February 24, 2008

Perhentian's Kecil Island (MALAYSIA)

Arriving on the Perhentian Islands: Snorkeling with Sharks, Turtles, and Barracuda

Last night, I boarded an over-night bus from the southernmost city in Malaysia, Johor Bahru, en route to the northernmost city in the country, Kota Bharu. I didn't actually make it all the way to KB (many cities are abbreviated as acronyms), alighting instead 30 kilometers south so I could catch a small boat to the Perhentian Islands. Located off the northeastern coast of Malaysia, the islands are a part of Southeast Asian backpacking folklore for the laid-back atmosphere and amazing underwater opportunities. I headed for the smaller and less-developed of the two islands, Kecil, and I could hardly wait.

As for the picture to the left, well, someone must have really wanted their own urinal!

I arrived at the docks at 5:00 am, so I killed two hours chatting with a friendly Swiss couple while waiting for the boat to depart. I swear, I am getting a better education from my travels than through all the pricey textbooks, expensive tutorials, and world-renowned professors. (It probably has something to do with the subject matter, in fairness.)

I boarded a 15 foot skiff for the 45 minute ride to the island, and with choppy end-of-monsoon-season waters, the eight people and I on the boat all feared we would capsize - why else would we willingly don life jackets?! Regardless, the slamming of the waves and jostling maneuvers on the wave crests made for an exciting start to the day, as did the beautiful sunrise over the islands.

After arriving, I followed a jungle trail across the island to "Long Beach," which friends have told me is one of the most chilled out places in Southeast Asia - and they were not lying! It is a one kilometer stretch of underdeveloped beach - a prized commodity these days - with at most 60 people staying here. I am traveling without guide books, which thus far has worked to my advantage, and so on the recommendation of three people leaving the island I checked into Lemon Grass Hostel on the far end of the beach. Mr Sim took care of me, and settled me into a small bungalow with a beach view for only 12rm/night (roughly $3USD.) It is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of the Four Seasons, but then again the Four Seasons didn't have a view like the one to the right.

Since it was only 8:30 am by the time I finished checking in and showering, I decided to try and make use of the day by signing up for a 10:30 am snorkeling expedition. I was introduced to the opportunity by a Dutch woman who joined me for breakfast at one of the three restaurants that line the beach, and the only way to tell the restaurants apart is from the coloring of the chairs (red, yellow, and white.)

Joining us on the boat was an elderly couple from the southern coast of France, a woman from Sardinia, and the Malaysian boatman who was leading the group. We started off in six-ten meter water with fresh coral and a variety of fish, and as this was my first time snorkeling I spent most of my time getting a feel for the process. By the end of the 30 minute swim I had mastered diving down to the bottom for half-minute stretches, and was eager for more!

Our next stop was at a small lighthouse (more of a permanent buoy), located 200 meters off Coral Bay. I spotted a school of two foot long barracuda at the edge of the reef, and was able to get within one meter before I stopped pushing my luck. Another interesting part of this swim was when the Malaysian boatman showed me a swim-through cave eight meters under water. After weighing my fear of moray eels that are always lurking in dark areas like this, I decided to bite the bullet, hold my breath, and go for it. It probably only took 20 or 30 seconds to dive down, swim through the cave, and come back up, but in my mind it was an eternity. Nevertheless, I was hooked, and tried it a few more times - cutting my heel on coral when I spotted an Angel Fish hiding in a small cranny.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline of snorkeling that got the better of me, but I decided to dive off the 10 meter lighthouse before we headed off to the next destination. After checking the depth of the water, I tossed my snorkeling gear in the boat, and to the cheers of everyone I climbed 10 meters to the top of the cement lighthouse. There was no going back now, so I took half a dozen deep breaths to collect myself, and then I completed a perfect dive into the water! All I really remember was the split-second decision to JUMP, the crash from breaking the water, and subsequently climbing back into the boat - albeit with a pumping heart and a slightly sore head (the height was high!)

The last stop before breaking for lunch was in Turtle Bay, which as the name suggests, is home to dozens of saltwater turtles. The boatman trolled around searching for the dark ovals in the water, and each time he spotted one we would jump off the boat to follow the turtles through the water. It was easy to get lost during the process because we were spread out over a 100 meter wide area chasing turtles of our own, but since there was only one other boat out our boatman always found us. While it may sound silly, it really is amazing to touch and swim with turtles weighing hundreds of pounds, and measuring up to one meter in diameter.

We ate lunch at the fisherman's village, but my appetite for the Malaysian noodles was quickly suppressed when a group of "rasta goats" (goats with hair done up in Rastafarian dreadlocks) came by for a close inspection. I didn't mind them nudging my back, but what really upset my stomach was the retching sounds they made - they were reminiscent of someone vomiting.

By the end of lunch, the sun was out in full force, so I put my t-shirt back on for the afternoon dives. Up next: Shark Point. The boatman said he spotted a two meter Tiger Shark two days before, but whether he was pulling my leg or telling the truth hardly mattered: every kind of shark terrifies me when there is no glass between us. I decided the bleeding cut on my heel was not worth worrying about, but I still decided not to be the first in the water for this particular swim. Once I was in, it only took 20 seconds before I spotted the first reef shark - only one meter in length - swimming along the ocean floor. My exuberance got the better of me, and off I went trying to keep up with it. All in all, I spotted eight sharks (mostly small reef sharks), and one other one that very well might have measured two meters. The bigger shark was swimming near the surface, and although the boatman and I both saw it, neither one of us got a good enough view to identify it.

I stayed in the boat for the last swim of the day as it was already 3:30 pm and I had seen all I wanted to see (sharks, barracuda, and turtles) - plus I was tired after a sleepless night on the bus and a full day of snorkeling. When we arrived back at the hostel in the early evening I took a quick cat nap before heading down to the red-chaired cafe along the water. I joined a table with two Americans (Joel from New Hampshire and Jessie from North Carolina), a German (Markus from Munich), a Swiss couple (both from Zurich), and an Australian (John from Tasmania.) The conversations were all over the place, so I stuck to the end of the table that focused on non-political issues, unlike John and Joel who seemed intent on saving the world. Although beer was 10rm/can, I decided it was worth having with my barbeque chicken dinner, and afterward a few of us headed to a bar up the beach called Moon Light Bar. We hung out here until the early hours of the morning, eventually calling it a night and returning to my tiny bungalow.

All in all, a great first day in the Perhentians, and a killer start to another backpacking trip!