It was a whole day's travelling in a minivan from Kuala Tahan to Kuala Besut, where we would get a speed boat to the smaller Perhentian island. The Malaysian driver was a fan of German eighties music, which he played on a loop including Boney M's greatest hits - there is a lot of them and I knew the words! Two of our travelling companions were German and I chatted to my neighbour about German pop music. She advised me that "Winds of change" - theme tune to the fall of the Berlin wall was by the Scorpions. Can't stand that track!
We stopped for lunch at a very cheap Indian restaurant, where I had chicken murtabak and Paul had rotis. They did a mutton curry to accompany our meals which was fantastic! Teh tarik (sweet frothy tea) too!
We were all a bit tired when we got to the tour operator's office at Kuala Besut. Two Brits in our minivan were sorted with accommodation on the larger island, but we were unable to book accommodation at the small island - none of the hotels appear to use Booking sites. The two German girls and we would have to get a hotel on spec. The tour operator advised us that it was high season and places were in short supply. The speed boat ride was pretty rough, we were bounced around for an hour. We had asked to be dropped off at Coral bay on the quieter side of the island. I had my sights set on Ewan's Place, which scored highly on Tripadvisor.
We were dropped off at the jetty. It was scorching hot and we were sweltering carrying our backpacks along the beach. We walked the full length of the beach and could find no sign of Ewan's. I asked for directions and a tourist pointed back to our starting point - the jetty side of the bay. We stopped at a cafe, out of the baking sun. Paul's face was like thunder! Oh dear! I waited with the bags while he walked back to get us a room. I ordered him an iced tea for his return. He came back in about 20 minutes, his expression had not altered. He had tried 5 places and had been met with disinterest. All but one were fully booked, the one that did have a room had a filthy black matress. We would have to walk the jungle path through to Long beach on the east coast of the island. It was only a 15 minute walk but it was not fun! We arrived at the other side to find other wandering homeless backpackers. Paul tried several places with no success - of one place he said "They've got a room, but I wouldn't let a dog stay there!". We then met up with the German girls from our minivan drive, they and another German couple had given up and were going to sleep on the beach before heading back to the mainland. The sun was setting and there were no boats back to the mainland, the only option was to get a water taxi to the big island. Perhentian Besar was more expensive and quieter. This was a big risk, there was a good chance that it was also fully booked. I tried a couple more places with no success. In a last ditch attempt, Paul did one last run round, the room that he would not let a dog stay in was let! He called in to a place called Matahari, they were fully booked, but one guy had not arrived. Paul suggested the manager should contact the guy. We were in luck - a cancellation! It was 90 Ringgits (£18) for a fan only, double bungalow with cold shower but beggars can't be choosers. Phew! What a relief! Paul was still in a bit of a nark though! We took a shower, got dressed and headed out to dinner. Service was crap, food was average and the prices were high, it was getting worse. The Germans had settled at a bar and were planning to watch the World cup games there throughout the night, leaving a couple of hours before the boat the next day. They were feeling rough, so I offered to let them all shower at our place. I took two of the girls back, I sat on the balcony with one to give the other some privacy. "Hello Merseyside!" came a voice from the next bungalow. Sat opposite was Chris from Wolverhampton, they had arrived the night before and got the last room on the island. I filled him in on our trials and explained about the Germans. This was all too much for the girl with me and she burst into tears. I felt terrible!
We joined the Germans in the bar and then a thunderstorm started, everyone ran for cover, so we headed back to our room.
We woke up the next morning to discover that Paul had had his sandals stolen from in front of the bungalow - normally it is customary for you to leave your shoes outside, but not here. Paul had to wear his walking boots on the beach - bless him!
Shania and Chris were having a great time, partying on a cheap supply of "Stanley Morgan" rum and spotting turtles and loads of fish on their snorkeling trip. We spent time researching how to get out of Malaysia as we planned to walk across the Thai border. Days were spent eating and drinking at Ewan's place on Coral bay and evenings were spent drinking rum and diet coke. Just a few nights at Perhentian Kecil overpriced, overrated and overbooked before heading out to Kota Bharu near the Thai border.