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Published: August 18th 2008
Palm shadow
Pulau Perhentian Besar I really need to spend a decent amount of time in a place to get a feel for it; simply hopping across the border to get that stamp in my passport really isn’t my ideal kind of travel. With that said, however, I am also not always big on returning to the same location either. It’s not that I don’t find most places interesting, but sometimes I feel that lingering too long (especially when on a budget) can come at the expense of covering new territory. It’s a big world, and striking that all important balance can be extremely difficult.
However, when it came to returning to the Perhentian Islands there was absolutely no hesitation. Through happy chance, we were left with a spare week before beginning work in Indonesia, and so decided to pay another visit to Malaysia’s pristine islands.
It seemed like a marathon journey from Seattle, nearly 18 hours trapped in a flying tube (the first five of which I spent adamantly convincing myself that the plane wasn’t going to crash). We broke our journey in Singapore for one brief night, before continuing on to Kota Bahru (via Kuala Lumpur) the next day with Air
Zzzzz
Asleep and exhausted in Tokyo Airport Asia. We spent the night in Kota Bahru, in a very basic hostel located in the Chinese section of town down an alley within walking distance from the night market. This gave us a great chance to explore the city and visit the night market to sample some delicious street food. Kota Bahru, located in Kelantan, has the distinction of being one of the strongest centers of Malay culture, and the most strictly Islamic. It is also one of the poorest regions, relying heavily on agriculture.
As we were walking down the crowded streets, passing palms hovering over corrugated roofs and vendors selling satay from their stalls, it finally begin to dawn on me that we were in fact in a foreign country that the hours of air travel had not been an illusion. Kota Bahru is a very interesting town. It is busy and bustling, and bats swoop above crowded streets filled with clothing vendors, screeching loudly.
The next day we took a taxi to Kuala Besut, the jumping off point for the Perhentian Islands. The white-knuckle ride lasted about an hour, as our daredevil driver weaved in and out of traffic at breakneck speeds, nearly dislodging
Grasshopper
Pulau Perhentian Besar the small statue of Buddha on his dashboard. The countryside was gorgeous; suffocating green and very rural, with small villages and mosques springing out of the palms as we passed. One at the jetty we took a speedboat to the islands. Unlike the monoliths that haul people between the islands, this contraption was basic with a few benches and a rough canopy. Our driver smoked and cackled to his friend the whole way, casually guiding the boat with one hand as it flew over the waves. On our first visit, the water had been so rough that the boat was periodically airborne; coming down heavily and drenching us with salt water. The tide had also been out, leaving the dock floating in the surf and forcing us to wade through waist-deep water, precariously balancing our packs. This time, however, luck was on our side. The ride was smooth and the dock was mercifully still attached to the shore.
The Perhentians are very casual. There are no large bars, clubs or stores. There is no motorized transportation on the islands. Mostly, there are strips of budget beach huts and chalets lining the beaches, many with small attached restaurants. Our first
So Blue
Pulau Perhentian Besar room was very basic but clean, just a mattress on the floor and four walls. Perfectly acceptable for a place where you want to spend every waking moment out of doors.
We spent nearly all our time snorkeling, and covered a lot of ocean. In many places around the island, much of the coral had died. This was attributed to the massive coral reef deaths which occurred throughout Asia in the late 1990s. Still, the range of marine life was absolutely incredible. We saw saucer-sized Blue-Spotted Stingrays, schools of parrotfish, colorful nudibranch, large triggerfish, clownfish, and puffers to name a few. There were also tons of small Black-tip Reef sharks circling the waters off a rocky point between the two islands. The pint-size predators still swam with authority, and there were literally too many to count. I had gotten used to their presence by the third day, and was floating casually in the water taking inventory: small shark, small shark, small shark…HUGE SHARK! I huge six-foot shark swam gracefully by me and disappeared into the murky water. It was my first real sighting, and I was so surprised I nearly had a heart attack right there.
On another
occasion we were also able to swim with some gorgeous sea turtles. They were grazing on the bottom, in a sandy area between 15-20 feet of water. Periodically they would glide up to the surface-appearing as though they were flying-for a large gulp of air. It was spectacular. The turtles ranged in size from quite small to the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
The wildlife on land was amazing as well. One night we returned to our room to find a humungous gecko-roughly the size of my arm-clinging to the side of our bungalow. Another morning we were eating breakfast at our resort, when one of the workers came over and enthusiastically pointed out a huge flying fox attached to the palm right next to our table. The fruit bat, which appeared to be asleep, was at least two feet from head to toe, and had an enormous wingspan. The island is also home to a large number of monkeys. We would periodically see them crashing through the trees as we snorkeled below.
One day we did go on a sweaty hike through the interior of the island, which is made up of dense, sticky jungle. The trail
is very steep and narrow, mostly overgrown with thick roots and foliage. Another great aspect of the island are the huge boulders that tumble out of the jungle and into the water. These are a lot of fun to snorkel around, and also to jump off (just be sure to look before you leap).
Our second stay on the Perentians was a blast…and yes, I can’t wait to go back. It is an excellent place for anyone who loves marine life. And though I only snorkeled, I have heard great reports on the diving as well. Our first visit was in March, just after the rainy season, and I would definitely recommend going at this time. In August, during the height of the tourist season, the islands are more much more crowded (though it is still easy to escape and find your own slice of paradise). Maybe it is coincidence, but I also found the water clarity to be much less reliable in August. On some days it was very murky, with strong currents, and heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon.
I came back and re-wrote some of this entry long after the fact, and sitting here and thinking
More Paradise
Pulau Perhentian Besar about it is absolutely painful. Oh how I long for those turquoise blue waters…
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Cathy
non-member comment
Wow!
What a beautiful place! You two are certainly having an adventure. Enjoy! and keep us posted