Sabang: Out of harm's way

Nani Afrida The Jakarta Post/Banda Aceh

---------------------- INTRO: A victim of circumstance, the once thriving tourist area of Sabang was inevitably affected by the strife in the rest of Aceh. Slowly but surely, visitors are starting to make their way back to sample its gorgeous coastline. --------------------- Sabang always has its special place in national geography classes as the westernmost tip of the far-flung archipelago.

It also gained a name as a free port in the 1970s, and then as a notorious haven for smuggling (the free port status, revoked in 1986, was restored by then president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000).

For those in the know, however, Sabang on Weh island as well as the other islands around it, including Rubiah, Klan, Seulako and Rondo, offer spectacular natural beauty.

There is also "kilometer zero", land's end in Sumatra, a must- visit just to say you have been there.

An oasis of peace amid Aceh's strife, the islands were the chosen site for many local and domestic tourists to vacation, and local hoteliers remember how some visitors would stay on its idyllic beaches for months at a time.

"Usually they would only leave Sabang for a while to have their visas renewed," said Syahrial, who runs Gapang beach tourist resort.

The most popular of the 18 tourist sites across the island are Rubiah marine park and the beaches at Iboih, Gapang and Kasih, offering outstanding snorkeling and diving in pristine coral reefs.

Apart from fishing and growing of crops such as cloves, many locals depend on tourism for their livelihood, renting out cottages for homestays and selling food.

Although Sabang is far removed from the areas of conflict in Aceh, it was inevitably affected by the strife.

"As foreign tourists were not allowed to come to the islands, many people here became poorer," said Abu, 58, told me.

Since Aceh was declared under civil emergency status last May, foreign tourists have again been allowed to return for stays up to 30 days.

The visitors are trickling back, but the effects of the tourist downturn can be clearly seen.

Many cottages have fallen into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, but at the place I stayed at on Gapang beach, the facilities and attention to detail compare favorably with a star- rated hotel in Jakarta.

Cheaper cottages -- known as bird's nests by locals, because they hug the hillside -- are also available near Gapang and Iboih beaches. Bare-basics facilities include mattresses and electricity, with a hammock made of fishing net outside.

Local beaches remain deserted; on a recent visit, a few foreign tourists were seen sunbathing and reading. The women wore bikinis, as the locals do not impose the shariah restrictions on women's dress for foreigners.

Goggles and floats are available for hire on the beaches for Rp 10,000, as well as inner tubes, and flippers. Glass-bottomed boats provide a tour of the coral reefs of Rubiah and Iboih (Rp 200,000). Iboih is also home to a 1,300 hectare nature reserve.

After swimming to their heart's content, visitors can set off for kilometer zero, about 29 km from the city of Sabang. It is marked by a monument, and a photo of you reaching land's end is one for the family album.

As the sun sets, tinting the sky in a blaze of red, it's enjoyable to dine on a plate of fried rice at Kasih beach, with the lapping of waves on the beach.

Once the haunt of backpackers with a yearning to roam, Sabang today is a place where some, unfairly, may fear to tread. But for those with a spirit of adventure, of any age, it offers its own special, tranquil rewards.