PEACEFUL PANGKOR

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To get to Pangkor island we needed to get a bus from Puduraya station to a place called Lumut on the west coast mainland. From here we had to get a boat. Tim had checked with the buses and we set off at 9aam on a very comfortable air conditioned coach. We had one stop along the way for only a few minutes and sure enough as we were told we arrived in four hours. It was a bit confusing as we were not sure at first if we were in the right place as the driver never said. Eventually we asked him and he told us to head for the jetty. We brought out return boat tickets for about one pound fifty and it was a short 30 minutes to the island. It all went very smoothly and we are both very impressed with the public transport in Malaysia. Everything is easy, on time and organised.

Once we got off the boat we had to take a taxi to the beach we had chosen which was called Teluk Nipah. Our book on Malaysia had said this was the best beach for cheap accommodation and as we hadn't pre-booked anything we just needed to find somewhere when we got there. The jetty at Pangkor town is home to the fisher men and is lined with very large boats it is quite smelly but that is to be expected. The taxi journey was steep and hilly, we passed a couple of beaches along the way but the island itself seemed very quiet. The driver stopped at Teluk Nipah and we set off in the direction of the back packers accommodation, the streets were deserted with only a couple of shops open. It looked like a deserted town and we started to wonder where everyone was. We found a hotel that looked nice and their room prices were well in our budget. They showed us the room and although it smelt a little fusty it was right next to the pool which was an added bonus as we didn't realise they had one!!!! We decide to stay as the room also had a fridge and kettle which meant saving more pennies. We only booked for a couple of nights as we were unsure how long we would stay on the island. From first impressions it didn't seem to have much to offer.

We settled into our room and decided to spend the last few hours of sunshine by the pool. There was already a family sitting around and within a few minutes of us sitting down one of their kids decided to have an almighty tantrum which meant tears and squeals for almost a full half an hour. It wasn't exactly ideal and although we tried to accept that it happens after 45 minutes we were fed up of listening and decided to go and check out the beach and the next bay.

Teluk Nipah beach is lined with small shacks and shops catering mainly to the local tourists from KL. There is one main road next to the beach and these shacks line each side. We walked down onto the beach and were surprised by how small and dirty it was. The tide was in so we thought that it was obviously larger in the morning/afternoon but the rubbish was quite bad. Empty bottle and cans, carrier bags and loads of cigarette butts. We were not over impressed but using our 24 hour rule decided not to make snap judgements. Our book had said the next bay was the prettiest so we haded for that. It is only a short walk 10 minutes over a small hill. Again when we got there we were surprised to encounter proper concrete built shops that looked like they had been deserted. The beach was lined with them but only a few were actually being occupied. One by a jet ski place and another much further along for a cafe. The beach however was much larger in size and relatively clean in comparison to Nipah. We decide that if were going to use the beach we would walk to this one. It was walking back that we got our first encounter with what we now know as the Hornbill bird. Large in size it has a big yellow bill and is the most tropical bird wither of us have seen. It was really pretty. By the time we had finished scrapping around in the bag for the camera to take a shot it had flown off. Bugger !!! Later that night there was some high pitched sounds coming from one of the trees the next thing we knew there were 20 of these birds collected across the electricity lines. It was too dark to get them on camera but we figured there was now more chance of us encountering them again.

We headed back to Nipah to get some food and an early night. We still didn't feel very settled and were not sure why the place looked deserted but a good nights sleep normally helps so we decided to wait and see what the following day bought.

We woke early, I had been bitten quite badly during the night but there was no sign of mozzies so we couldn't work out what had caused it. We went out for breakfast and thought we would spend the day taking full advantage of the pool as long as it didn't get inundated with screaming kids. Fortunately we had the pool to ourself all day and we read up on the island from our book. As the day got hotter and there were no umbrellas for shade we took to the pool like to hippos wallowing in the cool water. Nipah was still very quiet with the shops still closed but we decided we had everything that we needed and it would be daft to move on unnecessarily just because the place was very quiet. We enjoyed another dinner and took ourselves off to bed. We had been watching a DVD until around 10.30pm and had been aware of some noise from the pool but it hadn't really bothered us. Once we turned the telly off the noise was hideous, shouting, screaming and general partying which surprised us as it had seemed such a quiet place. By midnight we were both seriously fed up there was no-one at our hotel reception to complain to. The pool area had been overtaken by around 15 young locals who were hell bent on making as much noise as possible. It was ridiculous and very unfair to anyone staying in and around our hotel. In the end Tim went out and has a not so polite word with them which resulted in them taking themselves off to bed thank god.

The pool at the hotel was great but it seemed only to attract noisy people we couldn't believe that there had been a party when the hotel strictly says it is closed at 9pm. Thats Asia for you a multitude of rules that are not always followed!!! We decided to check out but first we went for a walk around the area to see what else we could find. From our research it seems that Pangkor is used for weekend holidayer's from KL and the surrounding areas. We were looking to move on a Saturday which was not good news as the weekend rates were not as competitive. Fortunately we found a hotel in the next street which was much cheaper than we were paying and we decided we would stay there and enjoy the beach in the next bay. So we checked out without saying anything about the previous night. The local people didn't really care whether we stayed or not and in general the service in the restaurants was less than friendly. You order your meal, they deliver it and then they stick your bill on the table it was possibly the unfriendliest service we had experienced.

Anyway we put the first couple of days behind us and headed over to coral bay. The beach is really pretty and it is the first place we have been where the rainforest reaches right down to the beach. We sat watching monkeys in the trees across the road and had plenty of encounters with the Hornbill. The beach is very peaceful and although a few boats come and go from other bays it is very remote. It was on coral bay that we encountered My Daddys cafe the only eatery/bar there. We had enjoyed a couple of beers there before but we decided to eat one night and the food was excellent. We met Vernon who made us feel very welcome and the service was 100% better than we had in neighbouring Tipah. Vernons owns the place and he and his staff have all been trained at the large resort on the north of the island. This results in excellent food taste and presentation. We really felt at home and we ate there every day after that for our evening meal. Neither of us are very big fish eaters but we enjoyed barracudda, tiger prawns and mackerel better than I have ever tasted before it was simply divine.

We also learn't a lot about the island and it has to be the strangest place we have visited so far. All the shops that are derelict were built by the government 6 years ago with a view to providing the locals with better places to set up. It was also to entice them of the beach front at Teluk Nipah so that the area view would be improved. The locals don't want to move and therefore they have been left to go to rack and ruin!!! It is very strange.

We had some really good nights with Vernon and had it hadn't been for encountering him and his cafe we would have left the island much earlier then we did.

On our final full day we decided to bite the bullet and take a scooter to tour the island. We hired it for two hours and that was ample time to travel all the way round. There is little else on the island except large private resorts. The only internet we could find was in a small hotel which only had two computers. As everyone else wants to use them too you cant really get anything substantial done. Coral bay was the best beach and Pangkor Town was very small with little there. We had good fun travelling around on the scooter but if the roads had not been so quiet we really wouldn't have risked it.

So we donned our back packs again and left Pular Pangkor on the 27th February heading back to KL to get the blog updated before we fly to Singapore on the 29th. Hence why I have done about 6 blog updates today!!!!!!!

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Photos

all the staff at my daddys
Vernon is on the far right

the boys pet at the cafe
taken from the rainforest!!! scary