Part 5 - Peaceful Perhentian -Day 2

20  Sept 2013

On the second day, we went jungle trekking. Right behind our room, there is a signage for Jungle Trekking.

The trek leads you to Perhentian Island Resort on the north west of the Island which is a popular snorkelling and diving site. Many foreigners stay here. The beach here is sandy and cleaner, the sea water a clearer blue and green.

Perhentian Island Resort's jetty

Check the colour of the water

Monitor lizard at Arwana Resort, Perhentian Besar

We have heard about monitor lizards sighting in our resort but to encounter not one but a few on our jungle trek was simply wonderful. These creatures live off a dirty stagnant swamp near the pathway of the trek. We actually stopped thrice to let them pass before heading on and I tell you, these are not small lizards.

The trail was not visible throughout, at some points we just used our hands to push away the shrubs. We saw huge water pipes and generators along the way. Took us about 30mins.

In the waters

We spent about two hours letting the children swim in the clean waters. Many were sunbathing on deck chairs. There were many more foreigners here than locals.

The snorkelling boats

We went back to our resort by lunch time. 

In the afternoon, the children went back to the pool and spent a lot of time at the swamp trying to video-record the lizards. 

The wooden bridge that leads to the dirty swamp at our resort

In the afternoon, we walked along the beach  to see how far we can go around the island. 

Perhentian Island is a marine park

At times we climbed rocks just to pass through. Spotted many red and black crabs and huge slugs along the beach and on the rocks. 

Out of the jungle finally

When we couldn't go any further, we stopped at an abandoned tower and sat watching the blue ocean. 

Some rocks we climbed

By late evening, we cleaned up in time to go for dinner at Best Cafe. We ordered Thai-styled food - rice, tom yam, pandan chicken, fried squid, eggs as mixed vegetables. There were 6 of us and it came up to about RM70, not bad.

We ended the day with the kids back at their crab-spotting game with their torch lights.