My journey to another Malaysian jewel of the South China Sea kicked off at 12 midnight, sharp. It was rather awkward as the Marang-bound bus departed on time. This time, we're heading to Pulau Kapas via Marang, a sleepy coastal town on the banks of the Marang river. Kapas island may be unfamiliar to many of us. It's a tiny little island, measuring about 2 km in length and 1km in width situated 6km off the coast of Marang in Terengganu. Unlike neighbouring islands such as Redang and Perhentian, Kapas is not as commercialised and pack with tourists, the perfect destination to relax, unwind and simply do nothing. Contrary to our previous rendezvous to Perhentian, this time we were pretty last minute and unprepared. However, we were prepared for one thing and only one, a delayed journey. The last time we went to Perhentian, our bus got robbed which resulted in a 3 hour delay in the wee hours of the morning. Long story, so let's skip it. Fortunately, there wasn't any delay. In fact, we found ourselves in Cherating less than 3 hours after departing from the Hentian Putra bus terminal. It was slightly before the crack of dawn, about 5am, when we were dropped off by the bus driver in front of the Marang police station. We were totally lost and confuse as we were the only group that was heading to Marang while the rest carried on to Kuala Terengganu.
We walked about 200 yards till we reached a brightly lit mosque where we found a signboard leading to the Pulau Kapas Jetty. A sign of relief. As soon as we reached the jetty, we were totally shocked to find not a single person but plenty of cats. I was told that the first boat leaves for Pulau Kapas at 7am but the truth is, it leaves at 930am. So we waited on the bench surrounded by cats, accompanied by prayers from the nearby mosque. We felt very insecure as there was no one around to ask for directions and at the same time, no one to run to in any case of emergency.
waiting for someone to appear just before the crack of dawn
The good thing about the delay is that we actually got to witness the sunrise. I wouldn't say it's the best sunrise but it was a memorable one. All of us got so bored that we started snapping pictures. Alot of pictures.
judging by the pictures taken, you can actually figure how bored we were...
(photos courtesy of sean, june and obviously me)
Sunshine... sunrise...
The new price list for the boat transfer after the fuel hike. The difference between the slow boat and the fast boat is obviously its speed but honestly, there's not much of a difference. We, being the bargain freaks opted for the "medium" speed boat. lol. It didn't really exist but we bargained our way through and we got it for RM33 each on the fast boat. haha. Anyway, after waiting so long, it was time to fill out tummies with some local fare. There's no better way of doing that than indulging in some roti canai, nasi lemak, nasi dagang and a hot glass of teh tarik. All costing almost nothing if compared to KL. bliss.
the simple but exquisite nasi dagang
No, it's not the asian food channel
After killing so much time having breakfast and loitering around, we still had time to kill. Plenty of time to kill in fact. So, I did my usual "off the beaten track" adventure. Walked to the nearby village, snapped some pictures and I climbed up a purple-painted viewing tower to be rewarded by a panoramic view of surrounding Marang. As I made my way near the village, many of the villagers tend to give me a stare like I'm a martian from Mars which forced me to head back to the jetty. It's kinda strange as I've always thought that the locals love to welcome visitors.
Cute. So much cuter than a child
Our destination as seen from the viewing tower. So near, yet so far
This looks like a tsunami aftermath..
Finally about 930, we were whisked off to Paradise in a speedboat that weren't as fast as we thought it would be. Nevertheless, it allowed for some 'photography' sessions.
haha, no one looking at the camera
In the open seas. I like how the palm trees line the beaches on the east coast.
The traveling companions
Well, apart from bargaining, I actually requested to be dropped of at a particular beach instead of the over-commercialised beach which houses the Kapas Island Resort. Now that's a bargain! Malaysians being Malaysians, rules are meant to be broken. We actually observed a notice on the boat saying "Only 12 Passengers". However, as soon as we reached the first jetty, the boat operator actually brought more people on board. At one time there were more than 20 passengers on board. I feared another Tioman tragedy. To make matters worse, there were insufficient life jackets. Oh well, we are so getting off the next jetty.
...11, 12, 13,...
It kept increasing that we were pushed to one tiny corner of the boat
Paradise at last!
