Enjoyable and Relaxing!!! These are the words that I think best described my trip to Perhentian Island!! Anyone and everyone who enjoy a relaxing vacation on islands and at beaches really should give Perhentian a try.
We left KL on 8 July around 10pm for the island via tour bus. It was an eight- to nine-hour drive to Kuala Besut, Terengganu. The long-hour bus ride was quite tiring, and my seat at second row from the back didn't make things easier. Fortunately, after experiencing what we called the "elderly karaoke torture" from our previous trip to Rompin, the ride was a breeze.
Finally, on Friday morning, we reached Kuala Besut of Terengganu just after sunrise. We had our breakfast and collected our snorklers before heading out to the sea. The ride took about half an hour before arriving at Pulau Perhentian. Although the journey took about ten hours and everyone was tired, the view of the beach, the wide ocean and the hills with thick vegetation revived us. We were waiting to be checked-in at the
Flora Bay Resort and took the opportunity to snap some photos. Some of us took a slow walk along the beach before we assemble for the snorkeling.
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| Kuala Besut jetty |
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| Collecting our snorkels |
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| Group photo |
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| And we're off!! |
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| And we're here!!! |
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| Busy taking photos... |
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| ...photos... |
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| ...photos... |
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| ...photos... |
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| ...photos... |
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| ...and more photos! |
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| Enjoying a walk along the beach |
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| Found something peculiar... |
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| We believed it was a sea cucumber |
After 12pm, we head out for our snorkeling sessions. Those of us who can't swim had a short practice at a nearby shallow beach before heading to deeper waters. Throughout the day, we visited several spots around Perhentian to look at corals and various sea creatures, including small sharks. Everyone was having a good time.
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Practice, practice...
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Everybody getting ready to hit the water
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That's me in blue shirt
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Here fishy, fishy, fishy...
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So many of them!!
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Say Cheese... (?)
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Me having fun
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Everyone was sharing their experiences
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By the end of the evening, we headed back to the resort for a shower and some rest before our dinner at 7.30pm. After that, we spent the rest of the day at the beach or at the souvenir shop, taking things slowly and relaxed ourselves. I particularly enjoyed a walk along the beach and the view of the clear night sky filled with stars. My only regret was that I didn't have a powerful camera to bring the night sky home with me.
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Me and the guys outside our room, Bakawali.
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The flowers of Esmerk
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The evil souvenir shop!!!
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On Saturday, after our breakfast, we started the day with a visit to Redang Island. During the 45-minute journey there, some of us on the boat was lucky enough to spot a flying fish gliding along the right side of the boat. It appeared for only a few seconds, so we weren't able to take a photo in time.
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| I believe I can fly... |
After reaching Redang, the first thing that almost everyone did was calling home since the island was the only one with a telecommunications tower. We continued taking picture along our way to the famous More More Tea Inn for more photos and souvenirs. No one left empty-handed.
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Welcome to Redang!!
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Calling home
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Again with the photo-taking
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Having a good time
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Beach babes, haha... :P
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More More Tea Inn
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Let's go in, hurry!
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The crowd!
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After our wallet-emptying ritual, we continued with our snorkeling at Redang, Lang Tengah and the marine park, trying to catch sights of baby sharks, turtles and more corals and fishes. I was already tired from the previous day, especially at the last snorkeling spot where we were forced to swim against a rather strong current back to our boat, but I still managed to summon up some energy for some short swims.
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Continue with the snorkeling
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More fishes!
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Ocellaris Clownfish, a.k.a Nemo
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I know it's big, no need for the facial expression...
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Red sea cucumber
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At the jetty, where we can see...
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Amazing corals!!
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More amazing corals!!
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The highlight of the day was probably when one of the guides brought a sea turtle up to the surface for everyone to pet and take pictures. It was really nice but I kind of felt sorry for the poor thing. It was just minding its own business when suddenly a human grabbed it, brought it to the surface and then a group of human swarmed around to touch it. I just hope that this experience won't make it avoid Malaysia completely.
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The superstar!!
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The crazy fans!!
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"Hello everyone! How's my adoring fans?"
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"Hello... Hi there... Love the orange outfit..."
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"High five!!"
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"Gotta go. Hope you guys come again soon. See ya!"
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After a tiring day, we went back to the resort satisfied. Some of my colleages decided to have a round of beach volleyball before hitting the showers. I continued back to my room for shower and some rest, before heading to the court to watch them play.
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The match
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The spectators
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A group photo after the game
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Our dinner was a barbeque feast. Some of us took the chance to take photos with our guides as we will be leaving the island next morning.
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FOOD!!!
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We ate so fast everything was a blur
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| Satisfied... |
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A quick snap with the guide
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After dinner, some of us took our last walk along the beach, walked as far away as the Arwana Resort on the other end. It was at that time we were trully glad to choose Flora Bay for our lodging because the low tide revealed that the beach area in front of Arwana was the dirtiest. I couldn't help wondering why would anyone throw rubbish at a beautiful place like this. We packed our bags before hitting the bed.
Early morning on 11 July 2010, Sunday. We checked out from our rooms and waited for our boats by the beach, taking last-minute photos. We left around 9am, reached Kuala Besut around 9.30am and continued with our long bus ride back to KL. That was the end of our Perhentian trip.
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Our last morning on Perhentian Island
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Having breakfast
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Still messing around
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A few more photos...
Don't forget our handsome guides:
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| Leaving the island... |
It was kind of sad that it ended, seeing how we loved the island so much. We still talked about the trip for at least a week after that, exchanging and sharing photos by swapping thumb drives or through Facebook. I hoped that there will be another island/beach trip next year. I'm sure everyone would want it too.
Ah, Perhentian... Good times...
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