Sunday, August 24, 2008

Pulau Redang, The Island of Paradise


"The Plane, the plane, the plane" would be the words of announcement by Tattoo played by Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize when accompanying his boss Mr. Roarke played by Ricardo Montalban in the television series Fantasy Island (1978-1984) to greet their guests who would be arriving by plane to Fantasy Island. In this case there won't be any Mr.Roarke or Tattoo to greet you and the guests don't come by an aquaplane but by a DeHeaviland Dash 7 turboprop instead.
We didn't come to Redang by plane but we drove to Kuala Terengganu on the 17th of August 2008 evening to reach the town at 10.30 PM. We had booked at Kak Chik's (Wani) lodging earlier but had to find alternative accommodation as Kak Chik had confused herself on the date of our arrival. Thanks to that confusion, we managed to have a big enough accommodation at Aimi Homestay belonging to Haji Ayim Che Endut. Our group of 14 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 5 months to 9 years had comfortable accommodation there even though not all the rooms were provided with air conditioning. The night temperature was cool enough to sleep without it. We couldn't find any vacant hotel room in Kuala Terengganu due to the school holiday season.
Ample parking for three cars and Haji Ayim allowed us to park two of our cars in his house compound for free while we were on the island. (Parking at the Shahbandar's jetty would cost us RM10.00 per day per car and exposed to the salt laden sea breeze).


The toilet was clean which went well with us. Above all the Pasar Chabang Tiga was close by for us to buy breakfast for the next day. The food there were cheap. Inflation is an unknown term in Kuala Terengganu as far as food was concerned. Location wise, the place was perfect as we were not that far away from the Losong Mosque and The Crystal Mosque which could be visible from the jetty at the end of the road.


When we arrived that night, they were testing the lighting in preparation for the Quran Recital Competition. Unfortunately when we reached the Taman Tamaddun at 11.00 PM they had just switched off the light.
That's the number to contact if you need no frill accommodation in Kuala Terengganu.
The package to Pulau Redang was arranged by my daughter in law Yani via Azhar of Wisana Beach Chalet. She had been vacationing at this budget resort since her younger days with her friends and now she has managed to get the husband and family hooked to the picturesque island of Redang with the beautiful underwater life.
Here we are waiting for boarding of the ferry to Pulau Redang at the Shahbandar Jetty. For the uninitiated, the jetty is located along the waterfront near not far from the Express Bus Stand and the Pasar Payang on the other side.
The first stop of the ferry was mid sea in front of this post resort on Long Beach. As the ferry had a deep draft, a shallow draft boat came to fetch the guests to transfer them to the beach.

Our turn to board the transfer boat

Wisana Resort ain't really visible from the sea.

Walking off the transfer boat to shore was easy as the gangway touched dry shore.

The restaurant was the reception area. The resort is really laid back and peaceful.

The restaurant is named the Tupai Restaurant. This rodent known as squirrel in English and tupai in Malay gave the restaurant it's name.
0This was one of the four chalets with a double bed and a single bed and an attached bathroom. The electricity supply was only 12 hrs a day at night so don't expect any air conditioning in the daytime. Anyway you are not supposed to be in your room during the day with this kind of beach at your door step. Since the resort faces east, the beach was shaded in the afternoon.
The beach can be considered as a private beach since it is the only resort there.
While the parents went snorkeling on Pulau Lima, the grandchildren were left for us to mind and they didn't take long to start enjoying themselves on the beach with such fine white sand.
Lis and Az had themselves buried while cousin Irsyad just looked on.

Building sand castles is fun.

After dinner we were taken on an optional boat ride to Long Beach where most of the posh resorts were located. I didn't bring my camera along so I didn't manage to record any night scene from the place. Suffice to say Long Beach looked something out of the world from being an island in Terengganu. Just imagine yourself in Phuket or Koh Samui. Lots of bars with three discos to boogie the night away. One of the bars had a Filipino trio performing. Ahh this is life.
At 11.00 PM we went back to the jetty where our boat was moored. After waiting for half an hour, the reserve boatman started the boat and we left home minus the boat man. However he managed to find his way home the next morning and was ready to take us snorkeling by 10.30 AM the next day despite him having to sleep the night at the jetty.
Food was to our taste at the resort. Our first breakfast at the resort was nasi lemak.