Again, fortunately, we made it to our destination in one piece. We jumped off the boat excitedly to land on white powdery sands greeted by the gentle morning wave of the South China Sea lapping itself one this tiny little haven. Now that's a warm welcome to a perfect getaway. We did not make any reservation coz' we wanted to explore the accommodations ourselves and get the best offer. Risky but worth it. We started off at Kapas Beach Chalet and we fell in love with the place immediately. This chalet is operated and owned by a Dutch guy by the name of Hans who made Terengganu his second home upon setting foot on the island a couple of years ago.(Not that difficult to imagine why) Not only it was cheap, it was warm and cosy. We got the basic room with a fan, 2 single beds, mosquito netting and an attached bathroom for RM35 a night. (Air conditioned rooms are a NO NO when traveling to these islands as you have the cool sea breeze) What more can we ask for? It went well with our budget and expectations. In addition to that, the staffs are very friendly and nice. Most of them in fact, are Caucasian backpackers that stopped by to earn some extra cash before heading out to other destinations. They really made us feel at home and shared many interesting stories with us. After unloading our bags we got ourselves changed in our attires and headed straight for the beach.
It was only about 10 in the morning but the sea was already as blue as those depicted in the postcards
Again, we chose the best time to visit Kapas; right after the school holidays. The result, a deserted beach, all for me and also better room rates.
Great picture made perfect by great shades.
The open-air lounge shaded by palm trees, furnished by swings and hammocks
Considering it's my first time at the beach with my brand new underwater camera, I figured it was time to put it to good use.
My first underwater shot in the sea. (I'm still quite blur with the features)
I've read a couple of journals posted by foreigners on the web and many of them recommended the beaches on the northern fringe of the island. It wasn't long till we decided to explore for ourselves what these pieces of paradise look like. We were guided by a platform over the rocky terrains that forms part of the perimeter of the island to get from one beach to another.
One of the many capes
Dead corals washed up on the beach
The perfect icon to a beachy holiday
A gorgeous-looking dead coral
We walked from one beach to another, each with its own allure and charm. Shortly after "beach hopping" (this island really have many beaches), we found ourselves at a perfect beach. The water was calm, boasting turquoise shades, the sand was soft and white and there were no sign of civilisation nearby.
We wanted to settle here and watch the day go by but we realised that we have yet to reach our actual destination as the there was another path leading up the hill.
Stairway to paradise
Sue and Jay led the pack, they walked up before us while we were busy snapping pictures as usual. Suddenly we heard a loud yell from Sue. We scurried our way up the stairs to be greeted by a magnificent view. The view was superb. Crystal clear waters in the foreground and Gem Island at the backdrop. It kept our cameras clicking.
The two dupreys got so excited that they took a dip even before the rest got down.
A few of us actually had difficulties coming down as the stairs were extremely steep, almost vertical at one point. I guess great things in life don't come easy. =P
yes, I joined the 2 dupreys
Groupies
God knows what this nomad is doing while everyone else were having splashing time. I simply put on my goggles, armed with my camera on one hand and dived in to the water for another round of "shooting spree"
Visibility was great. about 10 metres but the current was on a strong side.
Fishies
and more fishies. No sign of corals probably because the current is quite strong
After lazing around for sometime, we realised that we have yet to reach our destination again although the platform has already disappeared.. Thus, we had to walk in the sea to get to the other beach..
This is so not me but that's what we did in our quest for paradise...
footprints in the sand
Life's a beach.
Alast, we found ourselves at Safari Beach, one of the two best beaches in Kapas. We tried to get to Long Beach but it was high tide, making it too deep to walk. So the pareos are laid and the mp3 playlists are activated with the intention of wasting our day. We also did a little snorkelling at the shores where schools of fishes surround us like it was feeding time; just that we had nothing to offer in our hands. haha.
It soon passed midday and it was too hot so set out to the sea. Time really flies when you're on a holiday. Suddenly, everyone was fast asleep on their pareo except Jay and I. Well, as usual,Ii did my usual wandering around. Because the weather was perfect, the pictures turned out really good.
Being in Malaysia, the weather is unpredictable, it wasn't long till the dark clouds took over the blue skies. Afraid it was going to rain, we packed up and went back to the beach housing our chalet.
looks like lomography
It's strange that the weather on this part of the island was perfect. A few cotton clouds could be seen beyond the horizon but no sign of storm brewing. Perhaps that's how Kapas got its name. We then found some games at the gaming corner of KBC and decided to play the childhood game of 'run home'. Spent most of our time kicking each other home that the game lasted longer than usual but it brought back fond childhood memories. This was followed by a game of frisbee and simple volleyball till the sun set and surrender the day to the moon.
