Next Year Buat Lagi Yek

Burp, thank you McDonald's :)

..kekenyangan disebabkan Big Breakfast dan Sausage McMuffin.

Pulau Perhentian Honeymoon Getaway (Part 2)

Okay, this is like, overly delayed LOL..

Note: Condolences to those who perished in the 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan.

[Day 1 040311 - Kota Bharu-Kuala Besut Jetty]

Journey from Kota Bharu to Kuala Besut Jetty took about one hour, of which during the entire journey we were dazzled by the splendid scenery of a true rural area. I was quite amazed though, throughout the trip there were loads of bungalows by the roadside. And I'm not talking normal bungalows, these were huge-ass bungalows. I guess with the cheap price of land and building materials, not to mention labors, this is not really a problem. There was also tobacco plantation on SME scale, planted by individuals. Nearing Kuala Besut, we could see villagers diving in a nearby river searching for shells. According to our driver, the villagers were selling it at a cheap price. I guess if we were driving by ourselves, we would have stopped by, bought the shells and have a Hell of ourselves with barbeque (and a quick check for our cholesterol levels when we were back in KL, haha).

Arrived at Kuala Besut Jetty at about 0940. Headed to the resort's mainland office and settled the balance payment for my vacation package, then we were ushered to the jetty by one of the staffs. Had to pay RM5 per person for Marine Conservation fee, which will be used to take care for the Malaysia's marine park. In this case, I guess it would be Perhentian and Redang Marine Park. Then we went for a quick visit at the local convenient shop around the area to buy sunblock cream. Boat left about 1000. We were joined by a French family, a Caucasian couple and 2 Malay guys. The journey was fascinating. When we started to arrive near the island area, we could really see the crystal clear seawater and the corals, though hard to see with the fast-moving boat bobbing up and down due to the waves. Journey from mainland to the island took about 50 minutes. Once arrived the boat parked near to the resort jetty, and we could already see the numerous types of fishes swimming near our boat.

We walked to the receiption counter which was conveniently located in the restaurant area. Kinda odd to my view, but seeing that this was a resort I was sure lavish and classy-looking lobby was not their main concern. Not that this bothered me though. We were given our room key and informed that lunch would be ready at 1200. The walking to our room was very torturing, it was located in the middle of a hill. And we were carrying our backpacks and hand-luggage which were quite heavy. This reminded me that I needed to get fit, haha.

Once in the room (as usual, full-blast air-cond first), we changed our clothes and headed back out. What use were we staying in the room while out there nature was waiting for us to admire her beauty. Since this was Friday, I could see a couple of Muslims heading their way to a nearby mosque in the main island. I was on musafir-mode though, haha. We had our first lunch, which was to my opinion, quite extraordinary considering it was only for the two of us.

Snorkelling trip was scheduled at 1430. We lazed ourselves at the wodden chairs placed on the beach. It was so serenade. So peaceful to the fact we dozed off while waiting for the boat, only to be rudely awaken by the heat searing our feet. Coconut shadows had move away and exposed ourselves to the sun.

It wasn't that long till the boat arrived. We were joined by the French family from our boat trip earlier and a Malaysian couple. First stop was at a coral reef area, the same spot I went on my first trip to Perhentian before. Thankfully the environment was still the same as I left it 7 years ago. Many types of cute little fishes were around. Too bad we didn't have aqua-camera. We then move to our next spot, Shark Point. There's no shark visible at that time. I was informed that this was due to strong current and muddy water. Not a problem, not that I wanted to have a face to face session with a shark though.

We then moved to a spot where a turtle was seen frequenting the area. Well, either that turtle has migrated somewhere else or he's just shy to show his face. Nope, no turtle around. But there were jellyfishes. Lots of them little stingie creature. It was so bad that the little French girl was stung till she cried. She had to be carried onto the boat by her father. We didn't get stung as we didn't dive into the water.

That was the last stop for the day anyway. We then headed back to the resort to freshen up.

End of Part 2.

Long Overdue - Pulau Perhentian Honeymoon Getaway (Part 1)

Truth be told, I dream of a nice honeymoon in Pulau Perhentian. That dream was materialized last week. One note though, this entry contains my views on my surrounding areas. It may be offensive to some, especially the locals of the areas I mentioned. Take it with an open mind as this does not represent the place as a whole. Here goes..

[Day 0 030311 - Home]

Our flight was scheduled at 0720. We were actually planning to have my elder brother sent us to the LCCT at around 12am and spent the night there. But then there's idea to check the earliest bus trip from KL Sentral to LCCT. Found out quite a number of bus operators started their schedule at 0300. Immediately we change our plan to have my brother sent us at 0400 to KL Sentral and took a bus to LCCT. Spent about half an hour searching for the bus details, decided to go with Skybus. Spent another one hour packing our bags. Slept at about 2200.

[Day 1 040311 - LCCT]

Honeymoon officially started. Woke up to the alarm clock at 0300. Rang my brother to wake him up, then went for a quick bath. Headed down to the condo entrance and found my brother already there awaiting us. Made our journey to KL Sentral without any fuss, hardly any vehicle was on the road at that time of day. Arrived at KL Sentral at about 0355, still groggy from the lack of sleep. Went down to the bottom-most floor where the bus terminal is. By that time, the 0400-schedule bus was already full and ready to begin its trip. It wasn't that long until the next bus arrived. We quickly boarded the bus, paid for the ticket and waited for the bus to go. 15 minutes later, both of us were asleep despite the bumpy ride.

Arrived at LCCT at about 0545. We had planned to have our early breakfast at McD. Seems like we were not the only one having the same plan. McDonald's was packed and we had to scour for seat. Spotted a person just finished eating and about to empty his seat, signalled my wife to approach the table and be ready to take the seat. There's one kiasu auntie trying to race to the table. Too late though, my wife was nearer to the seat. Typical kiasu Malaysian. When we were about to finish eating, my stomach growled and signalling the needs to empty its content (haha, gross!). Also, toilet was full with angry stomaches. Had to wait about 10 minutes for my turn. Finished my business, went back to McD. Wife's turn next, haha. Then we headed to the departure hall and proceeded with the security checks etc. Had our Subuh prayer in the departure hall while waiting for the gate (Domestic P10) to be opened. The gate was opened at about 0655. Calls for boarding was yet to be aired and there was already a full line of people queueing. Told my wife to wait until the line was cleared before we boarded the flight.

We carried all our luggage by hand though, so I chucked all our bags to the overhead compartment. My wife, as usual, she's not used to flying. After some reassuring, all was OK for her. We didn't face any difficulties during the entire flight, even the weather was smooth and clear.

Landed at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kota Bharu at about 0830. I noticed our driver waiting outside of the arrival hall while waiting for my wife finishing her toilet 'business'. Notified him that I had arrived and would be ready in a bit. We then boarded the resort van and off to Kuala Besut Jetty.

End of Part 1.