This weekend I went on a mini-adventure down the West coast of Malaysia to an island called Pulau Pangkor. I had great food, great times, great friends and I got some great photos. These are my top 8 things to do!
1. Ferry ride to Pangkor
The first part of getting to Pulau Pangkor is the ferry ride. Initial we sat downstairs, because we did what we were told, but if you go upstairs you can stand on the deck and have the wind in your hair and the sun in your face. It is also a brilliant opportunity to get some snaps of the fishing village and of Pulau Pangkor.
2. Pulau Pangkor Pink Taxi
One particular treat of PulauPangkor is its pink minibus taxis which will take you on a tour of the island. The roads are a twisty steep nightmare so I am glad we didn’t go with our initial thought of hiring push bikes!
3. Snorkling on the Island
Once we’d selected our ramshackle chalet accommodation we headed to the beach. It didn’t take long to be asked if we wanted to go snorkling on the island opposite, and for £2 we couldn’t resist. Minutes later we were jetted over and dumped at the island with a life jacket, a snorkel and two hours to explore. Our first ambitious idea was to get to the other side of the island, which involved trekking through thick jungle in flip flops, while wearing a life vest and snorkel. Once we arrived though it was absolute bliss and we spent our time floating about in the sea on our life jackets, feeding the fish and lying on the beach.
4. Feeding the hornbills
The first hornbill we spotted was casual sitting in a palm tree next to our huts and Steve and I were going full David Attenborough on it. I even got sea salt in my eye from my sopping wet hair in an attempt to get a photo of this magnificent creature.
However when we went for dinner we found a local man feeding a whole flock of wild hornbills bananas! It is possible to get so close to these birds that you can touch them and feed them.
5. Sleeping under a large tree on a deserted beach
After a long day snorkling, eating and drinking we decided to find a secluded bit of beach. We found our own little paradise with a free monkey included, which was a large overhanging tree at the far end of the beach. We spent the afternoon reading, napping, swimming and I even did some planning for school next week.
6. Choose your own fish dinner!
Possibly one of the best fish dinners I have ever had the pleasure to eat. You go up to the hawker stand past Horizon Inn and select your fish, and then tell them how you want it cooking. After that you pop down to your local minimart and buy yourself a couple of Tigers and then sit down on the beach. Then the fish arrives barbequed in banana leaf and oh my goodness it’s good. It also only costs about £6 to buy a HUGE fish between three of you and the stray cats will eat your leftovers.
7. Visit the Temple
As delightful as the temple is, the true highlight there is the GIANT sea monster fish that lives in the tiny pond. It was like seeing the Loch Ness monster in a paddling pool, it is very rare that I become utterly speechless and instead of photographing just watch in awe.
8. Don’t leave your food out!
If it’s not the monkeys who gang up on you and raid the bin, it’s the ants that crawl into your sour cream and onion crisps and have a party. Keep your food sealed at all time and always be wary of monkeys!
All in all it’s been a blissful weekend and I am going back to work with a spring in my step, a lot of mosquito bites and most importantly, relaxed.
The Tales of Yak Zus 