Adrian.gfc's travel blogs:
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Perhentian Islands
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Perhentian Islands, Malaysia:
The trip from Kota Bharu on the mainland to the Perhentian Islands was relatively hassle free really, apart from the 'ferry' - a little speedboat packed with 12 backpackers & 6 or so locals pelting over the ocean getting soaked. Oh, and the engine failing twice.
Thankfully the 2nd time it failed, we were just offshore from our 'home' for 5 days, the Watercolours Impiani on Perhentian Kecil Island.
A tiny dinghy came out from the beach and rescued us. Now this place said it was 'remote and away from it all'. Correct.
It was completely cut off from the rest of the Island by lush jungle & the sea. To get anywhere, and i mean anywhere, it was a boat ride - In our 5 days here, we must have used nearly 50 boats! Our room was surrounded by jungle - when we first got to the room, we found out we were sharing it with a giant lizard, which i managed to shoo out of the room.There was no mains electricity, only generator, one day we had no electricity until 7pm - not good in barbaric humidity as the beer goes warm! We were worried about big tarantula sized spiders, monkeys, you name it, getting into our room, but it was fine, & at night we were protected from the wildlife by mosqito nets.
All there really was was a few wooden shacks, a bar/food area & a lovely secluded beach, totally cut off from the outside world.
Even when we had a beer in the evening, we had huge bats circling above our heads!
Over then next 5 days, we did 8 more dives at various locations around the Perhentians, had an amazing time with our Divemaster Luke - from Beckenham! Saw some wonderful sea life, more sharks, blue spotted stingrays, eagle rays, Lionfish, and our first turtle of the trip.
Managed to get a bit burnt too, as on all dives you went out in a little speedboat for anytime form 5 minutes up to an hour, & it was baking hot.
We did little else here other than diving, getting more practice in, taking some great snaps underwater etc, as when we weren't diving, we were stranded, literally. Nowhere to go, unless you hired a guy in a boat to take you elsewhere.
We did that once, took the taxi boat over to Long Beach, the backpacker village for an evening out - in fact it was Independence day - 31st August - the 50th anniversary since Malaysia became an independent nation. For that reason, most resorts here were packed out, as it was also a national holiday.
The return taxi boat from Long Beach to our hotel was interesting to say the least.
Ok, terryfying i mean.
Pitch black. No lights. speeding over the sea at over 25 knots. A nutter driver.
With only a pocket torch for navigation.
It was like going into the abyss, very scary, but we got home safe nevertheless.
Ah Asia, don;t you love it!
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