It was Boxing Day but I just didn't have any boxes to open. I unwrapped all my presents the previous day itself. I really prefer not to keep it a suspense for too long. However, I did have something interesting to do that day.
A few of my friends have relatives staying there. One of them even invited me to follow him on a fishing trip to that small island. I refused at that time and then regretted it. When the chance to visit that island presented itself to me again, I was up for it.
My family and I left our house right after breakfast. I, in particular, was really excited as it's been quite sometime since I've been on a ferry. The fact that I didn't know what to expect at the island made my adrenaline pumping.
After buying the tickets in the jetty, we boarded one of the ferries that was waiting there. The ferry was little weird as I'd never seen a ferry like that before. It was very low and long and had an air-conditioner inside. It look more like a floating submarine. In about half an hour's time, I was climbing the staircase of the jetty in the island.
We were greeted by hundreds of crabs resting under the almost afternoon sun along the muddy swampy beaches-hence giving the island it's name, Pulau Ketam or Crab Island. I've been in beaches with crabs before but not to this exponential extent. It was pretty crazy as the were crabs everywhere in the beach.
As I started making my way across the bridge from the jetty to the island, I was amazed by the way the houses were built. They were basically made to balance on wooden or concrete piling cylinders that are usually piled into the ground. There, it hadn't been piled inside and it seemed that it was just left half way. Then, it hit me that that was most probably done to accommodate during high tides.
So, we made our way by foot along a road into the island. Another thing that startled me was that there were no motorised vehicles nor the roads to accommodate them on the island. Everyone travelled on foot or cycled their way around as that was the only possible way to travel along the narrow roads.
The main town in the island was bustling with activities mainly due to the high number of tourists visiting that time. There were so many different types of sea-based products sold there ranging from fresh fish to dried and salted squid. And it was dirt cheap. Those items were sold for double their price back at the mainland.
At one point, we reached a Chinese Temple. To my right, there was the main the main temple. It was mostly covered in red paint and there were 2 dragons (like the ones I've seen in Feng Shui books) guarding the entrances to the temple. There were an additional 2 dragon at the corners of the roof.
On my left, there was a statue of a deity (I think) right at the top of sculptures of flowers and plants. And there was a traditional Chinese arch in front of it. At the centre of the temple complex, there was a huge bowl with carvings around it.
We walked in further to get a insight in the people's lives in this small island. After some time, we got hungry and headed back the the main town for lunch. I made use of the trip to the fishing village to try out a very large prawn and I can tell you that it was really delicious. The style of cooking wasn't that appetizing but the flesh of the prawn was the thing that amazed me.
I met one of my classmates, Harprem, while I was having my lunch. He was there with his family for a holiday too.I asked him if there was any beach for swimming on that island. To my disappointment he said no. I was longing for a nice swim in the salty water.
One thing I like about the island is the people there. They are kinda nice and very humble. Since their island is small, it seems like every one there is united. I really liked the place because it had a small community and it was something like the village holidays I've dreamt off. The only down side of the island was the cleanliness-the empty spaces below the houses were filled with rubbish.
The way back to the mainland took more than an hour as we opted to try out one of the "fresh-air" ferries. The kind gestures of the ferry driver made me realise that the very kind people usually live in places where hardships are taken in their strides with great satisfaction. A peaceful place with a great community-doesn't it sound like the perfect holiday???
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