Day 8 - Perhentian Besar Island - Malaysia

Hi all: It's 8:30 pm and we just finished dinner on the beach here on the stunning Malaysian island of Perhentian Besar...It's a true jewel about 15 miles or so off the north Malaysian coast...but before I divulge today's beatiful vista...let me share my journal entry of two days ago.

July 15, 2008:

As I write this, we're about to take off from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital city...) on our way to Kota Bharu in northeast Malaysia. There, we will board a ferry which will take us to the island of Perhentian Besar. Last night, (Monday 7/14), we flew to Kuala Lumpur from Tioman Island, Malaysia...a truly beautiful jungle island off of Malaysia's southeast coast. We snorkeled there, hiked, swam and just enjoyed the incredible vista from our wooden chalet perched on a jungle hillside overlooking the South China Sea. Monkeys, monitor lizards and other noisy creatures made their presence known. A few uninvited guests even made their way into our chalet (I'll leave it at that for now...) The Malaysia people are gracious and unassuming...smiles are common and adherence to stricte schedules is rare...at least on Tioman Island. In response to my inquiry as to "when our water taxi would be leaving for the airport", the worker at our resort heartily laughed and responded, "Whenever they want..." That pretty much sums up the pace of life here. To get to Kuala Lumpur, we flew on a 50 seater turbo prop from Tioman Island. We opted for the flight at the last minute after enduring a somewhat arduous bus ride from Singapore a few days prior...As our small plane got ready for takeoff, I noticed outside my window a group of monkeys playing on airport perimeter fence...thankfully they didn't wander onto the tarmac. As for the flight...I prayed heartily and often--particularly upon takeoff as the prop--with its four propellors buzzing--had to veer sharply left to avoid the rapidly approaching jungle hillside.
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July 16, 2008 - Perhentian Besar Island (Wednesday evening - 8:45 pm)

I'm writing this entry about 50 feet from the crytal clear blue/green waters of our resort here...

There are three wireless computers here under a wooden veranda with open sides, allowing the breeze to creep in from the South China Sea. It would be tough for any of my words to do justice to magnifent, stark beauty of this place...we spent the day today a few resorts north of here on Turtle Beach...an absolutely stunning stretch of sand that opens to the most stunning, deep, crystal clear blue waters imaginable...a very relaxing day--one of those rare, truly serene days that rejuvenates the soul....swaying palms finish this idyllic postcard setting...it's really the stuff of Eden...

Tomorrow, we're renting kayaks and paddling around Besar island--hoping to spot some of the giant turtles that we're told populate the waters here...I snorkeled a few days ago on Tioman and was told I may encounter some reef sharks...but no sightings to date...maybe tomorrow or Friday...oh, as for my future scuba buddy, Scott...well, let's just say bring it on man...I'm totally ready to get my scuba certification and explore some underwater sights...

Miss you all. Pics are a bit tough to post at the moment as our camera isn't compatible with the computers here...but I'll try again later...I have plenty great pics to share nonetheless...

talk soon,

Keith