Hello from Perhentian Kecil. We arrived here at about 8am yesterday after taking an overnight bus from Penang to Kuala Besut, then a short ferry ride over to the island just as the sun was coming up. Our "bungalow", or shack, is definitely lacking, but we made friends with some Canadians and Norwegians and haven't spent much time inside, anyway, so it really isn't a big deal. I can't wait to post pictures, though. Maybe soon if I'm lucky I'll be able to find a computer that will let me upload them.
We haven't found our favorite restaurant here yet, but I'm sure we will soon. The banana pancakes are on par with our liking, or at least that's the way it looks right now, so we'll probably be happy anywhere we eat. :) As for the coffee here . . . Malaysian coffee is supposed to be really strong, but what we've found on this beach is that the "local coffee" is a scoop of instant coffee, a tea bag, hot water, condensed milk, and possibly some chocolate. It's good, but interesting and probably horribly fattening. I'm going to try to get the recipe before we leave so I can make it when I get home.
Today we did an all-day snorkeling adventure at Perhentian Besar, which is less than 5 minutes away by boat. For those of you who have snorkeled with me, you know I'm not too keen on having fish swim all around me, but this was truly a new experience for me. We saw at least 5 reef sharks at the first beach - a first for me. We also saw a roper, I think it was called, which basically blended in with the brown color of some of the coral, but was probably about the size of a 35 inch TV or so. The coral was absolutely stunning, and we saw all kinds of little fish that I probably saw in Hawaii, but don't remember. They were every color imaginable and they're so used to having people around that they don't scare easily, which is nice. The second beach we went to was more of the same, minus the sharks. Coral and more fish. I wish I knew the names of them so I could be more descriptive.
Third, we went to a beach where we were able to swim with giant turtles. Our group spotted one pretty far off shore, and we swam with it for 150 yards or so before we gave up chasing it. What an amazing experience. We swam with another for a bit, but there were a bunch of people who showed up at the same time that we spotted the second one, so it wasn't as good of an experience because there's a huge difference between 5 people and 25 people trying to get a look - all under water, kicking each other and pushing to get a good view. All in all, a great experience.
The fourth reef we went to was once again full of little fish, and we had to be aware because there are "trigger fish" around, but we were lucky, I guess, not to see them. I'm not sure what happens when they bite you but apparently they're dangerous. It was, once again, gorgeous. The different coral and fish we saw were absolutely brilliant!
Finally, we landed on a small beach where we played catch with a flat football and swam a bit before coming back "home" and savoring some time in the shade. I'm a little pink today, but hopefully won't be burned by tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed.
We're planning to stay on this beach (Long Beach) for a few more days, then head down the coast to a wildlife refuge, or at least I think we're thinking about that right now. Time will tell.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. Happy birthday to Bob Russell (a day late, I think)!
2 comments:
Hey Suzanne,
You guys have been picking great places to visit. I think swimming with giant turtles in coral reefs says it all.
Molly and I enjoyed our recent trip to Dayton - no turtles, but there were exotic cupcakes!
Keep up the good work on your blog!
Hi Suzanne!
Sounds like you're having a great time (minus the foodbourne illnesses!). I just wanted to tell you a little about the fish you saw....I think the large fish that blended in with the reef is called a "grouper". I couldn't say which species you probably saw. They are really cool and completely passive. The trigger fish aren't exactly "dangerous". During mating season they will "attack" predators that enter their space by swimming into you with their beaks and taking little nibbles! I never heard of anyone on Guam having blood drawn or getting any permanent scars from trigger fish, but the nibbles can pinch a little! If you're swimming with them again, especially if it's an area where there are a lot of tourists, I would recommend keeping your fingers/hands tucked away because they can mistake small appendages for food (if they're used to being fed by the tourists)!
We have a great book on tropical reef fish that you can borrow when you get back if you want to try to find/name the fish you saw.
We're enjoying your posts and are praying that you all stay healthy! :)
Cheers,
Cousin Amy and Fam
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