After an eight-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur, our bus arrived in Kuala Besut, a town on the northeast coast of the Malaysian peninsula, before daybreak. We settled in for (a not-so-delicious) breakfast at a local shop along the pier, which opened just for us when our bus pulled up.
Amanda, Maria, and Margarida went for a walk around the town while I sat and read a magazine. I took a short break to watch the beautiful sunrise over the pier and the islands.
At last the dock opened at 7:30 am, where we had to pay a “Conservation Fee” of 5 Ringgits (USD $1.50). However, as my friend Camelia pointed out later, what sense does it make to charge a conservation fee, and then give you a paper receipt?
Anyway, we boarded the speed boat, and after having the driver assist me with my heavy suitcase, we donned our neon-orange life jackets and took off for the Perhentian Islands!
When we got to Long Beach, we had to get into a smaller boat to take us to shore, which was another two Ringgits on top of what I already paid for my boat ticket. However, this driver was also very helpful with my luggage.
However, when we stepped onto the beach, I realized that rolling a suitcase through sand is extremely difficult. And because there are no paved walkways on the island, I had to roll my suitcase up and down dirt hills and grass and rocks before we finally decided on a place to stay.
Because Long Beach is considered the “Backpacker’s Island,” there were plenty of cheap places to stay. However, many of them were full, and we had to check out quite a few places before we found something clean.
While Amanda and Maria went off to look at some palaces, Margarida and I stayed with our luggage. It was extremely hot, and I vowed that as soon as we checked in I’d put on my bathing suit and hit the beach. While I waited, an bizarre-looking anteater crossed my path! It scared Margarida a little, but I thought it was cool watching him eat ants off the ground!
At last we found a good-priced chalet, but it was the furthest one from the beach and set back in the jungle area. We got two rooms, and Margarida and I shared one while Amanda and Maria shared the other. There was one double bed in each room, which was covered with a mosquito net, and a small bathroom. The room wasn’t very pretty, and the mosquitoes in the room were very aggressive, but it was livable for the next four nights.
I can’t really go into detail about what we did day-by-day, since we basically hung out at the beach for five days. However, we did do other stuff besides lying around in the sand and swimming in the water. One day we took a snorkeling tour around the islands, which was my first time snorkeling. It was so amazing, and I can’t wait to do it again one day! I saw so many kinds of coral and exotic tropical fish, which were swimming all around us! They came in so many colors and patterns, including rainbow fish and a bunch of lime green fish with hot pink tribal-looking designs on their faces. We also swam with enormous sea turtles and even some sharks as well (don’t worry, these ones didn’t eat people).
During my snorkeling trip, I began collecting a lot of interesting seashells, ranging from the size of my nail to the size of my whole hand!
We also had fun getting to know the locals, including our snorkeling guide, Yo. He also agreed to take us around the islands in his boat the following day, where we did lighthouse jumping into the ocean, as well as visit a small beach that we had all to ourselves!
We also met many Westerners, who were the primary visitors to the islands. Actually, we met a lot of people from the UK, and almost everyone we talked to was from there. We met a cool couple from Singapore at a restaurant called Panorama, where we went for dinner every night to watch movies and play Pool. There were also a lot of bars along the shore, but we were always too exhausted at the end of the day to go.
The islands were absolutely beautiful. They reminded me of the pictures of the Caribbean or something, where the water looks to clear and the sand too white to be real. Well, I lived the dream! The water was clearer than pool water, which was fun because you could see fish swimming around you while you sat in the water. And the sand was so fine and white, even if I’m still finding sand in my purse two weeks later.
It felt very authentic as well. Long beach was actually a small beach, despite the fact that ours was the largest in the islands. The restaurants, shops, and hostels all felt very local with lots of “island flavor,” and were made from wood and had natural ventilation. In fact, they were very focused on sustainable tourism, and electricity only came on between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am.
My only critique of the island was all the trash that kept washing up on shore. This didn’t happen in the other spots on the island, but it was pretty bad in Long Beach, where our hostel was. I would just be sitting in the water and having water bottles and plastic bags hit my legs every once in a while. Yo told us that the government used to hire someone to keep the beach clean, but not anymore. Now it’s up to the locals, who do a periodic beach cleanup, but they can’t maintain it alone.
Another critique would be the "sea lice." There was only one spot where I felt them, and it was a very strange sensation. I felt like I was being stung by microscopic jellyfish, like dozens of tiny electric jolts one after another. It wasn't excruciating, but I definitely yelped a couple times. But sea lice are a part of nature, so I can't really tell the Malaysian government to get rid of trash and sea lice...
It was a great few days in the islands, not having to care about anything except my extremely painful sunburn and peeling. I also had a bruise on my eyelid, which began to swell during our snorkeling trip. But it was all worth it to experience my tropical vacation!
My 20th birthday was also on the last day of our trip. I’d tried to forget it, since I was dreading this birthday. I’m no longer a teenager! I have no excuse anymore to be irresponsible and carefree!
However, Amanda, Maria, and Margarida wouldn’t let the day go by without celebrations, and I came down to the beach to see “HAPPY B-DAY” written in the sand.
Unfortunately, we had to leave on the afternoon of my birthday. The last boat from the islands to Kuala Besut was at 4:00, but our bus wasn’t supposed to arrive until 9:30 pm. We ended up going to a local restaurant (where I saw a few free-roaming goats in the village). After playing cards for a few hours and having dinner, I was treated to a chocolate-covered waffle as my birthday cake. The restaurant owner turned off the lights for me as I blew out Margarida’s cigarette lighter. The girls gave me a beach wrap from the islands as a birthday present.
Maybe I can’t put my 20th birthday on hold, but the way I see it, celebrating in a remote Malaysian island is a pretty good way to make me feel a bit better about it. : )
Coming up next, “Malaysia & Singapore: Day Nine.”
Love,
Kati
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