Monday, October 20, 2008

Rawa Island Retreat

I was at a loss for words. I will never go to Krabi or Phuket ever again. Because this mutherofallbeach totally blew us away!
Here's my report.

Date: 18th October 2008. The pre-monsoon season.
How we got there: Drove to Mersing, by the 'Kota Tinggi' way. Some windy trunk roads. Some fog. Many plantations along the way. Overtaking skills are put into good use here.
We set out at 6.15am to catch the 9am boat. There are two trips to Rawa daily and they're at 9am and 12 noon. To make full use of the day, we opt for the 9am ride.


After stopping for a quick breakfast in Mersing town, we made the final stop at Rawa office, at the Mersing jetty. They have a private parking lot for you if you drive. There, you pay the remaining reservation fees. If you didn't get to book your dream chalet, here is the time to ask if there is any left. Chances are, someone may cancel their bookings. I actually got to choose if I wanted the beachfront unit, but I passed, because it had two single beds. Not good if you have a kid who sleeps WILD.


"I'm an emo model. Bite me"


Rawa jetty


Boat ride. The sea is smooth, the sky is clear!


P A R A D I S E




The FUN slide.


Postcard shot.


The restaurant.


Pathway to our Hillside Standard room.


I just love these pebbled wall chalets.


The room. No electricity from 9am to 12 noon, everyday. It's basic. A thick mattress, NO blanket, air con, wall fan, side table, a dresser, two rattan armchairs, a coffee table, bathroom with shower. The sink was leaking though but hey look at the beach, all your worries slip away...



The time to swim is 10am. Perfect tide. You'll know why later. Luckily we took the earliest boat ride or else we'd have missed this.

Shady part under the jetty.




After a hearty buffet lunch, delicious by beach resort standard, we lazed on the hammock and took a nap. I was eagerly waiting for the evening for another swim.


Then evening came. I woke up at 4.30pm sharp to get ready. We put on our swimwear and head out.

WHERE IS MY PARADISE?! This is awful! We can't swim! And nobody is! Oh no, this is bad! I was sorely disappointed.
These are actually beautiful corals and wonder awaits.




It wasn't that bad after all. We had fun catching crabs and admiring the corals. It was kind of a blessing in disguise because we could see all these beautiful corals upclose without having to dive/snorkel.






We found this secluded sandy spot at the end of the beach.



The jetty after sunset. It looked so hauntingly beautiful.


BBQ dinner. The prawns were fabulous. Now the tricky part. There aren't many entertainment on the island. We had no TV in our rooms, which I thought was a good thing. For after dinner recreation, there is an internet and TV room where you can bring your own DVD to play. ASTRO is shown at the restaurant area on projector screen ( usually sports channel ). There is also snooker tables ( quite expensive rental though), some board games, ping pong and loads of magazine to browse. Coincidently someone was playing Monster House DVD so Daniel 'tumpang tonton' while Paul and I had a whale of a time playing ping pong. Such simple fun.


The next morning, I set out on my own at 8.30am to take a stroll along the beach.

A school of fish below the jetty. There are plenty of other pretty fishes around the jetty so it's a good spot to snorkel.

My beautiful beach is back.



Some of my favourite shots. The light was just amazing.





Goofing around before departure.



We stayed for one night, and we're definitely going back there next year. It's just too beautiful not to!

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