Sand, Sea and...Sharks

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It was sad to leave China, a country we had greatly admired, but we were excited to be continuing our travels.  We flew from Gunagzhou to Kuala Lumpur happy to be all flying together this time after the previous flying trauma. Check in was a breeze in the relaxed airport and soon we were sipping our last cups of traditional Chinese tea. However we enjoyed it so much that we underestimated the length of Guangzhou Terminal and ended up running to the gate as Air Asia gave their final call. Flying has not been easy recently!

It was nice to return to KL having been there after we left India in January. Our amazement, after three months of dusty Indian cities, at the huge shopping malls and fancy streets will always be remembered, but, having been to some of the worlds biggest cites since, KL still has a way to go to match the cleanliness of Singapore or the splendour of Shanghai. Nonetheless KL is a wonderful place and having been in the mainly uni-racial China I enjoyed being back amongst the cultural mix of Malaysia. It was also a return for mum to a city that looked remarkably different to her last time there. Buildings rise quickly here as the once small village now booms. The iconic Petronas Towers is a symbol of KL's future and this time we were staying in view of it.

Our two night stop over in Malaysia's capital city was spent wandering around the bustling streets of Chinatown (we couldn't get enough of China), window shopping in the exuberant Suria KLCC shopping plaza and eating good food. 

Mum & William, with a little help online from Han and I, had booked us into the Impiana Hotel. The illuminated towers could be seen from the infinity swimming pool on the rooftop and we were right in the heart of KL's prosperous Golden Triangle. It was a short walk to the Petronas Towers where, on our last night, we walked to view them in all their sparkling glory. Then we came back and swam in the shade of the night with the towers looming over us. There is something quite special about swimming in an Asian city. Relaxing and cooling off as the buzz of the city chatters beneath you. 

After a brief city sojourn we had a short flight to Kuala Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia's gateway to the magnificent east coast islands. We had chosen Pulau Kapas, a small island with a few beach huts and around twenty minutes by speedboat from the nearby town of Marang. 

July being a peak holiday month I had booked ahead at Qimi Chalets. Through a few disjointed emails Rose, the owner, had said that she could accommodate us for the five days. With windswept hair we arrived at the chalets and relaxed on what was a stunning beach. Sas was swimming in the crystal clear waters as we enjoyed a cold beer. It was the perfect island getaway, until Rose showed us the chalet. Due to overbooking she could only fit the five of us into one chalet that was perched up a steep cliff. The chalet only had one double bed and one single. There was a huge frog leaping around inside, the outdoor bathroom looked like a storm had just hit it and to top it off within minutes of being up there we had all been bitten to pieces by mosquitos. This was not the situation we had envisaged when we arrived on the boat. We could not stay here and so I quietly spoke to Rose and she agreed that five people in one room for five days was not right for what was precious time. So Han and I hopped in a boat and searched out the other options. Then we found Gem Resort, on it's own tiny island just off Kapas, and all was resolved.

The rooms on Gemia Island were perfect. Elegantly furnished, air-conditioned and on stilts over the sea. The private balcony had a hanging chair, the en suite bathroom was clean and there were no frogs in sight. It was luxury. I was able to barter a good deal with the friendly owner Hazim for the same price as Qimi chalets best room. We were sorted and it was now time to relax into beach life. 

Within minutes of arriving we were handed complimentary drinks and were sat on deck chairs on the beach with our books. We all felt bad for Rose as she was such a genuinely good person but for us this was what was needed. It was not long before the ice cold Tiger beers came and we became firmly resident on the quaint Island.

On our first full day on Gemia Island we rented two snorkels and set about exploring the amazing marine life. Sas was keen to give it a go so after Han and I had been out we gave her a lesson. She took to it in no time and soon she was snorkelling with me way out from the beach. I was so impressed with how good she was. Before I left to go travelling she was using arm bands to swim and now she was deep sea snorkelling, pointing out the vast array of multicoloured fish there were. 

There was a great deal of coral and fish just off the beach but it got even better if you walked to the other side of the island and swam out from the rocks. Coral lined the rocky shoreline right out to a point that could be swam around. It was quite a swim but one that became part of my daily routine. It was along the same route that Mum and I saw our first shark. The black tipped reef shark was a rather large, bulbous shape and gracefully glided around from behind us. Soon in a whip of its tail it was gone. It was an amazing sight. Then i saw it come again and, anxious for mum not to miss it, I grabbed her arm which, for obvious reasons, was more alarming to her than I had intended. I am fascinated by these creatures and as soon as I was out of the water I wanted to go again. Sharks are like money - you love it when it's there but it's gone too quickly and you always want more. 

