Nameless Bear
Registered
Impulsive. That's what I was when I made the decision to head up to the Perhentians for a long weekend trip on short notice, booking the bus tickets for Friday evening on Tuesday evening the same week. Couldn't help it, though.. I was itching to dive and had read up about how beautiful the beaches at the Perhentian Islands are!
Getting there (and back)
I took an evening bus from Singapore (Beach Road, The Plaza) which departed at about 730pm (you can also board the same bus at Johor Bahru, Larkin Terminal, later in the evening), making stops every so often during the journey before arriving at Jerteh at about 6am (Note: Tell the driver to drop you off at Jerteh, or else they will stop further up North at Kota Bahru!). At Jerteh, many taxis were waiting for us at the dropoff point, ready to take us to Kuala Besut where the jetty to the Perhentians is. Upon arrival at Kuala Besut, we were quickly ushered to one of the nearby offices for ferry services to purchase a ticket. A short wait (great time to grab some breakie) and a one-hour boat ride later, I was on Perhential Kecil; the smaller of the two Perhentian islands.
Leaving the island, I took the 4pm boat (boats depart at 8am, noon, and 4pm) to Kuala Besut, and from there made my way to Jerteh, boarding the overnight bus to Singapore at about 9pm.
Perhentian Kecil - Topside
Man, this place is beautiful!
Coral Beach by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Long Beach by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Having not made any bookings for accommodations, my first priority now was to find a room. Not getting any luck despite trying both beaches (Coral Beach and Long Beach) and also the jungle trail linking the two, I settled on a diving package with Panorama Divers which included dorm room stay, which, by the way, was poorly ventilated and dirty. Serves me right for coming here on a long weekend without making any bookings! Luckily, I was able to find my own room further down Long Beach after my dives (Phew!).
I spent my evenings relaxing along the beach, enjoying a few beers with fellow travellers, smoking some shisha and watching fire dancers perform.
Fire dancer by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Be sure to try the pizza at Oh Lala and beef rendang at Chillout Cafe along Long Beach, and also head to Mama's Kitchen at Coral Beach for some barbecue. Just go easy on the Monkey Juice when you're out partying...
Diving
The diving at Perhentians is pretty decent, with a good mix of the larger stuff such as blacktips (saw a big, beautiful one!) and bamboo sharks, blue-spotted stingrays, turtles, some macro, and also a few wrecks to explore.
The following are my favourite sites:
- Temple of the Sea
- T3
- Sugar Wreck
Moray Eel by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Crocodile flathead by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Underwater selfie! by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Blue-spotted Stingray by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Spotted Scorpionfish by Nameless Bear, on Flickr
Check out more pictures here! https://www.flickr.com/photos/namelessbear/
Till next time!
Getting there (and back)
I took an evening bus from Singapore (Beach Road, The Plaza) which departed at about 730pm (you can also board the same bus at Johor Bahru, Larkin Terminal, later in the evening), making stops every so often during the journey before arriving at Jerteh at about 6am (Note: Tell the driver to drop you off at Jerteh, or else they will stop further up North at Kota Bahru!). At Jerteh, many taxis were waiting for us at the dropoff point, ready to take us to Kuala Besut where the jetty to the Perhentians is. Upon arrival at Kuala Besut, we were quickly ushered to one of the nearby offices for ferry services to purchase a ticket. A short wait (great time to grab some breakie) and a one-hour boat ride later, I was on Perhential Kecil; the smaller of the two Perhentian islands.
Leaving the island, I took the 4pm boat (boats depart at 8am, noon, and 4pm) to Kuala Besut, and from there made my way to Jerteh, boarding the overnight bus to Singapore at about 9pm.
Perhentian Kecil - Topside
Man, this place is beautiful!
Coral Beach by Nameless Bear, on FlickrLong Beach by Nameless Bear, on FlickrHaving not made any bookings for accommodations, my first priority now was to find a room. Not getting any luck despite trying both beaches (Coral Beach and Long Beach) and also the jungle trail linking the two, I settled on a diving package with Panorama Divers which included dorm room stay, which, by the way, was poorly ventilated and dirty. Serves me right for coming here on a long weekend without making any bookings! Luckily, I was able to find my own room further down Long Beach after my dives (Phew!).
I spent my evenings relaxing along the beach, enjoying a few beers with fellow travellers, smoking some shisha and watching fire dancers perform.
Fire dancer by Nameless Bear, on FlickrBe sure to try the pizza at Oh Lala and beef rendang at Chillout Cafe along Long Beach, and also head to Mama's Kitchen at Coral Beach for some barbecue. Just go easy on the Monkey Juice when you're out partying...
Diving
The diving at Perhentians is pretty decent, with a good mix of the larger stuff such as blacktips (saw a big, beautiful one!) and bamboo sharks, blue-spotted stingrays, turtles, some macro, and also a few wrecks to explore.
The following are my favourite sites:
- Temple of the Sea
- T3
- Sugar Wreck
Moray Eel by Nameless Bear, on FlickrCrocodile flathead by Nameless Bear, on FlickrUnderwater selfie! by Nameless Bear, on FlickrBlue-spotted Stingray by Nameless Bear, on FlickrSpotted Scorpionfish by Nameless Bear, on FlickrCheck out more pictures here! https://www.flickr.com/photos/namelessbear/
Till next time!
