Round the World Trip (Part 2)

Sorry if it sounds like I'm showing off...but....

See also: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Round-the-World-Trip-May-to-July-2013/ for Part 1.

Lhok'nga, Aceh, Indonesia (mid June to early July 2013)

I booked a two week trip to Aceh Kitecamp (http://www.aceh-kitecamp.com/en/) back in January, and was lucky enough to meet up with 5 other WA kiters, Dunc; Al; Knickers, Tim & Weta. The first thing I noticed, with some relief, was that the water was warm - like bath warm - which made me smile.

Whilst Aceh Kitecamp is operated by a French couple, we were all staying at a guest house run by an Achanese guy, Yudi, and his Scottish wife Sarah. This was only the second year they've operated as a kite camp - Yudi's Place (www.yudisplace.com/) is well known as a surf camp from October - April.

The deal we had included accommodation & three meals a day (PM me if you want more precise cost info). The accommodation was basic but comfortable, and the food was sensational, including freshly caught fish (or lobster if you wanted to purchase it yourself) but was a good reflection of Indonesian style meals. I miss the banana pancakes for breakfast....







We shared Yudi's Place with kiters from around the world - Swiss, Malaysians, Fred from Canadia, but of course there were a couple of Euro f'wits (French in fact) who did their national reputation no good at all.

Aceh has an interesting mix of kite spots; Lhok'nga the main beach approx. 400m down the road from Yudi's Place which is a combination of flat/bump & jump, and is somewhat protected by a large reef so depending on tides, wind & wave size, so there was a large section of closed out, white water to also play in.






A short 10 minute scooter ride (maybe 7km) from Lhok'nga is Lepeung beach (aka "Black Sands"). More of a wave spot, but I only kited here once. Lepeung was visually exciting to say the least, with the forest coming right down to the waters edge, but certainly much more room than at Lhok'nga main beach.

The first five days provided the opportunity to have two kite sessions a day: breakfast, couple of hours for a morning session, home for lunch, then hit it up again for a few hours, home for dinner. Two, two to three hour sessions a day = good times. Generally, we'd start on larger kites during the morning, 11m or 12m, but by the end of the day, it was down to 8m & 9m kites.

We also managed to get hit up by a tropical storm front on a couple of occasions that brought 30 - 35 knot winds. Unfortunately, we got skunked with five days in a row of no wind - literally, but that then allowed us to explore via scooters, or take trips into Banda Aceh. The wind came back in towards the end of my stay, initially large kites were needed but on the second last day it was 8m & 10m weather once again.







Lhok'nga and much of the area around it were devastated by the 2004 tsunami & the scars are still obvious, literally & metaphorically. The Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh makes for an interesting visit.

As a relatively cheap, mid-winter get away destination (from Perth/WA) Aceh Kitecamp/Yudi's Place is, in my opinion worth the time & money. The main spot @ Lhok'nga can get crowded if you have more than 10 crew on the water, but so long as everyone knows & applies kite etiquette, all is well. All it takes however is for one f'wit Frenchman to stuff things up but Lepeung provides an alternative location if Lhok'nga is too crowded.

Was it perfect - no (but find me a spot that is a 100% sure thing??) but I'll be going back for a second serve next year, especially for the banana pancakes & bbq'd Spanish mackerel. When considering the overall price, accommodation, food, wind, locations, relax factor, I'd give Aceh a 7/10 rating. I know others have been & will have different thoughts, but over all 7/10.

Airlines:

We had Qantas/One World round the world tickets. We were always a bit anxious about how the airlines were going to deal with our luggage situation, but with the exception of Iberian Airlines - (who slugged us EU$300 for two bags - Rome to Casablanca. Don't get me started....) we were ok with all the other airlines & didn't have any problems (including Jetstar from Jakarta to Perth - kite bag was 28kg...) and no excess luggage charges.

If anyone wants more specific info or advice about the spots I've mentioned in the two threads, accommodation, costs, etc, PM me direct.

In case you're wondering, the 9 week holiday was long service leave.

I'm back at work today. And that sucks balls.....