The One with the Island Getaway

With a day of travelling through the Malaysian Jungle on the hottest and stickiest train in history, we arrived in Kota Bharu, before setting off the next day to the idyll that is Perhentian Kecil.

I had been told how w0nderful these islands were but to be honest, our first impression of Coral Beach was not good as it looked as though there was an oil rig in the bay... once on the white sands, however, we didn't look back, and as luck would have it we couldn't see the workers (who are actually building a new jetty) from our tree house style room.

Instead this is the view in the day:

And then as the sun starts to set:

We spend lazy days relaxing reading adn drinking M and M Milkshakes (and yes they are as good as they sound), but the highlight had to be our days snorkelling.

Rod and I set off, in our little motorised boat with our guide, and our first stop is Shark Point. Arfter a disappointing 20 minute swim we finally start to see lots of black tip reef sharks swimming below us. They are fab!

Next up was turtle point where Rod and I followed a Big turtle, waiting for him to come up for breath. We got a great close up view of him.

Then there was the fish. At one stage I was totally surrounded. Literally every time you tried to swim you were touching fish they were that close (H - more than at that last snorkelling site on Whitsundays!)

We also stopped further out at sea to see some beautiful coral, and then headed to the Romantic Beach where I saw the most Nemo's I have ever seen on one Anemone! Well over 20 of various sizes on one small purple anemone!

Perhentian Kecil was a paradise, but sadly it also marked the end of the holiday with Rod... and from now on, I'm on my own...