This is my first trip to one of the sub-districts in the inland of North Aceh, precisely in the Paya Bakong sub-district. Thirty years ago, this area was the base of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrilla headquarters when they were fighting the Indonesian government. Let alone going there, just hearing the name Paya Bakong, the people were already scared.
Prolonged conflict between GAM and the Indonesian Government left behind various sad stories, the impact of the war was so clearly felt by the people. In 2005, peace negotiations between GAM and the Indonesian Government gave new hope to the people of Aceh who were affected by the conflict.
Today I traveled to the area with my friend, The distance of more than 65 km from the city where I live did not dampen our determination to go there. In Paya Bakong there is a reservoir built by the Government and will become one of the tourist attractions. Because I wanted to visit the place, my friend and I insisted on seeing Paya Bakong which I had only heard the name of without knowing where it was located.
After traveling for 2 hour, we finally arrived at Paya Pakong. Post-conflict development in the area was clearly visible, we passed through hotmix asphalt roads all the way. The rural area that used to be the center of guerrilla movements looked very friendly in this peaceful time.
We arrived at the Alu Ubay dam, there we asked for directions to the Keureuto reservoir which was the destination we wanted to go to. Unfortunately, the construction of the reservoir was not yet fully completed, so visitors were not allowed to enter.
After relaxing during the trip, we finally stopped for a moment at the Alu Ubay dam, there is where I tried to capture some images and make them as entries in this Monomad Challenge. Hopefully these images will get support from friends in the Black and White community.
In this Monomad Challenge contest, I want to invite my friends to see some of Black and White photos caught by my camera; "Trip to Paya Bakong", the pictures presented to my friends in Black and white Community 😉
| Camera | Samsung S23+ |
|---|---|
| Category | Black and white Photography |
| Location | Lhokseumawe, Aceh |
Warm Regard
Marechausee Adventura 🙂
Thank you for support @qurator and also @brumest for recommended it 😀