Perhentian Islands and Kota Bahru

Perhentian Islands

We had booked into the 'Watercolours Paradise Resort' on Perhentian Besar for two nights. Our first two choices of accommodation on the island were fully booked but this one had good reviews and was cheaper. It also had a dive shop and was reputed to have a good restaurant.

The next morning we brought ferry tickets from an office near the jetty which also had garage space where we could store the bikes. Then it was a case of sitting on the jetty waiting to get onto a boat. It all seemed a bit haphazard, but eventually the man on the gate beckoned us and we got onto a boat with three other Europeans.

The boat journey over to the islands was 'exhilarating' (Karen), 'uncomfortable' (Steve). It was a speed boat and as there was a fresh wind it bounced over the swell, landing with a thud each time. At the island a smaller boat came out to ferry us to the resort. We had a 'garden view' room, one of three rooms in a small bungalow set at the edge of the jungle. The resort was well run with friendly staff and the restaurant lived up to its reputation with good food and reasonable (for a holiday resort) prices. They even had beer.

In the morning Steve went for a dive. He was slightly disappointed, as the coral here in the South China Sea is not a patch on the reefs at Negros Oriental and there was not such a great variety of fish. There has been a lot of damage to the reef from rising sea temperatures and fishing but on several snorkeling trips we saw evidence of regeneration and some lovely patches of reef. It was thrilling to see large shoals of fish of all sizes from about 1cm to 30cm as well as sharks, small rays, barracuda and moray eels.

On the last day we got a water taxi to 'Turtle Bay' about 10mins ride away. This bay has no resorts on it and is an important turtle egg-laying beach. Visitors are only allowed there until 3pm each day to prevent the laying turtles being disturbed.

On the beach were the tracks of two turtles who had laid eggs the night before. It was like a beach out of a tour brochure, warm white sand, clear turquoise sea and impenetrable jungle surrounding it.

Kuala Besut to Kota Bahru - 58km

All too soon it was time to get the ferry back to the mainland. This time there was a Malaysian family with a small child on board so the boat went much more slowly. Unfortunately the engine didn't seem to like this and one of the engines failed half way back. So it went even slower after that.

Back on the mainland we had our first taste of the local delicacy, Nasi Kerabu. Blue rice with dried fish, pickled egg, bean sprouts, diced herbs and coconut, a strange combination of colours and tastes. The late departure meant it was very hot and the sun was relentless. We had both developed sore, blistered patches on our thumbs and index fingers which could be a linked to the doxycycline we are taking as an anti-malarial.

The road into Kota Bahru was very busy and there were roadworks causing problems on the way in. The sat nav once again took us the wrong way up a one way road but eventually we found a hotel within our budget. Just as we began unloading the bikes a man came up to us and suggested trying the KB Backpackers next door which has just been refurbished and had rooms for 20RM less.

That evening we walked down the road to find somewhere to eat. All three of the suggestions in Lonely Planet had closed down so we joined another couple, also armed with their Lonely Planet and found a good Chinese which served beer.

Kota Bahru Central Market

The next day was set aside to get our Thai visas. After doing the paperwork and handing in our passports we spent the rest of the day sight-seeing which was even more tiring than cycling in the intense heat. The Central Market was interesting and colourful, food on the ground floor, spices and herbs on the first and traditional clothing and crafts on the second. We brought a couple of woven 'Coolie' style sun hats to wear on the bikes to keep the sun off our heads.

Istana Jahar

The Istana Jahar Museum was an attractive building and had displays and explanations of various Malay rituals. After that we went to the the old Bank Karapu building which now houses an exhibition charting the history of the 1^st and 2^nd World Wars and their impact on Malaysia. Later parts of the exhibition talk about the periods of rule by the British, Japanese and Thais as well as Malaysia's development into a modern multicultural, Islamic state.