Sunday, August 27, 2006

Pulau Kapas -OUCH!

From Cherating we walked out to the road and caught a bus to Marang, the departure point for Pulau Kapas. Following the pattern set recently the town is set back off the main road and reached by a road snaking down to the waterfront. When we got down we realised the whole town was at the Mosque and so had to wait around for someone to come open the ferry ticket office. While we were waiting an Italian family turned up so we chatted to them. Eventually someone came and sold us a ticket to the island and we had time to stock up on Mangosteens before the boat left.

At the island the boat had a bit of difficulty with the jetty and dropped us on the beach instead. Handily the beach right in front of the place we'd chosen to stay, Kapas Beach Chalet. We chose to pay a small amount extra for a beach front chalet. When the guy said beach front he really meant it as we were right on the beach. The place was very nice, simple A-frame chalets again with hammocks and swings set up on the trees in the grounds and on a nice stretch of beach protected from the wind.

Kapas island was very nice. I think probably my preconception of the South East Asian beach was something like this. Several little beaches were accessible directly from one another. At the Northern end of the beaches with accomodation was a track up over the hill with ropes to pull you up and leading to a sheltered little cove on the other side. The water was crystal clear and the island carpeted with jungle. We spent a couple of days, in what is becoming a pattern, sitting reading and walking on the beach. We wanted to go snorkelling but were warned that the jellyfish season was still underway. Something I found out to my cost when scrambling over some rocks. I splashed through an inlet on the other side and bang! Pain on my foot so I instantly jumped out of the water and saw through the stirred up sand a couple of big jellyfish, their orange tentacles trailing out behind them. It stung like buggery. What with that and the monkeys, I may have to have a re-think on my position on wildlife.

2 comments:

backStreetGluttons said...

wonder if u visited the other beach with the tiny rocky outcrop near Qimi's chalet ? Kapas is very nice really.

Tim said...

We did walk all along the beaches. Kapas was a wonderful place. I'd definately go back there.