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We finally took the journey to Pantai Kemasik... since Hannah seems to be getting much better

The journey there was quite long, cuz it's just after Awana Kijal... which is kinda far... total journey came to about 1.5hr... but we did stop by the Natural Batik shop for my parents to get some souvenirs and the Turtle Sanctuary, near Cherating beach...

We finally arrived at the beach around 4.45pm amidst heavy traffic.

There were no shells in sight! What a shocker! This beach which was literally covered with seashells the last time we came, was today bare as ever! What happened! We speculated - either the Raya crowd was so dense and totally stripped the beach bare or the change in tides and missing big monsoon waves had ceased bringing in the shells... since this time round... the tide was very low and the waves not crashing at all!


Thankfully the low tide and calm waves brought a different delight to this beach... pools of sealife were trapped all over the rocks! We caught sight of unknown sealife and some even dangerous ones like urchins and sea-leeches...


My parents also enjoyed climbing and searching ever nook and cranny for sea creatures... so thus the lack of shells was at least not so disapointing. Only Phoebe was left out of the fun since climbing the rocks was too dangerous for her.


The journey back was long and horribly slow partly due to the super heavy return raya traffic and the dumb amount of traffic lights to get past Cukai, Kemaman - 10 Traffic lights in all! and they all turn red at every stop!

We had planned this trip for over half a year... and was wholy anticipating it...WOO HOO! Super clear waters, soft white sands, tons of fishies to see... Redang Island here we come!

Early in the morning after breakfast and checking out of Sutra Resort, Merang we headed to the Merang Jetty nearby and parked our car at the carparks there. they charged us RM30 for 3 days parking ... total rip-off, but no choice (plus it's at your own risk)


Our boat was sceduled to leave at 9.30am, and boy there were tons of people at the Jetty already and more were pouring in, a quick check at the boat schedules... and we saw 4 boats at 15 minute intervals to Redang island, presumably packed with people. Fooh! overheard from the people manning the place... about 400+ people would be joining us for the 3day/2 nights... and the previous group before us was at 600+... wah... talk about Super Peak Period!

We also met Yin Sern's parents minus himself on the Jetty... who helped us take the family photo shot... yeah! Julie's parents and Sis from US also joined us... so a big group from our side too... all crammed in our car... keh :p


The people behind Laguna are pretty organised... everything runs like clockwork and very efficiently, i guess they are used to handling large group... from Ferry to Arrival , to check in , makan time and even the snorkeling events they did it all very well. Our ferry ride was uneventful... it's an airconditioned 100+ seater and it's closed, they don't allow u to go out on deck...


Upon arrival there is a quick briefing on the do's & don'ts on the island since its situated within a marine reserve and then we were ushered to the main lobby for welcome drinks... after registration... Lunch Time!

The place is really nice... very well maintained and beautiful architecture, very well kept gardens, awesome pool and the beach front... impressive!



It was my first time seeing clear sea waters in real life! The sea was blue! unfortunately the sky wasn't up to par during our stay... But God was very favourable, only having rains at night...



Collecting our keys after lunch, we quickly got ready for our first snorkeling trip... an open water snorkeling thingi... as it was my first time doing snorkeling... i really had a horrible time swallowing quite alot of salt water... eeyuuck! But wah... first time seeing so many colorful fishies swimming all around... not forgetting the tons of people also! After getting the hang of snorkeling it wasnt too bad... but hannah had a tough time... open water + first time didnt go to well with her... thankfully with my new underwater pack to take photos and videos, i could later show her what she missed...

We went straight to the pool upon reaching back... to firstly just swim around and check the pool out, secondly to practice the snorkeling style. It was here... that i lost the underwater pack + camera... boo hoo! one minute of unawareness... and poof... it was gone... sigh! all the photos and videos lost! reported to the lost and found counter but heh... malaysians are not that honest lah...


anyways... wow for a first day experience...

