It was three or four weeks ago, I think, when a form5 pal of mine — Bernard called me on Thursday.
“Yuan Wu, you free this Saturday to Monday?”
“Yeah, I’m free. Pangkor, right? Pak Cheong mentioned it on Tuesday.”
“So, you going or not?”
“OK, I’m coming.”
Not that I’ve not been to Pulau Pangkor. But I’ve never been to Pulau Pangkor with a bunch of friends. So off we took a bus to Lumut on that fateful Saturday morning. ‘We’ includes Woei Foo, Sunny his elder brother, Bernard, Pak Cheong and me.
If it were up to me, I would not have chosen Pangkor as our destination. It’s nothing more than an island with beaches. Allow me to complain a bit, the sand on the particular beach I visited was quite coarse, not much food available, and the sea was not as clear as you’d expect from a resort island. Sure, it was a lot better than Port Dickson. But anyone who has been to PD would know that PD’s beaches are never(and can never be) a standard to compare to. Verdict for Pangkor: close but no cigar.
The trip could have been quite a boring trip, if not for Sunny. Hah! That guy deserves my salute. First day in Pangkor, the fella kept chanting the “We are the beach boys” mantra. And he made that an excuse to perform all kind of stuff that people would deem crazy if not for the fact that we were tourists.
Ah, another complain from me: no sun bathing Caucasian chics on the beaches! Darn! Nothing to feast my eyes with.
One of the highlights of the trip was that we went snorkeling on a nearby island — Coral Island. Not exactly an island, but a stone the size of football field with trees, and a beach the size of a tennis court. The boat stopped us at the beach, then we had to swim around to the opposite side of the island to snorkel.
No small feat considering we were swimming against the current in the middle of the sea. What more Sunny and Pak Cheong were never swimmers to begin with. (OK…OK… so what if we were wearing life jackets. But let me just tell you: swimming with someone tugging behind you is… phew — tiring) It took us about 15-20 minutes to reach the other side.
After snorkeling for an hour or so, we swam back to the beach. Now the current was with us. What we did was we took off our life jackets and open it flat. Then we sat in it, floating and sun bathing right in the middle of the sea.
Went back to the hotel feeling happy and hungry. While I was practically swallowing my Maggi goreng at a mamak stall, someone called me out. I turned and there it stood Lim Siang. I just visited him in Penang a week ago and now I met in Pangkor. I seems he was here with his family. Haha… so happy.
Another thing(or rather a person) to complain about. I wonder why he so wanted to come to Pangkor only for us to persuade him join our beach activities. He skipped the banana boat, didn’t really snorkel, and refused to eat when our budget went over for RM 50 (200 was the budget). Arrgh! We should’ve gone to Penang instead.
In the end, all’s well, ends well. It was a great trip nevertheless. I’d still recommend it for those on a budget who don’t want huge crowds on the beach.
And don’t bother with my complains. It’s just my inane rantings.
Yours Sincerely,
the VAcationist.
P.S. Is it still too long? Read it, for god’s sake, even if you think it’s crap. I’m desperate. Speaking of desperate, I’d like to promote a bit… I’m S.A.D. — single, available & desperate.
