We' re back from the sunny island of
Pangkor Laut! Oh God it was a FANTASTIC n truly invigorating experience and I have not had so much fun and excitement in a very long while. I've realised that I need to shy away of the run-of-the-mill developed country "getaways". They are always so predictable and so mundane. Sometimes, you don't even feel like you are on holiday!?!
Pangkor Laut Resort was so so different.. Let me recount our experience:
31 May 2008 (Friday)We left the house at 6+am in order to get to the jetty early but the GPS chose this time to play with us. It brought us around KL until Alan was so pissed off he called his colleague to ask for directions. From then onwards, our drive to Lumut jetty was pretty smooth.
We got to the jetty at around 10+am and made it in time for an early ferry that was not in the schedule to take off. Check in was done at the ferry terminal and we were pleasantly surprised by the efficiency and the level of courtesy. :)
Our ferry ride to Pangkor Laut island was ard 45mins and the irritant of a Chinese lady kept bumping her seat connected to ours in her bid to make small talk with her relatives seated behind. It added to bumpy ride.
We were awe-struck when we arrived at the island. The resort was a gorgeous one with beautiful architecture. The welcome at the front desk was very warm as well. Apart from a delicious welcome drink and cold towels, we were greeted by our young and handsome (and FRENCH) 'butler' who painstakingly explained the facilities on the island and what to expect. He helped us by booking us a private dinner on the beach with the most beautiful sunset, at emerald bay and also on the 9-island hopping cruise. Then he escorted us to our Sea Villa.
Ahhhh.. The luxuries in life. Our Sea Villa was very private and near the far end of the resort. It is the second most expensive villa in the island. The first being the Spa Villas. We unlocked our villa door to find a really luxurious wooden bedroom, a huge toilet and a big bath overlooking the sea. Also, we had a balconey where we could sunbathe and the view of the huge expanse of the sea was breath-taking!
Hungry from our long journey to the island, we called for a shuttle bus (the service is provided daily till midnight) and waited at our doorstep to be whisked off to emerald bay's chapman's bar for lunch.
Suherti welcomed us immediately and put us at ease with his easy smiles and warmth. Alan had a mee mamak (which came highly recommended) and I had a chicken chop. Although the meal was rather pricey, we both enjoyed it. After the meal and because we were rather exhausted from the journey, we returned to our villa to rest.
Dinner was an extravagant affair and we had the WHOLE BEACH to ourselves. It was THAT exclusive. As we took millions of pictures and watched the sunset, the waiters prepared our delicious meal, fit for kings and queens.
Our first course was the ceasar salad which was fresh and really yummy and next came the creamy tom yum soup to wet our taste buds. The main course was a huge bbq lobster each with potatoes and some salad at the side. The dessert was served in half a honeydew (that functioned as a bowl) and there were different cut fruits inside, such as strawberries, apples and the likes.
Needless to say, we both had a fantastic time which was made even more memorable when Mages, the manager i/c there treated us like we were royalty and even lent us his fishing rod and dug up some prawns from the kitchen as bait, so that we could fish from our own villa!!! 10 points for service man!
We took the shuttle back to the villa and immediately started to embark on our new adventure excitedly. Alan hooked up the fishing rod and taught me how to cast the line. And then we waited.. sure enough, there WERE fish! But all were caught by The Husband. and all were small and not very exciting.. We slept at almost one am that night, enthralled by the fishing experience, right at our doorstep!
31 May 2008 (Saturday) 
We had to wake up pretty early (around 7+) as we had to be at the jetty for our 9-island hopping expedition at 9am. However, our oriental junk did not leave the jetty until around 10am. We should have stayed in bed longer! We had 4 angmoh adults onboard and a 3-year old punk-looking chap called Luca. There were 2 other asians, one of which was working at the resort.
