Aloha!

Trip to Pulau Besar, Johor (27 Feb 09 - 01 Mar 09)

2009-03-01T05:08:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder why I like islands in Johor so much? Well, the reasons are pretty simple. First of all, they are near to my current working area, which take less then 2 hours driving time to reach the main jetty. Secondly, most of the islands in this place remain untouched. Though the real excitement is somewhat further away (3 hrs boat ride), you may as well take a short boat trip to places where total relax is definitely possible. If true getaway and tranquility is what you are looking for, I strongly recommend you to spend some time and study about this place.

This time, I have chosen Pulau Besar. Together with me was my frequent island travel companion - Eying. I have long known about this place through online sources and peer review. And now, I am about to tell you how great this place really is. Apart from relaxation, I have also found a new piece of history (at least for me) on this island. Many thanks to our friendly boat captain.

If you are looking for a chance to experience the local laid-back cottage style of living yet longing for a beautiful sea view with friendly people around, Pulau Besar is definitely the right answer for you.

Clear sea and windy breeze is good for relaxation

Pulau Besar locates around 13km from the mainland, which takes around 20 minutes boat ride to reach. Previously, this island was called Pulau Babi Besar due to the frequent encounter of wild boar on this island. Nevertheless, people currently dropped the word "Babi" and prefer the naming of Pulau Besar for this island.

We stayed in the Mirage Island Resort throughout our days on the island. On the first sight, the main part of this resort that attract me was its simple, and nice architecture. The people in this place was very friendly, and not forgetting the beautiful sea view in front of the resort. The scenery was good enough for me to laze on the sandy beach while finishing the last page of my "long lasting" novel.

Here are some photos taken in our trip...

Greens at the seaside

Sea view in front of our dine table

The sea was a little rough in the morning, but just nice for me to do my favorite exercise

Our humble little hut

Now back to the history part of this island... I have been told by the people in this resort that this island was once a jungle training camp site for the British 18th Signal Regiment date back in year 1960's. Thanks to the generous boat captain, I have managed to trace a little about this part of story.

Mirage was built on the same piece of land occupied by the 18th Signal Regiment

A closer look on the jungle training camp

Long time ago...

Also, an intro on this jungle training camp extracted from a lengthy script owned by boat captain.
"
18th Signal Regiment was a British Army communications unit based in Singapore until the withdrawal of British Forces in 1971. Located in Princess Mary Barracks in the Dover Road (Now the campus of Singapore Polytechnic) it provided communications for Headquarters Far East Land Forces the main British Army headquarters in Tanglin (Now Dempsey Hill)
...
All personnel in the regiment were required to be trained in jungle warfare techniques and once a year a training camp was run to conduct intensive training. For three consecutive years, in 1967, 1968, and 1969 this camp was based on Pulau Babi Besar (now Pulau Besar). The camp was established for two months in June and July each year and was called Exercise Evergreen.
"
I think that's all I could bring to you for the time being. If you wish to pay a visit to Mirage Island Resort, do email to mirageislandresort[at]gmail.com for more information. Chris is very kind and friendly to answer all your request.

Till we travel again, bye!

Just some little thing to share...

2008-08-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well last week I have had a chance to travel back to my home town again. It was a casual journey which we left all of our "hard work" behind and spent most of our days for nothing. However, we do went around for no reason (again!). This time we went to Pantai Kemasik (Kemasik, Terengganu) for a brisk walk. The beach was a little out of my expectation but in overall, it's still ok. The wave was strong in this place due to sand erosion, which make me feel that it is really not a good idea to swim here. Here are some of the photo taken at the seaside....

Seaside of Pantai Kemasik

The difference in tone tells the depth...

Well... the yellowish coarse-grain sand

Eunice and my mum...

Fishing boats...

And here are Eunice and me...

Other than hanging around in my hometown, I did spent some time to make a video clip on our previous trip to Pulau Rawa....

Our previous trip to Pulau Rawa (click here to open)

That's all for the time being, till we bring up something new again!
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Having good time in Pulau Rawa (04-06 May 2008)

2008-05-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

This time I have a chance to spend my days in Pulau Rawa for a 3 days 2 nights trip together with Eunice. Though we have heard about this island plenty of times in the past, this was the first time we have really experienced its wonderfulness. It was unexpectedly amazing. The island is blessed with an offshore coral reef at some 20 steps walking-distance from the beach, and abundance of marine life. I was very much amazed by the living corals, both soft and hard types. Everything on this island was really impressive.

We stayed in Le Club Rawa during our days on the island. This place is completely different as compared with other resorts that I have been staying before. It is somehow simple but peaceful, making it a perfect choice for a relaxed getaway. No timetables exist in this place, and what we really have was the ultimate freedom to get ourselves indulged in the beauty of this island. People here are friendly, and the sea view is superb. Le Club Rawa is definitely your choice if you are looking for a laid-back paradise.

