Perhentian Islands

Have spent 4 days on the most beautiful island in the world.  The Perhentians are 2 tiny islands off the North East coast of Malaysia. There are no cars or roads on the island, the signs on shops and guest houses are all hand painted, and you only get electricity during certain hours of the day.  Life on the island consists of sun, sand, diving, chilling out at beach bars listening to reggae, meeting people, watching live music, and drinking the local island alcohol 'Monkey Juice'.  I love it there.

Monkey Juice

Monkey Bar left where they have live music, Ooh La La restaurant on the right.

I spent my birthday with 2 new friends that I met on the way to the island.  A French Canadian guy named Joseph, and a German girl called Vera.  At midnight on Saturday 18th Vera got the band at Monkey Bar to play 'happy birthday' for me, and I was supplied with endless shots of tequila & monkey juice. Not a combination I appreciated the next day, but had a ball that night.  After chucking some serious shapes and cutting up some major rug on the beach we stumbled home to bed at 7am.  Would have been earlier had we not stopped to help a friends find his clothes and camera, which vanished from the beach when he went for a cheeky early morning skinny dip.  The sunrise was beautiful.  I treated my hangover with a birthday dive with Matahri (dive school).

 Jo, Vera and Me enjoying a cheeky glass of Monkey Juice.

Sunday 19th marked the end of Ramadan, and the beginning of the Malaysian new year.  During the day people greet each other saying 'Salamat Hari Raya', translated literally as 'happy day of celebrations', and Muslim families open up their homes for people to come and celebrate the festivities.  The women cook incredible feasts of curry, sticky rice, chicken satay skewers & sweets, and as you enter each home you are told 'makanan, makanan' which means 'eat, eat'.

My Malaysian friend on the island called Appy, who I met last year with Scarlett, invited me to the fishing village on the island to join his families celebrations.  Appy took me to a market on the mainland (where children shouted 'minahsalleh' at me in the street, Malaysian for 'female Westerner') to buy a traditional Malaysian dress, called a baju kurung, which I wore for Hari Raya.  It's a completely covered dress and I was boiling!

Appy is in the White. The guys in the red are in the same family, and so all wore the same colour.

By 9am on Sunday I was sat on the veranda of Appys house on a hill, tucking into some curry with my hands, trying desperately not to spill it on my new white baju kurung.  Whilst I ate, hoards of local Malay children visited the house on the hill, all in the dresses, to receive money from Appys Mum to congratulate their months fasting.  The kids visit most houses in the fishing village on the morning of Hari Raya, receiving a few ringgits at each place.  Appys sister collected 112RM in total, equivalent of about £25!

Appy and I spent the morning visiting all his friends and family in the village, all desperate for us to 'makanan makanan'.  It was such a cool experience, and people were so friendly and welcoming.  I left very full and hot.

Unfortunately I have no photos of me and Appy during Hari Raya, because the next night my bag was stolen.  Crime seems to be surprisingly common on this tiny island with no roads.  I guess as a bunch of Western tourists who are quite often drunk(!) we make easy targets.  I've had to say goodbye to my camera, pictures of the trip (hurts more than the camera), purse, cards, money, phone, 3 lip balms, and a chocolate bar.  Vera, on a significantly smaller scale, had her flip flops pinched.  I definitely need to have my wits about me a bit more, and realise the world is not always as trustworthy as Devon and Cornwall.

So bit of a shitty end to an otherwise awesome weekend, but it didn't ruin my trip.  Met some really cool people and can't wait to go back there.