Defining Happy

My leaving Perhentian Islands seemed bitter sweet. While I was so over the giant *dogs* mosquitos, horrible service at eateries, and my mind not being able to relay to my stomach that “YOU MUST DO #2 IN THE BATHROOM” I will definitely miss the great things that these islands have to offer.

The Perhentian Islands (or Pulau Perhentian) are essentially made up of two Islands, Perhentian Kecil (small) and Perhentian Besar. The smaller of the two is where I stayed with a girl from Norway that I had met at my hostel in Penang and a sweet girl from Quebec that we had met on the mini bus from Penang. We all decided to share a room together and although that was definitely not my original intention it proved to be a good idea. The room was only used for sleeping and showering and with good reason…it was about the size of a walk in closet. We had to shove three toddler sized twin beds in one room and cope with having to flush our rusty toilet with running water and a bucket. Nonetheless we made it work for the mere $20/day we paid to be a stones throw away from the beach. On Kecil there are two beaches that have the majority of accommodations, Coral bay and Long Beach. Long beach seemed to be the more lively and appealing of the two and the sand is much finer. Accommodations are made up of Chalets, A framed buildings, row house style rooms, and a few grimy dormitory style options. Unless you are willing to pay a premium, sub-par seems to be the norm in regard to the options you have to lay your head. But by the time you’ve finished laying out on the lovely beach, swimming in crystal clear water, snorkeling with sharks and turtles, diving, or enjoying a decent meal you won’t really care where you lay your head at the end of the night. If that still doesn’t tempt you there are plenty of resorts on the Big Island.

One of the locals who had been on the island for 8 years told me the reason he stays there is because of the “simple life”. He appreciated the fact that he didn’t have to worry about new shoes or clothes and enjoys the easy living. I myself am not so much of a beach bum that I would enjoy staying on a nearly deserted island for the rest of my life but I can definitely relate to his comments. It’s crazy how most Americans have this need to acquire more instead of being content with less. I’m reminded of this each day on the road as I carry around this backpack and daypack and struggle to figure out what the heck I can shed to make it a little bit lighter. (Mind you my backpack is only about 9kg…according the Air Asia scale)

Overall, I truly enjoyed my stay. I think 4 days was just long enough. I managed to leave with about 26 mosquito bites that have now grown to the size of the palm of my hand. I even have two extra special ones. One on the bottom of my toe and the other on my knuckle that have swollen past recognition and will probably burst at any second and ooze yummy yellow goodness. Other than that these islands are amazing for a few days of rest and relaxation.

Perhentian Islands. Tranquility and Simplicity at its best.

Stay tuned for my ridiculous adventures in Kuala Lumpur. I promise you it will be filled with loads of tomfoolery and bafoonery foolishness. 😐