Living the life of luxury...
So, after two glorious nights in the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang we sadly had to pack our belongings and say goodbye. It really was an outstanding stay and we were sad to leave, but Alex and Dr. Lim ensured us that we would enjoy the next stop they had booked for us, the private island resort of Pangkor Laut.
They were right, we were not disappointed. They drive us up to a private facility at the port where our luggage is quickly whisked away and we are given a refreshing drink and a cool towel to clean ourselves off from the rough car ride that we had just endured. Ten minutes later and we are on a shuttle boat on our way to the island, 20 more minutes and we are stepping off and into a peaceful oasis.
A nice relaxing lunch by their infinity pool overlooking the water and across to mainland, we were escorted up to our rooms, an unbelievably spacious villa built almost right into the jungle.
We settled in, unpacked a little, and took some time to relax even more then I would have thought possible. We then took some time to wander around our immediate surroundings, down to the beach, the pool, and we spend about an hour admiring the amazing hornbill birds that would fly around the island and land close enough for us to get some good photos.
They also had a tree full of fox bats - apparently the whole herd of bats decided about four years ago to move down from the jungle and take up residence in one of the trees right by the pier - we were never there at dusk to watch as they awoke and took flight...
The next morning we took the jungle trek across the island, this is where I filmed the rush hour of ants cruising along a tree root, to the other side and to Emerald Bay - a gorgeous beach with shallow waters to swim and spend more time relaxing...
We sat for a while, Dr. Lim and I took a walk up along the southern side of the island, looking for the "abandoned reservoir - circa 1903" that was noted on the small map that they give guests when they check in. We couldn't find it, but it was a tough hike and we came down soaked in sweat to find Alex and Tina just happily relaxing on the beach.
After a quick lunch at Chapman's bar, Tina and I decided to hike back to the other side of the island while Alex and Dr. Lim remained relaxing on the beach. Good idea - it was a bit of a hike the short way back, up and over the hill that was the center of the island - once we were back the idea of beach side relaxing sounded great. A quick shower later and we were at the front desk booking a shuttle to take us back to Emerald Bay (see, we learned something...). A short while later we are swimming in the lukewarm waters of the bay and really about a million miles away from anything remotely stressful. I'm hating to admit it, but this was a step up from the E&O hotel, and this do nothing world wasn't disagreeing with me as much as I would have expected.
Sadly, this too would be fleeting, two days is both a lot and not enough, and on that third day we were packing up once again and off for the next leg of our family visit...