LittleSandyBeach

After a two hour delay we finally boarded our flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur. This being our first experience on Air Asia we were pleasantly surprised especially with the background music being played!

The airport is absolutely massive and after a fair walk we made it to immigration. This was the easiest process so far as with a British passport you just scan at the gates and you’re automatically let through. Very quick and easy.

After ordering a Grab taxi and holding on for our lives as the driver decided to go nearly double the speed limit we finally made it to our hotel for the evening in the centre of the city.

In the morning we headed straight to the central bus station to find our ride to Lumut. After hunting around for 30 minutes (it’s a complete maze on about 5 different floors) we found where we needed to be. After a quick minibus to the outskirts of the city we changed to our bus.

After 6 hours we made it to Lumut bus station which is only a short 5 minutes walk away from the pier to catch the ferry to Pangkor Island. Although not many travellers go to Pangkor Island it is a very important place for Malaysia’s history as just off the coast on board the British steamer ‘Pluto’ the Pangkor treaty was signed paving the way for British imperialism in Malaya.

When we saw the ‘ferry’ we didn’t know if we were boarding a submarine or a boat…. At least the crossing is only about 30 minutes!

The first thing to notice when arriving to Pangkor Island is the very cool looking pink taxis that transport everyone around the island. The best thing is the fixed prices so you don’t have to haggle!

That evening the first place we went to check out was Pasir Bogak Beach which overlooks Pangkor Laut – a private island with a luxury resort. Near the beach there are many small food stalls where you can grab a snack.

We are staying in a small fishing village called Sungai Pinang Kecil which is very quiet and peaceful. The few tourists that do come to this island stay on the western side so we feel very immersed in the local village life.

The next day we headed to the north of the island. We came across one of the lookout points that are dotted around the island which give great views of the Strait of Malacca.

At the very northern coast of the island from Teluk Dalam Beach you can see the ‘Jack Sparrow’ ship. It was built by a local resort in the early 2000’s as a photo opportunity but has been abandoned since 2015 as the resort went out of business.

Just behind this beach is Pangkor Airport which is private and the only airport on the island. It’s become an attraction on its own as it’s hardly ever used and looks very similar to the one in Jurassic Park…. just watch out for the dinosaur on the runway!

There are many great beaches on the island our favourite being Teluk Nipah Beach. You can shop at the souvenir shops, food stalls and also enjoy lots of different watersports.

Our next discovery was Lin Je Kong Temple, a traditional Chinese temple known for its vibrant colours and ornate decorations.

It’s located at the end of Coral Beach and is surrounded by crystal clear waters with great views of the island. You can also walk onto the rocks at the end of the bay and see many small pools with crabs in.

Our next place to visit was a slightly different attraction as it’s a large stone. However, it’s one of the most famous attractions on the island. This is because it’s got a few inscriptions carved into it by Dutch Soldiers when the surrounding water was controlled by the Dutch East India Company. The inscriptions are believed to date back to 1743.

Just 100m down the road is the famous Dutch Fort. It was built in 1670 for storage and protection of tin supplies from the Sultanate of Perak. It was destroyed in 1690 but rebuilt in 1743.

Up until 1748 it was protected by 60 Dutch soldiers before being disbanded and abandoned. It was restored and reconstructed in 1973 by Malaysia’s museum department.

Every evening at 6.30pm a local resident feeds the island’s population of Oriental Pied Hornbills. He has been doing this for 15 years which has enabled him to gain the trust of the birds allowing visitors to get extremely close.

Only about 50m from where we are staying is a great restaurant called Tatami Cafe which serves traditional Malaysian food.

In 2020 to boost tourism the island became duty free. This has lead to lots of large shops selling gift items and sweet treats. Most of the tourism is from Malaysians from Kuala Lumpur escaping the busy city at the weekends.

As mentioned in the news, South East Asia has had extremely high levels of rainfall, especially in Vietnam. Malaysia over the past two days has also been hit with unusual high amounts of rainfall so we’ve been stranded inside. Tomorrow we leave the island and head up to our next destination…