Pristine Perhentian

Gingerly holding the sodden bread, I stretched out my hand. An angel-fish pecked at my fingers, followed by countless other fish of all shapes and sizes.

 
            A shiver ran down my spine. I let out a muffled shriek and was almost knocked off balance in my excitement.

                                         

I was in Perhentian Island, experiencing my first feed-the-fish session. It was memorable.

            Perhentian, off the Terengganu shores of Peninsular Malaysia, is made up of Perhentian Besar (Big Island) and Perhentian Kecil (Small Island). The isles are under the protection of the Marine Park of Malaysia.

 Apparently, the islands got their name from being a place where fishermen from Kelantan and Terengganu henti (stop at) to shelter during a major storm.

       Recently, my son Adrian, chanced upon the idyllic islands on the Internet and booked a four-day holiday on Perhentian Kecil for four of us: Adrian, his wife Angie, my husband and I.

      We took an early morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Baru, a taxi-ride to Kuala Besut and finally a thrilling boat-ride, before arriving on the island at noon.  

 The crystal clear waters and unpolluted beach captured my heart immediately. After lunch and a short rest at the air-conditioned Bubu Long Beach Resort, Ismail, our guide, gave us a crash-course on snorkelling.  

Bubu Long Beach Resort

 Then, decked in red life jacket, mask and snorkel, we all paddled to a sheltered cove near our resort for a snorkelling adventure. 

A sheltered cove

The sight of so many colourful fishes was overwhelming. The luminous beauties were in blue, yellow, off-white, striated, spotted and even pink hues. Adrian, with his waterproof camera, snapped many shots. 

 

The next day, we were taken to other locations for another enthralling experience. In the clean, clear waters, we sighted many colourful hard and soft corals from great depths. 

The fish there seemed to be performing synchronised swimming around the corals. We saw clownfish frolicking among sea anemones too.  

 

Clown fish among sea anemones

       

A video of the beach is shown below:

On the third day, Adrian and Angie went to nearby Pulau Rawa for more marine adventure. They came back with stories of more discoveries. Adrian managed to get some photos of a turtle swimming very near to him, truly a poetry in motion.

A turtle: poetry in motion

 Some underwater videos taken by Adrian are shown below:

My hubby and I stayed behind to relax on deck chairs and to enjoy the sea breeze. We chatted and made friends with the other guests, many of whom were foreigners. 

Relaxing on the beach

       Jennifer and Janet, from England, read about Perhentian from the Lonely Planet travel guide. They first toured Kuala Lumpur and then took a train to Kuala Krai, a taxi to Kuala Besut and finally a boat to the island. 

  

Angie, Adrian, Jennifer and Janet

      “The beaches here are incredibly lovely and the magnificent marine life takes my breath away,” exclaimed the well-tanned Jennifer, who was excited to see her first sea turtle.  

       The white sandy beaches and tropical fish captivated one German couple so much that they vowed they would come back the following year.  

       Vera from Thailand found the beach and marine life there much better than that in her country. “They are less commercialised and cleaner,” she opined. 

      In the evening, my husband and I took a leisurely walk along the beach. I enjoyed sinking my feet into the soft sand and feeling the tangy sea breeze caress my skin. Adrian and Angie were contented to just lie on the beach to watch the fishermen bring in their catch. 

Fishermen coming back with their catch

     Other guests read or sunbathed on deck chairs, played beach volleyball or relaxed with a foot or body massage. Adventurous trekkers went jungle trekking (many have sighted monkeys, monitor lizards or butterflies) or hiked to selected spots to watch the sunset.  

A German couple sunbathing on deck chairs

Angie getting a body massage

     Shoppers browsed through the souvenir shops on the beach. I was surprised to find a shop selling English, German, Russian and Japanese novels. It gave me an idea of the cosmopolitan nature of the tourists there. 

     There were many restaurants on the beach offering fresh seafood. Some tourists enjoyed music and drinks at many of the cafés, which opened until late at night. 

     Pulau Perhentian has many attractions to offer: calm, clear waters, rich marine life, white sandy beaches, virgin jungle and much more. It is truly a pristine and unspoiled island, an ideal spot for a leisurely holiday.

  

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on 30 June 2007. Additional photos are included here