Jul 21, 2012 - Big island time

As the islands are so small you can actually see the location where you are going and all you have to do is negotiate a rate with one of the water taxis, we got one to take us over to the big island for 40 ringgit, about £8 so not too bad. The driver as usual was a bit of a nutter and the bat did not seem to be on an even keel and so it was a bit of a hairy ride over there. We got dropped off right on the beach and our resort was literally on the beach. As we were the first ones to arrive that day, the owner put us in a chalet right on the...

Jul 18, 2012 - small before big we say

We had tried to book some accommodation when we were in Langkawi for the Perhentian islands but there was so much choice and each time I phoned one up or tried to book it online they were full and it was the start of the peak season so we decided to go to a travel agent close to the islands and let them do it. In the end we got a deal which included a taxi pick up from the airport, the ferry over to the islands, 5 nights on the small island, 4 nights on the big island, the ferry back to the mainland and another taxi to the airport all for...

Feb 28, 2011 - A Life on the Ocean Wave

As you see today's effort is another water-based adventure(I feel like Mark Twain).Every time we go anywhere near water Elaine wants to go on some kind of boat,which fills my heart with dread. However much I love being by the sea it scares the Bejesus out of me. So with heart in mouth and much trepidation, I agreed to hiring a canoe for the day, along with snorkelling equipment. Anyone watching us must have enjoyed the sight of the two of us trying to get in a canoe on the move,it wasn't pretty.Once ensconced, directing the thing took a...

Feb 27, 2011 - Consequences

Just to set things straight from the "off" its me(Theo) writing today's blog(I tend to ramble-doing it already). Our second day on the Island was spent on a snorkelling expedition.It began with a light breakfast(not knowing how the sea and our stomachs would react to each other)of another Roti Canai(thanks Beth)and then onto the boat. We were joined by a Scandinavian couple(8 month honeymoon) and a young Chinese couple. Our guide, a local man, did a great job of trying to keep us all happy over the space of the day.He promised us 5 sites...

Feb 24, 2011 - Taman Negera to Perhentian Islands

Left the Rainforest yesterday and took the 9 and a half hour bus journey to the jetty at Kuala Besut, and from there, a boat journey over to the Perhentian Islands. We'll never forget our time in the Taman Negera for many different reasons. Being woken up at 6 by the most beautiful melodious singing as the Muslim call to prayer is relayed over the loudspeakers. Seeing monkeys and wild boar and lizards in the grounds of the resort, balancing across the wooden planks to get into the floating restuarant, (the only way in and out), and meeting...

May 25, 2010 - Perhentian Islands

if you ever ask yourself, where paradise is...i found it ;-) met lisa (dutch) and alli (allister, scottish) on the nightbus from kuala perlis...another nightmare trip, as it was not even a sleeperbus...i actually listened to a whole audiobook and was deadtired when we arrived in kuala besut to take a speedboat to the small island of the perhentians. the first few days, we stayed in world cafe guesthouse...one of the few places with aircon on this island (unless u go for a resort)...thank god...i am such a bad traveller, haven't had a room...

May 24, 2010 - pulao perhentian

ok, am a few days behind in updating this, so gonna keep it brief. spent 4days on perhentian having travelled 18 hours to get there. what can i say? one of the most beautiful, chilled places ive ever been to. didn't really do much due to having fallen and twisted both my ankle and knee on the way there so was pretty much out of action for 1st few days so just "had to" lie on a beach for a few days. life's a bitch eh!!! lmao went on a snorkelling trip on the 28th. was another one of those days that left me completely torn: saw some amazing...

May 15, 2010 - Scott, Gillian et Cameron en visite a Singapour

Les amis viennent nous voir de loin...comme c'est gentil. Allez il faut le dire, le soleil attire davantage que le froid et Singapour a plus de succes que Edmonton ;-) Voila maintenant Scott et Gillian venus tout droit d'Edmonton (justement) nous rendre une petite visite de deux semaines. Alors la, chapeau, car le voyage n'est pas de tout repos, surtout qu'ils voyagent avec Cameron, petit gars de 14 mois (2 jours plus jeune qu'Aloe). Pour la petite histoire, Virg et Gillian étaient tombées enceinte en meme temps (a priori le meme jour) et...

Jul 29, 2009 - Diving the Perhentians - Day 3

I am sitting at an outdoor restaurant with a corrugated iron roof at the bus stop here in Jertah. The first of the 2 buses - we unfortunately have to transfer buses in the wee hours of the morning - we will be taking to get to Melaka is slated to arrive here at 9 p.m. Melaka is a historical city in the south of Malaysia. We will tour that city tomorrow and stay overnight there before we continue on to Singapore. I am writing in the midst of a torrential downpour. Buckets of rain have been teeming down for the last 2 hours, so i'm just glad...

Jul 28, 2009 - Diving the Perhentians - Day 2

After a leisurely breakfast on the beach and talking a walk across the island to the beach of Coral Bay, today Vikki and I each did our first wreck dive early this afternoon. A "wreck dive", as the name connotes, is an underwater dive to explore a submerged ship. Today a group of 7 of us - including our divemaster - dove at a local site known as Sugar Wreck. Here, at a depth of 18.9 meters underwater, lies an old wrecked boat sunk several decades ago. We swam through the hull of the boat and had a quick look around, but as visibility was...

Jul 27, 2009 - Diving the Perhentians - Day 1

Our first day of diving here! Today Vikki and I each did 2 dives off of the Perhentian Islands with Turtle Bay Divers, a local dive outfitter which had been recommended to us. My first dive - Vikki took a refresher course and dove separately for this first dive - took us out to a dive spot named "Sea Bell". We went down to a maximum depth of 14.5 meters and dove for 57 minutes. Visibility on this one proved disappointing, however - only 4 meters or so. The afternoon's dive which Vikki and I both did was at a local dive spot known as...

Jul 26, 2009 - Start of Perhentian Islands Getaway

It is evening, and we have had a long and full day. I am writing this entry from the outdoor terrace of our bungalow at the Panorama Chalets on Palau Perhentian Kecil, one of the 2 Perhentian Islands. We took the overnight bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bhara, an 8 hour bus ride which traversed much of peninsular Malaysia almost all of the way to the border with Thailand. Upon our arrival in Kota Bhara at around 5:30 a.m., we immediately took off in the opposite direction when we hopped in a cab for a 45 minute ride to the city of Kuala...