We had opted for full board, so all our food was included... so it was all buffet. No point having the non board... u end up paying more cuz even all the equipments and such are charged differently. The Food served is not bad at all... not like super duper good... but good nevertheless...


Second day, a trip to Redang Marine park (rm5 entrance)... beautiful! There is a 15 minute boat ride to a coral bay and here u are greeted by schools of fishes ... kinda tame fishes, if u have bread... they will flock to u... compared to the fist day trip... this was like worlds apart... this time Hannah had gotten used to the sea and enjoyed herself floating and looking under the water to see the fishes. Thankfully with grandparent along, we had enough people to go around taking care of phoebe so we could all enjoy watching the marine life.

In the afternoon we decided to skip the 3rd snorkeling trip out and just go to the fronting beach to snorkel... the corals and fishes were interesting too... hannah already had her fill, so stayed at the beach and played with the soft sand... so did phoebe... heh.



The next day our trip back to the mainland was a bit choppy since it rained the entire night. Before we left Hannah also had a small tiny airbrush tatoo... keh! her reward for being so brave! All in all this first trip to the seas of the Malaysian East Coast was certainly an eye opener... and we are now planning our Tioman trip... maybe next year... maybe...

After a so... so... so... long trip up from Kuantan we finaly arrived in Merang, Terengganu... we would be spending our night here before our ferry to Redang Island leaves the next morning from the nearby Merang Jetty (5 min away).

Earlier in the year we had a recee trip up to Merang where we stayed in the Best Western, Suria... which at best was plain... and we opted our second time here at Merang to stay at Sutra Beach Resort... It was an excellent choice!


Right from the drive into the resort compound itself... it was already winning points against Suria's bare landscaping... Sutra's resort is mostly in a wood motif... everthing very earthy and very welcoming... the infinity pool, wow!... and the rooms were much better then Suria's... at similar prices... this is a no brainer... if u do an overnighter in Merang... choose this resort... heck! u can even plan your retreat here... stay for a few days to unwind and just relax...


Food wise as earlier stated... is totally indoors... there is no food outside. We were pleasantly surprised that the food quality here in the hotel was quite good... a far cry from the other place... keh!

anyways, our single night here definately did leave a good impression... and with affordable prices of rm170 per night for 2 with breakfast... no brainer...

Well this weekend we wanted to try out the route to Merang Jetty, Terengganu prior to our planned trip to Redang in August... so we wanted to journey all the way from Kuantan, Pahang to Setiu district in Terengganu.

We also planned to spend a night in One of the Hotels there... we picked Best Western, Merang Suria Resort, since we will be spending the night in Sutra Beach Resort the next time we are going up.

Well our journey began a bit late... since all of us were late in getting up... So after breakfast, off we went!...the journey till Pantai Kemasik was a trailed path for me... but after that is new territory... After Kemasik was the Petronas township built for the Kerteh Petroleum plant... it's very planned and the complex HUGE!... there was even a huge mall (not complete though) like those in the US kind... wow...

then came Paka... then Dungun... overall i'm impressed, Terengganu is quite well developed... with quite a lot of dual carriages, and more being upgraded... We also detoured to Tanjung Jara... and stopped by the beach there, Pantai Teluk Bidara for a look see... unfortunately for some odd reason... the weather conditions was wierd (in a good way... ) it was cloudy... and kinda misty/hazeish... not that really good for any views + the sea water was very choppy BUT it was not hot at all in the middle of the afternoon! So we spent an hour just walking and enjoying the water lapping at our feet.


after a wet stopover and a change of clothes for the toddler, of we journeyed on, passing by Rantau Abang Beach - the famous turtle egg laying beach... we just passed by it.. then reached Marang... where we stopped by a beachside makan place... we had some fried rice and fried sotong... i also tried air nira (old coconut water... slightly fermentish/sourish) & U could see Pulau Kapas from the beachfront. BUT! Warning! the makan area was infested with flies though... every makan place in this stretch had tons & tons of flies.

by now it was already 3pm after the meal... wah... our slow and easy trip was taking too long... we needed to check in soon... so we quicky drove past KT... and headed towards Merang.

