Arrival in Banda Aceh

Our Garuda Airlines aircraft touched down at Banda Aceh Airport at around 5:50 pm, local time. The airport was rather small and very smoky (it seemed as though all the porters were puffing on cigarettes!) and there was a single, simple baggage collection belt. :)

There, we received a warm welcome from some of the staff from Habitat for Humanity Indonesia (HFHI), Thay and Aan. Thay was the Volunteer Manager tasked to manage the teams flying in from Singapore for the builds, while Aan was his Assistant Volunteer Manager. The two of them led us out of the airport towards two vans, one designated to carry passengers and the other to carry our luggage. It had been a long and exhausting day of travelling for Team Pembantuan. We quietly clambered onto the vehicle, and off we went, into the heart of the city.

We stopped by a rumah makan (eating-house) for dinner. The meal was delicious, albeit a little spicy. For many of us, it was also the first time we drank Teh Botol Sosro, arguably one of the most popular drinks in Indonesia, even more popular than Coca Cola! I personally liked it a lot. We also popped by a small grocery shop to purchase any last-minute daily necessities.