Another New Year Trip

Tahun Baru identik sekali dengan berkumpul bersama keluarga, makan, Bersyukur untuk tahun yang sudah dilalui dan Berdoa bersama untuk hari dan hal hal yang lebih baik di tahun depan. Kalau buat kami, moment ini juga dimanfaatin untuk buat target target baru yang ingin di capai, lengkap dengan Do’s and Don’ts nya. Alhamdulillah nya lagi, akhir tahun kemaren Daddy dapet libur lebih awal meski harus piket kantor sebentar.

Slepas Piket 31 Desember 2020, Mom and Dad mau ajak anak anak nikmatin moment tahun Baruan dijalan, even sebenrnya udah yakin pasti bakal ada perubahan ditengah pandemi yang masih merajalela. One Night Trip pilihannya meski belum mutusin mau kemana. 

Masuk jalan Toll ke arah Tebingtinggi, Amenk teriak teriak cranky minta susu stelah kita putusin (dalam ragu) untuk jalan ke arah Riau. Daddy keluar Toll untuk cari supermarket terdekat. Nah pas slesai beli susu dan cemilan bayi bayi, Mom dengan polosnya nanya “Beneran mau ke Riau?”, keraguan daddy smakin memuncak dan langsung mutusin untuk mutar arah ke Banda Aceh. Kok Aceh lagi?

Karna kali ini jalan penuh dengan kekhawatiran akan banyaknya Razia surat kesehatan, hasil rapid atau SWAB dll, kita yakinkan untuk jalan ke Aceh dengan catatan kalau nggak bisa masuk ya harus lapang dada buat balik kanan, pesen hotel juga ntar “go show” aja stelah lewat perbatasan (kalau jebol). 

Alhamdulillaaaaaaah...

Lewat perbatasan sekitar jam 5 sore, situasi aman terkendali tanpa ada periksa periksa. Langsung kebut pesen hotel skalian Shalat Ashar sambil kasih “fast dinner” bayi bayi biar pada tidur trus lanjut jalan lagi. 

Hampir tengah malam saat kami sadar udah masuk Sigli menuju Bukit Seulawah. MaasyaAllaaah, nggak ada tanda tanda akan keramaian menyambut pergantian tahun, yang tampak cuma orang orang yang berkumpul di Masjid (untuk Dzikir) sejak kami keluar dari Peurlak. Daaan 00:00 1 January 2021. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim... (Serempak Mom and Dad)

Nyampe Hotel di Banda Aceh sekitar jam 1.30 kita langsung masuk kamar disambut anak anak yang langsung on nyariin Fireworks. Sorry kids, Let’s just pray for a better live in this new year and let’s go back to sleep kita bilang disambut muka kesal mreka yang udah nggak ngantuk.

Jum’at Pagi slepas sarapan dan check out, kita muter muter Banda Aceh sebelum ke Masjid Raya buat Shalat Jum’at. Nah kalau ini, nurutin request nya bang Tengah yang minta shalat di dalam masjid (bukan di halaman). Slepas Jum’atan sambil cari makan siang, mulai bingung mau extend atau Balik. Maklum aja, khawatir ga bisa kemana mana ngingat liburan di tengah pandemi kan? Museum masih pada tutup, pantai juga waktunya cuma sampai jam 18:00. 

Akhirnya mommy bilang extend aja waktu liat muka daddy yang mulai “kacaw” stelah cuma istrahat 3 jam aja. Browsing hotel dan spot yg belum pernah kita samperin. Mutusin buat stay (lagi) di The Pade Hotel trus makan dan waiting for sunset ke Maha Corner cafe di daerah Lampuuk.

Sempet kecewa nih, soalnya pas kita nyampe disambut gerimis jadi nggak bisa langsung ke Pantai. Tapi begitu reda, MaaaasyaAllaaah.. Garis Pantai dengan Pasir putih dipadu ombak yang berderu deru ini emang slalu ngangenin.. bayi bayi langsung lari ninggalin Mom and Dad dengan muka Panic.

