Swaying palm trees, clear blue skies, marine life, walk along the beach, meals by the beach, jungle trekking, snorkelling …… thoughts of what I can do on an island overcomes the thoughts along the journey……
It was a quick slip into Jalan Pasir Putih, Kota Bharu and we headed 50km south towards Kuala Besut, a small town on the border between Kelantan and Terengganu. The town is the gateway to the isles of
The journey took us approximately an hour as we weave through numerous east coast fishing villages and towns, where as a Malaysian, I begun to realize that this country have much to offer in terms of tourism and embarrass to declare that I have not seen enough of my own country.
We arrived in Kuala Besut before registering ourselves for the ferry ride to the islands. The car parking costs us RM7 per day and a good 5 minutes walk to the jetty from the ferry ticketing office next to the Kuala Besut estuary. Ferry charges are not cheap either with one-way costing RM35 per person.
The 30minute (21km) boat ride to the islands was simply awesome!
Judging from the last boat ride I had in
I had just wished that someday, sea planes would be introduced to island resorts in
There are still many travelers confused on the right town jetty to Redang Island and Perhentian with the former being Marang where we had this middle-aged gentleman, who looks a little lost, jumped into the boat before he was greeted “Welcome to Watercolours Paradise Resort, Perhentian”.
It was a good few hours of catching up with my dear friend Chef Boon Yu under the swaying palm trees amidst the humid sun glazing the sea. Relaxing and cozy by the beach was an ideal getaway from the bustling city life of
We took a tour of the island courtesy of Boon Yu where he shared some kept secrets and the wildlife found on the island till we found a flying fox perched on a coconut tree besides the debrief of other wildlife which can be found on the island. Other exciting activities available on this island are jungle tracking, snorkeling, diving and deep sea fishing.
The “diving season” has not started yet for the resorts but we found many holidaymakers preferred to make a headstart before it get’s real pack from April onwards for 7 months before the monsoon sets in.
It was a quick shower followed by browsing the Net for emails when the stomach starts dictating that it was time for dinner. Boon Yu and Mike being a gracious host during our overnight stay suggested that we go for their Seafood Platter and Pizza, reputedly the best available on
Point-to-note : No alcoholic drinks allowed on
It’s a shame to know that there are no alcoholic drinks allowed to be sold on the island and being an international tourist destination, it is hoped that the authorities would review the ruling. I can’t imagine couples on holiday having candlelight dinner by the beach served with coconut water or mineral water minus the champagne, wine or traditional – beers to complement their taste buds.
We continue our chat session and sumptuous food intake well into 3am when we finally decided to retire knowingly that 7am is our next meeting with Peter Caron and Anke.
Before sunrise, the dive centre was already buzzing with avid divers waiting to board the boats for their morning diving fix. It is not surprising that the dive centre is the most sought after on
We managed to keep up with our breakfast appointment though a little hazy (no hangover though) and tiredness was furthest from our mind. It was a good hour chat over breakfast with Peter and Mike before we all have to get ourselves sorted out for the day’s work.
11am and it was time to bid farewell before we boarded the speedboat to the mainland again. It then crossed my mind, if the city folks could just be as relax and humble as the friends I met at Watercolours Paradise Island Resort.
We left with our hearts still rooting for more of the swaying palms and clear blue seas housing the millions of coral marine life. One thing for certain, we would be back in no time as we have lots of unfinished business on
No comments:
Post a Comment