The Malaysia Journals : #2 - Tropical Bliss

The View at Long Beach

Transportation in Pulau Perhentian

The Background:

You saw the teaser that was shot in Pulau Perhentian. Pulau what? That certainly is not the name that comes to mind when you say Malaysia.

When we started planning for this trip, we wanted something that was a little off the beaten track, at least for the first few days of our trip. The idea of a Virgin tropical island replete with White Sand beaches, emerald green waters and deep blue skies is very alluring, ain’t it? That is precisely what Pulau Perhentian is. At least, according to Mr. Google.

The Story:

Unfortunately, 2 days before the trip things looked gloomy. The monsoon had already set in and it left us praying for clear skies. We arrived at Kuala Lampur the night before the D-Day and lost all hope seeing the flooded roads. However with just a ray of hope, we hopped on our bus towards Kota Baharu. As we woke up in the North Eastern border of Malaysia, the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. Not bad, considering what we saw the night before, we consoled ourselves. After an hour’s taxi ride to Kuala Besut Jetty from where we had to take another 45 minute Speed boat ride to cross the 10 odd nautical miles on the South China Sea to reach Pulau Perhentian, we received another not so welcome piece of news - the last boat back from the island is at 12 PM as it has been raining every afternoon and the boats cannot navigate the rough seas. That meant that we effectively had only about 24 hours on the island with a very high possibility of rain.

After a drizzle induced 1 hour delay, we set off to Pulau Perhentian on the bumpy Speed Boat which was an adventure in itself. 5 minutes into the sea, the emerald green waters seemed enticing. A few more minutes later, the sun peeked through the clouds. As we jumped boats midway and taxied to the docking stations, things looked far better. We were finally there at Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil, the same tropical paradise that Google had showed us.

The next job in question was to book our accommodation. In this part of the world, even the more developed, touristy places don’t have an online presence. What can you expect out of Perhentian? We took our guides books and online research material out and scoured for backpacking options. Our needs were simple - someplace where we could get a roof over the head, a private bathroom and of course, air conditioning to escape the mosquitoes. After pacing along the length of the beach, we narrowed down onto Moshin Chalet which is located on a hillock on the end of the Long Beach away from the jetty. Once we struck a deal with the receptionist to arrange for an early snorkeling trip the next day so that we could leave the island on the next day, it was almost mission accomplished. We had the rest of the day to laze around and enjoy the weather which had cleared up considerably. Minutes later, we were on the pristine beach riding up the tides and bringing out the child within. The clear water and the blue skies was definitely one of the high points of the trip.

After some casual talk with the locals and we got to know that that June - August is the peak season here when tourists, mostly Europeans, throng here. But this is not the sort of place where you want a huge crowd, do you?