Travel with community colleagues to the island of Sabang

Yes, maybe directly terbgiang national mandatory song "From Sabang to Merauke" which used to be sung when we SD. What we know from Sabang is one place in the western tip of Indonesia that is opposite to Merauke. Sabang became the boundary of the country's land. As a Sumatran person, I have been introduced about this Sabang location since elementary school. Who would have thought, I actually visited him at the end of S2 lecture.

Sabang became special because all the children of Indonesia no one does not know Sabang thanks to the mandatory song above. When I set foot in Sabang, I found out, Sabang is not just a song. Sabang is more special than that.

There are many beautiful in eastern Indonesia. But not a few things are beautiful in the west. Do not ever ignore the beauty of Sumatra, that's our ancestral word. So, on this occasion I visited Sabang, a small town corner in the tip of Sumatra.

I was traveling with my gang flying to Medan, then continued the land route to Aceh through the Bukit Barisan forest of Sumatra. Long journey, yes. But exclamation. From Aceh, we departed to Ulee Lheue port to board the express ship to Pulau Weh. Yes, Sabang is located on Pulau Weh, the island which became the western tip of Indonesia.

I was very excited. We are on Pulau Weh, enjoy this island without me having to feel foreign. When the driver picked us up at the port of Balohan, the guide's brother immediately thought I was an Acehnese. With an oval face, tan skin, thick eyebrows, small eyes and black, veiling also makes him more confident that I am an Acehnese. In fact he asked Malay dialect of Aceh which is not difficult for me to understand the language. But unfortunately, our brother's guess was wrong. Yes, fellow blooded Sumatra, our faces are easily recognizable.

Well, now the question, what is Sabang, anyway?

There are so many places I went to during the Weh Island. In a way, visiting Pulau Weh is a complete package trip. There is the sea, there is the beach, there is culinary, there are mountains, there are hills, there are waterfalls, there are historical places. Sounds like Bali, yes, all sorts of holiday forms exist except for sparkling cafes and nightclubs. That is what distinguishes it with other island charms in Indonesia. You could say that Pulau Weh is a piece of heaven.

No one does not fall in love when he saw the city of Sabang is calm and shady. If traced to the meaning of the name, Sabang is derived from Arabic, 'Shabag' which means the mountain erupted. Sabang city is a beach and hilly is indeed formed sloping due to the eruption of the mountain. There are two active volcanoes located on this Weh Island, the Jaboi volcano in the mainland and the Laot Men volcano located in the waters of Pulau Weh. These two mountains also make Sabang a fertile and underwater city that is not less than underwater national parks in the eastern part of Indonesia. So, Sabang should not be underestimated, yes.

The city of Sabang is not a big city but its people are unpretentious. The streets are relatively quiet and the road conditions are very smooth. We also freely choose stops where the scenery is okay. The road seemed to belong to us completely. Such a dream city, yes, this city. It was wonderful. Seen once the people of Sabang very appreciate the region and keep their city worthy of tourists.

Gladly we walked every corner of Sabang City. The hot weather on an island plus the oil content of the sea breeze made our bodies tire quickly. However, the city of Sabang, like this newly built city, sheds the fatigue. We are introduced to the 8th seater whose panoramas directly facing the sea. The streets of the city of Sabang is tortuous and up and down hills. This is a new streets deliberately made for visitors, and so the road to the hill looks more gentle.

One thing that should not be missed, eat Sabang typical salad in the street Gampong Krueng Raya. Not about the taste of a special rujaknya but its location is remarkable. We sat in a rujak stall on the side of the road and directly facing the panorama of Klah Island. Day-noon, eating Sabang typical salad under the shade tree edge of the road really a rare moment. Pas once, let alone Klah Island touted as the heart of the Bay of Sabang. We did not have time to sail to Klah Island quite satisfied to see the tiny island from above here. It was like to spend a day on that hill.

Once upon a time, in Geography lessons at school, we were told that Sabang was the westernmost boundary of Indonesia. Hence built monument Point Zero Kilometer Indonesia. We went there, to that point which is currently being renovated. Said people there, local governments are designing the construction of a tower with a zero at the top, symbolizing that Indonesia started from here and the tip is certainly in Merauke. The monument is easily reachable and is in the hills. We can see the ocean off the Indian Ocean from Zero Kilometer Point.

However, do you know any other facts about the borders of this country? Weh Island is not the westernmost boundary. There is still Rondo Island not far from Pulau Weh. Rondo Island is located in the ocean off and without residents. The 2004 tsunami hit the island of Rondo and the island survived. It is more fair if the Indonesian zero kilometer point starts from Rondo Island. Just because the island is uninhabited, the zero kilometer point becomes a gift of Sabang City. Rondo Island seemed forgotten.

Since many neighboring countries have claimed our outer islands (if children say History, the foremost islands), now Rondo Island is not alone. Rondo Island becomes a military base to guard our borders. No fisherman can go there. Rondo Island is alienated but still has us. We as walkers know that border points are not always measured from Geography lessons at school. Must walk a lot, have a lot to see, and have a lot to learn.