Road Trip to Perhentian

We wanted to make one last road trip before we left Malaysia.  Since we have moved here, we have been told that the best island to see in West Malaysia is Perhentian.  With only one week notice, our options were pretty limited for rooms but we found a spot and took off.  It was a thousand kilometer round trip, taking 7 hours there and 8 hours back.  To maximize our sightseeing, we drove to the East Coast (Kuantan) and straight up the coast to Besut, near the Thailand border. On the way back, we went through the center of the country, along the edge of Taman Negara.  It was a nice drive, including a shortcut I took on the way home that cost me 1 hour!

Perhentian was described to me as having the most beautiful water, the largest variety of fish, and the least development.  From my limited experience, I would agree.  It was very beautiful.  On the ferry to the island, the water quickly transitioned from a very deep purple, to deep blue, and finally light blue (almost completely clear) as we reached the shore.  Even standing on the sand we could see fish swimming around.  By knee deep, we could see lots of clown fish (Nemo) playing in the anemone.  From some of the resorts, you could snorkel over live coral within just 10 or 15 feet of the shore.  There were so many varieties of fish and they were completely oblivious to our presence.  We took a stroll along the beach for the kids to collect sea shells.  At one point, we were standing knee deep in water and could see reef shark swimming in front of us and monkeys in the trees next to us.

On day 2, William and I took a snorkeling trip.  We went to a place called The Lighthouse.  It was a little ways from the island in fairly deep water, but the top of the coral out cropping was only a foot or two below the surface.  From here we could see a wide variety of amazingly colorful coral.  The whole area was teaming with fish.  Our boat driver even took advantage of the opportunity to do a little fishing.  Oddly enough, he was catching some really pretty fish.

Our next stop was to look for sea turtles.  Evidently, this is just pure luck.  As it happened, we got lucky.  The boat just meandered around an open area with a sandy bottom about 20 feet below.  Once someone spotted the turtle, it was a mass evacuation of snorkelers over the edge of the boat.  The turtle didn't seem to mind.  It slowly walked along the bottom, nipping at sea weed.  After awhile, it swam gracefully up to the surface for some air.  This might have been the highlight of the entire trip.  This turtle was huge and it looked as if it was flying through the water.

As pretty as it was, I was unable to capture any images that did justice to the water or the fish...

Entrance to the fairy at Besut

Just out a little ways from this rock we could spot reef shark

Borneo

Last weekend we flew to Kuching on Borneo island for a 4 day vacation.  I brought my GPS with me and put the resort name in at the airport car rental place.  The car only had 1/4 tank of gas so I thought I would stop at the first gas station.  What I didn't know is that the GPS had no idea of how to get to the resort and there are practically no gas stations outside of Kuching.  We went on a huge loop through the remote parts of Borneo before finally circling back to Kuching on fumes.  After filling up, the GPS recalculated and tried to get us back on the same loop.  So, we headed out on our own.  We knew the resort was north and just kept turning north.  Aside from asking one local (while he was on his scooter and we were at the stop light!) which way to turn, we were able to drive right to it.  In the end, it took us over 2 hours to drive 30km.

The resort was great.  It sits on a small peninsula in the South China Sea with a jungle covered mountain for a back drop.  On the first and last day, the beach was closed with signs posted saying, "Beware of Jellyfish and Catfish".  That was the first catfish warning I have ever seen.

The next morning we went back to Kuching and met another friend of mine.  He took us just outside of Kuching to a feeding place for orangutans.  Twice a day they feed them.  If there is not much fruit in the jungle, they will come out for the feeding.  Lucky for us, it was in between fruit seasons and 14 orangutans showed up.  The feeding location is in the middle of a jungle area, no cages or anything.  When they start coming out of the jungle, it is like something out of the movie.  They move entirely through the tops of the trees, climbing on vines and moving along swaying tree tops.  You can hear them and see the trees moving long before you can actually see them.  It was quite a shock to see them moving around unobstructed.  It is hard to believe something so huge can so easily move from tree to tree, especially trees that were only a few inches in diameter where they were grasping.

