The weekend getaway began on Friday evening after work. I met up with my Dutch travel buddies – Tessa, Arwen and Patrick – and boarded a bus from KL. The 4-hour bus ride out of Selangor to the state of Perek turned into a 6 hour adventure, as the bus decided to leave 2 hours late. Gotta love Malaysian time!
We stayed the night in a hostel in Lumut and then boarded a ferry to Pangkor Island on Saturday morning. Palau Pangkor is only 8 sq km but is bequeathed with jungles, fisheries and my sole purpose of going there, gorgeous beaches!
We lacked the courage to tackle the hilly terrains on motorbikes and instead opted to hire a taxi to tour the island. Be warned, I fully intend on riding a motorbike at least once before I leave Malaysia. But really, what’s the worst that could happen? I lose another toenail?! On that note, I must say with much regret that I lost another toenail this weekend. At least, it’s on the other foot this time. Mommy and Daddy – you’ve always said life is about balance, right?
We stopped over at the Dutch forts (appropriately enough!) and a Chinese temple with a miniature version of the Great Wall of China. Later that afternoon, we lounged on the beach of Teluk Batik and watched the sunset. Incredible. Teluk Batik was mainly populated with locals from neighbouring areas. Swimming with Malays is definitely an experience! The cultural expectations dictate Malaysian women wear long pants, long sleeve shirts and head coverings while swimming. And here we were in bikinis!
We spent the rest of the night at the hotel playing cards while listening to locals engage in their favourite past time – karaoke. They even sang Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I was incredibly tempted to join in. Nasreen, you would have been proud!
On Sunday, we spent the day at Coral Beach. Just imagine – white sand, blue-green water, completely deserted. Our own paradise.
It was incredibly difficult to leave Palau Pangkor on Sunday evening. I think the toughest part was knowing that we could never really come back. You can visit a place again but it’s never quite the same. People and places are constantly changing, evolving with time. Certainly makes you savour each moment...
I arrived back in Subang Jaya on Sunday night – one less toenail, a heck of a lot darker and filled with amazing memories from the weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment