Day 3 (4th May 2009) - Perhentian - Redang - Lang Tengah Islands.
None of us have been to Redang, except for one. As for Lang Tengah, nobody has been there before.
As there were not enough life jackets on board, we went to Teluk Dalam to collect some. It was also an added privilege as we have the opportunity to see how Teluk Dalam looked like. Contrary to what I read in blogs, the water was extremely clear. We could see live coral on the sea bed as we enter the bay through a designated path. Nearer to the shore, the coral was all dead. The sea was very calm. This place would be very suitable for kayaking to see live coral, but not for swimming as dead coral could cut your foot if you stepped on it. The crescent shaped beach is about a kilometre long.
The boat trip to Redang Island was an hour long bumpy ride, worse than the ride from Kuala Besut to Perhentian. Those sitting in front would have painful buttock by the time we reached Redang Island. We were at the mercy of the sea. Was this how the normal, usual ride was? According to Annuar, there were many occasions when the sea would be rougher than the ride that we had that day.
We landed at Redang Island where Redang Lagoon Chalet was situated. The place was picturesque. This time, there was no jetty so everybody has to wade through the water to the beach.
We were given one hour on land. From this side of the beach, we walked to the other end where More More Tea Inn was located. This location was made famous in a Hong Kong movie, "Summer Holiday". Redang Reef Resort and Laguna Redang Island Resort were situated here also. The resorts and beach were well maintained and looked upper class, unlike Perhentian Kecil which was more traditional and simple.
However, the beach has dead coral and this spoiled its beauty. Otherwise, this could have been a perfect beauty. There was another beach, continuing at a 90 degree angle to this beach. I did not explore this beach but I could see that it has no dead coral, and it sloped gently into the sea. There were people swimming here.
Our snorkelling point for baby sharks was jut off the shore at our landing spot near Redang Lagoon Chalet. The sea was calm. This time, I spent the longest stretch of time in the water.
Though I did not see any shark among the rocks, there was some colourful fish and the sea-bed was alive with living coral. It was not my intention to stay so long in the water but the boat seemed to steer itself away from me. I later concluded that I could not swim straight.
After the snorkelling, we proceeded to the Marine Park to have our lunch. It was a simple lunch.
After lunch, we snorkelled near where the Marine Park pier lied. Here, there were lots of different species of fish. The fish would be swarming all over you when you fed it with bread.
Ten metres away from the beach was healthy coral. As the wave was pounding us due to the wind, we were not allowed to swim further out. My head failed me as I was getting dizzy from the rough sea, giving up the opportunity to stay longer in the water and swimming further out. So, I went around taking photographs of the scenery. After a group photograph was taken, my camera had a heart attack and died. So, no more pictures from my camera.
At 2.00 p.m., we departed from Redang Island, to stop at Lang Tengah Island to snorkel. By the time we reached Lang Tengah Island, I have been knocked-out by the rough sea. After alighting from the boat, I had a snapshot taken on the beach to show that I had stepped foot on Lang Tengah, before quickly finding a lazy chair to lie down, feeling horribly giddy.
After resting for a while, I went to look for the washroom. As there were bathing facilities there, I took the opportunity to take a cold shower, to arouse me from the dizziness. Half an hour later, we would be on our way back. The snorkelling had been cancelled because of the rough sea. According to Annuar and our boatman, the weather would get worse. We have to hurry back. They were the expert, having spent so many years reading the signs from the sky. Like astrologers. We have to trust what they said. I was actually glad as I did not want to spend a minute longer to be rocked by the waves.
On reaching Perhentian, we went to Shark Point again. The day earlier, the water visibility at Shark's Point was very poor due to the rain the previous day. I did not snorkel the day earlier but this being the last snorkelling stop in our Perhentian itinerary, I went down for a short snorkel. The visibility was great and you could see the bottom of the sea. However, I did not see any shark and gave up early.
From Shark's Point, we went to Spring Water (Air Berani) for one last time. This time, we spent a very brief time there only, as other tour groups were coming in. Courtesy being the order of the day, we could not monopolise Air Berani for ourselves. Thus, we headed back to our chalet.
