A reef shark swam under my floating body. I was fifty meters from shore, no boat, no guide, just a $2 rented mask. The shark kept going. I didn't move. My friend Mia was still on the beach putting on sunscreen. “Is that a shadow?” she yelled. I gave her a thumbs up. Then a second shark appeared. Then a turtle. Mia ran into the water fully clothed. That was our first hour on Pulau Weh.

We almost flew to Bali. Then a dive instructor in Medan said, “Pulau Weh. No crowds. Real reef.” The flight from Medan to Banda Aceh was $30 each (forty minutes on a propeller plane). From Banda Aceh, a shared minivan to the ferry port – $2. Then a speedboat to Pulau Weh – $6. The boat rocked like a drunk uncle. Mia turned green. The old woman next to us handed Mia a ginger candy. “Eat. No throw up.” Mia ate. She didn't throw up.

Our beach hut was on Iboih Beach. Wooden walls, a mattress, a fan, and a bucket shower with water that smelled slightly of coconut. $18 per night total. Nine dollars each. The owner, a guy named Bang Ucok, handed us the key and two sarongs. “For mosque if you go. Also for drying yourself.” He pointed at the sea. “Shower there. Hot water free.”

Snorkeling off Iboih Beach is world-class and free. We walked into the water from the sand. Within ten meters, we saw clownfish, parrotfish, a moray eel, and those two reef sharks. Mia screamed into her snorkel. Bubbles everywhere. A local kid floating nearby laughed. “They scared of you.” Mia asked how he knew. “I swim here every day. Never bite.” He dove under and chased one shark. It swam away.

Most tourists miss the Japanese Bunker trail. From Iboih, walk east for fifteen minutes until you see a small sign nailed to a tree. “Bunker.” No entry fee. The trail goes up a steep hill through jungle. We climbed for thirty minutes, sweating through our shirts. Found a concrete bunker from World War II, covered in moss and tree roots. Inside, empty shell casings and a bat hanging from the ceiling. Mia took a photo. The bat didn't move. The view from the bunker looked over the entire channel to Sumatra.

The real hidden spot is the hot springs at Air Panas. Not the developed ones near the main road. We rented a scooter for $5 a day (terrible roads, potholes, a chicken that refused to move). Drove twenty minutes inland, past a rubber plantation, until we saw steam rising from a creek. No sign. No entrance booth. Just a natural pool where hot water bubbles up from the ground. We sat in the pool with three local men who brought instant noodles and cooked them in the hot spring. “Lunch,” one said. He offered us some. We ate noodles in a hot spring. Cost? Zero.

We went diving with a small shop run by a German guy who moved here in 2005. $25 for a fun dive including gear, boat, and guide. Compare that to Thailand's $80. The dive site, “Batee Tokong,” is a underwater pinnacle covered in soft coral. We saw a school of barracuda, a cuttlefish, and a giant moray eel that the guide called “Bertha.” Bertha was not friendly. The guide poked her with a stick. “She knows me.” Mia gave the guide a look. We survived.

Food on Pulau Weh is cheap if you eat at the local warungs. Nasi goreng with egg and a skewer of chicken – $1.20. Mie aceh (spicy noodle soup) – $1.50. Mia ordered a fresh fish grilled over charcoal – $2.50. The fish still had eyes. She ate around them. We found a woman selling pisang goreng (fried bananas) on the roadside for $0.30 each. She gave us a free one because “you smile.” We ate six.

One afternoon, we drove to the western tip of the island, where the lighthouse stands. No tourists. Just a lone fisherman casting a net. We watched the sun drop into the Indian Ocean. The sky turned orange, then purple, then black. The fisherman packed up his net. “Good sunset,” he said. He didn't ask for money. He didn't sell anything. He just walked away. Mia sat in silence for five minutes. “This is what travel used to be,” she said.

Season warning: We went in late October – end of rainy season. It rained for one hour each morning, then cleared completely. The ferry from Banda Aceh runs every two hours. But the last boat back is 4 PM. We missed it by ten minutes and paid a fisherman $15 to take us across the channel. Expensive lesson. Bring cash – the island has one ATM, and it was empty when we tried. Bang Ucok lent us $30. “Pay later. Or don't. You good people.” We paid.

On our last morning, we woke up at 5 AM to hike to Fido Beach. A small cove on the north side that only appears at low tide. We walked across wet rocks, past crabs and anemones, until we found a patch of white sand no bigger than a bedroom. Empty. Swam in water so clear we saw our own shadows on the sand floor fifteen meters down. A sea eagle circled above. Mia cried a little. “I don't want to leave,” she said. Neither did I.

Four days on Pulau Weh. Total per person including flights from Medan, ferries, hut, food, scooter, one dive, and the missed ferry bribe: $110. That's $27.50 a day. Mia checked her bank app. “I spent more on a single dinner in Jakarta.” The shark didn't care about our budget. The hot spring noodles didn't care about our schedule. And Pulau Weh? It doesn't care about influencers. That's why it's still good.