Sea view in front of Le Club Rawa

Above all, you can really do anything you like on this island and nobody really bothers you. You can snorkel around the island at your own pace or keep resting on the white sandy beach as you wish. A snorkeling trip around the island was rewarding and you should really try it when you were there. The beauty of corals was really exposed in front of your eyes when the tide gets low. There were plenty of colorful living corals and some soft blue corals as well. I have spotted a lot of marines (stingray, parrot fish, needle fish, nemo, etc) over there.

Here are some photo taken on the island, hope you enjoy it!

The only jetty on Pulau Rawa

Corals seen from the jetty

The left-most semi bungalow is the place we stayed

I was sitting on my bed when I took this picture

Another side of the island...

Scenery on top of Pulau Rawa

The cafe of Le Club Rawa... the food served was really nice

Eunice and the fishes

Getting prepared for snorkeling

Snorkeling in the crystal clear sea water

A shot taken in the evening time

I truly wish them happiness forever!

That’s all for the time being... All in all, it is really a place where you can leave your worries behind, and get cured by its true serenity. One word to conclude – splendid!

We went to Lang Tengah Island off Terengganu

2008-04-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in my previous post, we are traveling again. This time we went to the Lang Tengah Island off the state of Terengganu, which laid side-by-side between Redang and Perhentian island. This trip was simple but filled with a lot of fun. It began on 29 March when we rent in the Redang Lang Island Resort for 3 days 2 nights. The resort was really a simple one as compared to the one that I been spending my days when I was in Pulau Redang. But somehow, chemistry makes the trip enjoyable. Simplicity can be a good thing sometime.

Staying in this resort enjoys the beautiful sea view right in front of the chalet, which is pretty attractive for me. The resort owner was kind and generous and, above all, it is worth mentioning that their guides are really friendly and helpful as well. The food served in this resort is okay if you don't expect exclusiveness. In overall, this resort is a perfect destination if you wish to take a break from the hectic life of working.

We took several snorkeling trip around the island, which is a must-do for a dedicated island traveler. Of course, as we always do, some are planned (e.g., snorkeling at the Redang marine park and round-island snorkeling trip... as included in our package) and some are so-called "private". Though discovery when snorkeling around this island was not much as those that I have met in Pulau Redang but in overall, we managed to encounter abundance of colorful fishes and soft corals (especially blue coral) near the stone area left hand side of the resort. I got my body surrounded by schools of fishes over there, which was really amazing.

Here are some photos taken during the trip, hope you enjoy it!

A school of fish welcoming our arrival

Beautiful sea view in front of our resort

Crystal clear sea water

Mike, Tebbie, Summer and me

This is another side of the island, you need to do some jungle walk to reach here

The deep blue South China Sea... far in front is the Pulau Redang

We call this guy spiderman for his great skills of rock climbing

A shot taken in the evening time...

So long uncle Boon.. not sure bout others but I'll surely be back!

That's all for the time being... would like to thank Summer, Tebbie, Mike, and all other friends that we have met on the island for making the trip a wonderful one. Also, my appreciation to Ted for his Canon Ixus 60.
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Turtle Sanctuary in Cherating Beach

2008-03-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

I went back to my home town with Eunice last few days (March 7-9, 2008) for a great event of the nation. Nothing much has changed over there, and we managed to spend some time to visit some tourist spots in Cherating beach (which I've always do for no reason). I have been told that now is the holiday season for Portugal and Japan. So we have managed to meet some of them in Cherating Beach.

We went to the turtle sanctuary located next to Club Med Cherating. I've been told by their workers that it is now a good time to see turtle laying egg (or turtle "egging" season in Bryglish). There we have seen some baby turtles which will soon be released to the sea. According to their workers, a lot of baby turtle will be released sometime in August as well.

So if you like to see turtle laying eggs, do pay a visit to that sanctuary this time. However, their actual egg laying time-table is not known to any of us, so it strongly depends on your luck to meet "them".

Sea view of Cherating Beach

Baby turtle waiting to be released

I always wish to "name" this thing... can somebody help me?

That's all for now, will have more exciting news to all of you soon!!! We will be traveling again end of this month... see ya!

I went to Pulau Redang last August...

2008-01-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

After many times of being forgetful, at last I've managed to "korek" these pictures from my Sensei. It was taken during our (my NDSB friends and I) last visit to Pulau Redang, Terengganu during 6-8 August, 2007 and it was really an unforgettable trip. These people makes a perfect team actually. It was a peak season as I recall, and we really have fun over there. I was amazed by its sugary white sand and crystal clear water. The underwater-world was very attractive and we've managed to see some baby sharks and turtle. The island was a bit packed with tourists during that time, which make the trip a little disgraceful. But in overall it was a very nice memory. Here are the photos taken during our trip. Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers... we are from NDSB!!!

Sea view from Laguna Resort (Left hand side)

Sea view from Laguna Resort (Right hand side)

The "More-More Tea" Inn

this is our "private" snorkelling attempt, where we saw baby sharks!

The white sandy beach was really awesome!

How come they didn't noticed that I was behind them??

and how come I didn't notice that somebody was taking my picture???

The lovely couple...