None of us have been to Redang, except for one. As for Lang Tengah, nobody has been there before.
As there were not enough life jackets on board, we went to Teluk Dalam to collect some. It was also an added privilege as we have the opportunity to see how Teluk Dalam looked like. Contrary to what I read in blogs, the water was extremely clear. We could see live coral on the sea bed as we enter the bay through a designated path. Nearer to the shore, the coral was all dead. The sea was very calm. This place would be very suitable for kayaking to see live coral, but not for swimming as dead coral could cut your foot if you stepped on it. The crescent shaped beach is about a kilometre long.
The boat trip to Redang Island was an hour long bumpy ride, worse than the ride from Kuala Besut to Perhentian. Those sitting in front would have painful buttock by the time we reached Redang Island. We were at the mercy of the sea. Was this how the normal, usual ride was? According to Annuar, there were many occasions when the sea would be rougher than the ride that we had that day.
We landed at Redang Island where Redang Lagoon Chalet was situated. The place was picturesque. This time, there was no jetty so everybody has to wade through the water to the beach.
We were given one hour on land. From this side of the beach, we walked to the other end where More More Tea Inn was located. This location was made famous in a Hong Kong movie, "Summer Holiday". Redang Reef Resort and Laguna Redang Island Resort were situated here also. The resorts and beach were well maintained and looked upper class, unlike Perhentian Kecil which was more traditional and simple.
However, the beach has dead coral and this spoiled its beauty. Otherwise, this could have been a perfect beauty. There was another beach, continuing at a 90 degree angle to this beach. I did not explore this beach but I could see that it has no dead coral, and it sloped gently into the sea. There were people swimming here.
Our snorkelling point for baby sharks was jut off the shore at our landing spot near Redang Lagoon Chalet. The sea was calm. This time, I spent the longest stretch of time in the water.
Though I did not see any shark among the rocks, there was some colourful fish and the sea-bed was alive with living coral. It was not my intention to stay so long in the water but the boat seemed to steer itself away from me. I later concluded that I could not swim straight.
After the snorkelling, we proceeded to the Marine Park to have our lunch. It was a simple lunch.
After lunch, we snorkelled near where the Marine Park pier lied. Here, there were lots of different species of fish. The fish would be swarming all over you when you fed it with bread.
Ten metres away from the beach was healthy coral. As the wave was pounding us due to the wind, we were not allowed to swim further out. My head failed me as I was getting dizzy from the rough sea, giving up the opportunity to stay longer in the water and swimming further out. So, I went around taking photographs of the scenery. After a group photograph was taken, my camera had a heart attack and died. So, no more pictures from my camera.
At 2.00 p.m., we departed from Redang Island, to stop at Lang Tengah Island to snorkel. By the time we reached Lang Tengah Island, I have been knocked-out by the rough sea. After alighting from the boat, I had a snapshot taken on the beach to show that I had stepped foot on Lang Tengah, before quickly finding a lazy chair to lie down, feeling horribly giddy.
After resting for a while, I went to look for the washroom. As there were bathing facilities there, I took the opportunity to take a cold shower, to arouse me from the dizziness. Half an hour later, we would be on our way back. The snorkelling had been cancelled because of the rough sea. According to Annuar and our boatman, the weather would get worse. We have to hurry back. They were the expert, having spent so many years reading the signs from the sky. Like astrologers. We have to trust what they said. I was actually glad as I did not want to spend a minute longer to be rocked by the waves.
On reaching Perhentian, we went to Shark Point again. The day earlier, the water visibility at Shark's Point was very poor due to the rain the previous day. I did not snorkel the day earlier but this being the last snorkelling stop in our Perhentian itinerary, I went down for a short snorkel. The visibility was great and you could see the bottom of the sea. However, I did not see any shark and gave up early.
From Shark's Point, we went to Spring Water (Air Berani) for one last time. This time, we spent a very brief time there only, as other tour groups were coming in. Courtesy being the order of the day, we could not monopolise Air Berani for ourselves. Thus, we headed back to our chalet.
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