Sumatra Route Diaries #21: The Homecoming to Banda Aceh After Four Months on the Road

As the late afternoon carried us into Aceh province, I began to feel torn over where we should spend the night. There were at least three options: Langsa, Idi, and Lhokseumawe. We were racing against the clock for the following day, aiming to reach Banda Aceh earlier in the afternoon. We kept pushing against time, knowing that once the maghrib call came, Nyak Ver had to stop so we could look for lodging. As soon as we reached the town of Lhoksukon, I glanced to the right side of the road and spotted a new hotel that looked tempting enough to try. In the past, this town had offered no accommodation at all. I asked my wife to check the price and the cleanliness of the hotel.

She came back with the news that the hotel had only just opened on 2 December 2021. I suggested we stay there rather than ride Nyak Ver another hour to reach Lhokseumawe. For me, once we arrived in Lhokseumawe, it would be only about another 30 kilometers to my hometown, Krueng Mane. It would of course be a great joy to reunite with my mother and family in the village. In the end, we decided to stay at that brand-new and very comfortable hotel. That night, we discussed the next morning’s departure, because the chairman of the Touring Indonesia Harmoni committee, Dr. Mukhlisuddin Ilyas, said we would be welcomed by several close colleagues if we arrived in the afternoon.

That night, he called several times. I did not answer, because I was already fast asleep. Throughout Touring Indonesia Harmoni, once we checked into our lodging, there was no more activity past 9 p.m. I would settle into a sleeping position and ask that whatever came in, and from whomever, whether a call or a message, it need not be answered. This was because I guarded the quality of my rest very carefully throughout this long-distance tour. For that reason, the next day I called back to say that the welcome should not be arranged just yet, because our arrival could not be predicted on schedule. The reason was that if there were any trouble with the vehicle or unfriendly weather, it would feel very awkward toward those already waiting at Bandar Publishing.

However, we agreed that anything could be arranged as long as we departed from Krueng Mane by noon. This was because, from Lhoksukon, I would stop in Krueng Mane to see my mother. At 8 a.m., I immediately asked my wife to get ready to leave. I still remember that when we returned from Bali, our motorcycle tire went flat in the Bayu area, which meant we only reached Banda Aceh at 9 p.m. that time. So I rode very carefully to avoid arriving in Banda Aceh after dark. By 10 a.m. we reached Krueng Mane. My mother was indeed preparing my favorite dish, namely Kuah Mujair Pliek U. By 11 o’clock I devoured two plates of rice and mujair fish. For me, this was the most delicious fuel of the entire tour, because my own mother had prepared this dish.

By 11:30 I said that we had to set off for Banda Aceh. My family saw us off in the front yard of the house.  I immediately informed the committee chairman in Banda Aceh that we were departing, and I asked him to monitor our journey. I shared my live location of my journey with him. That way, he could follow the situation of our trip from the GPS movement. After nearly five hours of riding, during which I trimmed the rest stops along the way, we arrived in Banda Aceh at exactly 16:45. As it turned out, several journalist colleagues had been waiting. They immediately held a press conference to welcome the return of Touring Indonesia Harmoni on 7 December 2021.[1]