After the orangutan trip and lunch, we split up with our friends and drove to a remote cave.  It was very impressive.  It could have been better if we had a flashlight, but there was plenty of cave lit with natural light.  The entire time you could hear the squeaky sounds of bats high up above.  They did a great job of providing stairs everywhere so that even children could explore the cave. 

After the cave, the drove down to the Indonesian border where they have a small market.  Technically, it is in Indonesia but they do not stamp your passport.  You are only allowed to go a small way in to take advantage of the market.  It was similar to some markets we have seen in KL but a little more rudimentary.  If possible, we stood out here even more than normal.

After the market, we drove back to the resort where we had dinner with friends.  As odd as it sounds, I have a friend from the UK that just happened to be staying at the same resort at the same time.  Between his family, ours, and their friends, we had a dinner party of 16. 

If we had it to do again, I think we would prefer to live on Borneo rather than KL.  We really enjoyed seeing the rural areas and didn't miss the city at all.

A warning sign for falling coconuts.  One actually almost hit my friend.  As funny as it sounds, I would hate to fall victim.

On our final night they built a fire on the beach.  It was nice just to sit around and watch it burn.

We visited a cultural village next to the resort.  They had recreations of many of the natives living conditions.  We enjoyed their stairs...just a log leaned at a 45 degree angle with notches cut out.

It may be hard to tell from this picture, but that young girl is carrying a child in a milk crate using a dolly.  This is not the first time we have see this.

Part of the Indonesian market.  This is where the ladies sort the fruits and vegetables that are for sale.

Entrance to the cave.

Cameron Highlands II

We had  a friend down from Texas so we decided to go back to Cameron Highlands.  For those with agricultural interests (like our friend), Cameron has much more to offer than KL.  This time we took the time to go through the tea plant as well as walk through the plantation.  The kids enjoyed the freedom of walking through the plantation.  They ran around as if they were back in our hay field.  Unfortunately, as one of them was digging their way up a hill, they uncovered a snake.  I am not familiar enough with local snakes to know it was bad or not but if it was enough that we made them stick to the road after that.

For lunch, we went back to the Smokehouse.  Again, one of the best places to eat in Malaysia.  British food is not supposed to be good so maybe this isn't authentic.  It is a beautiful place, though.  On the way back we stopped by a waterfall to let the kids look around.

Desa Parkcity

We live in a planned neighborhood called Desa Parkcity.  There are only 2 entries to the area and they are both gated.  Once you enter, the neighborhood includes several housing developments, a couple of high rise condos, a shopping center, a lake, and a park.  Each housing development requires a card to access and has 4 gaurds on duty 24/7.  The gaurds know everyone and they patrol the area regularly.  I do not know if all the security is required, but it does make us feel more comfortable.

The kids play at the park almost every day.  They have made some friends, as has Kristen.  I am not sure if any 2 friends are from the same country, though.  The biggest problem we have with the park is the heat.  After 9:00am and before 6:00pm it is very hot.  Kristen usually gets the kids to the park early in the morning.  The swimming pool is probably their favorite.  Both William and Rebekah have learned to swim through trial and error.  They could swim all day long and never get tired.

The Coffee Bean might be our favorite place.  Inside, it feels like home.  We have breakfast every Saturday while we watch the kids play in the park.  All of the staff know us and remember the kid's names.  Saturday morning is just the best.

Main entry into Desa Park.  There are only 2 entries into the park, both gated.

This is the entry into our particular housing area...also gated.

Our car (the silver one, not the Porsche!).  Now with over 19,000 kilometers.

Our back porch

From the house, we can walk through the park to get to some restaurants and shops.

This is the outside of The Coffee Bean.  We eat here every Saturday for breakfast and it may be the most enjoyable part of our week.



From the Coffee Bean, we can look out to see this park where the kids play.  They have spent thousands of hours in this park.



The park includes a small lake.  Unfortunately, no fishing, no swimming, no feeding the fish, no remote control boats....just looking, I guess.

Our swimming pool.  Both William and Rebekah have learned to swim here.

Our front door is all the way back and to the left.

Looking out our bedroom window in the evening.