Oh boy oh boy...
We had to wait for about an hour at the quiet bus depot before 4 vans of our operator came to pick us up and brought us to their "hq" which actually turned out to be some double-storey house converted into a rest area before launching us to the jetty. The house next door was the actual "hq" which rought translates to a sorry excuse of an office. We were told to get into our shorts and sandals as the likelihood of getting wet was high.
One note of observation though: The life here seemed really laid-back and there are hardly many cars on the roads. The buildings were all old and looked deserted. Not many bright and big establishments save for the Astaka supermarket located beside the bus depot.
We were then transferred and relocated to a jetty via vans from the "hq". Here, at the jetty we can see schools of fish actually swimming in the clear water. A few jetties were located along the stretch of beach with each jetty representing a particular resort in Redang. A few souvenir stalls were close-by peddling the usual fares of trinkets and personalized T-shirts that hardly seem novel enough to warrant purchase.
We had to wait for more than an hour until the boat arrived at about 9.40. The journey was amazingly chronicled with bouts of excitement as well as tragedy. The first 40 minutes were pretty much ordinary like any other boat journeys, except the water was turqoise. We coulds see apertures of sunlight thoruhg billowing clouds and the sea interspersed with tiny dots of islands here and there.
Then we sailed right into a heavy bout of shower which had everyone soaking wet. The crowd started moving towards the enclosed area of the boat leaving a few attempting to brave the water in the open area. Before long, the skies cleared and as we approached our destination, more islands were apparent all around. Some with huge boulders and scant vegetation, some with a lot of lush vegetation, and none showed any sign of human habitation. The sea water was so pristine we could see right through.
Before long, Redang beckoned...We were greeted by creamy white sand, that felt like icing sugar on our feet... And that my readers...is paradise.
One note of observation though: The life here seemed really laid-back and there are hardly many cars on the roads. The buildings were all old and looked deserted. Not many bright and big establishments save for the Astaka supermarket located beside the bus depot.
We were then transferred and relocated to a jetty via vans from the "hq". Here, at the jetty we can see schools of fish actually swimming in the clear water. A few jetties were located along the stretch of beach with each jetty representing a particular resort in Redang. A few souvenir stalls were close-by peddling the usual fares of trinkets and personalized T-shirts that hardly seem novel enough to warrant purchase.
We had to wait for more than an hour until the boat arrived at about 9.40. The journey was amazingly chronicled with bouts of excitement as well as tragedy. The first 40 minutes were pretty much ordinary like any other boat journeys, except the water was turqoise. We coulds see apertures of sunlight thoruhg billowing clouds and the sea interspersed with tiny dots of islands here and there.
Then we sailed right into a heavy bout of shower which had everyone soaking wet. The crowd started moving towards the enclosed area of the boat leaving a few attempting to brave the water in the open area. Before long, the skies cleared and as we approached our destination, more islands were apparent all around. Some with huge boulders and scant vegetation, some with a lot of lush vegetation, and none showed any sign of human habitation. The sea water was so pristine we could see right through.
Before long, Redang beckoned...We were greeted by creamy white sand, that felt like icing sugar on our feet... And that my readers...is paradise.
