Now, who doesn't like some rest and recreation? A time to just sit down and relax; let your hair down and go crazy (don't worry, not TOO crazy) or simply a period for quiet reflection. I think the team managed to do all of that at Redang Island.
For the short trip, we were joined by Brandon from the WWF and as usual, the more the merrier. The team made our way to Merang Jetty on the morning of the 7th of July with mixed feelings. On one hand, we were all looking forward to Redang but on the other, we were pretty sad to be leaving Mangkok; albeit only temporarily. Regardless, thanks to Kak Tar and Abang Lan, we all reached Merang and prepared to board the ferry to Redang.
It was roughly a 35-40 minute ride to the island and we passed that time by sleeping, chatting or just admiring the scenery. The East Coast of Malaysia is, quite simply put, stunningly beautiful.
For the two days on Redang, the team managed to have quite a bit of fun. We took long walks on the beach and made comparisons of how such walks were akin to night patrols at Telaga Papan.
We tried our hand at archery and discovered that the sport is apparently not our dearest team advisor's forte (Don't let that striking pose in the photo fool you. He really is quite useless at it).
We went snorkeling and all looked retarded with our face masks on. But, we also had plenty of fun in the water and saw loads of beautiful sights in the clear emerald water.
We all took time off to think about the past few days and how they have affected us.
And some of us slept. A lot.
If anything, Redang provided a good contrast between a simple life in Mangkok and the life we're all so familiar with: that of crowds, high prices and a rush in everyone's footsteps. The contrast allowed us all to better appreciate the fact that 'back to basics' deserves way more credit than it is given.
To leave behind the hustle and bustle of the city where everyone are strangers to head into the tranquility and peace of the kampung where everyone is just part of a huge family was an experience that none of us would forget.
So there you have it. The very condensed version of the two days on Redang. We ate, we slept, we thought, we had fun. At the end of which, we were all just very much looking forward to getting back to the Pink House and Kampung Mangkok. Or as someone very aptly put it: 'Let's go home now'.
Chow Wee
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