Redang
Jun'98
Southern Pasir Panjang with Redang Bay and Redang Beach resorts predominantly visible on a long, uncluttered beach.
Last year's trip to Tioman had whetted our appetite for more island vacations. This year we looked forward to something more remote, pristine and less commercialized and Redang fitted the bill perfectly. It was further away, harder to get to, and few people knew about it - all the ingredients for an unspoilt tropical island paradise!
It's the June school holidays!
Time to visit the islands of the East Coast of Malaysia once again.
In the past year, Timothy, 8½, and Sarah, 6, had learnt to swim and snorkel and were now better
equipped to appreciate the underwater world. 'Knowledgeable sources' had
told us Redang was "much better than Tioman" with "plenty of fishes and
corals" and possible encounters with "whale sharks". What? A chance to see whale sharks?
Let's go!
Our encounters with 'sharks' (of the two-legged variety) began even before we arrived in Redang. With 2 young kids in tow and with Min Chuen and Angela joining us, we figured it was best to join a tour package to Redang from Singapore. We called, we surfed (the net), browsed travel adverts but found few tour operators that offered packages to Redang. Most offered tours to Tioman, Langkawi and other more popular islands. The few we found quoted prices way above what local Malaysian tour operators charged, and must have made a handsome profit since they booked directly from the Redang resorts too. In some cases, a RM600 package (about S$260) went for as much as S$450!
Following recommendations by friends, we contacted Alex Lee & Jo'an at Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours in Kuala Terengganu, and booked a 5D/4N package at Redang Bay Resort. They also helped us to book our coach tickets back to Singapore from KT. We had to find our own way to KT. Flying was not a good option as we would have to transit in KL, spend more and yet not save much time overall. Daunting as it seemed, the 10-hour overnight Transnasional coach was our best option. We had to book the Kota Bahru coach as the coach to KT was full.
7:30pm, Kallang Bharu coach terminal
This looked more like a
makeshift bus depot on unreclaimed land. Most people probably passed by
without realizing there was actually a coach terminal here. Why else
would Singapore Casket be used as a landmark to direct visitors here
("oh, it's opposite Singapore Casket across Lavender Street"). What a
grim sounding way to start a holiday!
A few hours later we were on the North-South highway on a comfortable 24-seater VIP coach, complete with TV, video and a McDonald's dinner to keep our eyes, ears and stomachs entertained. We had reminded the driver to let us off at KT as we didn't want to wake up in Kota Bharu. Turned out we needn't have worried as we weren't able to sleep anyway since they were driving so fast - every turn and pothole jolted us out of slumber. To make things worse, a thunderstorm broke out during the journey.
4 am and the bus pulled into KT station. "Kuala Terengganu", the driver called out. "Zzz... what?? Was my watch slow?" We had arrived at least an hour early! As the bus left, we realized a little nervously that we were standing in a bus station in the middle of the night with two sleepy kids in who-knows-where in KT (it was our first time there). One quick phone call later to Alex Lee at Ping Anchorage and his German friend (also named Alex) arrived in a white van to transport us to the Ping Anchorage office nearby. Actually, KT, like many other towns along the East Coast, is safe even at night. The locals are friendly, country folk with a great reputation for hospitality.
Ping Anchorage runs a Homestay where they also have their office. With another 2 to 3 hours before breakfast, Alex Lee graciously provided a room in which to put our things and rest. Later, we were driven to a coffee shop for breakfast, then transferred to Redang Bay's mainland office where we changed to shorts in preparation for the beach landing and to wait for the coach that would bring us to Merang Jetty. The trip to Merang was pleasant, passing scenic countryside along the Terengganu coast. After about an hour, the bus dropped us near a little bridge in what appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Crossing the road, we arrived at a run-down wooden jetty by the river. Welcome to Merang Jetty!
Passing the marine park centre at Pulau Pinang.
Redang!
The 24-seater speedboat wound its way slowly past quaint
fishing villages bustling with morning activities until it reached the
river mouth, then accelerated quickly and sped towards a group of
islands visible in the distance. About half an hour later, the
deeply-forested hills and ragged cliffs of Pulau Redang loomed before
us. The clear waters around us had turned turquoise and emerald in
places.
As we passed Tanjung Tengah, the boat turned to the left and there before us rested the long beautiful white sandy beaches of Pasir Panjang. The speedboat slowed down, lifted its engines out of the water and drifted as close to the beach as possible. Jumping into knee-deep waters with our backpacks and making our way up the beach towards Redang Bay Resort, we were amazed at the fine powdery white sand and clear waters. This was just as others had described and what we had read about. An island paradise!
Redang Bay resort, resort pool and beach overlooking Pulau Paku Kecil and Pulau Lima in the background.
