We had decided to stay on the smaller of the two islands since the alternative was to pay through our noses for the resorts situated on the big island. We ended up staying on Long Beach (again, rather aptly named), one of many stretches of beach scattered around the island. Long Beach is typically a party haven for backpackers with a number of different guesthouses, chalets, and hostels to choose from. We'd lucked out by missing the high season by just a few weeks, so the beach itself was fairly quiet. Since we hadn't booked anything in advance, we'd stumbled upon a site run by an Irish expat who had given up on the fast-paced and miserable climate of London in exchange for the slow-paced and beautiful climate of paradise. We were able to secure a brand new chalet for the 3 nights we were planning on staying there for a whopping RM45 a night.
As expected, the way of life and pace on the island was the complete opposite from that in Singapore, and I might argue, the rest of Malaysia. We spent a good chunk of our time laying on the beach attempting with great failure to avoid being burned. The water was a vibrant blue and great for swimming. In fact, there were a few times I wished that it was a bit cooler simply because of the intense heat we were trying to escape by being in the water in the first place.
The food, again as expected, was incredible. No large commercial chains here; just small family-operated restaurants that often shared the living space of the people who actually ran the place. It wasn't uncommon to have to step over a topless middle-aged man sleeping on a cot in order to reach the restroom. This added an indelible sense of charm and character that no amount of money could pay for. One restaurant/bar also put on an outdoor BBQ each evening with a large selection of fresh seafood caught by local fisherman, as well as BBQ chicken and satay.
We did manage to do a few things other than eat, swim and lie around while we were on the island. We rented a kayak one morning and paddled over to a stretch of beach on the big island directly across the channel from Long Beach. We'd been told that a local had seen some baby turtles that morning crawling along the beach, so there was a possibility we would have the chance to see one of nature's wonders first-hand. As with most things, we missed the boat, so to speak. I did locate a few nests located towards the rear of the beach where the jungle meets sand, where it was still possible to see the tracks left behind by the babies as they crawled out of the nests in search of the ocean. We were to learn the following day that the beach is somewhat of a turtle sanctuary complete with its own turtle conservation programme that consists primarily of catching baby turtles before they reach the ocean and putting them in a styrofoam box partly filled with sand. The objective of the scheme, as we were told, was to ensure that the babies were bigger and stronger before they entered the ocean so that their chances of survival would significantly increase. Seems like a worthy endeavor to me, however, of the four babies that had been placed into protective custody, two appeared to be dead, while the other two took off like a shot towards the water when we placed them on the beach.
We also spent a day snorkeling at a number of different points around the two islands. I'd met Anwar on our first day on the island. I don't think I saw the guy without his sunglasses and smoking a cigarette, even when he was snorkeling. He ran his own snorkeling outfit, and through the sheer sense of authentic 'cool' that oozed through the guys pores I knew we couldn't miss out on a day hanging out with him. We arrived at his snorkel shack (for lack of a better description) promptly at 10:30 AM which is when we were scheduled to leave. Apparently we were the only ones concerned about being punctual, a concurrent theme that ran throughout our trip. However, waiting for the other would-be snorkelers to get their acts together wasn't the only setback: Anwar got a call from one of his partners informing him that they'd be a little late with the boat - as in, they were on their way to buy it.
Things worked out, as I'm sure they always tend to do on the Perhentians. As mentioned, we were brought to a number of different points around the two islands, the first being popular with sea turtles (aptly named Turtle Point - I'm sure you're starting to see a trend with how they name things here). After about an half an hour of swimming around aimlessly and beginning to think this part of the tour would be a bust, I ran into my first sea turtle - live in a half-shell. It was absolutely awe-inspiring and something I don't think words can do justice. The turtle itself was enormous, with a shell roughly the size of an IKEA coffee table, with elaborate markings covering the surface of its reptilian skin. It swam with such grace and ease as I put in considerable effort to keep up with it as it swam in search of food on the ocean bed, as well as occasionally coming up for a breath of air above the waves. It was an experience I will never forget. A few other highlights included Coral Point and Shark Point, which I'll leave you to surmise what the main attractions were (and yes, I really did she sharks - several in fact). Ultimately, what I found to be so amazing was the fact that there really is this whole other world merely inches below the surface of the waves that is so strange and unfamiliar with the one we're familiar with that you would never know was there unless you actually made the effort to look.
Next: What to do when there's a scorpion in your bathroom and all you have is a small plastic pot used to wash your ass with.
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