Activity 5 – G. Arong Hike & the Three Islands

Straight after we were back from our Bali trip, haven’t rested enough, we went on a hike & snorkel with our group of friends to Gunung Arong and Snorkeling at the Three secluded Islands.

We met up with our friends at Ang Mo Kio MRT and set off to Mersing. This was the time window for me & Long to catch some rest. 

About 3.5hours of car ride, we reached our “breaky” place where i introduced my friends the tasty Roti Prata at mersing jetty. Then we were brought to our resort. Secluded and peaceful place to be in on a relaxing weekend.  

 Our Resort      

Beach infront of our resort

Set aside as a marine park by the government in 1985, one of the island we visited is one of the few breeding grounds of the Malaysian giant leatherback turtle. Come July, the beach is thronged with tourists coming together to witness the miracle of life: the laying of her eggs. The waters are teeming with tropical fish and corals; they are so clean you may doubt that you are in the 21st century.

The photo above is the little-known island “Pulau Rawa”. The island is situated 18 km off the eastern shore of Malaysia and can be reached by boat in about one hour from Mersing. It is privately owned and besides two resorts there are no other tourist facilities present. The two resorts, Le Club and The Safari, are owned by two brothers.  The boat goes fast and makes a few big smacks on the waves. After 10 minutes we arrive at Hujung island.

This island is semi-permanent inhabited. The clear water in front of the beach is full of coral. Armed with our snorkels we go out to explore the underwater world. The coral is nice but is slightly damaged – coral bleaching. 😦 We also see a lot of colored fish, including our favorite: the clownfish swimming in the poisonous tentacles of the sea anemone. The beautiful velvet-like shells are also present, and one of us was lucky enough to spot a stingray.

   

         

 

After our water activities in the day, took our needed refreshing hot showers and then we mingled around waiting for our BBQ dinner. Then some of us took the chairs and sat infront of the beach and chatted through the night….the night breeze whispering in our ears as we relaxed and chill out.

  

The next morning after our Meehoon Goreng, toasted bread, coffee and tea, its time for our morning workout. We scaled Gunung Arong. 

Views at the top of Gunung Arong.

       

       

We Made IT !!!

Some of our playful boys went to the nearby waterfall and have their water FUN.

    

Of course our trip must ended with nice savory food and our usual Kat’s tradition: The Prosperous Yum Seng – “Huat Arh” !!!

   

After we had our sumptuous 7-course dinner, we became “crazy”….we picked up the Party Popper Confetti that were left on the floor outside the restaurant (the restaurant had a wedding reception, the popper confetti were the ones used) and threw high up….Oh my, we are a bunch of crazy fellows…well, we had a good and fun time, so who cares?

More photos are uploaded in my facebook. Click here to check them out.

Photo Video created by Katherine Goh