We found out.. that both Suria & Sutra shared the same beach... and was just 10 min away from the Merang Jetty... so it was a good decision to plan an overnighter here prior to our island trip next time.

so after check in, julie had a short nap while the kiddos and i explored the hotel area and the beach... check the Merang Suria Resort Post. Then in the evening... pool time!

Be Warned... in Merang... there is no food except in your hotel... nada... unless u want to drive 25-30km back to KT ... which we werent up to it.

The next day... we checked out early and headed to KT... wah... superly developed... it's way much bigger then Kuantan... we also wanted to check out the Crystal Mosque... driving towards it, we discovered it was built in the same place like the new Taman Tamadun Islam! it's like an islamic theme park... it was still in its final stages of completion, but they did allow visitors in for FREE! for short time-limited trips... They had like 22 scaled model mosques from different countries in the park... the pseudo theme park was all very nicely built and had lots of activities for the family... Will definately come back when it's fully completed and ready. The crystal mosque too was nicely built... man... so much money spent!



heh... since i didn't really did any background research on what to eat in KT, we ended up in KFC on our way out of town... after lunch we dropped by another mosque... a floating one... i think i saw a billboard stating... 65 mosques built since 2005... WAH!

So... that is all of KT this time around...


on our journey back ... we stoped at Cukai area for some Otak-otak Che Wan, then back to Kuantan by 5.00pm... a super 500KM overnite drive trip.

located in the Setiu district of Terengganu... this Best Western affliate Hotel is quite new. Built in 2005 , only recently do u see the trees around here take root... so its quite bare all around. The good thing about this resort is its closeness to the Merang Jetty.... a good stopover before u go to the islands... we booked online for our room, and the one night with breakfast was RM170 for that particular day.

Adjacent to it is also a NS camp, possibly built at the same time as the hotel in one big project... since the name is similar. When entering the road towards the hotel its like driving to the NS camp... but u do turn off slightly and u can see the hotel.

A lake nearby also provides a very nice view... and even has canoes for u to boat in


As for facilities... it's bare necessities. With a small pool, one restaurant... the rooms with either a double or two single... tiled, not carpeted and airconditioned... thats it. Since it's not carpeted... u kind of hear all thats happening in the room beside or people outside the room... so try to get a room furthest from the pool, restaurant and reception... i guess the upstairs ones will fair better.

u can see the islands of Redang and Lang Tengah from the beach...

the beach is also shared with another neighbouring resort. The beach wasnt very clean... mainly due to washed up rubbish and uncollected waste... i guess if they did some regular clean-ups it will be ok. Unfortunately for us, this time round... the waves were quite choppy... bad weather i presume...

I missed the morning sunrise, waking up at only 7am... i think the sun comes up at 6.30... darn... but not particulary nice that day too... sigh... will time the rise properly the next time.


they also had some private jacuzzi's, which u could rent @ RM50 for max 8 pax. We opted for the free to use pool... it's small... but with a small water slide for the kiddos, it served its purpose.

one thing to note: there is no outside stalls to get dinner as we discovered... we did drive out to try and find a restaurant.. but ended up back in the hotel for food. We ordered some dishes and rice, the bill came to a RM32 Nett. The food quality was ok lah... not great... The Complimentary breakfast the next morning was a free for all buffet... a very small spread... and also so so...

overall i think the neighbouring resort, Sutra Beach Resort looks to be the better one... we shall see come August.

On our way back from Pantai Kemasik... we stopped by this mangrove park, just outside Cukai Town, Kemaman. We had earlier spied its location online and on our journey north, so we decided to stop by before journeying back to Kuantan.

It was kinda hot, but Thank God, the mangrove park was all shady...

