Tsunami museum now lures tourists

BANDA ACEH: The grim reminder of the tsunami has now become a human survival instinct to the people of Aceh as they lure tourists to come back to their quiet and conservative town.
The Tsunami Museum is now a symbol of homage to all those who fell victims to the vicious waves, and the narrow dark corridors with a water feature and small water droplets, give visitors a bone-chilling feel of the disaster.
The museum is a 2,500m four-storey structure with long curving walls covered in geometric reliefs designed by Indonesian architect Ridwan Kamil.
There are realistic art pieces and photographs depicting and capturing the harrowing last moments of the victims and the aftermath of the tsunami, especially in the west coast areas of Aceh and 13 other countries on Dec 26, 2004.
They also provide interactive educational simulations to educate people on all the details about tsunami and its other half, earthquakes.
The walls of the museum are decorated with the cultural images of the Saman dance, a symbolic depiction of the strength, discipline and religious belief of the Acehnese.
"The tourists that come here often leave with better understanding of what really happened in Aceh on that fateful morning. They also learn of little details that were not mentioned in the media, like the fact that the waves that struck Aceh were actually warm. This was due to the 9.2 earthquake that shook the earth before the tsunami came," said Eni Aliya, a guide in the museum.
She said many were killed not just by the waves, but also the diseases and infection that followed.
"Many parts of Aceh that were affected were cut off for the first few days because the roads or bridges were washed away or blocked by the huge amount of debris. Many who were injured when the waves came in got worse before help reached them," she said.
The museum is not merely a memorial of the tsunami but is also a safe place in the event of future disasters, including an "escape hill" should Aceh be struck by another tsunami.
In Punge Blang Cut, a 2500-tonne electric generator ship PLTD (Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Diesal) Apung 1, washed some 3km inland into nearby housing area, as the water level was almost 20m high.
The ship came to a rest on top of two houses, killing those in the houses, but saved hundreds of terrified villages who clambered onto the ship to escape the raging wrath of the water.
Now, the Indonesian government has procured the land around the ship, turning it into a small park for the visitors to relax with a small fountain and jogging tracks.
In Lampulo, a wooden fisherman boat sits awkwardly on top of what used to be the Misbah family house.
Before the disaster, the boat was at the dock area in Krueng Aceh river in Lampula, under the ownership of Hasri Yulian and Saiful Bahri.
"People got into the boat to save themselves, and only after the water receded did they realise that there was a huge crocodile under the boat. It was also seeking shelter from the catastrophe," said the guide to the crowd.