Another Day for You, You and Me In Paradise...

24 September 2009

...so says the great Phil Collins. Though really, it's probably just David and I who are currently in Paradise. I'm guessing that you're at home—hello Washington, London, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Minnesota, and all the other places that are not Malaysia.

We're at the Paradise Watercolours Resort, on Pulau Besir in the Perhentian Islands of Malaysia, to be exact. Yes, this is Beach Holiday number three in the last month. We suffer for the sake of this blog; for all of your entertaiment needs, we are lying on yet another white sand beach drinking fresh lime juice and being fanned by locals. Okay, not really with the locals, but the lime juice is nice.

Actually, after six nights at Railay, this one is a bit of overkill. I'm a beach girl, I do love nothing better than lying around in the sun, but even I'm a teensy bit bored this time, as although it's stunningly beautiful there's not a whole lot to do except diving. David's been twice today, and going again before we leave in three days. About half the group are diving in one form or another—Louise, Amy, Debbie, Robin and Denis have gone for the 3-day Open Water full-on PADI course, Corrie and Alex and David are already qualified and therefore just enjoying themselves. Rich and I are wandering about between the beaches and palm trees, trying to entertain ourselves. Thank goodness for the Sony Reader...have gone through about 3 novels in the last week (Shanghai Girls, Assassin's Quest, The Help). In my ongoing efforts to avoid looking like shoe leather before I'm 40, I'm trying to stay out of the mid-day sun. Shade is boring!

The resort is a backpacker sort of place, worryingly strewn with hippies and chickens and sarongs. Not the luxury we've become accustomed to, but it's okay. I can report that the lizards in Malaysia are not as cute as those of Thailand and Vietnam—sort of bumpy. There's a restaurant on the beach, which is nice, although they appear to be out of pretty much everything. Free wifi, though. Barbecue at Mama's last night, we got two huge calimari, chicken, prawns, rice, veg, salad, and fresh pineapple for 60 ringit—about $17. That's alright, mama.

It does feel like we're winding down as we edge closer to Singapore. Three more nights here, then five nights of camping in jungle and on a beach, Kuala Lumpur (KL for those in the know) Melacca (where we lose the truck to be shipped home) and then a few nights in Singapore itself. David and I are flying to Darwin on 9 October, the only ones of the original 22 to make it there on schedule. Eight of our longtime companions are going to Borneo for three weeks to see the orangutans, we lose the twins in KL, Rich is going straight to Perth, Corrie home to Melbourne, Tee and Le home to Oz.

Off to lounge around some more in the sun...

(photo is not upside down, the lizard is on our ceiling...)