Perhentian
Horizons Week – Perhentian
For the Horizons Week trip to the Perhentian Islands, we started our journey on Monday, the 16th of June, at the ungodly hour of 5:30 in the morning. We also had to face 9 hours of travelling, but despite our reservations, the journey went very smoothly, with nobody getting carsick enough to throw up! The (very) frequent toilet breaks helped too, and for some of us, we got the experience of having to pay to use the toilets.
When we reached the island after an extra hour’s boat ride, we were all spellbound by the clarity of the water and the atmosphere of peace and serenity the island had. It truly was something out of a travel book. Admitedly, when we first got our rooms, some of us were mortified by the fact that our bathrooms didn’t even have a proper shower head, just a pail and a tap. But, we did grow to love our rooms very much, after having to sweep the floor and sand our sheets every 3 hours because it just seemed like sand got everywhere. Needless to say, we all learnt the skill of using a broom.
For the next 4 days, we went on a constant daily rotation of snorkelling and scuba diving. Our instructors were fantastic, and all so informative and professional. It was a real pleasure to get to work with them over the days we went diving. Diving itself was an experience that most of us had never had before, and were very, very excited about actually breathing under water! The sea life, which included turtles, sharks, stingrays, a huge variety of fishes, hundreds of living corals and so much more, left all of us speechless, and if we didn’t have a limit put on us by the oxygen tanks, I’m sure we would’ve stayed 7 meters deep all day long. We visited around 7 beaches through our whole trip, and each one seemed more beautiful than the next, with water so clear you could see your toes even chest deep in the sea.
Apart from the diving and snorkelling, we did so much more. We jeti-jumped, banana-boated, hiked up a hill, played countless beach games, learnt that some of us really cannot play Rounders and also went to see a fire show. Each of these kept our days so full that by the time we got back to our rooms at night, we were out like a light switch. When we did have free time, the teachers made it a point to mention that we shouldn’t be on our gadgets, and we should be appreciating the company we have around us. Following that statement, we could be heard very clearly telling jokes, playing card games, teasing each other and engaging in very interesting conversations in just how good (very good) the food the resort provided was. On the last night we were at the resort, the owner of the resort came over and gave a presentation on coral life and how we, as students, could help keep the corals and sea life healthy and alive. The most important thing we learnt that day was do not litter, because that destroys the sea life. After seeing the beauty of the ocean with our own eyes, the thought that it could be hurt made us all realise the importance of preserving its beauty, so everyone can see it.
On the second last day, we packed up our suitcases and said goodbye to the resort we had all grown to love for its rustic personality. We then hiked across the island and went to a campsite to camp for one night. After the talk we had the prior night, all of us instinctively started picking up whatever litter we found on the beach, without even being asked. For me, that was one of the most heart-warming moments of the whole trip. On seeing the toilets we had to use, some of us decided that maybe camping really isn’t our outdoor activity. The whole day, any tourist would have seen groups of us playing beach volleyball, relaxing with a book, splashing around in the crystalline water or just taking a snooze after our week of intense activity. That night, we had an excellent barbecue of octopus, stingray, chicken and much more, which then gave way to a bonfire set up by our instructors. After having a fire dance and roasting marshmallows, Mr Duncan announced that since it was our last night, we needn’t have to sleep in our tents, but could all take our mats out and camp in the sheltered area instead. That suggestion was met with the most enthusiastic response, basically because we didn’t really want to squeeze 4 people into one tent…
The next day, we very sadly bid farewell to our instructors, and headed back home. Despite our sadness of having to leave the sweet haven they call Perhentian, we all left happy, knowing we’ve created new friendships with the unlikeliest of people, and having brand new adventures to tell our envious families and friends in Penang about.
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