Alan and I commenced our journey by basking in the sun on the deck. We were presented with a platter of breakfast items (crossiant, muffin, custard crossiant and some fruits) by the very polite waiter on board who declared that this was just a 'small breakfast'. hahaa. After we feasted, we lay down to nap under the sun.. Ahhh such is the Life!
Our junk stopped near an island and we were all encouraged to go snorkelling. Alan was the first off the boat (surprisingly) and we swam hand in hand (literally) and saw puffer fish, corals and what looked like (delicious) sea cucumber to Alan. ahahaha. There were many schools of ikan bilis-looking fish as well.
After that, we cast our lines and tried to catch some fish. Alan and I groaned as the angmoh reeled in garoupa after garoupa but our baits were ignored. Finally, the boatman decided to switch location and brought us to a new place. It was there that Alan and I managed to catch a garoupa each! Hahahha. How fun. err.. ok let me confess: I initially thought I had caught a fish because I had felt the tugs and struggling. However, the line got stuck perhaps in some rocks under the boat and the boatman was the one who had helped me reel in the line, together with the fish. The fish caught was very small so I threw it back into the water but Alan wanted his for our dinner!
It was 3+pm when we headed for the nearby island for lunch. Oh what a spread! A bbq fire was already roaring and our chef and her assistants were all a-waiting. Our beach umbrellas had been opened and we dined in the shelter seated on comfy beach towels. What luxury!
Our first course was DELICIOUS. Very thai with papaya salad, duck salad, caesar salad and some stuff toufo. We were also served otak, sea bass, king prawns, lamb curry with nasi and also chicken tandori. We polished off most of the food as we were starving from all that activity!
Then, we returned to the boat again and once again cast our lines.. I must say, fishing is very addictive! (Especially if you catch something). Go try it, if you haven't. Deep sea fishing is indeed an experience not to be missed. :) it's very exhilirating to feel the tug on the line and feel the fish struggling and fighting. Ofcourse, the sight of the hook embedded into the mouth of the fish is pretty heart-wrenching. OUCH! :~
It was 6+pm when the junk arrived again at the jetty and we tumbled out exhausted but very pleased and satisfied from the whole experience, even though Alan's garoupa had been accidentally thrown back into the sea. hahaha
Once we returned to our villa, it was time to cast our rod again. Mages had provided us with a great pasttime in our villa and we endeavoured to catch our dinner. Alan caught a red snapper within the first hour and when he was in the toilet freshening up, I actually caught one myself!!!! I tell you, the experience was exhilarating! When I finally reeled up the fish, I was beaming with pride. hahahaa.
After a few more hours with no more catch, we brought the two fishes to Uncle Lim's, a Chinese restaurant very near our villa. We requested for the fishes to be steamed and ordered some beef and fish maw soup to serve as our dinner. the food was very disappointing as it had come highly acclaimed and it was very costly and utterly not worth the price! but the experience of eating your own catch was interesting and priceless. :D
1 june 2008 (Sunday)We went to chapman's bar again for lunch and to return the rod and stuff to Mages. My chicken sandwich did not satisfy as much as Alan's beef burger. Then, I went back to soak in the tub whilst my sickly husband had another nap. Alan had been coughing for the longest time, BEFORE the trip. And of cos, all the naughty food didn't help matters at all.
Soon, it was time to say goodbye to Pangkor Laut resort and we heaved a huge SIGH each as the speed-boat left the jetty at 320pm and along the way splashed some salty sea spray onto me.
The drive back from Lumut to Sri Tiara was exceptionally tiring, especially for the driver who wasn't feeling very well but we arrived safe and sound thankfully. A delicious dinner at Robson's marked the end of our PLR 3D2N Luxurious Escapade!
Thank you baby for the lovely experience! :D Happy Anniversary again! May we manage to top this experience when we celebrate our wedding anniversary together every year!!! Muahahha
The decision made was a great one as we savoured our meal delightedly. My spaghetti with basil leaves was flavourful and the papaya salad and the tom yum seafood soup did not disappoint. Only alan's pineapple rice was a little bland.
