Malaysia Part 2: Pentai Cenang

• Pentai Cenang. After spending a quiet four days around the isolated Oriental Village, Eric and I moved down the island to Pentai Cenang, a 2km stretch of beach with an abundance of restaurants, shops, and bars. Here, the streets were more lively, allowing us to catch up on good food and drinks.
o The Boutique Resort. Why they called our hotel a resort, Eric and I will never understand. Aside from offering us a free breakfast and a decent pool (the two positives of the place) we were also provided with a room which included: holes in the ceiling, windows and doors which didn’t fit the frames (allowing geckos and other critters to enter and leave our room as they please), an all inclusive power switch (meaning we couldn’t sleep with the ac on without having all the lights on as well), and what appeared to be a blood stain on the curtain….homey! Despite the places shortfalls, we didn’t spend too much time there and it gave us something to laugh about each day.
o Island Hopping. On our second day in Pentai Cenang, Eric and I decide to take in the sights of some of the other islands in the area. We were able to book a 3.5 hour island hopping excursion which took us to Pulau Bertas Basah, Island of the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden, and an eagle feeding session. Pulau Bertas Basah is a small island filled with bright white sand and vibrant palms, surrounded by bright blue waters. Here, we stayed on the beach opting to swim and explore the clearer waters. After the first island, we headed to a calm bay were we could observe the local sea eagles feed. After the eagle feeding we made our way to the Island of the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. After docking we had to walk inland for fifteen minutes. At the end of our hilly trek, we make it to a large lake. The water was warm and extremely still. Even though the first island was gorgeous, the lake was my favorite part of the adventure. The surroundings were so different from the sceneries we took in the whole week; it was a nice change of pace.




o Food and Drink. While staying on this side of the island, Eric and I were given the opportunity to revisit some of the foods we have been missing since moving to Korea as well as introduce ourselves to some new Malay and Southeast Asian dishes. Raffis was a bar we frequented most; offering RM4 beers (that is roughly 1 USD) and wine and cocktails for RM8. Set on the beach, Raffis serves its customers refreshing drinks alongside grand ocean and sunset views. The Beach Garden Beer Garden, connected to a high end resort, served up a combination of authentic Western dishes and beers. This is where Eric and I had our ‘splurge’ meal. We ate a Mediterranean antipasto platter, a club sandwich and fries, and two Carlsberg Shandies (beer mixed with lemonade). It must sound funny to you that we splurged on a sandwich, but we haven’t had a real sandwich since we left. It was worth the little extra money. We also found ourselves frequenting a hole-in-the-wall Arabic restaurant where we gorged ourselves on the best lamb shawarmas I have ever tasted. Outside of these international dishes we also indulged in spicy Malay and Thai curries, coconut rice, satay skewers, fried noodles and exotic fruits. I am amazed we didn’t grow out of the pants we brought; I guess we have cheap sides to thank for this since we opted out of renting scooters and taking taxis.