From Wikitravel

Banda Aceh is the capital of the Indonesian province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 3 See 4 Work 5 Buy 5.1 Markets 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Stay safe

Understand

The long conflict between the Acehnese independence movement (GAM) and the Indonesian army (TNI)has been solved in the meantime by the peace agreement on 15 August 2005. The peace process has been quite smooth since.

Get in

Foreigners no longer require a travel permit (surat jalan) to enter Aceh, but an Indonesian visa is required.

By plane

Three airlines fly daily between Banda Aceh and Medan, a one-hour trip. Jatayu Airlines and Adam Air make the loop from Medan every morning and charge 300,000Rp one-way. Garuda has three daily flights and charges 454,000Rp between Banda Aceh and Medan, and 1,400,000Rp to Jakarta. The Jakarta-Banda Aceh direct flight on Garuda takes 2 hrs 40 mins on a Boeing 737. SMAC Airlines flies daily from Medan to Nias Island and Simeulue Island

See

There is a boat which landed on top of some houses and is still there (see picture). Also the "tour of Tsunami-affected areas" is the standard introduction to the Tsunami and its after effects for those visiting the area.

Work

There are approximately 65 NGOs currently operating in Banda Aceh, however generally they do not recruit non-Indonesians locally. These NGos include various UN and EU agencies, USNS, Care, Americare, Islamic Relief, Turkish Red Crescent, Kuwaiti Red Crescent, French Red Cross, IMC, IOM, WHO, Japan International Cooperation System, Habitat, Medecins sans frontieres, Japan Platform, USAID. AT the peak of the post-Tsunami aid effort there were 850 NGOs, however many of these were religious organisations with religious agendas and their permits were not extended by the Indonesian government.

Buy

Markets

There are interesting fish, meat and vegetable markets in the centre of town.

Eat

The Acehnese breakfast staple is nasi gurih, rice cooked in coconut milk, sold in coffee shops everywhere. Food stalls and Padang restaurants are open across the undamaged part of town, and fruit carts are ubiquitous.

• Banda Seafood Restaurant, Jl Panglima Polem 125. Also offers fine chicken, meat and vegetable dishes. Near the Kartika Hotel, on

• Warung Ibu Pocut, Jl Nyak Adam Kamil IV 41-VII (near Kartika Hotel). In a traditional stilted wooden house with open sides, offers great local fare and a fresh breeze.
• Big Top (across the road from Warung Ibu Pocut). Chinese and Indonesian dishes.
• Niagara Cafe, Jalan Hasandek 8-9. Has every fruit juice imaginable and a satay stand outside.

The Sultan Hotel has a popular cafe, while the chef at the hotel’s Koetaradja Restaurant boldly tries his hand at a Sultan Burger. There are some nice coffee houses with soothing rice paddie views around Ulee Kareng, along Jl Tengku Iskander on the town’s western outskirts. There are two fast food restaurants in the centre, AW and KFC.

Drink

Drinking alcohol is not allowed. Coffee-drinking is the main activity.

Sleep

• Hotel Sultan Two star hotel in the centre. Currently the best choice until the Swiss Bel-Hotel 4* hotel opens in 2007.
• Hotel Medan One star hotel in the centre.

Stay safe

The Sharia police enforces Islamic law and does not permit the drinking of alcohol or relationships between Muslim locals and foreigners. Although both are possible, they may result in arrest by the Sharia police and a punishment of caning on the back for the Muslim party involved.

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