The morning was overcast, and occasional drizzle fell, drenching the earth. I woke up at 5:00 am. It was so cold that it made me shiver. However, today my wife and I already have a plan. We would cycle around my hometown, Lhokseumawe.
After warming up, I took out my beloved bicycle. We started cycling around 5:30 am. Unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy the beauty of the sunrise because it was overcast. Some sections of the road appeared to be flooded.
When passing an alley, puddles are very annoying to road users. Today, I didn't work because I was off work. I took advantage of this day off to take the cycling route around my hometown. I started my cycling journey from the point where I lived.
I headed in an urban direction down a still-deserted street. No one has come out of the house yet. It was curling up on a mattress is the right choice when it's cold like this. Some places looked still bright with lights. This means that the homeowner is also still asleep.
When passing by a memorial, I paused for a moment. The monument is an ancient cannon. I read the sentences written on the inscription of the document.
Historical sites of ancient cannons left by T. Maharaja Abdul Hamid in 1903
The ancient cannon turned out to belong to T. Maharaja Abdul Hamid. He was a local king or, in other terms, a nobleman. As we know, our country used to be colonized by the Dutch and Japanese. The Indonesian people persistently fought and never gave up. The ancient cannon is one of the proofs of how heroic the struggle of our people is.
I admire the ancient cannon. My memory goes back to twenty years ago. I often play with the old gun. We played wars with friends as a child. The ancient cannon used to be in a field. However, because the bad guys had stolen the old gun several times, the ancient cannon was transferred and preceded by the local government.
After reflecting on the heroic values of the cannon, my wife and I continued on our way. The atmosphere of the street is still deserted. We could freely row our bikes without interference from other vehicles.
From the direction of the street, we headed to the shopping centre. Here, the shopping centre opens at 10:00 am. I looked at the watch, and the time was 06:30 am. The shopping centre here sells various needs of the city's people, such as electronic goods, household goods, fashion, and others.
I paused and asked my wife to take pictures. I stood in a fashion store. Here I often buy clothes such as shirts and jeans.
Across the street, there is a restaurant. It was one of my favourite restaurants. The restaurant provides Minang cuisine or "Nasi Padang". Have you guys heard of it? "Nasi Padang" is a very famous Indonesian cuisine. The characteristic of Padang cuisine is its spicy chilli sauce and delicious "rendang". When it comes to culinary issues, I will feel starving.
Before continuing the cycling trip, my wife and I took the time to take a selfie. We took the background of a shopping centre with the atmosphere of a street that is still empty.
Next, I headed to the water dam ("Waduk Keliling Lhokseumawe"). This place is usually crowded with city residents for jogging and exercise. But on that day, it looked deserted. Is cloudy the cause? I don't know!
I photographed a lot of the atmosphere of the water dam. Apart from being a place to exercise the outdoors, this place is also one of the tourist areas for city residents. Why is this place one of the tourist areas? Indeed, there is little natural beauty that this place can offer. But, we can let go of fatigue and relax with the family at some available spots.
But unfortunately, many townspeople are still littering. They have yet to realize how vital environmental cleanliness is. I found some visitor trash that should have been thrown in the trash. However, the government has appealed to visitors to keep the environment clean.
Here is also one of the spots for anglers. Near the sluice of the dam, anglers patiently put up the hook. In addition, anglers also sit on boats or fish.
I looked through the dam sluice and water control centre. The function of the dam in my hometown is for aquaculture and as a support for tourism.
The existing sluice dam can also be a flood control tool. However, as long as I have lived in this city, I am grateful this city has never experienced a great flood.
Before I left the water dam "Waduk Keliling Lhokseumawe", I again asked my wife to take pictures of me in a relaxed style. I took the background of the entrance gate to the water dam.
I went back to paddling my bike leisurely while enjoying the clean morning air in my hometown. Cycling in the morning improves a good mood.
After coming from the dam, I felt starving. Yups! That morning I had yet to have breakfast. So, my next goal is to find food. I passed by the football stadium. Tunas Bangsa Stadium is the proud football stadium of the townspeople. But unfortunately, the stadium seems poorly maintained.
Not far from the stadium, many coffee cars are lined up. This coffee car provides various types of coffee. Usually, in the afternoon, many townspeople hang out here. Regarding this coffee car, I will probably tell you on another occasion.
Finally, I found some food in a traditional coffee shop. I ate a rice wrap. This is one of the typical culinary delights in my city. Morning rice wrap with a variety of menus. My wife prefers breakfast with rice cakes. This also includes typical Indonesian cuisine. For light snacks, I like "bakwan" and "risol". These two snacks are very famous in Indonesia. For the drink, we agreed to order milk tea.
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