More More Teeing in Redang

28 to 30 July – After experiencing the lifestyle of the rich and famous I was transformed back into my identity of a backpacker when I bid farewell to my cousin at the Kuala Terengganu (KT) bus terminal. I stayed overnight in KT that day and signed up for a RM299 package tour for 3 days 2 nights to Pulau Redang that includes food, lodging and 2 way ferry transfer and 3 snorkeling trips. I did this because according to my guidebook, the best way to get into Redang is through this as the resorts don't usually entertain walk-in customers.

On 7am the next morning, I took the travel agency's bus which I paid RM40, to Merang (approx 30km from KT) where I transferred to a ferry. The Merang jetty was an eye opener for me. Never did I expect a jetty to such a popular tourist destination in Malaysia can be so run-down and dirty. The jetty felt like it's been built in 1 day and the amount of rubbish around the jetty is a terrible sight. I though the driver was kidding me when he asked us to alight for the ferry to Redang. The only good thing abt this jetty is the cheap Redang souvenir that you can purchase instead of paying thru your nose on Redang for the same thing.

Upon reaching Redang Bay resort, I was overwhelmed by the long stretch of white powdery sand and crystal clear blue water of Redang. The glorious sun was not to my liking though. :) After the briefing by the resort operator, I checked in to my dorm and found out tht I am the only person in the air con dorm for the next 2 nights which was a disappointment to me as I was expecting to meet other travelers.

After that I went lepaking (gallivanting) to look for for cheap dive shops and see the other resorts on the island. Of course I also visited the most famous landmark of the island the More More Tea Inn where Sammi Cheng and Ritchie Ren shot the movie Summer Holiday {{http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259741/}} in 1999.

Lunch was good. Food is not very nice but the portion is very generous and quite a lot of variety. I also met 2 other guys who travelled alone. After lunch we went for the first snorkeling trip. The snorkel wasn't as nice as the one I had in Pulau Tenggol but it there were no jelly fishes so I enjoyed it more. When we came back from the trip I snorkelled on the designated area along our beach and I saw even more coral fishes. I even saw 4 black tip reef sharks swimming past me. It was a fantastic experience.

At night me and my newly met friends chilled out at the local pub at the resort we were staying. One thing I liked about Redang over Perhentian is there is such a thing called night life. In Pulau Perhentian (20 km from Redang) the only night activity you can do is watching turtles laying eggs. HAHA. Redang has live bands, disco, and nice pubs and even karaoke and snooker/pool centre.

On the next day I skipped my 2 other snorkeling trips for 3 scuba dives which I paid an extra of RM260. The dive went really really well but spending another RM260 was not good at all for my budget. Hai.. What to do? I cannot control myself not to dive after seeing the crystal clear water. My divemaster even helped me to take underwater photos with sea horses and the extremely rare frog fish.

After dinner that night I went straight to sleep after drinking at the pub again with Mike and Han He, the 2 guys I met yesterday. On the next day I left Redang for KT together with Han He and Mike stayed on for 1 more night where he will be diving as well after telling him my dive adventures.