Most of us were happy with it. Anyway there is always a supply of bread and butter for those who are not happy with the food being served for the day. Ingredients for making your drink was always available so you can just fix your own drink to suit to your taste. Cold orange drink is always available throughout the day.
Water supply to the resort is from a spring in the hill behind the resort. Thus the water is free from any salinity or added chemicals. The water is gravity fed so it is free to the resort. This is a priceless asset and should be a selling point for the resort.
With a full stomach we headed for dive center to collect our snorkeling gears. Even the young ones were eager to have a go.
In our case the snorkeling was already within the package otherwise the following rate will apply.
This diving outfit known as Belukur Dive stock some good equipments like Prestige, Sea Pro and Tusa.


The boat which will be taking us will be a traditional wooden fishing boat. It maybe old but it served the purpose. After all most of the dive and snorkeling sites are just a short distance away.


The dive and snorkeling sites around the main island of Redang.
The one they are taking us to today is the Redang Marine Park a short boat ride away from the resort.
Of course this is not the boat pilot, just someone pretending to be one.
This is Bahari the guide. Remember we left him on Long Beach last night and yet he came back to take us for snorkeling around Redang Marina Park.

Upon arrival, the guide gave us some instructions about the dos and the don'ts while snorkeling before letting us jump into the sea.

Even the jetty was crowded with people snorkeling blow it and those from the top watches the colourful fishes feeding on the bread crumbs thrown at them. Hey they feed them with only high quality Gardenia Bread! If only we had an underwater camera or a casing for underwater photography. Only later we learnt from the guide that such underwater cameras can be rented from the nearby resort at about RM100 per day. The next time I go there, I will sure rent one. The cost can be splitted among all the members.
I took time to explore the rest of the island.
There is some development going on the island. New pavers were being laid and a few other facilities too. As a reminder, entrance to the marine park costs RM5.00 per head. Don't forget to bring the ticket when going to the park.
By 1.30 PM most of us were feeling hungry and wanted to go back to the resort for lunch.
When the temperature had cooled substantially, we played a game of beach volleyball.

The final night we were there, we served with fried rice, fried mee hoon with grilled fish and squid. Water melon was served for dessert. Since there were two groups at the resort that night and the other group came early for dinner, the delicious grilled squids were finished before some of the late comers from our group could reach the restaurant. The fried rice were finished early too. The moral of the story, never be late when you are served with buffet dinner when there is no guarrantee that more will be replenished later.


The nasi gorengGrilled fish
Mahathir and his wife celebrated their first wedding annivessary at the resort. The Resort management did manage to get a cake for the event.
Tried my best to get a shot of the rising full moon with the point and shoot camera.
This is the best I could muster.
My daughter caught me taking the shot of the moonlit night.
We had a goodnight sleep that night.
Woke up early to catch this view of the rising sun.
How blissful to look at the morning sun rising with not another sould to disturb you.

The high tide that occured the night before made the sand so clean and I cant resist writing the name of my blog and put it on camera. Alas the camera didn't have a wide enough angle to capture all. Duh I miss my Sony Alpha 350.
More pictures of flowers and insects pollinating it.
Other members of my family had an easy time while waiting for the ferry home. Azrin had to feed Ayen before plunging into the sea.
Waiting for the transfer boat to fetch us and send us to the ferry back to the mainland.

Hasan is a qualified electrical engineer and a co owner of the resort with his brother Awi. He is the Dive Master at Belukur Divers. No other life suit him better other than the life at sea since he is a local from Pulau Redang itself. He has found his place in this world at Redang.


The final wave of goodbye to Wisana Beach Resort, Pulau Redang.
I shall return.
Are you interested to go to Wisana Resort? Get more information on their website here.

64 comments:

ZABS said...

Salam Zawi,
Kali terakhir saya ke Pu. Redang 20 tahun lalu. Masih perkampongan nelayan sahaja masa tu. Di musim tengkujuh, Pu Redang tempat kapal berlindung dahulunya.
Baru2 ini anak dan menantu telah bercuti dan menikmati suasana indah di sana.
Cuaca yang baik sekarang, sesuai untuk snorkeling dan berenang.

Pak Zawi said...

zabs,
20 tahun yang lalu adalah satu masa yang amat lama. Masa itu pastinya segala batu karang adalah dalam keadaan yang amat baik dan pelbagai jenis ikan pasti kelihatan.
Kembalilah ke Pulau Redang sebelumnya terlambat.

Unknown said...

Eh OK what your old camera. You got loads of beautiful pictures. But too bad eh, none underwater?

Gurindam Jiwa said...

Good to read you back.

Tomorrow back to real life with school opening.

The lower petrol price doesn't give much zinggg, though.

Let's see how people in Pulau Redang celebrate come Tuesday night.

Awang said...

Well Hello Pak Zawi!!!!!
Sound like a lovely holiday for the whole family.I guess fun school holiday for the childrens.Noisy I guess..mana tak budak-budak ..memang seronok.

Anonymous said...

Pak Zawi, a tupai is not a marsupial.

It's a rodent.

Btw, nice travel account !

ladies of zainab's skool said...

salam pak zawi...at last ada update..i was worried coz lama tade update kat sini...anyway...nak tanya ni..mcm mana saya nak join kelantan blogger tu? saya dah letak widget dia kat my blog...tapi tade pun tersenarai blog saya tu kat kelantanblogger...

Pak Zawi said...

Akmal,
Pilih gambar yang OK je la dan campur camera Olympus Azura yang baru tu. Don't you see the difference in photo quality of some pictures? Yeah regret for not knowing that underwater cameras are available for rental 9not the disposable one). Anyway my Alpha is back with me now.

Pak Zawi said...

Mazle,
Took a few days to select and edit the pictures.
Petrol price reduction is so small and thus will be used as bullets by PR to shoot at BN. Saw a banner in Kuala Trengganu near the homestay with the word BN = Barang Naik. Must be remnants of March 2008 GE.
The tourists in Redang will be oblivious to what happens in Permatang Pauh. The villagers in Redang may be happier if there is a bigger fuel price reduction should there be a change in the Gomen and thus have more reason to rejoice.

Pak Zawi said...

Awang,
Definitely a lovely holiday especially when half of my children with their children there. It was supposed to be done in Sabah but the cost was prohibitive so it was changed to Redang.

Pak Zawi said...

tree shrew,
Thanks for pointing it out. It's another learning process. I will make the correction. Now I know what is a marsupial hahahahaha. Thanks to you again.

Pak Zawi said...

ladies of zainab's skool,
I am just an ordinary member of Kelantan Bloggers so I can't help you there. Did you apply to join by the correct way? If you did then just wait awhile, the blog owner maybe busy to add you.
Masa saya apply dulu belum ramai orang jadi cepat la dapat.
Oh you ni pengunjung setia la. Terima kasih.

Daphne Ling said...

Hi Pak Zawi,

Whaddaya noe?!? I just had nasi lemak for lunch today, and ikan panggang for dinner yesterday!

We're half a globe apart, and we're still united by the same things!

=)

Zuera said...

It was an enjoyable holiday indeed.....I strongly recommend for anybody to go to Redang for the family trip...It was fun....we had planned it for months which rite after my second dignose result came out.....papa, next yr we plan again and hopefully everybody is around.....

Pak Zawi said...

Daph,
You can get nasi lemak and ikan panggang over yonder? It's just like home then.
Enjoy your stay and I wish you success in your studies.

Pak Zawi said...

Long (Azura),
Lets make it a truly family get together the next time when everyone will be there. Same place of course.

Sad Open said...

Pak zawi, salam.
Before I read this posting,I always planning to go to pulau Perhentian. But now I am rather thinking back which is a better place. What do you think Pak zawi, for a small family of one son, which island is better?

Pak Zawi said...

Sad,
Both are equally beautiful. Perhentian will be a shorter drive and shorter boat ride. If you intend to go to Redang, go via the Merang where the boat ride can be done by speed boat and both the car ride and boat ride will be shorter too. I suggest you stay on Long Beach (Perhentian also has a Long Beach) while on Perhentian as there are more people there so even if you don't snorkel, there are enough fun there.
On Redang, you can stay at resort on Long Beach if you love the crowd.
You better do both Perhentian and Redang. They are beautiful in their own ways.

Anonymous said...

Helo Pak Zawi,

Great stuff. And thank you for sharing it.

Please drop by my crib when u have the time.

Nightwing.

ladies of zainab's skool said...

pak zawi..ok.. i thought u r the owner of dat kelantan blogger... hehe..what's the correct way to sign in anyway?

Anonymous said...

Pak Zawi,

Very well narrated....

I want... I want.... I want Redang Island.... huhuhu

Pak Zawi said...

Nightwing,
I am so happy that you like it. I went to your site and left my respond to it. Thanks for the award. I don't know if I deserve it.

Pak Zawi said...

ladies of zainab's skool,
The way to register is by leaving writing the name of your blogsite and url to the site and send it to Kelantan Blogger in the comment column where the owner tells you that she/he is collecting Kelantan Bloggers.
May take a while since the owner is quite busy.

Pak Zawi said...

cjcm,
After the Permatang Pauh by election today, give yourself a treat by holidaying on Redang Island. You will certainly like it.

Pi Bani said...

Of all the states in Peninsular Malaysia, Trengganu ajelah yang I belum sampai lagi. Teringin juga nak gi Redang or Perhentian, tapi for now too many commitments.

Anonymous said...

Salam Papa,
Irsyad n Ayin nampak betul-betul enjoy kat P.Redang, plan to bring them again next year n hope all our family will join us.Everytime yanie dpt migrain, the place i always imagine is Redang and slowly my headache will go. This coming 6th of September, yanie and anak2 akan terbang ke sydney and gold coast for holiday until 11th sept.

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Pak Zawi
I've been to Redang three times. I had a surreal experience on the third visit when my group of reporters and I stayed at one of the chalets on the marine park itself that we had not gone back there.
It is nevertheless one of the best islands off Terengganu.

Pak Zawi said...

Pi,
Find time to visit Terengganu and the beautiful islands off its coast. You wont regret it. People from all over the world flock to the island to enjoy its beauty both above and below the water surface.

Pak Zawi said...

Yanie,
Let us do another Redang bash next year. I truly enjoyed seeing my grandchildren enjoyed themselves there. By next year Irsyad and Ayin should be able to do some snorkeling themselves.
Wah bestnya pegi gold coast. Papa and mama may go there next year. Remember to take lots of pictures OK?

Pak Zawi said...

Fauziah,
You been there three times already? Salute, salute, salute.
Above all to stay on the Pulau Pinang which is the Marine Park itself. It will even be greater if you did night dive.

ladies of zainab's skool said...

ok..thanx a lot... baru perasan 'collecting blogs' tu...

ps: ada gamba sek men zainab 1 tak?? rindu nak tgk rupa sek tu skang ni

resident.wangsamaju said...

Thanks for reminding me to take off for vacation- great post on Redang Island!!

Looks like there's going to be a major change coming along.

Pak Zawi said...

ladies of zainab's school,
I will take a shot of the school and post it on one of my blogs. Kota Bharu in Pictures will be appropriate I guess. I will keep you informed whenever its done OK?

Pak Zawi said...

resident.wangsamaju,
You don't have to go far to enjoy a holiday on an island paradise. All levels of comfort are catered for onour own islands. The sky is the limit. Just give yourself a treat.
The battle is won but the war is not over yet. Let us see what is the outcome from this extremely hard fought battle. The moral of the story is, you must live up to your words, otherwise get lost.

Unknown said...

:-) pak zawi..

the plane the plane the plane!!! hehehe, nostalgia tu dgn siri paradise island tu eh!

siapa kata malaysia tidak menawan....!! i hv not been there, and with this coverage of urs, the island is now in my wish list.

Happy to see so many enjoying cuti2 malaysia!

Pp

ladies of zainab's skool said...

pak zawi... tenkiuuu...really appreciate that...

Pak Zawi said...

Pakpayne,
I guess not many have seen Fantasy Island and thus could not relate.
Yes we have many gems of islands off the east coast of the peninsula which has been visited by tourists from all over the world but missed by many locals. Now the locals are coming by the ferry loads.
It was a joy to see them enjoying themselves especially at the discos where they boogie the night away without a care to the world all for the price of a drink.
Come back again same time next year and join my family for an outing to Redang. It will be an annual affair for my family.

Pak Zawi said...

ladies of zainab's school,
Sorry I forgot to bring my camera when I went to KB yesterday. Will do it the next time I go there.

en_me said...

waduh, pulau2 di trengganu lom lagik me pergi... uhuhu

Pak Zawi said...

en_me,
Kalau pulang ke Malaysia nanti luangkan masa sikit untuk berkunjung ke pulau-pulau di sebelah pantai timur semenanjung. Rugi kalau tak pegi. Musim tengkujuh tak boleh pegi ya, ombak besar dan semua resort tutup.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful place! Must make a point of visiting it in the future!

Pak Zawi said...

Puteri,
That's the idea. Either Perhentian or Redang you will love it here. For the future visit to Kelantan, head straight for the islands.

Mat Salo said...

Bang, saya terakhir pergi redang a few years ago, tapi naik pesawat Takde lak Mat Tatu tunggu kat bandara teriak, "de plane, deplane". Berjaya punya paket, rega pun ok. Terpaksa buat gitu sebab masa tak mengizinkan. Kalau drive, masalah time dan juga parkiran. Gamak nya nak tunngu pencen jugak baru ada time... itu pun kalau diperpanjangkan umur oleh yang maha Esa.

Another great travelogue from Zawi's LAISI!

Pak Zawi said...

Mat Salo,
The next time you come you better inform me as I will enjoy myself playing Mr Roarke and I will get a Tattoo to announce your arrival.
Of course it is better to fly in if you can afford it but staying at Berjaya Redang Resort will not expose you to Long Beach by night which is an experience by itself unless you get Berjaya Resort to take you there for a bash there.
Thank you for the compliments.

abe MIE 'TERJAH' said...

comel tempat. tak pernah pergi.

bagaimana nak ke sana?

boleh inform saya?

norjimi@hotmail.com

Pak Zawi said...

abe mie,
Oleh kerana kami datang dari KL pada hari tu kami naik melalui Kuala Terengganu. Kalau dari KB lebih senang melalui Merang. Perjalanan bot dari Merang lebih ringkas.

Unknown said...

Hello Zawi,

Happy Merdeka & Salam Ramadhan to you & family.

striker said...

assalamualaikum,

salam ramadhan.. mohon maaf andai ada silap & salah..

moga ramadhan kali ni lebih mendekatkan kita pada-Nya, amin =)

Pak Zawi said...

Ruby,
Thank you.

Pak Zawi said...

striker,
Terima kasih.

svllee said...

Dear Pak Zawi.

Your pics of Redang look fantastic. I was there with the missus 2 years ago and went snorkeling at the Marine Park also. It was really an experience swimming amongst the fish.

Is your Sony repaired already?

Pak Zawi said...

svllee,
I am glad you have experienced Redang. My children and their children enjoyed the islands immensely and we are already planning to come again next year with the rest of the siblings.
My Sony is now repaired and I am using the camera with more care now.
Just came back from Taman Negara Kuala Koh for some photoshoot there. Doing an article about the place.

Anonymous said...

Selamat berpuasa pada mama and papa, ok tak Taman Negara Kuala Koh? Bila artikel tu dah siap let me know ok. 4 ur info, watie dah balik ke Indonesia on 30th August so everything i have to do on my own, irsyad n ayin ok jer tapi syakirah tu tak boleh tinggal langsung, menanggis dia sampai muntah2. InsyaAllah, semuanya ok.Yanie

Pak Zawi said...

Yanie,
Selamat berpuasa.
Taman Negara Kuala Koh memang cantik. Satu masa nanti kita patut buat family gathering kat situ. Papa pasti anak-anak Yanie juga akan enjoy disitu. Cuma kita tunggu jalan masuk ke TNKK siap diperbaiki. Perjalanan kesitu juga boleh diteruskan hingga ke Kenyir. Operator resort tu pula classmate Angah masa kat Gua Musang.
Kesian kat Syakirah kerana miss maid dia. Semoga Yanie dapat memujuk dia. InsyaAllah semuanya akan kembali normal nanti.

Anonymous said...

been to pulau tioman but never pulau redang yet. itupun last pegi thn 94! one day nak pegi la. tengok gambar laut terasa damai jer. dah lama sangat tak bawak anak2 gi laut *smile*

KC

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum Ayoh Awi

Such a great post as this poor man never visit Redang. You are so lucky have the chance of having family holiday in the great and beautiful island. When I was transit in Dubai sometime in July, I met a French couple that look forward to visit Redang. Ohhh I must go to visit Readng next year after the monsoon end. Thanks

Pak Zawi said...

KC,
Your children will like the island of Redang. Stay at Wisana if you dont like the crowd and want to be cut off from the outside world. Stay at Long Beach of your family love the crowd and not to feel out of touch with the outside world. There are resorts to suit every budget there.

Pak Zawi said...

mamadou,
You see people from all over the world know and enjoyed Redang. Yet many of our own people havent been there.
You better get there after the monsoon. A bachelor like you should stay at Long Beach.

ladies of zainab's skool said...

pak zawi...thanx anyway.. napa lama tak update blog ni?? how about photos of juadah2 yg pelik2, yg jarang kita jumpe

Pak Zawi said...

ladies of zainab's school,
I think many other people will be posting on juadah berbuka puasa so I am going to let others do it. I am now working on a new post which I think you will be enjoying reading even more.

LITTLE DEWA said...

alamak!
bestnye yer redang getaway!
too bad they'll b closing soon 4 the monsoon kan?...
x sempat nk pegi dah... hav 2 wait until nxt year lah.

Pak Zawi said...

little dewa,
They are still open. Check with them to find out whether they are closed or not to be sure when you decide on the date to go.

Anonymous said...

The author of mohdzawi.blogspot.com has written an excellent article. You have made your point and there is not much to argue about. It is like the following universal truth that you can not argue with: Boys always say yes. Girls always say no. Thanks for the info.

Anonymous said...

hai...sy igin membuat aktiviti snkling... ade x pakej yg murah sbb sy mgkin dtg seramai 10 org... kalau ade tolong hubungi sy... sy perlukan peginapan sekali... 0123414795 ayie