Pulau Perhentian Besar

Another hungry mouth to feed....
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We left the Haven Guesthouse, taking the monorail and then bus to the airport and after a flight of only 45 mins (£30 for all of us) and an hours taxi the other side were at a jetty on the east coast of Malaysia for a half an hour speed boat ride on the South China Sea to the Pulau Perhentian islands. Life jackets on and we were off! To say the water was a little choppy was an understatement, but that didn’t put off our fearless skipper and with the throttle at full tilt the whole way we spent most of the journey in mid air, the boat only returning to water level to hit another wave and take off again. The are two main islands, Kecil (small) and Besar (large) and thankfully as we approached our island, Besar, the waters calmed and the grips on each other’s hands relaxed.

Chef prepares dinner.
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Mama’s Place is right on the beach. One of about 4 budget accommodations on the west of the island it consists of a restaurant, a reception and about twenty wooden bungalows each with a small bathroom (cold water only) a bedroom (fan only) and small veranda with table where we can write our diaries, do schoolwork and, for Sam and I, sit outside at night and read or use the internet when the electricity is turned on (7pm-12 midday). We are here at the tail end of the monsoon season so it’s very quiet, which suits us, and thankfully we are being lucky with the weather so far it being hot, dry and sunny most of the time with the occasional shower and cooling breeze. The sea is clear and warm and although the coral has been decimated close to shore, further out new coral is growing and the marine life is wonderful. Today I encountered a couple of stingray as I snorkeled but unlike Steve Irwin didn’t become a human kebab. Mama’s also has the cheapest and nicest food on the island. 5 Ringgits (about 85p) gets you a large bowl of curry and noodles for lunch or dinner, 4.5 Ringgits, banana or chocolate pancakes for breakfast, 3, a large bottle of water. Seeing as our maximum daily budget for food is 60 Ringgits at the moment we can just about make it (if I don’t have breakfast, and Sam misses lunch!). The other holiday makers seem to be a mix of young couples (honeymooners?) and ‘flashpackers’ (backpackers with more money) and so we sit drooling as they order cocktails and desserts, money seemingly no problem. Oh how I look back through my ‘Chancellor’s diary’ at the time we spent in Canada and the USA at $30 lunches, $60 dinners and wish we had been just a little more frugal, we could be eating like royalty. Still, even cheaper countries than Malaysia are further along our route so the rumbles in our bellies are eased with thoughts of feasts to come.