Publicado en Condé Nast Traveler
The breeze caresses my face, while the boat moves decisively towards the Perhentian islands, a small archipelago on the northeast coast of the Malaysian peninsula, famous for its seabed and its natural beauty. The journey takes about 25 minutes, in the route, you look at the horizon and suddenly you find an island of a radiant green color. Approaching the coast, the dark blue of the open sea waters gives way to a clear turquoise blue.
Dozens of fish from the small pier can be seen from the boat: its colors and a background brimming with coral. We are on the right way. The island is covered in a dense jungle mass, in which there are monkeys, geeks, birds and especially squirrels. The rest are pristine beaches with white sand that would leave Leonardo Dicaprio open-mouthed. Forget about agglomerations, motorcycles and noise. Here they have not yet arrived.
In the Perhentian there are two inhabited islands: one is called Perhentian Besar (large) and the other Perhentian Kecil (small). The two are very similar, separated by a small strait. I chose the small one because it had a little more atmosphere and infrastructure. And the truth is that it was very worth it. These islands belong to the National Marine Park Pulau Reddang, so fishing and any activity that affects the seabed is totally banned for years. And you can tell!
Alice in Wonderland
Thanks to this protectionist measure, a large part of the coasts of the islands harbor has a really unique coral, that can take you immediately to a psychedelic world multicolored. A very favorable point of this destination, is that the reefs are facing the beach, if you wish, with just a few steps from your accommodation you will enter the kingdom of Alice in Wonderland (underwater). In the first dive I found hundreds of colorful fish: clown fish (Nemo and his whole family), parrot fish, angel fish, trumpet fish and many others.
The next day a yellow morena with blue dots, and an elusive octopus, joined the party. A small shark that infused more tenderness than respect, and finally the ever-celebrated sea turtle, with its movements of astronaut, slow and always accurate.
You will come to Perhentian to enjoy without concessions, that life is too short to drink cheap wine, as the good Oscar Wilde said. There are several accommodation options, but the one that really won me over is called Alunan Resort. It is the only boutique hotelon the islands. Located in front of a beautiful coral beach -practically for private use- and in a totally natural environment. It offers about 20 spacious and modern rooms, with decoration of minimalist style. The experience is completed with a very spacious terrace with hammock and sea views.
Alunan, which in Malay means wave, is a construction very well integrated into the jungle landscape and the hill. There is much to do in the surrounding area, you will not get bored on the Perhentian Islands. Visit the islands in a small catamaran sailboat, take a kayak ride, do some activities offered by the diving school and, very important, play pétanque in the sunset, so as not to lose the Mediterranean customs. They also offer several snorkeling options and visit some of the surrounding keys so that they show without shame their underwater depths. Actually the most remarkable thing of all, is the excellent team very close and efficient, who makes the experience, something almost familiar.
Plant corals
There is a very interesting conservation project in which Alunan resort is very involved: planting coral on the shores of the Perhentians. It is a project led by the American biologist the Doctor Gerald B. Goeden, who has spent his entire life working on the defense of the ocean.
The process is curious and simple. On the coast, they place some rectangular concrete structures with holes, called “nurseries”. On excursions, the guides collect the pieces of live coral – baby coral – that has been torn off or damaged. They grab it to a pot, also made of concrete, which has been treated with a chemical, which accelerates its growth. Then you have to take the pots with the baby coral to the nursery and let it grow. In average a coral grows about 10 centimeters per year. Much of its success is its simplicity. The corals of the “nursery” attract hundreds of fish and improve the habitat. This pilot project can be easily replicated elsewhere in Malaysia, and why not, in the world.
The island of Rawa
The excursion that no one can miss if he steps on “Perhentian territory” is the island of Rawa. The Boat ride takes about 20 minutes. Then you get to an island, much smaller, in a place away from everything, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by small.
islets, and hundreds of colored fish that come to greet you. Those moments justify traveling half the world to get here.
Making snorkeling in that special place, we saw two vey big parrotfish which is characterized by its intense color, an elegant shape and the bump that protrudes from his head. Then, back on the beach they prepared a seafood barbecue, with shrimp, and squid.Then a short nap on the beach. And it is in that sleepy moment that you realize that you do not want to go
