We arrived at this anchorage on Simeulu about 5 days ago. Not long after our arrival we ventured ashore, keen to get onto dry land and stretch the legs a little, we were soon waylaid by officials from the 'Coast Guard' (Harbour Masters office). We were worried that we were going to have an experience similar to the one we had in Sumbawa last year but these officials were much nicer and offered to come and pick us up when we were ready the next day to take us to Sinabang to complete the paperwork and pay the harbour fees. I think the problem lies in the fact that each island seems to interpret the rules/laws in different ways and often don't believe that the regulation passed on from Jakarta applies to them. The port is located in Sinabang, so in theory if you don't go to the port you shouldn't have to pay harbour fees, in reality the officials stated that the whole of Simeulu is a port and it doesn't matter where we anchor we have to pay harbour fees.

We rang for our pick up the next day and they were here within 20 minutes, they even dropped us off at the supermarket so that we could restock and told us to come to the office when we were ready. We made the most of our time in Sinabang, stopping for a freshly cooked meal of Mie Goreng (Fried Noodles) and chatting to the locals, one of the locals wrote us a note that said he had a speed boat and if we wanted to go fishing he could take us but assured us that we were now his friends and that it wouldn't cost any money. The people are so friendly here. We visited the fruit markets where we were surrounded by local children shouting 'Hello Mrs! Hello Mr!' and following us around everywhere. The vegetable market was a little further away so we decided to take a local 'becak' to them. A becak is a motorbike with an enclosed side cart which can squeeze 2 people in, you literally almost have to fold yourself in half to get in there. I managed to whack my head not once, but twice trying to get into the thing much to the amusement of our driver Jimmy. The vegetable markets were great, we were able to get almost everything we were after, potatoes, fresh beans, tomatoes and big brown onions imported from Mumbai. I don't know why they can't grow them here but the local onions here are similar to Spanish onions but are the size of a garlic clove. To get enough for a meal you have to peel about 10 of them!

Back to the Harbour Masters office and the Quarantine official had arrived to give us a health clearance, we had already gone through this formality in Pulau Weh but were told it had to be done again, no questioning of this was listened to. Michelle and I left the boys to deal with how much we had to pay, we only get frustrated and it was nice not to get involved. The first amount they were asked for was ridiculous and we could tell that they were just trying to see if we would pay, they finally agreed on an amount which included our transport to the town and back to our boats. The officials couldn't have been more helpful or pleasant to deal with and now we could get on with the business of getting to know the place and people in peace.

There is no alcohol on this island, it is prohibited and we have been told that the island is subject to Sharia law. About 65% of the island is Muslim and the rest is Christian with about .05% Buddhist, quite a mix. Water buffalo roam the beaches and streets along with goats, chickens and the occasional dog. They are all very tame and used to people, a calf on the beach even let Jay pat it on the head. There are a lot of UN personnel here overseeing the building of new housing for the villages who were affected by the tsunami. Surprisingly enough while it wiped out a lot of the housing only 10 people lost their lives here as opposed to the 250,000 they lost in Banda Aceh. We have been told that the UN will be leaving soon as the money has almost been used up, it will be interesting to see how the villages cope when the money is gone. There is a surf camp here but it only caters to a maximum of 8 people at a time and when Jay and I went for a walk today we met a guy from Hawaii who is trying to set up a fish/surf camp and also to set up a community project to combat malnutrition in children. The business will feed the other. Will this end up being another tourist hot spot? Only time will tell.

It is very picturesque here, the water is clear, the shoreline is dotted with Palm Trees and the boys have been able to surf several times a day. We are in no hurry to move, apart from the annoying visa renewal run we have another 5 ½ months to go, plenty of time to enjoy everything Sumatera has to offer.

Tonight we are heading into the surf camp for dinner, we met one of the co-owners, a South African called Lance who is a journalist in Jakarta, he has offered to let us use their Wi-Fi, so if the power is on (the power is frequently out) I will be able to post this entry.