 

Kecewanya bayi bayi yang ga bisa brenang krna ombaknya lumayan gede selepas gerimis tadi, terbayar dengan lari larian di pasir putih sambil cariin cangkang kerang dan serpihan serpihan trumbu karang mati buat aquarium di rumah. “This is what we missed” kata si kakak sambil teriak teriak berlari ninggalin adek adeknya..

Nah, Jawaban pertanyaan “Kenapa Aceh (lagi)?” Tadi kira kira begini, “we really wish we can start this year dari ujung Barat Indonesia dengan tujuan sampai ke ujung timur sana nanti Akhir Tahun”. Even kedengeran muluk muluk, tapi begitulah yang namanya Harapan kan? We try our best to make it happen.. BISMILLAH

Happy New Year Everyone..

-Aditya Rengga-

Our Play Ground (1) Tangkahan

“Dad, where should we go for New Year Holiday?” ask my oldest child when we got breakfast in the last day of 2019. Dad andd Mom didn’t even think any trip yet, but this question feels deeper than usual. As a banker, this means that Daddy should working extra time in the end of the year and it’s impossible to go out with family (even just to watch fireworks party) because Daddy Will arrived at home so Lately.

Won’t to make his Daughters day gone bad, Daddy promise to came home faster and take a  trip to Sibolga - Central Tapanuli (a city with beautiful beaches and small islands) and Padang Sidimpuan (river and Paddy’s field Garden). Making and decorating our city car being a lil campervan is the great idea also to burn all the kids spirit. 

But the agenda didn’t go according to the plans. Daddy arrived  at 4 am, the Oldest get angry and declined to fall asleep until Daddys home, Moms declines to talk too. “Oh God, this should not happened at the first day of the new year” Dads Thought.

It’s praying time (subuh) when Daddy finally asking moms and Kakak (the oldest) to take a day trip to a place that we never visit yet. “But first, let me take a nap before we go ya, and you can preparing yourself now if you want” said daddy.

January first At 10 am, after taking some breakfast we start this short trip to the unknown place. (Ya, it’s a surprised trip but everyone feels so interesting and can’t wait to much longer to arrived)

It’s called “TANGKAHAN”, It’s placed in the Leuser National Park area in Langkat District, at the border between North Sumatera Province and Aceh Province in Indonesia and We need almost 3 to 4 hours driving from Medan. You can play rafting or just swiming there. There’s also an Elephant conservation that you can visit. You’ll through a route beside the Greatest Batang Serangan River (Sei Batang Serangan) and a large of coconut palm oil field alongside your way.

After a long trip, we arrived at 2 pm and the first place that we visited is The Elephants conservation. Just because it’s holiday time, the conservation closed today. (Oooh our kiddos feels so sad)

We meets bang Nova, a local tourist guide that helped us to find a safety parking spot. Daddy ask him to find us some good spot to visiting in Tangkahan, and he also has a good news for us “even though the conservation closed today, you can still feeding and taking some pictures with the Elephants at 4” tell him. But first, lets take a time to strolling around Tangkahan.

As a holiday destination, Tangkahan has a lot of hostel or villas that you can chose when you come. The prices is between 300 thousands to 500 thousands Rupiah and you can make a reservation whenever you want. For a private, cozy and a comfortable place, there’s also a private hotel/villa with three rooms only, but you have to make a reservation before you come. (Check their instagram account @terariotangkahan).

The time is almost 4 pm when we arrived at a Hanging Bridge (almost 100 meters) across the Batang Serangan River to the Elephants cage.

You have to brave enough to crossing the bridge, but the view under the bridge is priceless. There is 9 Elephants that already waiting for you to feeding and taking bath with them. But for your and the Elephants safety reason, you have to follow all of the Elephants handler instructions.

After a tiring trekking and a cheerful day playing with the Elephants, we finished our first trip “back to mother of nature” at the first day of 2020 by swimming on the Greatest Batang Serangan river.

You can also Follow our trip on:

Instagram  : @renggadit

Facebook  : Aditya Rengga

Twitter       : @renggadit