It looks like after 9 years after launch... things are starting to fall apart... Malaysia is better known for their starting rather then their maintaining... plus as a Taman "Rekreasi" Bakau Tinggi... ALAS! NO such 'recreation' facilities were around... maybe a kids playarea under the scorching sun is all there is to the 'recreation' provided...



But overall the walk around the man-made walkway thru the mangrove swamp was still pleasant... but if you were hoping for an informative journey... no hope... it's a "look only" walk... nothing to tell you about the species,history or biological information of the plants and habitat, the wiki link (above) is much better in this department.

ahh... the next place we went is Pantai Kemasik... this was a Gem!

i had initially spied this beach on internet... looking at google satellite maps... and saw! hey this looks like a nice beach... after further checking some landmarks in www.wikimapia.org, read they had some interesing snacks too...

so thus... we came to this beautiful alcove.


there are 2 parts to this beach... one is a normal nice sandy beach fronting the sea... and another corner where... it was a sea-shell paradise...


i think it is the formation of rocks and the geography of the place that made the small beach-head surrounded by rocks into a shell haven... literally tons of sea-shells were all over the place and the crashing of the choppy waters on the rocks were great...

we really enjoyed our short time here... hannah had a field day collecting interesting shells and phoebe too gleefully played in the shells...


there were several stalls setup for snacks and drinks around... selling the usual fried bananas and lekor... lots of rubbish bins around encouraging u to keep the place clean too..

But, we headed back to the main road... a couple of hundred meters away to a rest area where we had "sotong celup tepung" aka. deep fried squids... YUMMY!, also some lekor and drinks... our lunch perse...


we started our journey home after the snacks... this was as far north as we could go this time, it was getting late...

Our next stop, after breakfast in Hai Peng, Cukai was Kijal Beach...

initially i had intended to try to find a beach "Pantai Kijal" along a village near Kijal Resort, prior to reaching Awana Kijal Resort... but it looked like a kampung... and no proper sign to a public beach was in sight plus Julie had reservations in just stopping and going to someones "backyard" beach... so after driving around... we headed to Awana Kijal Resort itself to see their beach...

I was surprised... Awana Kijal is Big!... how do they fill it up... surprisingly... it was kinda full too when we drove in the carpark... we later found out a company was having a function there or something.

I think it's still moonsoon season or something... the waves were big... and the red flag was up... so no swimming... unless u seek death. BUT ahh... Thank God for the breeze... super nice wind! Thus far... all our excursions are windy... Thank God!

As a resort beach... ok ok lah... but no one in sight... as the sun was up... and it was rather close lunch time then... so we helped ourselves and settled ourselves in one of the benches lining the beach... so hannah and phoebe could play in some sand under the shade... lots of casurina trees all around too...

We headed off after an hour...

This weekend was our visit north week. So as early as we could (aka. 9.45am) we departed Kuantan... to the north... our plan is go Cukai then Kijal, both in Terengganu then back...

Most people associate Cukai as Kemaman ... but in reality Cukai is the main town of Kemaman District, Terengganu.... famous for Hai Peng Kopitiam and also Stuffed Crabs... (that will be another day). So when people mention famous Hai Peng or Stuffed Crabs in Kemaman... it's in Cukai, Kemaman in Terengganu.

so... how was the original Hai Peng?

one word...

...disappointing

We had expected the "original" Hai Peng to blow our socks off... alas IMHO Hai Peng, Kuantan is actually better. All my anticipation after having tried Kuantan Hai Peng... which is darn good already and thinking the "original" could be even better... sigh...

anyways... this Hai Peng looks almost like the Kemaman Kopitiam Chain in Kuantan... in taste and also decor. It seems the Kemaman Kopitiam Chain ripped off Hai Peng Totally... even their bland taste... :p

their special original toast was not too bad... peanut butter and bananas in toast... cool eh... so so taste only... i can make better... kakaka...


but whatever my opinion is, the place is jammed packed from the time it opens till it closes.... we might try their own signature dishes next time... asian spagetti and their ice blend... hopefully that will save it...