Total Damage: RM 165 (all-inclusive)
Heading into Malaysia towns and islands can be pretty cool actually, and not to mention we Singaporeans will be able to take advantage of the 1:3 ratio currency value. I try to condense my spendings as much as possible when I'm travelling. It's worth the experience, to venture into new places and still be well, technically speaking overseas. Took a little roadtrip to Cherating, Kuantan in Pahang this time, with my dorm mate, John Easton from The Frame Guesthouse in Penang (read my last post) for a surfing escapade. Earned some pretty awkward tanlines from hours of surfing and exploring around the beach.
When you put yourself on the clock, that's when you have the sense of urgency and enthusiasm to make the most out of the short time you have there, and thinking back, that's the mentality I had when I was at Pulau Pangkor and Penang (check my previous posts). It doesn't mean that it has to be rushed trip, but a trip whereby you pioritize the time to focus on the big picture rather than the nitty gritty. Rule of thumb: Expect nothing and be open to what comes to you. A word of caution here despite what I just said, BE OBSERVENT AND GUT INSTINCT will be your best friend when you make decisions, especially when you're alone.
Cherating is a 30-40 drive away from the Kuantan bus terminal and you can get a ticket from the bus ticketing counter to Kuala Terraganu (RM 19.70) and ask the driver to drop you off en route (Important: tell them exactly where you want to be drop off) , which beats taking a taxi ride (not all taxis use meters so be careful for exorbitant charges especially when you are a tourist (RM 50-90), which is why I prefer hitching a ride or taking a bus. TIP: Always go for the nightrider, it will save you tons of unnecessary time since you can rest on the go. Took a Transnational bus to Kuantan from The Plaza at Beach Road, this ride will probably be the steepest cost that you incur (SGD 34.70). There is an alternative option which is to get a bus from Larkin Terminal in JB which is cheaper but I don't think the hassle is well worth the extra mile. It takes about 7 hrs to reach Cherating, disregarding the waiting times. In summary, The Plaza @ Beach Road > Kuantan > enroute drop off at Cherating. I dropped off at Residence Inn Cherating bus stop where John Easton picked me up. If you don't mind the longer ride, Kuala Terrenganu is actually a better option to surf since it is technically a swell magnet and the beaches are prettier as well. I don't really have much time to spare on hand, so Cherating will make do.
Just a side note: Most tourists usually head to Cub Med, a luxurious resort ahead from the place where I alighted. It seems like it has pretty great reviews from TripAdvisor.com and the Instagram images are really pretty, so go ahead if you are willing to splurge a little more.
Accomodation was covered by John since I'm just staying for a night. It was RM30 for a night for a mini bungalow with two single seperate beds, without airconditioning. Prepare to be rape by mosquitos in Cherating, I am not joking about this. We stayed at Maznah Guesthouse, they have basic amenities and a communal toilet, but keep your expectations low. It was hot at first then it gets increasingly chilly deeper in the night. I was actually hugging myself when I woke up while John had the blanket. Pfft.
Had dinner at Don't Tell Mama Eco bar, where they serve homely western food, think burgers/sandwiches and beers by the beach. It was pretty decent and I was starving since I didn't had anything to eat until dinner. I had Beef Bacon sandwich with fries (RM18) while John had fish sandwich with fries (RM18) Was initially planning to head to the fireflies river cruise (RM25) but the operator suspended the tour as there hasn't been many fireflies for the past couple of days due to the weather. We went to walk along the beach instead and catch up along the way, it was pretty cool to hear the waves upclose and soak your feet in the water.
Woke up at 6 AM the next morning to catch the first light which is at 6:34 AM and sunrise was at 7:05AM.
The clouds were covering the sun so we decided to do a little exploration through a construction site. it was a little tricky to climb up the pile of cement and clay, my slippers sunk in a couple of times. Well, the effort was well-worth, with the picturesque view of the waves crashing and unspoiled nature was pretty hard to find. It was quite a sight to withhold, distinct from the main beach. Did some pretty solid handstands and rock climb up a mini rock structure by the shore.
We literally climbed over that mountain of cement and sand to get to the other side.
We had Roti Canai for breakfast near the guesthouse after the sunrise escapade. It's similar to Roti Prata we have in Singapore, but the gravy tasted less than curry but more than soup? Complicated much. Went back to the guesthouse to change into our surfing outfits before heading to the beach once more.
The waves will be at its peak at around 1130 AM and we rented a surf board at Kam's surf shack for half day at RM40. John gave me a crash course on surfing since he does the sport. There are actually mark taped on the board so just basically follow the lines. Pretty idiot-proof I would say. You got to paddle out pretty far from the shore area to catch the breaks. The hardest obstacle would actually be catching the right timing to catch the wave, it takes a little practice to get a hang of it. I managed to ride some waves through trial and error so it was pretty cool. Would be pretty handy to have a gopro though, I am convinced I need it. You'll see local kids doing surfs as well and they were pretty good. Cherating is actually known for their annual international surfing competitions in December as well.
Guess what is sex wax? Found out that it's actually a "specially formulated surf wax that you rub to coat the deck of a surfboard and provide traction between the surf." We thought that it was brazilian wax initially actually. HAHA had a good laugh about it.
Coincidence that our individual country's flags were stitched side by side.
And I'm off to surfing! Ridiculously blue skies in the afternoon.
We tried out acro yoga at an "island" which is actually a sand pile in the middle of the beach. It was pretty fun to experiment around with the different poses and all and getting some stretches in the process.
It was blue skies when we were facing the sea and cloudy skies when we were facing the village area.
Got a little hungry after 4 hrs of surfing and we headed to Duyong Seafood Restaurant to grab a late lunch. Pretty much tze char style, we ordered sizzling tofu hot plate, stir fried bok choy, claypot fish head and Tom Yum soup. (RM39.40)
After we washed up, we went to a massage place at Little Bali near our accomodation to soothe our aching muscles from all the paddling. (RM 65 for thai massage and RM75 for oil massage) The oil massage was pretty ordinary but it was good enough for relaxing the muscles, especially since I have tight calves from all the running and swimming.
Headed for a sunset walk afterwards, before heading on a long walk to grab dinner at Intan Seafood. We ordered "Fish squid Crab Prawn fried rice' for sharing (RM29) . It came pretty unexpectedly literally which was pretty amusing.
Sunburnt faces. :3
Took a little night walk by the beach after dinner and packed up to leave in 10 min before heading to meet Rosli at Little Bali, whom we met this morning. I'll write about my hitch stories next time.
Goodbye, John. To more adventures in UK! :)
Technically speaking, I hitched a ride to drive myself back from Kuantan to the border? Meandering through pitch dark roads and highways at such intense speed last night, cruising is actually an understatement. Fast pace, switching lanes literally. 7 hrs drive on the road isn't a drive by, I wasn't prepared to be complacent despite feeling the lethargy after driving for hours on end. Never have I used the high beams and accelerator to its fullest potential. Still managed to make it to 830 am lectures nevertheless but pretty much gave up by 11 AM. Pretty surreal what I just put myself through, came out of the car thinking WTF just happened. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone though, it's pretty dangerous thinking back about it, I'm pretty lucky I got out unscathed. #24hrroadtrip