Aunt Julliete, she plays piano really well

Taking our evening walk... which one is me?

Beach volleyball game

and the "middle-man" is my Sensei, a great martial-artist and musician, probably the greatest person I've ever met!

That's all for the time being, hope you enjoy it!

One Golden Celebration

2008-01-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

I found this song really interesting since the first time I hear it. In fact, it is our theme song for "Visit Malaysia 2007" program. Well the best thing about the song is that, it is full of emotion and really presented a harmonious feel of our country. In fact, I like its mix of both contemporary and traditional sounds, which has really been made wonderfully. Particularly the traditional music (Dikir Barat, etc), which is the sounds that Malaysians have grown up with... a sound that is truly our heritage.

You can access the song from Youtube here.

Lyrics : One Golden Celebration
Music by: Kieran Kuek
Lyrics by: Paul Lingan & Kieran Kuek

Malaysia

There’s a place not far away
Different faces yet all the same
With a million dreams
In one golden celebration

Malaysia

It’s the place for us to be
It’s the time to feel so free
With a million smiles
In one golden celebration

Malaysia

Come and spread your wings
There’s so much to see
There’s a million colours
Right before your eyes
It’s one golden celebration

Come and spread your wings
There’s so much to see
There’s a million colours
Right before your eyes

It’s time to celebrate
It’s one golden celebration

Mari Adik Adik
Mari Abang Abang
Mari Ramai Ramai
Mari Bergembira

Mari Adik Adik
Mari Abang Abang
Mari Ramai Ramai
Mari Bergembira

Feel the magic in the air
Every moment and everywhere
With a million thrills
In one golden celebration

Malaysia

A million colours, a million dreams
A million smiles and a million thrills
For you and me
In one golden celebration

Malaysia

Spread your wings
And take your flight
One celebration
One delight
It’s the time for us to be
One golden moment for you and me

A million colours , a million dreams
A million smiles, a million thrills
It’s the time for us to be
One golden moment for you and me

Come and spread your wings
There’s so much to see
There’s a million colours
Right before your eyes
It’s one golden celebration

Come and spread your wings
There’s so much to see
There’s a million colours
Right before your eyes

It’s time to celebrate
One golden celebration
(Malaysia)
It’s time to celebrate
It’s one golden celebration

Mari Adik Adik
Mari Abang Abang
Mari Ramai Ramai
Mari Bergembira

Celebration

Mari Adik Adik
Mari Abang Abang
Mari Ramai Ramai
Mari Bergembira

Malaysia truly Asia

Trip to East Coast (8-14 December, 2007)

2007-12-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Other than having fun on its beautiful islands surrounded by crystal clear water, what else can we do while traveling to the east coast? I have been wondering about this for a long time. Finally, I've managed to spend my time there during the last couple of weeks. Perhaps, you may be asking why travel to the main land, isn’t that CiT an island traveling team? Of course it is, but due to the adverse weather in east coast at this time (monsoon season), we would just visit some “tourist spot” in the main land. This time we have our big brother Ted with us.

This trip was actually suggested by Ted, who has been called for presentation in a conference somewhere in Cherating bay. We decided to start from there. The trip started as Ted came to meet me a day earlier than the starting date of his conference. We rent in a resort and spent a few days over there. It was a windy afternoon, and we have decided to do our warm-up in Cherating. Days later, we move north to the state of Terengganu and Kelantan and stop by many stations along the way. The trip was really great and full of fun, and it deserves really a great deal to be written here. Here are some photograph taken during the trip. Well, let the pictures tell the story :)

Trip to East Coast Day 1 (Dec 8, 2007)

An evening walk in Cherating Beach

Souvenir hunt in Cherating Cultural Village (Part 1)

Souvenir hunt in Cherating Cultural Village (Part 2)

Trip to East Coast Day 2 (Dec 9, 2007)

A walk in Awana Kijal Resort

Tanjung Jara Resort, a truly paradise

Trip to East Coast Day 3 (Dec 10, 2007)

A morning scene from Cherating Beach

Otak-otak and Satar in Kuala Kemaman

Trip to East Coast Day 4 (Dec 11, 2007)

Teluk Cempedak Beach, Kuantan

Trip to East Coast Day 5 (Dec 12, 2007)

"Sunrise" in Cherating Beach

While waiting for the "sunrise"...

Having good time in Chendol Beach

Trip to East Coast Day 6 (Dec 13, 2007)

We stop by Marang Beach en route to K. Terengganu

Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah, the floating mosque

Exploring Pulau Duyong

State Muzium of Terengganu

China Town in K. Terengganu

Central Market near China Town

Captain Lim's Well

Other landmarks of K. Terengganu

Ice-Blended Fruit Juice in T. Hommade Cafe, K. Terengganu China Town

Trip to East Coast Day 7 (Dec 14, 2007)

Some landmark in Kota Bahru, Kelantan

Pangkalan Kubor Free-Trade Zone, KB Mall, and a temple in Tumpat

That's all about our trip to east coast, hope you enjoy it!