Simeulue
The Island Where A Word Passed Down In Lullabies Since 1907 Sent Almost Everyone Up The Hills In 2004, And Seven People Died Out Of Seventy Eight Thousand · Sinabang, Aceh
IN 1907 A TSUNAMI KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND, and the survivors did something with that. They put it into a word - SMONG - and into the songs and stories told to children: IF THE EARTH SHAKES HARD AND THE SEA DRAWS BACK, DO NOT GO DOWN TO GATHER THE FISH. RUN TO THE HILLS. For nearly a century it was a lullaby. THEN, ON THE MORNING OF 26 DECEMBER 2004, THE SEA DREW BACK AND SIMEULUE RAN. SEVEN PEOPLE DIED HERE, OUT OF A POPULATION APPROACHING EIGHTY THOUSAND, on an island barely a hundred and fifty kilometres from the epicentre, while the Acehnese mainland lost people in the six figures. It is now a landmark case in disaster literature worldwide: ORAL TRADITION OUTPERFORMING EVERY WARNING SYSTEM THAT EXISTED. What you visit is a quiet island of surf, cloves and lobster, where the reefs were lifted clear of the water by the quakes. Getting here means a small flight or a day-long ferry, both weather-dependent; Aceh applies Islamic law, so dress modestly and expect no alcohol; and smong is not a museum exhibit but family history, which people will tell you if you ask.
Pulau Simeulue, Aceh, Sinabang, Aceh, Indonesia
REACHED BY SMALL FLIGHTS TO SINABANG via Medan or Banda Aceh, or by FERRY FROM SINGKIL OR MEULABOH taking most of a day - all limited and weather-dependent, so BUILD IN SPARE DAYS. ACCOMMODATION IS SIMPLE, concentrated at SINABANG and at the SURF CAMPS on the west and south coasts. THE SURF BREAKS are the main draw for foreign visitors and the SEASON RUNS ROUGHLY APRIL TO OCTOBER. ACEH APPLIES ISLAMIC LAW: DRESS MODESTLY AWAY FROM THE BREAKS, ALCOHOL IS NOT AVAILABLE, and Ramadan is observed strictly. THE SMONG STORY IS NOT A MUSEUM - it is something people here will tell you if you ask, and asking respectfully is the whole of it. MALARIA IS PRESENT. Bring cash; banking is minimal.