As the sun set, our tummies began to rumble as we realised it was dinner time. We had a simple dinner at KBC, spending the rest of the night playing cards and walking on the beach. It's weird how we can't find time to do such simple yet satisfying activities back home in KL.
My first lightning shot.
We were planning to do some serious kayaking the next day so we went to bed early that night. The next morning we woke up at a reasonable time of 8am. June slept like a pig as usual while the rest of us had breakfast. lol.
Kayaking!
I placed my camera underwater while kayaking to snap some random pictures..
...That was before I saw this jellyfish. To our dismay, the sea was infested with jellyfish as it was the month where the turtles shy the coast of Terengganu.
We were pretty ambitious and energetic that we decided to kayak all the way to Gemia Island. Gemia Island is actually a private island housing the Gem Island Resort situated nearby Kapas. It's quite similar to Pangkor and its Pangkor Laut just that Gemia Island is way more affordable.
Some natural formation found on the boulders on Gemia Island
The infinity pool
One of the main reasons why we actually kayaked to Gemia is to visit its turtle sanctuary and if we're lucky, release some hatchlings into the sea. I guess we were a little late that the hatchlings had already began their journey into adulthood, drifting across the South China Sea. Another highlight of the island was the Coral Garden North of the Island. However, as mentioned earlier, the sea was infested with jellyfishes so we wandered around the island, lazing on the hammocks appreciating the setting.
Western Beach
northern beach
Looks peaceful, serene and lavish but it's only a 200++ one night. But the best way to enjoy an island getaway is to stay in wooden chalets by the beach which cost almost nothing.
The eastern beach in which we landed our kayaks.
The calm waters on the channel
Once again, we kayaked across the channel separating Kapas and Gemia Island. This time we were heading to Long Beach. It's strange how almost every single island has a Long Beach namely Perhentian, Redang and recently, Kapas. But unlike the formers, the latter has nothing in common. It's perfectly desserted and untouched. Not a single sign of destruction can be observed. Words simply can't describe the beauty and serenity of the beach. I'm almost speechless when it comes to describing it so the pictures shall paint the thousand words. Still, the most popular attraction of Long Beach lies beneath its surface, that is the marine life under the sea.
Haven
paradise
Again, there were plenty of jellyfishes, sowe only snorkelled along the shore. Because we were only at the shores, we had to bring down our expectations as usually only the dead corals get washed up. Yet, there was a fair share of marine life that kept me amazed.
brown giant clam
Somehow, they are everywhere and almost anywhere
staghorn coral
anemones
and more anemones
brain coral
brown giant clam#2
blue giant clam
Unknown school of fish swimming past us
There weren't many colourful fishes as I expected which kinda left me a little disappointed but we can't ask for much due to the conditions of the sea. That was before we realised the fishes are hiding between the corals like these clown fishes.
a shy clown fish
It wasn't easy taking pictures of the fishes as the waves kept me turning and whirling around and they tend to shy away from my camera.
A coral in which I don't know its name
A slug?
Don't know what this is too but it looks like an underwater raflessia bloom
More nemos
and more nemos
*no nemos were hurt or displaced throughout the photography session*
against animal cruelty
=)
nice...
Halfway snorkelling, sean injured his leg TWICE as a result from brushing against some of the corals. So we had to kayak back which marked an end to our snorkelling trip. Met up with Sue who didn't dare to join us snorkelling after her experience in Perhentian. She was sun basking on a quiet beach with 2 caucasian couples that set up a tent on the beach. how nice.
life's a beach
JUNE IN BIKINI.
(I hope everyone sees this)
coconut
hehehe
I just had to do this..
postcard perfect
After lazing around and frolicking on the beach, it was getting too hot and we were getting hungry at the same time. We walked to the South-western part of the island to look for any eating establishments that would enlighten us. Sadly almost everything was close except for one.
A hot sunny afternoon
A perfectly empty beach
This resort actually has its own restaurant that welcome outsiders unlike the neighbouring Kapas Island Resort. After spending the whole day in the sea... you can tell that we were prety hungry. The good thing was we were rewarded wit ha sumptuous meal by the beach accompanied by the sea breeze and the heat from the afternoon sun. We quenched our thirst with nature's very best; mineral water that cost us nothing because they forgotten to bill us. (I actually remembered it). Truly tropical. lol.
