The one with Pulau Redang

Phew, what an intense holiday! Why is it that nowadays we need to take a rest even after returning from a "holiday"? It seems that we all want to make the most of the vacation that we pack in as much activities as we can. And so it was - the trip up to Pulau Redang on the East-coast of Malaysia. Jam-packed! Perhentian has always been my annual pilgrimage but this time, we (bunch of diver frenz) & I decided to try a different place. But there'll be no escaping from diving though.

So a 10pm departure on a Friday night & 9 hours later, we were at Merang Jetty awaiting the ferry to Redang Reef Resort. Can't say the journey was pleasant but I'll endure any suffering if it'll get me to paradise lost with its white soft sand, crystal clear azure waters and lazy sunny days. The anticipation as we jumped off the boat onto the beach is always exhilirating. Oh, can you feel the sand... smell the sea... yeah baby, we're here!


We chose to stay at the resort located at the far-end of Pasir Panjang Beach. After the customary briefing (yadda, yadda), we checked into our rooms & got ready for the first check-out dive. Haha, the initial gearing up is always a challenge. That's when you discover a slightly more snug wetsuit, equipment that goes all funny on you and you stare blankly into the regulator & wonder which end is which. The divemaster recommended we go explore the house reef right in front of the resort with the promise of turtles, baby black-tip sharks & fishies galore. And boy, it did not disappoint! No sharkies though but the sight of a turtle swimming got the old heart a pumping. Turtles are always a highlight of any dive.

Impressed I was though of the sheer number of fishes & varieties for a reef colony so close to a heavily populated beach. Stag-horn corals of all colours spread out over the rocky outcrop, colonies of anenome fish, fusiliers, parrotfish, surgeons, butterfly, angels & wow... pomfret! No wonder divers are always hungry after a trip underwater, there's no shortage of visual & stomach stimuli. With such a grand promise of things to come, you can't help but feel a deep fire burning on the insides; not unlike the feelings of yearning & lust for a gorgeous long-haired beauty who just smiled seductively at you from across the room. Oh dear, the anticipation.

Now, not that I'm complaining but a dive vacation is simple routine of eat, dive, chill, drink, party & sleep. Next day, repeat. Yessh, the sheer monotony of it all. Of course, I tend to spice things up a little by taking long strolls on the soft sandy beach; taking in the picture-perfect panaromic views of the expansive ocean & the truckloads of bodies absorbing UV rays for what it's worth. But of course my true intentions behind those pair of fashion sunnies were to sneak a peek at those gorgeous sun-tanned ladies in their most skimpy & colourful bikinis. Oh, did I mention skimpy? What a feast for the eyes... ah, I really do love the beach. I could get used to this: period.

Now the main difference between Redang & Perhentian is the atmosphere. I found out that Pulan Perhentian sprung out from the 80's and it was influenced by the backpackers & their trail blaze across South-East Asia. Redang was a late bloomer, probably in the early 90's. Hence more planning went into Redang and what you get are rows of resorts, chalets and purpose-built structures. More commercialised in other words.

Perhentian on the other hand has a more laid-back feel. You do feel like you're in a "kampung" (Malay for village) and that's the appeal. In Redang, you check into a resort, food is provided and you merely have to keep to the scheduled lined up for you. Not so in Perhentian. Find a chalet you like, then take a stroll on Long Beach and choose a cafe to have mee goreng & the most lip-smacking delicious mango milkshake this side of the Pacific. But that's another story. There's no schedules in Perhentian, you do what you like when you want. On the flipside, it's relatively dirtier in Perhentian because you get the local villagers going about their things next to pale western travellers. Locals actually live there & make their their honest living.

Now back to the diving. This would be my second attempt at underwater photography with my trusted Canon A80 digital camera (all 4 mega-pixels of glory) housed in a WP-DC900 underwater case (good to 40m depths). It does take some decent photos to remind yourself of what you saw during the dive but without a proper strobe, most of the photos come out looking bluish. That's why I concentrate more on taking macro shots; at least the flash brings out the brilliance in the subject. Look out for my underwater shots in an upcoming blog entry!

What about the food you say? Well, the one at the resort is pretty all right mainly chinese dishes with rice, soup and tropical fruits; they do remind me a bit of home-cooked food. Nothing fantastic but you get your fill three times a day. But you gotta venture out to the other restaurants if you want to suss out the good stuff. I always crave for the old favourite "Ramly" burger when I'm on an island. A juicy meat pattie wrapped in an omelette garnished with cabbage & cucumber, then sloshed with generous amounts of ketchup wrapped in buns heavily laden with margarine. The PATTIE makes all the difference. The beef version is succulent and just full of flavour. The taste explodes in your mouth after the first bite and it never fails to satisfy any hungry pangs. Moreover, it's cheap and with the change, you can wash the burger down with beer or iced black tea and you'll be in gastronomic paradise.

And what's a tropical island without the ubiquitous coconut. Ah, the refreshing juice and you will have loads of fun just poking out the flesh! There's seafood of course, BBQ everything from familiar fishes you see during dives cooked in a variety of marinates to squids & prawns. The attraction is the fact that the seafood are all freshly caught from the sea & goes straight into the fire - what could beat that?

Blame it on the diving but my night meals were always "heavy" leaving me bloated. Something about additional pressure on the tummy during diving that causes you to crave more food. Or it's just the exhaustion from finning & carrying those heavy tanks up & down the boat. What I was surprised to find out was that the locals thought of a solution to my tummy predicament. Party! One night, even before we could gulp down our third (or was it fourth) mug of chilled beer; the pounding sounds from the boom-box caught our attention. Suddenly it was shattered - the image of a quiet windy night by the beach, with the sound of slow crashing waves permeating the air. I think it was Britney that bursts our bubble; literally with her "hit me baby one more time!". Wow, a disco by the beach. Not one to miss an opportunity to shake our thang, we proceeded to dance the night away. The quiet beach with crashing waves; nah.. there's always tomorrow. I think we moved from the 80's retro (think Rick Astley) to modern rock/punk and songs that still make you cringe. Yes, the macarena and barbie girl - now what were they thinking?

The resort had its fair share of nightlife. There's a platform build on top of a rocky outcrop and they put a bar there with tables/seats that overlooks the water. What a view, both during the day and at night. It's a little more sombre here. Consistent with the moody feeling that a great thing is about to end, I chose to chill out here on the eve before we were set to leave. I hung out with my buddies, sipping wine, basking in the warm balmy night; and slowly danced the night away...

We did at least 2 dives a day right till the last day on the island. Diving is addictive; once you get a feel of what you can see, you'll start craving to catch those that you have not. As the boat moved away from the jetty the last morning, I peered down into the water and wished a silent good-bye to my watery friends.

Flight of the eagle

Here I was, walking blissfully along the white sandy beach of Perhentian Island when swooping down from the sky right into my path was an eagle! I wasn't sure if it was injured but it just hung around for the longest time. Maybe it just wanted company or a place to rest after scouring the skies for prey.

I believe it is a white-bellied sea eagle, judging from my search on the net. What a majestic creature. I love birds of prey.