[ Monday, April 05, 2004 ]
Sleep was unbearable! Somehow we thought that we didn't need to use the mosquito net provided because all the other chalets didn't have any.. But the previous night proved how wrong we were.. Mosquitos were having a bloody feast on our bodies, latching onto every inch of our flesh.. Even the pareo I used as my blanket couldn't save me from the itchy onslaught.. We woke up late so we ended up missing breakfast.. They said it was a delicious serving of fried rice or something :P
Leisure activities were lined up for the morning.. So my friends and I took the boat trip we wanted on the previous day.. The water was so clear that we could see the coral reefs underwater.. We even spotted lots of sea urchins and a few corals we called as 'sea brains' due to its shape :) IMHO, compared to the RM25 snorkelling trip, that RM10 boat ride was better value for money, considering that we didn't get ourselves wet and yet we still got to see all those corals :)
Then before lunch, we went for the banana boat ride.. It looked so inviting that it didn't bother me to share the ride with another 8 males, 6 of which were seniors.. Luckily N agreed to go with me, so I wasn't the only female there.. Unfortunately, what I expected as an exhilarating ride turned out to be a boring one.. The speedboat never looked more lethargic :P All the bumps were hardly exciting.. Child's play, even.. So as soon as I got off the ride, I was dying for a 2nd round.. I knew it had more to offer than that..
After lunch, N and I proceeded to the food stall we wanted to go to.. I had a delicious helping of nasi pattaya while N helped herself to fried rice 'kampung' style.. I planned to go kayaking with my friend A at 2.30pm but since it was sweltering hot outside, we waited until 4.30pm when the weather was slightly cooler.. I can't believe I actually managed to move the small kayak.. I remember the last time I went kayaking with my dad.. He stopped paddling and it was my turn to paddle, but it wouldn't move a single inch.. So now at least it feels good to exorcise my past.. hehe :)
Then at 5pm, I rallied 10 people to ride the last banana boat ride for the day.. It was pretty stressful because the beach games were supposed to start by then but the boat ride owner said that if we didn't hurry up before 6pm, he might close the ride.. So after telling the house committee, we discussed.. but in the end, I muttered my approval to the them to go on with the games as I silently stewed inside..
Around 6.15pm, the games finally ended, so I rushed to the owner and paid our money.. Thankfully he was lenient enough to let us hop on for the last time.. We happily fastened our life jackets as we headed onto the banana boat.. I asked the guy to drive as fast as possible, or else I wanted my money back.. hahaha.. My friends and I even posed for a few snapshots.. E took a ride with the speedboat, armed with his digital camcorder to record our trip.. Heh.. Looking back, I really wish he didn't..
So off we went to the middle of the high tide.. The waves were awesome and I was right - the ride wasn't disappointing at all.. The waves were huge and the ride was totally breathtaking.. We were bobbing up and down in the middle of the sea and it was a good thing K was sitting in front, acting almost like our 'wall' - 80% of all the sea water got splashed on him before it went to the rest of us at the back.. hahaha..
Then as I was talking to MN and F while the speedboat started to slow on the way back to shore, suddenly the banana boat got jerked by the speedboat at a high speed that I totally lost my balance and - you've guessed it - I got thrown into the sea! I didn't worry too much about getting thrown.. The 1st thought that flashed through my mind was malunyaaaaaa (so embarassing!!!!).. Of all the people who went on the banana boat before that, I had to fall into the water first! And the best part? Most of my friends didn't even have a clue!! Here are some very interesting quotes from them :
"At first there was a constant yelling of 'Laju lagi! Laju lagi!' (Faster! Faster!).. And then suddenly the yelling was gone.. And we thought it was no big deal.. Until the speedboat slowed down.." - K
"We started asking each other 'Who fell off?', 'Is it MN?', 'Is it Dayah?'.. And then we saw your bright orange life jacket in the water.." - N
"At first, I tried to grab your hand but you already let go of the handgrip.. So I raised my hand to flag down the speedboat.. It's so funny to see your head bobbing up and down in the water like a mermaid.." - MN
Thanks a lot guys.. I really appreciate the gesture :P
I felt so humiliated.. Until the highlight of the ride happened.. One large wave came and swept K plus all the 4 people behind him! In one swish, the whole row was thrown off the boat!! Hahaha.. it was so funny! MN and F managed to hold on to their handgrips, fortunately.. E must've had the time of his life recording 6 people getting thrown off into the sea in one ride! He said he wants to share the video on our college network.. Errkkk..
That night, we held our first Persatuan Orang-orang Jatuh dinner and we talked about the incident to the smallest details.. E even brought his camcorder to replay the funniest scenes.. Hahaha.. It was so fun.. It sort of brought me, MN and F closer too that we ended up making an 'alliance' throughout the rest of the evening's games.. F even threw water balloons at me! Heh..
Since we didn't want to get bitten by mosquitos again, my chaletmates and I decided to sleep together on the queen-sized bed and use the mosquito net.. It was the best decision we ever made..
[ Tuesday, April 06, 2004 ]
We packed our bags and said our goodbyes to Pulau Kapas.. Riding on the speedboat back to Marang, I was feeling kind of reluctant.. I didn't feel like leaving after the fun I had the previous day.. Oh well.. Funny things happen when you least expect it..
The trip back to KL was a long one.. We stopped at a Shell station around the Kuantan Bypass 1 area instead of the planned Kuantan R&R because Mr. A couldn't wait to eat because of some stomach problems.. As a result, the people who wanted to go to Kuantan got stranded in the middle of nowhere..
We reached KL Sentral around 6.30pm.. I had my first holiday meal - Kenny Rogers, yum - before lugging my heavy luggage home..
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.. If only I had brought along some insect repellents, though.. hmm..
::
NHA at 4:24 PM ::
0 comments ::