My nasi goreng kampung
French fries
No idea what was this
Sand that looks like cotton
The glistening sea in the late afternoon
After lunch, it was time to digest those carbs and there is no better way to do it than to hike up the nearby cliff to the lighthouse. I was clearly rewarded with a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. I then hiked down to the other side of the cliff to get to the southern beach before I hiked back up and down again to the beach I originated from. lol.
View from the lighthouse
Southern beach
The lounge chairs arranged neatly on the beach.
Truly inviting
After a long day, it was time for pure relaxation. It was also too hot to hit the beach so I threw myself into one of the hammocks in KBC. Shaded by the palm trees, I soon found myself asleep till the evening sun shifted its attention to my eyes.
taking photos from my hammock
That's when I realised it was time for more dipping in the crystal clear waters under the warm evening sun. The water was actually freezing despite the fact that it was extremely hot above the surface probably because of the rain the night before.
In the meantime, Sue was obsessed with the childhood activity of sandcastle building. So she constructed her kingdom using the sandcastle building tools for kids found at one corner of KBC and an empty mister potato can. Poor Shae had to collect water for her... =P
Kingdom of the yaya sisters filled with sarcasm and agony
Sun rays.. so bliss and romantic
having fun on the beach
Time flies when you're having load of fun. After running between the hammocks and the sea a couple of times, the sun began to set, bursting the skies with warm hues. The sunset marked the climax of the day, our final day in Kapas.
Sunset at Kapas
We watched the staffs at KBC playing volleyball with the other guests as we were too exhausted.
Because it was our last night, we searched for a restaurant which could offer us an exciting dinner made the tropical way. We walked over to one of the beaches to Qimi chalet as they had nice dining gazebos which looked really attractive. However, it was closed for dinner due to low occupancy during that period of time. Then we walked back to Kapas Island Resort only to find out that they still do not want outsiders over to dine which we find rather ridiculous. Since we already had lunch as Duta Puri, we walked further to lighthouse only to be greeted by angry and fierce doggies, so we hiked over the cliff to Turtle Cove where we found out that we had to make reservations as there was only one chef who is the owner and operator herself. Since we were exhausted, we sat down for a drink instead where we actually got to know her better in person and also the chalet. Coincidentally, she also migrated from Holland to set up the chalet with her husband I think. There are only about less than 10 chalets, all completely furnished to blend with the environment and the surrounding, each boasting architecture and design. To make guests feel at home (most guests are Caucasians), she would cook the meals, mostly western cuisine such as Tenderloin Steak, pastas, etc. There was once she actually cooked a Mexican meal for some of the guests too. That's why prior bookings have to be made in order for her to prepare the meals in terms of sourcing for ingredients and doing the mise en place. So for those seeking a nice place to dine, Turtle Cove is the answer but please make a reservation and be prepared to climb over a hill. In the end, we returned to Duta Puri for more fried rice, fish 'n' chips, and ice cold water.
We sat on the special table which required diners to sit on the floor instead of chairs. Very Malaysian I would say. Cleanliness was great as no shoes were allowed in, that means no sand sticking to your skin like leeches. Not a bad place to dine just that mosquitos are abundance.
After dinner, we returned to KBC for some overpriced Skol beer before calling it a night.
That night itself was a funny one. it started raining somewhere around 3 in the morning and because our chalet was made using zinc roofs, it sounded like the sky was crashing onto our chalets. That immediately kept us awake. The next morning, it was still raining and our boat was to arrive at 10am to pick us up. Here's the thing, no boats will leave for the sea if its raining, what more on the east coast. Well, nothing could be done about it so June and I managed to take some pictures of our chalet and then we headed to the common area for breakfast while hoping for our boat to come.
The girls chalet with all the plastic bottles. June cares for the environment coz' going plastic is the new pink.
nice bouncy pillows and a comfy bed
Our shower that supplied us with the nice and cold shower
Our miracle toilet. Well, it is really basic but it's clean and useful. lol
The KBC family and us. Guy in towel is Hans, the owner from Holland.
The rest are mostly Malaysians while some are backpackers working for free accommodation and allowance. I would really recommend KBC to anyone planning a trip to Kapas.
Finally, our boat arrived. A little late but at least it showed up or we would have missed our bus back to KL. So gave our last goodbye, thanked the fellow friends that we've made and bade farewell with a heavy heart. Kapas was definitely an exciting destination for those seeking sun-soaked holidays, relaxation as well as independent trekking; discoveries minus the noise and buzz from groups of tourists.
"Captivated"
The rainy morning in Kapas while departing
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