Observing something covered in sea water is certainly not something ordinary for me. But I was very lucky when I went to a beach and the sea turned out to be tidal. It's like pulling a blanket to reveal the part near the shore. What is called the reef flat is exposed for observation. An extraordinary opportunity!
The beach is located on the west coast of Aceh, about 16 km from the capital of Aceh province. For some time on the journey from Banda Aceh you will feel like you are going through a valley flanked by mountains, but later, rows of mountains and hills can only be seen on the left, and on the right is the beach. The location is known as Mon Ikeun in Lhoknga District, where there is a cement factory.
Passing the cement factory, we see a hill jutting into the sea. There is no beach at that point. The hills covered with tropical forests make the area feel cool even on hot days, and there is always a nice breeze blowing from the sea.
We stopped at a beach location where beach huts were neatly lined up along the coastline. Some are built on the rocks of higher sea walls. The view from there is certainly good. But I immediately left that place to look at the rock surface that had been left by sea water for some time.
Actually, I didn't expect that I could see coral reefs there. The shapes and colors of coral reefs fascinate me. Sea bells, or by their scientific name Turbinaria ornata, appear to grow more on rocks. That appearance and its slightly greenish color made me think it was tender like a normal plant. But after I held one, it turned out to be hard and sharp almost like coral. That's the only thing that made me realize again that sea bells are algae. It is said that it can be used for natural wastewater treatment and remediating contaminated waters.
I was also engrossed in the various species of cauliflower coral, and the lace coral with its reddish color looked even more beautiful.
I continued along the reef flat until I reached a corner where the beach was blocked by a hill that jutted out into the sea.
I looked towards land. The corner looked different. It looked more like a beachside forest. Apparently, it's interesting.
It turns out to be a place that is also provided for visitors and tourists. Different from other places, it also presents a forest atmosphere. The pine trees are covered with vines. I don't know what the vines are called. Walking deeper I saw there also plants that gave off a land atmosphere. Even a large area of land is used for cattle farming. This is an interesting combination of land and sea atmosphere.
Yes, all of that, was an interesting thing for me, but almost without realizing it, the afternoon was almost over and we had to go back. On the way, I took another photo of the road with a backdrop of hills and forests... But suddenly in front of me...
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