A night in the mysteriously beautiful Takengon - Central Aceh, Indonesia

As we drove along an elevated road we saw this amazingly gorgeous, mysterious landscape surrounding us!

Buffaloes grazing grassland by the lakeside

A village on the shore of Lake Lut Tawar

No way we could returned to Banda Aceh after visiting the earthquake sites in Ketol and Blang Mancung. It was getting late and the rough road to Banda Aceh would take another 7 to 8 hours and we had an exhausting day. Although, most of the landslides after the quakes and its aftermath have been cleared, still, it is extremely dangerous on a rainy day and at night. We had to put up a night in Takengon in Central Aceh, a town on the edge of Danau Lut Tawar (tectonic lake) and tomorrow we will be visiting another earthquake site in Tritit on our way back to Banda Aceh.

Though not severely hit by the quake, few houses and a hospital in Takengon are affected. The villagers are afraid that the quake might trigger Tsunami on the lake but their fears are unfounded and lives get on pretty normal in this area dotted with picturesque fishing villages.

We relied on the advice of Misbah, the Aceh girl who has volunteered to guide us and the driver, Salahudin who has been to this part of Aceh umpteen times. It was about 3 pm and we hurriedly left the earthquake sites and after slightly more than an hour drive we arrived in Takengon safely. The weather was cold and though we first thought of staying in a hotel in Renggali, a resort at the edge of the lake, we changed our mind looking at the eerie and spooky environment. We got back to Takengon and decided to stay in town, closer to the restaurants for iftar and the central mosque for terawih.

Basic hotel in the town of Takengon

We opted for Hotel Mahara, a basic "starless" hotel but conveniently located in the middle of the town. No hot water, no fan, no heater and the weather was about 15 degrees at night, the water was freezing cold! To fully occupy our time, Salahudin drove us around the 30 km periphery of this beautiful Danau Lut Tawar sitting at about 3,000 feet above sea level. Two active volcanic mountains in the north and south of Takengon remain another threat to this area. 

We had iftar at one of the local restaurant and then performed terawih in the central mosque.  Unlike Malaysia, having iftar in the mosque is not the culture here and even in Banda Aceh....everybody only flocked to the mosques for isyaq and terawih. After terawih, we decided to have the famous Gayo Coffee at one of the cafe in town. The menu caught our attention and with the name "Shake and Rock Iced Coffee" it tempted us...ahaaa what a drink after the earthquake! Everybody in the cafe was in their sweaters sipping steaming coffee. Salahudin and Misbah smiled when we ordered two tall glasses of Shake and Rock Iced Coffee and later one more.  Indeed, the cold coffee tasted rockingly excellent! We took home 5 bags (1.25 kilogram) of this famous Gayo coffee. I wished I had more time here.  

The curves and the volcanic rocks formed the natural shape of the lake

Grassland

Horses at the backyard of the villagers

A Gayo lady harvesting her field

The golden paddy fields are ready for harvesting

Diligently working on the field

A young Gayo lad looking after a heard of buffaloes'

The boys are watching closely their buffaloes

The area is full of baffaloes

A mosque at the far edge of the lake

Not only Riau but also Aceh is experiencing open burning

Paddy field stretches across the flatland

The plump buffaloes busy grazing

Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Plitvice, Croatia

Turquoise blue lake

After the brief stop in Slunj, we continued our journey to Plitvice Lakes National Park which was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. The 300 square kilometers of National Park has 12 upper lakes and 4 lower lakes join together over a distance of 8km. As a group, we from Malezija, vowed to reach the upper lake, Lake Proscansko at 636meter above sea level and 37meter deep.

Fish in crystal clear water

Bought our tickets for Kuna 110 per person and at 9.51am we started our journey from Entrance 2. Seeing Plitvice for the first time just sway me away. I remember the title of a song - Can’t take my eyes off you, Plitvice! On our way, we were walking through natural woodland sprinkled with waterfalls all over. The sound of drizzling water and colors of the surrounding produce a harmonizing lively effects that evoke our emotions.

Shimmering Lake Proscansko

The chain of unbroken waterfalls laced the lakes, connecting each lake with the others. Every corner, every space of Plitvice would give us a different view with the changing colors of the water from bluish to greenish, depending on several factors such as; day light, brightness of the sky and weather.

We chose trail C which was supposed to take us about 4 to 6 hours of walking but in the end we did trail K for 8 hours plus getting lost in the park on the way back. Plitvice trails are not that demanding but you just have to endure the long hours of walking to explore its beauty. Some of the climb made us breathless but worth it. 

Every station we arrived is sign-posted

On that day, we actually walked about 10 km on the wooden planks and climbed narrow trails on higher ground for the best view. We finally did arrive at the shimmering Lake Proscansko, parading the beautiful reflection of the forest on its greenish water. Absolutely awesome! I don’t think my pictures have done justice to Plitvice. Plitvice, I’m lost for words to describe your stunning beauty.

We met Mirano at Entrance 1 and he was smiling broadly, looking at us and our dirty shoes and attires. On our way back to Zagreb, we fell flat on the bus…terribly exhausted with aching feet and legs. The charming Mirano never give up on us as he pointed towards the burial ground of the war’s first casualty, Josip Jovic, the park police officer who was shot by the Serbs. Our concentration was fading but the day in Plitvice is an unforgettable moment in Croatia.