Redang Bay Resort
The resort had that informal, friendly environment
much like a holiday camp. Our full-board package included all meals and free
use of their facilities (beach volleyball, karaoke, disco, outdoor pool,
small cinema hall, badminton courts, canoeing), free rental of
snorkelling masks, snorkels and fins. The staff were young, enthusiastic
and friendly, and to add to that campy atmosphere, visitor briefings
were given through a megaphone. A timetable was pasted in each room:
8:30 am: Breakfast
9:30 am: snorkelling / diving boat trip
1:00 pm: Lunch
2:30 pm: snorkelling / diving boat trip
4:30 pm: Tea
7:30 pm: Dinner
Our room was housed in a 2-storey hostel block. The air-conditioned room was sparsely furnished with only beds and nothing else - not even a cupboard, chair or table - but was clean and comfortable. The attached bathroom came with cold fresh water only (not for drinking as it was supposed to be underground or well water). This suited us fine since like most guests, we ended up spending most of our time out at sea or soaking up the sun on the beach.
Meals were served in the dining hall. Self-serve beverages (tea, coffee, Milo, water) and biscuits were available throughout the day at one corner of the hall. A BBQ dinner every alternate night ensured that even short-staying guests on 3D/2N packages would enjoy one BBQ dinner. Lunch and dinner were mainly 5-course local or Chinese-style dishes comprising soup, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit. Dishes were pre-apportioned and served at tables bearing names of guests. Breakfast and tea were buffets serving bread and jam as well as local fare like fried meehoon, doughnuts, hot desserts, fried rice and porridge. After each snorkelling session watching fishes go into a feeding frenzy, it's strange to come back for lunch or tea and watch humans go into a feeding frenzy! BBQ nights were the worst - arrive late and one gets only leftovers! The dining area had a TV with Astro satellite channels showing mainly World Cup '98 matches, and was the site for much screaming and jeering especially during live telecasts.
Marine park centre jetty, feeding the fishes and the giant moray under the jetty.
Snorkelling
With 2 boat trips a day, the snorkelling trips were
best left to those who do not suffer from seasickness. Slow, noisy fishing
boats headed for different snorkelling destinations and guests were pre-assigned
boats in such a way as to cover different destinations over
the duration of their stay. However, guests could choose to transfer
onto another boat if they desired. We had to wade out to the
fishing boats in deeper water as they could not get as close to shore as
the speedboats, but boatmen were there to lend a hand to those
struggling to get on or off. These helpful boatmen would also accompany
guests while snorkelling when assistance was required.
We were very impressed with the clarity of waters around Redang, so clear that we could see corals that were in waters 30 to 40 feet deep from the boat. At many different snorkelling sites, we consistently encountered abundant marine life in waters with visibility averaging 10 to 15 metres. The most common among these were the sergeant majors, damsels, parrotfish, wrasses, angelfish, butterflyfish, anthias, surgeonfish, needlefish, fusiliers and anemone fishes. We saw various hard and soft coral formations, although in some areas, El Nino had bleached (whitened) the corals. On a more painful note, we also encountered baby jellyfish, which were hard to spot at only 1-2 inches in diameter at the bell. These appeared over 2 days and disappeared just as suddenly. Well, at least the Stingose spray we brought was put to good use! We also noticed few urchins in Redang possibly due to the abundance of predatory reef life.
The Marine Park was another popular spot because of the abundance of fish life there and their 'star attractions', a resident giant grouper and giant moray eel that lived around the artificial reef beneath the jetty. We got to see the moray a few times as someone lured it out with fish. For the more adventurous, the shipwreck about 50m to the east of the jetty was home to a host of interesting marine residents.
The house reefs at Pasir Panjang were also great snorkelling destinations. We discovered that 'Shark Bay' just around the corner of the beach had a beautiful reef comprising mainly hard corals and a school of 8 resident baby black-tip sharks each about 2-3 feet in length. They would not let us get close but it was an experience swimming with them!
Sarah with Min Chuen and Angela, Timothy and Sarah at the beach in front of Redang Bay, our group at Redang 1998.
Back to KT
After 5D/4N of snorkelling, we reluctantly boarded
the afternoon speedboat back to KT. Our two friends had left a day earlier
and there were only 4 of us and 1 staff
from the resort on the boat which brought us directly back to KT
instead of Merang. On the way back, we encountered flying fishes
skimming over the wake of the boat as if to bid farewell. An hour later
the boat pulled up at the jetty behind the Redang Bay Resort office, and
a bus transferred us back to the Ping Anchorage office. We left our
things at the office and went shopping as we had a few hours to spare
before catching the night coach back to Singapore.
After a quick dinner, we returned to Ping Anchorage where we chatted with Alex Lee & Jo'an for awhile and learnt more about their company and vacations in Terengganu. All too soon, it was time to leave KT and Alex & Jo'an kindly sent us to the bus station.
Redang had left an indelible impression in our hearts. There was just something magical about snorkelling in waters teeming with fishes and other marine life. We had been bitten by the Redang love bug and thus began our affectionate relationship with this wonderful island paradise...
