At last these lazy bones got some motivation to get set on blogging...welcome to my first blog! Not exactly sure of where to start with...what to start with..! I love traveling and so I start off with one of my passions...

This Easter I backpacked to Pulau Perhentian, islands up north Malaysia. I decided to take the trip on my own (dare not read it as "alone"!).With me were The Da Vinci Code, assorted music, confused thoughts (I am still sane! and hence you are safe!) and other paraphernalia.

For the lingo ...‘Berhenti’ in Malay means ‘Stop’. So apt that Perhentian are known more as Stopover Islands. The Islands are a duo set- Besar (means Big) and Kecil (means small).

I started off with the last minute gather up of info (thanks Henri!), run up for tickets (had to cross the international border for buying bus tickets the day before...beat this!)...and the usual "what-next?” look on my face. After the overnight journey to Jeteh, I reached Kuala Besut ferry terminal only to find an unexpected companion....Rain! Oh boy...what a welcome party it threw all the way to Perhentian. The boat journey was terrific with the rain and the sea fighting madly to get us wet .Wild...wild Wet ride!

The boat drivers were very adventurous in their driving skills and also lot funny. They retransferred a British couple (their luggage four times their weight. They were backpacking for a month it seems) back on the return boat to mainland minutes before they were to land on Perhentian for their holiday. They again picked them after 10 minutes of "Whose fare is it anyway??"between the two boat drivers on the mobile.

By the time I landed, I was a sponge bob. Then began the hunt for shelter. After a brief search found a budget chalet right on the beach. It was quite rustic and basic in its offering. Of Living basically..a welcome change.Day one had just started for me. Rain kept me on Dan Brown's controversial thriller for most part of the day. The view through my window was quite touching. Rain was vacillating ...harsh at times...mellow at times... and there right in front of my eyes lay the paradise... I can just see...and not be in its arms..! Can feel its magic but can’t explore it! A strange romance which I enjoyed it much. This revived some of my buried interests in penning down reflections (habits die hard. dirtier ones don’t!at all!)At around tea time, rain gave way to experience the tranquility of the white beaches....azure sea....took up photography for a while then... and then lay aflaot on the waters! Face the sky and adrift in thoughts of my own. just about Nature and its bliss. I was experiencing an elevated psychological interaction with Mother Nature. I think that’s the best part of traveling on one's own into paradise like these.

As the night set in, rain again popped up to say hi...so as the waves said good night, I raised a toast for a tomorrow to be a different exciting day with the sun.

Day 2 began with a balmy weather and the sun playing hide and seek. I got ahead with my plan to go on with the snorkeling trip. Before I got off to underwater discovery, I decided to go off on the jungle trek route. Spotted a white balded sea eagle off with its breakfast, a nicer stretch of beach on the other side of the island, and an eerie staircase that ran across the trek route. The snorkeling trip was with friendly bunch of guys and gals from Malaysia and a bright sun .The guide took us to deep sea snorkeling and I am stopping myself in making this blog look like Encyclopedia Oceania. We landed on a virgin beach on a small isle. Purity had never been so explicit. Sand was white...powdery. Water was azure ...warm. No need to snorkel .One can see six feet under (not the TV soap plz!). The guys got down to do some of their creative building in sand and I let your imagination go loose as to what sand house they built to woo the gals.

Perhentian is famous for its turtle bay and shark point. Though the guide himself led me to the shark point to get a glimpse of the uncles in their den, I fizzled out.Cos it was lunch time and I was stubborn that I do not miss mine. At any cost! Some one said it right... Discretion is the better part of Valour .Anyways I was lenient enough to get myself to the turtle bay and say a "hi-there!" to good old olive ridley.I was very happy I could meet him in his home. It was a short visit down and he had to rush cos he was on a luncheon date. That signed off my snorkeling trip at Perhentian. I had been to Pulau Tioman.I felt it paradise. Now I feel Perhentian is Paradise Infinitium.The diverse marine life, Exotic nudibranchs, corals, their inmates... just left me bonded. I was little scared in venturing too much but of whatever snorkeling I did, I felt very excited.

I packed up to say "Au revoir Perhentian”.

Glad that Perhentian is my subject for my first blog...Paradise Infinitium.This trip being my complete debut into backpacking too.Quite an adventurous one.

Found a new dimension .A better me!

Hope so.

Sunny

P.S: take a peek at the video blog i created.Onto your right!