Travel Day: Cherating

It’s been said (p. 262, Lonely Planet Guide, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei 9th ed.) that next to the Perhentians and Pulau Tioman, Cherating is one of the most visited spots on the East coast of Malaysia. So far, I’m finding it difficult to see why.

I suppose the place has its own charm in a sense. It does have that small kampong (Malaysian village) feel to it. Goats and miscellaneous livestock roam freely, people seem genuinely friendly and aren’t out to get your money, there’s hardly any traffic unless you walk a few blocks to the highway. It all seems a little too dull for me though. Maybe I’ll warm up to it in the next couple of days. It does have a vast beach to explore.

Dependencies

Hello, my name is Jon and I have a problem.

(This is where you all chime in and say “Hi Jon”)

I am an internet junkie. Spending a week away from it in the Perhentians has taught me that much.

I did the recommended walking tour of Kuala Terengganu today, stopping by at the State Mosque and Chinatown. The trip was punctuated by hour long visits to each internet café I came across. I’m not even sure I paid attention to the sights because I was too busy looking for my next fix.

Granted, the city is small and doesn’t offer too much by way of tourist attractions but still, how often am I here?

Double double entendre:

"Human Powered Booster"

Chinese Shophouses:

Travel Day: Kuala Terengganu

I bid farewell to my island paradise early this morning and boarded the 8:00 speedboat back to Kuala Besut on the mainland. Unfortunately for me, buses to my next stop (Kuala Terengganu) don’t leave from the town’s bus terminal. A local taxi driver pointed me in the direction of the main highway telling me I could flag a bus down there. 25 minutes of walking along the highway yielded no evidence of bus nor bus stop and I started to get worried. The taxi man’s advice was vague and I wasn’t convinced he was entirely sure of what he was saying.

Saw this along the way:


With luck, I came upon a police blockade where the helpful Const. Abdul Aziz set up a chair for me under the shade while he asked around on my behalf. I guess it’s instantly assumed that any non-uniformed individual sitting at a police blockade, surrounded by cops is a captured suspect. Occupants of the cars passing through slowed their vehicles to get a better glimpse of the “criminal under custody,” breaking their stares only as my eyes met theirs. I can’t begin to imagine what must have crossed their minds when I responded with a big toothy smile.

Mr. Aziz lined up a cheap cab (police discount?) to the neighbouring town of Jerteh where they have a proper bus terminal.

Kuala Terengganu seems like any other Malaysian city, with no major distinguishing features to speak of. I’m going to spend my time here re-supplying.

My map of the city says that there’s a Chinatown nearby. I’ll be sure to check that out tomorrow.

Pulau Perhentian Kecil

So I’ve been here for close to a week and I’ve accomplished just about nothing. I guess I’ve sort of learned to relax here but I can’t say that definitively. Those wacky European girls and their swimming attire (or lack thereof) tend to get me worked up. Nevertheless, I have, on more than one occasion, fallen asleep under the shade of a coconut tree (not directly under, mind you, a fractured skull is not on my list of things to do on this trip) and I think that alone is well worth it. I've also lost track of what day it is.

The most memorable moment here happened a few nights ago when I walked along the beach, with nothing but the moon and a few distant shops to light my way, stars flooding the sky, no cars or motorbikes to distract. Just me, the water, maybe some bitty crabs. I’m finding it extremely difficult to document the moment because neither words nor pictures can fully describe it.

I’m running out of cash and there are no ATMs here. I’ll have to leave this all behind very soon.

Random pictures from the week:

View from my room:

Pulau Perhentian Kecil: Beach Party

Ever the Good Samaritan, I spent the evening helping Khalid, the hotel manager troubleshoot his pc. After determining the problem (fried video card), we sat around with a couple of his buddies from the nearby fishing village and had a couple of glasses of fine Cognac from his personal stash.

Already a little tipsy, we stumbled over to an impromptu beach party where we shared a few drunken musings over some beer Changs. The party really took off when one of the locals fired up his bongo drum and started serenading the tourist girls in the Kelantan dialect. Judging by the reactions of the other locals, he must have changed the words a little. I imagine he probably wouldn’t repeat some of these in front of his mother. Most of the other tourists were too loaded by this point to pick up on this.

Things wound down at about 5:30 in the morning, by which time we were all completely “trollied” (a word I picked up from one of the Brits there). Actually, I wasn’t trollied in the proper sense. I faked it to be polite. Khalid insisted on buying drinks all night and I didn’t want to abuse the privilege.

Pulau Perhentian Kecil: Sunsets

Camera in hand, I met up with a couple of other backpackers to hike over to the other side of the island. The sunset on Coral Bay made the trip well worth it.

Gawking Revisited.

Life, according to Buddha, is essentially suffering caused by desire. Understanding this concept to its fullest extent, Buddha went on to attain enlightenment and become the internationally renowned superstar he is today (this is based on my very limited, if warped knowledge of Buddhism).

Buddha had the benefit of not having to deal with topless sunbathers.

So I’ve taken to strolling up and down Long Beach, pausing every so often to dip my feet in the water and to watch tiny little crabs going about their business (which is to dig holes and scuttle about with reckless abandon). Today, as I approached the Northern end of the beach, I found a pretty girl sunbathing directly in my path. Nothing unusual so far, I thought. I was about 15 feet away when I realized that her top wasn’t flesh toned, as I had assumed. It was instead lying next to her, folded neatly on a beach towel. I was 10 feet away when she sat up, turned in my general direction, stretched a little and proceeded to splash water on herself. Her boyfriend (who could probably hospitalize me quite quickly) was sitting under a nearby umbrella watching the whole thing.

Being single for as long as I have only exacerbated the situation, adding a level of pure frustration into the mix. One could write volumes on what crossed my mind in those few moments.

WWBD?