Another day in Paradise

Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia

Thinking about my stay here, I have to think about the line from the famous song by Phil Collins:
"It's just another day for you and me in paradise."
After my stay in Taman Negara was unexpectedly cut short I decided to follow the general flow of travelers here, a fairly newly developed group of islands in the northeast of Malaysia (I know, my route is slightly stupid going back north). I planned to stay here for about five days if the weather was nice here (sceptical voice) and then move on. Like in the song I ended up extending and extending my stay a day at a time until four or five nights had become almost twice as much.
And paradise it really is and was. If ever I saw one. The weather: gorgeous - there's no other word to describe it. Imagine brilliant sun every day, blue sky, mere whisps of white clouds and towards evening sometimes a slight breeze to cool things down a bit. The islands were no less amazing: Crystal clear water (literally!) that when viewed at an angle appears azure blue or tuquoise green, white sand, palm trees (beware the coconuts!) and in between a few chalets (the smaller island is not so developed yet, so things are beautifully basic). It took my breath away the moment I stepped off the boat at the jetty and first surveilled Coral Bay. I'm sure there were little bells tinkling. And the great thing is: if you're not an enthusiastic diver there is not so much to do, so you can't fill your day with activities and that forces you to relax.
And that was exactly what I came here for. Kayaking along the coastline of the island (exercise!) I spotted even more amazing beaches - the literal deserted strips of sand that you fantasise about when you hear about tropical islands. I couldn't resist stripping off and enjoying the sun for a while - au naturel. Well, it didn't all go smoothly. The beaches here suffer from similar problems as the ones on Kho Lanta: rubbish. Left by irresponsible tourists or careless locals. In the end I couldn't stand it any more and loaded some of it into my boat on the way back. Then once when approaching the beach I underestimated the current and surf I had to pass through and my little boat capsised dumping me unceremoniously on rocks and shallow water (no worries, just a few scratches). A bathing couple just stared.
I also went snorkeling which is just amazing in this kind of water. We saw sharks, swift and elegant, great turtles, majestic, and swarms of colourful fish against the backdrop of coral reefs. And all that just a few meters under the surface! The marine life is dazzling. The downside we felt and saw when at night our boat hit something in the water when just the day before we had seen a turtle with an injured flipper. The local boatmen gun their craft at such speeds that neither turtles nor boatmen have a chance to avoid the collision. It might do well to have that regulated.
Then, on my final day, I even gave in to all the people telling me about it and went scuba diving. This was an introductory lesson to get a taste of diving. The teacher was Steffen, who's a really competent professional when it comes to diving and teaching, and a fun person to chat with also ("divers, move your ass, please"), so I want to recommend his school. We just went around the jetty but it was still a step into another world. After being a bit uncomfortable under water I got used to it and was already a bit disappointed when it was time to go back on land (and tired because on land the gear is f**king heavy!).
What else? Oh yes, even though after my last big piss-up in China I should have known better I went for drinks again. Vodka this time - alcohol is limited because this is technically a strictly Muslim state. I don't know which devil rode me (a German expression) but some way through the fourth bottle (between the five of us) I remember sitting and drinking, then nothing, then retching in the sand, then nothing, then coming back to with someone calling my name. At that point I was lying spread-eagled in the sand. People needed me to light the way back with my torch. Not easy if you have an alcohol-induced emotional crisis. Sorry people! The next day I felt to way I looked, everything felt slow and mellow. I ate cautiously and swore (like before) never to drink again. This later became "never to drink vodka again", which then a few days later became "never to drink that much vodka again". When we had another drinking evening. Honestly, I drink for sociable reasons, I truly loathe vodka.
Finally, a word to those that claim October is too late to come here because everything will be closed or the weather shit. Wrong and wrong. Come here during the first three weeks of October and things will be quiet since there are much fewer tourists, prices will be lower (almost by 50%), the weather, as mentioned above, is still breath-taking and there are enough places open to be able to choose. I know from now on I won't do high season ever. October is the month! And if you don't know where to stay then stay at Maya Chalets (Karimah and her husband are very nice) and go for the diving tour with Matt, Karimah's brother-in-law. 'Nuff said.
I've rarely on this trip been in a place and with people that grew on me so much. In the end, I would announce my leaving in the morning and change my mind after breakfast. Then I gave up announcements and just stayed. Nine and a half days.