Kapas Island, Terengganu
Kick-Off For ZOOM Malaysia!
Date: 23 May 2008
Lodging: Mak Cik Gemuk Chalet (Fat Auntie Chalet)
RM80 per night for non-air-conditioned room with ceiling fan. Condition of chalet = OK! At 7pm-8pm, we were attacked by big fat fat FAT mosquitos. Wished we brought along mosquito repellant!! It was crazy, we were scratching madly while slapping as many mosquitos as possible!
Day 1:
Pulau Kapas is my first ever holiday desitination as a member of Malaysia's workforce... which is, after I started working. Prior to this, I didn't give much attention to Malaysia's tourist spots because:
1) I had no car to move around with.
2) I had no friends who liked to travel.
3) I had no money to pay for fuel, lodging, etc.
My addiction to travelling was triggered by my neighbour, during our long journey from KL to Kerteh. She shared her experiences on her travels to foreign countries, and how those experiences had broaden her mind. A few days later, I forced both my housemates to go somewhere, anywhere... so our maiden voyage took us to Pulau Kapas, a 1 hour drive from Kerteh to Marang Jetty. Pulau Kapas means Cotton Island in Malay. The boat ride cost us RM30 one-way for a 10 minutes trip. We did not book any package except for the Mak Cik Gemuk Chalet... being it out first holiday trip, we were very unexperienced and did not know what to prepare or to expect. However, we managed to reach Kapas safely and checked in.
The island was nice, with a long stretch of white sandy beach, blue ocean... Our first activity was to try snorkelling for the first time. We rented the snorkelling gears plus a guide for RM20. The guide was a teenage boy, so skinny and tanned... that's how island boys look like, i guess. We went swimming and snorkelling, with the guide practically drowning from aggressive pulling by my friends who did not know how to swim. The corals were mostly dead, but on the plus side, we saw a real life Nemo!!! With no underwater camera, we'll just have to cherish the moment in our minds.
After saying goodbye to Nemo, we walked along the beach, enjoying the view and sunset. We had dinner at a small restaurant... the price is obviously more expensive than at mainland. It was a windy night. We sat by the beach, observing fisherman boats.. probably catching some squids. Before retiring for the day, we seduced our island boy guide to give us a mosquito repellant! Nice~
Day 2:
For RM15 each, Mak Cik Gemuk's son and his friend took us on a boat ride around Pulau Kapas. The Mak Cik Gemuk son behaved like a superstar with his big sunglasses and i'm-so-cool personality but we didn't mind... *wink2* We stopped by Pulau Gemia, a small rocky island close to Kapas, but privately owned. Here, we visited baby turtles, rescued from the sea. The resort here is high class, thus the view is a bit more stunning than Kapas.
Before 12pm, we were ready to check out. Mak Cik Gemuk reminded us to pack our bags quickly, as new visitors will arrive shortly... that didn't feel friendly... =( So off we went for another RM30 ride back to the mainland!
Interesting to note: Boat services to Pulau Kapas is on a daily basis. We bought the tickets from the jetty without pre-booking.
Date: 23 May 2008
Lodging: Mak Cik Gemuk Chalet (Fat Auntie Chalet)
RM80 per night for non-air-conditioned room with ceiling fan. Condition of chalet = OK! At 7pm-8pm, we were attacked by big fat fat FAT mosquitos. Wished we brought along mosquito repellant!! It was crazy, we were scratching madly while slapping as many mosquitos as possible!
At Jetty Marang
Day 1:
Pulau Kapas is my first ever holiday desitination as a member of Malaysia's workforce... which is, after I started working. Prior to this, I didn't give much attention to Malaysia's tourist spots because:
1) I had no car to move around with.
2) I had no friends who liked to travel.
3) I had no money to pay for fuel, lodging, etc.
My addiction to travelling was triggered by my neighbour, during our long journey from KL to Kerteh. She shared her experiences on her travels to foreign countries, and how those experiences had broaden her mind. A few days later, I forced both my housemates to go somewhere, anywhere... so our maiden voyage took us to Pulau Kapas, a 1 hour drive from Kerteh to Marang Jetty. Pulau Kapas means Cotton Island in Malay. The boat ride cost us RM30 one-way for a 10 minutes trip. We did not book any package except for the Mak Cik Gemuk Chalet... being it out first holiday trip, we were very unexperienced and did not know what to prepare or to expect. However, we managed to reach Kapas safely and checked in.
My first view of Kapas
The island was nice, with a long stretch of white sandy beach, blue ocean... Our first activity was to try snorkelling for the first time. We rented the snorkelling gears plus a guide for RM20. The guide was a teenage boy, so skinny and tanned... that's how island boys look like, i guess. We went swimming and snorkelling, with the guide practically drowning from aggressive pulling by my friends who did not know how to swim. The corals were mostly dead, but on the plus side, we saw a real life Nemo!!! With no underwater camera, we'll just have to cherish the moment in our minds.
After saying goodbye to Nemo, we walked along the beach, enjoying the view and sunset. We had dinner at a small restaurant... the price is obviously more expensive than at mainland. It was a windy night. We sat by the beach, observing fisherman boats.. probably catching some squids. Before retiring for the day, we seduced our island boy guide to give us a mosquito repellant! Nice~
Around Kapas - a rocky island... it looks like a lion lazing about!
Day 2:
For RM15 each, Mak Cik Gemuk's son and his friend took us on a boat ride around Pulau Kapas. The Mak Cik Gemuk son behaved like a superstar with his big sunglasses and i'm-so-cool personality but we didn't mind... *wink2* We stopped by Pulau Gemia, a small rocky island close to Kapas, but privately owned. Here, we visited baby turtles, rescued from the sea. The resort here is high class, thus the view is a bit more stunning than Kapas.
Tiny baby turtles!
Gemisland Beach
Before 12pm, we were ready to check out. Mak Cik Gemuk reminded us to pack our bags quickly, as new visitors will arrive shortly... that didn't feel friendly... =( So off we went for another RM30 ride back to the mainland!
Interesting to note: Boat services to Pulau Kapas is on a daily basis. We bought the tickets from the jetty without pre-booking.
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