<<< budu boy >>>: Musings on My Novel Journey

My 30th birthday celebration was unexpectedly pleasurable.

It was unexpected since I thought the trip to Pulau Perhentian was called off due to a lot of maddening circumstances – the bus tickets were sold out, the accommodation was not confirmed, so many people withdrew, etcetra etcetra. However, with strong will and determination, we managed to get things started.

The Ride

Three days before my birthday, twelve of us departed from Kuala Lumpur using three cars, including mine. I refused at first because my car is a 1.3 Manual car which is not so energetic for a long journey. But, I gave in because I didn’t want to be fussy anymore. But I got mad again because everybody wasn’t punctual. We were supposed to meet at 10.00pm, but they fashionably appeared one hour late! I gave them an angry piece of mind but they told me, “Cekmi, relax lah, don’t be too emotional, too over-reactive and too perfectionist.” Well, welcome to my life.

Sun of Kelantan

After sleepless eight hour journey, we safely arrived in Kuala Krai, Kelantan just after the sun started to rise. Looking at the breathtaking vista spread before us, we couldn’t help looking only from inside the car. So, we frantically got out of the car in the middle of the highway and took pictures! All that we wanted was to capture the picturesque sunrise beautifully lighting up the vast green paddy field. So wildly jubilated, we didn’t care anymore about the serious possibilities of getting killed by the speeding cars around.

Nasi Belauk

We stopped by at my friend’s house in Padang Mokkan to have breakfast with nasi belauk we bought earlier. One thing caught my attention - there stood a ‘wise’ pondok in front of my friend’s house. All of us sat together in this beautiful pondok and had our Kelantanese-style breakfast. Surrounded by natural beautiful flora and wonderful sound of nature, it was really one-of-a-kind experience that I would always remember.

To’ Bali

After breakfast, we tirelessly continued our journey and passed by a famous place in Terengganu called To’ Bali. It is a popular market place for fish traders. What’s so unique about this place is that there is an uprising bridge to accommodate the ships passing through the ocean. Again, we dropped by here for half an hour and snapped!

Speed Boat

We arrived in Kuala Besut at 12.00 noon and left our cars in the jetty before we took a speed boat to Pulau Perhentian. The 45-minute ride on the sea was really exciting. Everybody was eager to see the very island that we have been planning to see for months. The moment we saw the island, it was almost unbelievable for me, that we were finally there after endless journey. The island was a magnificent never-land and the sea water was heavenly crystal-clear.

Flora Bay Resort

We checked in at Flora Bay Resort at 1.00pm. The chalet room was minimal – a queen-size bed, a ceiling fan, a locker and a toilet, that’s all – no TV, no air-conditioner, no freezer. Well, who needs those modern gadgets while vacationing? I was so happy that I was physically, not mentally anymore, on the island 48 hours before my birthday.

Jungle Trekking

At 2.00pm, seven of us decided to go jungle trekking. The rest of the group resorted to sleeping (actually, there was no itinerary, everything was planned spontaneously). Though I hardly slept at all, I was thrilled to explore the island. The trek in the jungle was not so tough and dangerous since everybody easily walked through the jungle. We went through different beaches and resorts, one after another, until we got lost! But we were not afraid because we knew we would find our way back to the chalet. In the middle of searching, I found a spectacular beach with the whitest sand beach I have ever seen. I went into the sea and swam, and was surprised to see that a lot of colorful fishes were swimming together around me. Whoever trained these fishes not to be scared of human beings, I want to thank them for giving me such a wonderful fish experience.

After four hours trekking, we finally thought we had found our chalet, only later we realized that our chalet was not Fauna Bay Resort, but Flora Bay Resort! So silly, we searched again and found our resort next to Fauna Bay Resort. What a tiring start!