Cherating
Trip Start
Jul 02, 2010
1
35
82
Trip End
Ongoing
Cherating, Pahang, Malaysia
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Left Georgetown on Pinang at 9:30pm and took the overnight bus to Kuatan and from there the local bus to Cherating, a small village on the east coast of Malaysia. Arrived in Cherating at 8:30am and went looking for a guesthouse. Checked straight into Maznah's Guesthouse, got a little chalet with fan, free tea and shared bathroom for 30RM.
Cherating used to be a busy backpacker village, but it has calmed down for a few years - don't know why, because it's a beautiful place to hang out and relax. Lots of things to do, like swimming, walking, fishing in the ocean or the river which runs right next to it. The beach is a dream, white sand where the eye can see for at least 10km and not a soul to see. The place is now mostly visited by local people spending their holiday there. Very nice and kind people everywhere.
So I walked around the village checking out the place. The place is really deserted - only saw one tourist couple - but I guess that's because it's end of the season and no holiday. Asked my way around to go fishing, but I didn't want to pay 300RM alone for the boat so I told the guys to contact me if they find one or two others. One guy at the Hafiz gueshouse was fishing in the river, so I got some very friendly information about fishing in the river and was asked to join them in the evening - which I did.
Caught a small pufferfish and some small perches but nothing big enough to give away so they're still swimming happily :)
After the fishing - well the cat stole the rest of my baitfish - I had dinner with a couple of french girls I met at the restaurant. After dinner we went looking for the Deadly Nightshade Bar. It proved to be difficult finding the place so the girls went into their hotel when we passed it. Turned out that the bar was right next to the hotel, but was absolutely empty. On my way back I was stopped by a local guy, who saw me fishing and is the son of the woman who runs my guesthouse, and asked me if I want to go deep sea fishing in the morning for just for 120RM for petrol. Agreed!
So I went back and found a lovely bar which is run by a rastaman, his wife and 3 kids and one local guy who's been living at the resort for 2 months. Great relaxed atmosphere directly by the riverside, candles and beer (and coke-light needless to say) with an australian couple, the long-stay resident, some locals and the owner.
2010-10-06
Got up early (7:00am) to go fishing far out in the ocean. After catching a few baitfish we tried for the bigger ones, but no luck. Sun was really burning the later it got and the sea was as plain as a mirror - not good. So we changed to a couple of other sites - without luck. Then we tried trolling, but also no luck. But at least the weather changed and a little wind came up. So we changed to ground fishing again - and yes, fish! I caught a couple of groupers and left them to the guy. In exchange (well not really exchange) he gave me the rest of the bait-baby-squid for me to fish in the river in the evening.
In the evening I went to a different fishing spot in the middle of the mangroves. Tide was coming up fast, beautifull with the water flooding into the roots everywhere. Slick hoppers and crabs were surrounding me everywhere, a huge monitor lizard in the jungle to the right was looking for dinner and huge wasps were taking chunks from my prepared bait-squid. And I caught what I went out to catch - a river catfish :)
Later in the evening I went to the Payung Cafe again, had a pizza and a good time with the guests, playing 'Cluedo' about one of the guys girlfriend who'd had her knickers 'stolen' ;)
2010-10-07:
Left early morning to catch the bus to the Kuala Besut to catch the ferry to the Perhentian Islands. Met a couple from the Netherlands at the bus station who'd booked a ticket for the Transnational bus. I intended to go by local bus to the next big city and take an express bus from there, but just hoped onto their bus and paid even less - only 30RM, guess the money went into the drivers pocket - didn't get an official ticket either :)
