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Malaysia Pulau Redang Trip 2010 Part I

I was involved in a family trip up to Redang over the long weekend. The Redang Archipelago is located at Malaysia's East Coast in the South China Sea. Whether it's on the TV or on Google, just searching for Redang makes the screen pop up with loads of breathtaking scenery and the perfect paradise getaway comes to mind.

Best of all, we would be having our stay at the supposedly 5 stars Laguna Redang Island Resort. They included many mildly interesting activities in their website. There was fishing so i couldn't help but bring my tackle along!

It was expected to be PACKED since it would be the start of the school holidays with Vesak Day topping it off. We departed on the eve of Vesak Day and will be attempting the 12 hour long road trip on the tour bus to Redang. I was a tad concerned about the duration and whether i would be able to "hold out". My concerns were of no concern and we arrived at the Jetty a little pass breakfast where i was told it would be another 2 hours ferry ride to our resort! Okay, i admit i was flabbergasted at this but maintained a firm and tough stance.

My brother already starting to feel the heat... at the jetty!



Phew! Finally we're in the mini ferry!





And then... behold... the moment of truth was realized when we got out of the ferry. What is this? A circus? A Carnival?!? A MOB?!?! I promise i'll show you pictures later! Anyway, we were ushered into a waiting hall and then later had our not so welcoming welcome drink before checking into our rooms.

Waiting Hall



A note to self... our rooms had a world class breathtaking view. A quick few shots of the room including a very thoughtful prayer direction indicator for Muslim friends.




A quick walk around the beach facing our lunch buffet area confirmed one thing though. The beaches were indeed quite the sight. Crystal clear waters, white fluffy sand and suffering coral... signs of a very well designed and well used beach!

No editing required!





A few quick snaps and i was off to lunch which was unfortunately a rather unsavory affair. Why? Well i expected seafood seafood and seafood... It's a 5 star thingy after all...

"WHERE'S MY SEAFOOD!"

Usual buffet fare was the way the few days went. The most common dishes were staples like Beef and Mutton with soup, fruits and cakes being the touch and gos. Common Asian dishes like sweet and sour dominated the scene. A mish mash of pasta, kebab and western styled dishes like hot dogs and baked potatoes found their way into the menu. The soup was okay at first but lost all credit when i saw them mixing powder into the cauldron.

Picky picky me...



The somewhat standard hotel buffet fare...


My favourites... 



Enough said... food over the next few days weren't up to Nigel's (expected) standard but it was do-able. I was mildly disappointed when the BBQ Dinner didn't yield any surprises. I won't mention i didn't get to eat a single crustacean at all.

He looks peeved at the food selection. Some baked fish thingy which tasted good only at first try!




SNORKEL!
A hearty lunch saw us moving at the speed of tourists so that we could make it for the afternoon Snorkeling outing. The outings were provided twice daily but you had to rent your own equipment. They had "Power" Goggles which i thought were sweet for the blind mice.

Rent YOUR STUFF!



We thought we were late for the Snorkel trip but it turns out others turned up even later!


And just when we thought there were only others, it seems there were others and others and others and even more others! How many others?

The others and the others and others...



Well, when we finally got to our Snorkeling destination which was just 5 minutes from the resort, i got my answer. Here we are! CLEMENTI SWIMMING COMPLEX!

Oh Gosh...






They still had fun though... I managed to get away from the big group and saw some amazing stuff I did.

Yet after all the fun, we all questioned ourselves... Have we ever seen 6 boats tied together and around 200 pax snorkel the same area? Have we ever seen 200 pax worth of sun tan lotion dissolve into the water straightaway? No Comment...



END OF PART 1!!!

Comments

Paddy Pike said…
Hello Nigel, You have a great blog, I have enjoyed reading it and looking at the pictures, I have put a link On my blog so my friends and readers can follow you if they like, And i will follow you also, Good luck for the future,
,,,Paddy,,,
Nigel said…
Thanks Paddy. I have added u on my blogroll too.

Cheers!
Hedonist said…
clementi swimming complex ! that's a good one man, made my day at the office on a friday mroe bearable !

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