Pulau Perhentian Kecil Island, Malaysia

One thing was for sure, we wanted to do something special to finish our first adventure through Asia. And what better place than the stunning Perhentian Islands. We only had a few hours bus ride and a very short trip on a speed boat. We started off in a small minivan, then we transferred to a nice big bus which is where we met the lovely Terri from London! When we arrived, I was expecting to be plagued with people offering us accommodation which is what usually happens when one visits an island. Unfortunately, that did not happen and we were left to our own devices. Our search for three beds was not pleasant. The island may be paradise but when your a backpacker, the accommodation doesn't live up to that standard. Most of the places we saw were filthy and to make things worse, I really didn't feel the best. Eventually, we decided to settle with 'Tropicana Backpacker Inn' which is up a hill between 'Coral Bay' and 'Long Beach' on the small island. It may be a dorm all three of us are staying in, but it's the nicest place for our money and its clean, which is always good. Most importantly, the location is really good as it lies right in the middle of the two beaches, however, the hill up to it can be a killer! We soon discovered 'Ewan's Café' which does amazing, good value food. The shakes on the island are to die for. They range from Oreo to Mars to Snickers to fruit. Not the most healthy of drinks but we are on holiday after all! It may be a very long holiday, but we're still on holiday! At least that's what I told myself! The next day, myself and Jason spent the day just chilling on the beach down at Coral Bay which isn't as busy as the other beach, but offered amazing swims through the the coral where you can entertain your eyes with some beautiful little fishes. It's well worth a swim here. Later on, the two of us got to enjoy a beautiful sunset while sipping on a rather tasty shake. We're on holidays! We finished the night with a nice BBQ on the beach with our favourite new teacher, Teri! The next day was by far one of the best days we have had in a while. When your on a tropical island surrounded by beautiful clear waters, a snorkelling trip is a must! And what a great day out all three of us had. We stopped off at a few different places including 'Sharks Point.' We had only got off the boat and Teri saw a shark. Don't worry, there harmless! Unfortunately, myself and Jason didn't even catch a glimpse of him. We did however get to swim with some beautiful fishes. From there we went to 'Coral Garden' which is filled with more stunning fishes. The next stop of the day was to 'Turtle Point' which was an amazing experience. We had to swim down to the sea bed in order to get closer to a turtle. When I swam down, I managed to see one floating to the surface. Jason got to rub one and even swim with it as it came up for air. I wasn't around for that, but I'm told it was an incredible experience. It's hard to believe that the turtles we saw are probably older than us! Such incredible creatures! After a morning packed with activities it was time for a bit of grub. Luckily for us we weren't starving as the food took an hour to get to us. Eventually, we got back in our speed boat and headed for 'The Light House.' When we arrived, I climbed up, not to the very top, but a good height and jumped into the water which was pretty cool. While I was up there deliberating on whether to do it or not, this little kid managed to jump twice. Fair play! I myself jumped four times in the end and I jumped before Jason, which I'm quite proud of. Our guide Hobby, who must have been about sixteen, jumped from the very top of the lighthouse, twice! Our last stop of the day was to 'Romantic Beach' which is supposed to be a lovers paradise. The sand is so white and the water is so clear. Myself and Jason got to see tiny little 'Nemo' fishes swimming in and out of a piece of coral. We had to swim down to them to get a better look. They are stunning, so beautiful. Hobby was brilliant. He never rushed us and we had as much time as we needed, which was brilliant. The following day, we decided to just chill on Long Beach as we waited for our boat back to the mainland. I have to say, this is truly an incredible place to visit and we will, without any doubt be visiting again, hopefully in the near future! By Andrew

#paradise #beach #turtles #nemo #island