I was elated and spent the evening reeling the story off to Hazim and the family, many times. The food and dining area of the resort was decked in wood with shutters out onto the sea that felt as if you were on a boat. Each evening we would be designated the same table with a Mr Youngson sign on it, with which we graduated to a window table after a few days.

The sky was blue in the morning when, after a full breakfast, we took a boat trip around the two islands. The island terrain was rugged, green and beautiful. Eagles floated between the tall trees and bats slept in the dark caves. It was a brilliant trip that finished with a stop on another paradise beach where we had a beer and swam in the bath-like water. What a place to be!

The island lulled us into a relaxed state of being. Each day we lounged on our deck chairs, swam in the coral filled sea and read our Stieg Larsson books with a cold beer in hand. Sas was also in her element, collecting all types of tropical shells and building sand castles and cars. The dreamy landscape provoked conversation of bringing 'Trumps Too' to sail these waters, but in the meantime any real decision making was left to our chess games.  

When we fancied some more activity we rented the resorts kayaks and paddled across to the other island and around our rocky headland. It was then we realised Sas was more acquainted with the relaxed life as, once in the narrow kayak, she was not too pleased at the idea of paddling. It was a great way to see some more of the islands but in the intense afternoon heat it became too much work and our G&T hour beckoned us.

Having come from the free-willed China where alcohol can be cheaper than water it was alarming to encounter Malaysia's high tax on tipple. Any future trip to Gemia Island will be in possession of copious amounts of Gin from the Duty Free shop. In the meantime we had to make do with buying a bottle from the resort and making it last. Thus G&T hour was born. A special time at around 6pm, sat on our balcony as the sun was coming down. The perfect way to end a day on the beach and prepare for dinner.

Having travelled for ten months I certainly took advantage of the often buffet style meals on offer. Everything from BBQ'd fish to curry and roti was consumed in one sitting and that was just for breakfast. We enjoyed a mix of all foods from our comfortable surrounds and some days spotted dolphins out in the bay.

Back in the water snorkelling one day I saw my second shark that came even closer this time. I was in the water alone as Han had just been attacked by what we later found out was a Remora fish. As we swam out together a thin, shark-like fish but much smaller, came towards Han and tried to latch on to her. As she pushed it away it just got more agitated and began swimming violently up to her. One of the boatmen showed us a book that explains the Remora, or shark sucker as it's also known, uses sharks and turtles to feed or catch a ride from but on the odd occasion divers too. It was an interesting marine experience but Han did not quite see it that way. However she did come back in the water the next day where we saw an eagle ray monitoring the sandy sea floor. 

Another feather in the bow of this special place was it's turtle conservation project that tries to improve the chances of babies surviving. It has a turtle pool where all the newly hatched go until they are big enough for the perils of the sea. One stormy evening, on the way to dinner, we passed the turtle hatchery that was being tendered to by a worker. We watched as 120 eggs successfully hatched and then Han, Sas and I helped place them in the pool. It was a magical experience tempered by the fact that only 20% will survive. However, this is opposed to only 3% in the wild. 

To round off our island relaxation we went to the in-house spa where we enjoyed foot reflexology and then, later on, the best body massage we have had. With the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the fresh breeze brushing the seafront massage table it was a perfect spot. Sas wanted to be included and so had a milk bath. As we were massaged, she sat singing in an outdoor bubble bath with probably the best view from the tub there is.

You could spend a lot of time on Gemia Island and we all said we would love to return, but the five days we had was excellent. It was the type of relaxation that only being on an island can give. It was a holiday from the, at times, hectic China and for Hannah and I it was a holiday within a holiday from travelling. The notion may seem hard to conceive but travelling can be stressful at times and so this was a break from it all. It's not everyday on our travels that we have banana splits on the beach and wine with our dinner.   

We left by speedboat, looking tanned and relaxed, on the morning of our flight to Singapore. As the island became just a dot on the horizon mum made me promise "no more shark hunting".

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Photos

Turquoise waters...
The sharks swim beneath

The World in Different Shades...
beer glasses