Sunday, June 29, 2008

Tenggol Island, Terengganu



It was a long, long time since I last went to East Coast. If I am not mistaken, it was to the Club Med in Kuantan sometime in mid 1990's. I remembered because my kids was still quite young and they took part in a children performance during the trip there. Now, they are all grown up and already had completed their first degree...how time really flies. Had never heard of this Tenggol Island in Terengganu, so decided to go and check it out. Well, definately will recommend it to those who loves to getaway to an unspoilt and back to nature style of holiday. It reminded me of Pulau Redang before it became a hot tourist destination with lots of hotels, restaurants etc.....

During the weekend that we were there, there were about less than 50 people staying in the island's three resorts. The island is about 60 mins journey by speed boat from Dungun jetty, however, if you take a fishing boat like we did, then, be prepared to travel about 2 hrs in the sea.

We had booked to stay in Tenggol Island Resort, the only resort providing chalets with airconditioned and attached bathroom and hot shower. A word of caution, the aircond pretty noisy coz, it is old. Must say that the room is spacious and built using natural timber......blended very well with the environment.

Ofcourse, the island itself is really beautiful and give you a feeling of tranquility and peace. The beach is actually a bay and the water is really clear. Not far from the beach itself, we could do some snorkelling and watch the beautiful coral reefs and fishes. For those who wants to do diving, apparently the island and its surrounding area offers more than 20 dive sites. For me, I am contented just do some snorkelling and spent time resting on deck chair on the beach, breathing in all the clean and fresh air. If you really need to have quiet time for yourself, this is definately the place for you.

The restaurant cooked local dishes, however, don't expect too much. You will definately get to eat lots of fishes, infact, every lunch and dinner, you will get fish dish...but, always the same type of fish. Well, this is one place that I would like to go again as a Getaway Holiday, before it get contaminated by the tourist industry.

The Story continues

At the summit of the tallest mountain in South East Asia.......a photo to treasure forever! A photo earned with mental determination and physical endurance.....a sweet, sweet success.
Wow!! after 4 hours of walking nonstop for 2km and straining all my physical and mental resources, I finally made it to the summit in time to see the sunrise at 5.45am..........its so beautiful up there and I was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
2a.m the next morning, attempting to climb the last 2 km to reach the summit. We were dressed as if we are going to Alaska!
The beginning of a long, long, long walk up to the summit. All I saw was a flight of stairs, then when I reached the top of the stairs, another flight of stairs, then another, then another............. all the way to the Rest House at 11,000ft above sea level....6 km of stairs.

May 2006, the morning of the climb, the Team Members, all first timer to attempt to climb Mount Kinabalu. In the clear morning sky, saw the peak of the mountain and we all felt a bit unsure of our ability to reach the summit......soooooo high, lor!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Story Begins










Here we are, the team members...oops! our feet ready to go! Training our bodies for the climb in Bukit Jalil. First training, 4 months before the actual climb. Looks like we even trained to express our joy in reaching the summit...end of the race!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Mount Kinabalu Climb

Since 1975 when I first met a student friend from Sabah that shared many of his Mount Kinabalu climbs even, when he was as young as 10 years old, I had told myself then, that one day I must climb the mountain. Thank God that at 49 years old in May 2006 I finally done it!!!!