered by one of the airlines. So this departure must follow the schedule of cheap tickets.

After two years, I returned to Malaysia with seven members of the Aceh Ethnic Heritage community. I am not a member of this community, it was just that my sister is a daily committee in this community. My mother and I just counted in the journey. We got a plates ticket back and forth Banda Aceh - Kuala Lumpur at a price of Rp.300,000. The price was very cheap when compared with the normal price which was reached 1.7 million rupiah for one way.

Before leaving, they made a deal to wear custom clothes while in Malaysia. They take advantage of this traveling moment to promote the culture of Aceh to the outside community. I actually strongly object to wear the custom, but since I just want to go back to Malaysia, I agree with this deal.

On December 2013, we traveled to Malaysia. If on the journey of 2010 we stayed at the hostel of University of Malaya, this time we precisely there is no certainty where to stay. Ajir (@shofie), who was then responsible for our lodging, was in touch with a friend who lives in Damansara, Malaysia. We had to wait until night to arrive at Damansara. In fact, we've arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 3 pm. Our trip was completely without preparation and itinerary. We only accept an invitation from the Malay Traditional Community of HIKMAH to attend the gathering of Malay silat teachers. There, we met Radzi Saphiee. He is the leader of HIKMAH Malay Customary Community. Finally, Radzi promised to take us to Melaka, a historic city in Malaysia.

I was really traveling with crazy people. They visited almost all the ancient cemeteries during a trip to Melaka. But from there I learned a thing from traveling. We can be open to anyone to feel the beauty of life. And you'll get it by going for a ride. We traveled to Melaka using two cars belonging to Radzi and a friend who worked at the Library office of the State of Malaysia, his name is Zamhari. We were taken through the village road.

Usually to go to Melaka, we have to enter Ayer Keroh toll road. Radzie reasoned he wanted us to feel the local atmosphere of a different Malaysian native to Kuala Lumpur. The ancient graves we visited include: Sheikh Ahmad Majnun, a Sufi scholar from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. Then the tomb of the Graveyard of Lukut, one of the kings who worked on silver in Malaysia in ancient times was also the pioneer of Singapore. Then the tomb of Sheikh Syamsuddin As-Sumaterani, a scholar from Aceh. He went to Melaka during the war against Portuguese soldiers in Melaka. He went with Pidie Commander. Tomb of Pidie Commander is located on the hills in Melaka. The attachment between Aceh and Melaka is very close. We find evidence from many graves that used were Ancient Nisan Stones from Aceh.

My trip this time was completely different. Originally I predicted a trip that would be boring, it was different when I was with them in half way in Malaysia. They dare to show the identity as the Achenese youth and visit the tomb of the heroes in the other country. I got a lot of information about the history of Aceh, and more proudly in the traditional Acehnese clothes that I wear along the way. While at the Meuseum of Malaysia, we received a warm welcome from the meuseum and also from meuseum visitors. There was a group from Chineses who asked to take pictures with us. They were very proud of a group of young people who still love their local culture.

Returning from Malaysia, I asked to join the Aceh Ethnic Heritage Community. Traveling has totally changed my life to become more open to new things. I told a friend who was stressed or depressed in his life to try to travel. This of course will make his life more open minded. We will find a world beyond what has existed in our minds.

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this is part 1 of my entry for #sndboxquest

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