Shark Point - 1st Stop of the Morning Snorkeling Session with Perhentian Island Resort!

Blessed with good weather, it's the time to lug along my underwater Olympus TG-3 for the morning snorkelling trip with Perhentian Island Resort right after breakfast!

Picking us up at 10.05 am from the jetty, the speedboat drove us to the southern part of the Pulau Perhentian Besar (the big island).

Location: Shark Point; an area still unspoiled by development!

Trembling with fear and excitement, i plunged into the water and went in seek of the elusive sharks that lent the spot its name.

Nothing large appeared ahead of me but i am known to be relatively "blind". Just to share an example; a friend was standing beside me and i never did notice him until he stepped right in front of me! To be fair, i was concentrating on a movie on my phone.

My apparent lack of focus didn't stop me from seeing something in the above photograph; let's see if anyone can spot anything unusual in it.

A jeweled blenny! Maybe because of their eyes, they gave me the impression that they were monitoring our movements and would remain still until we moved closer.

Honeycomb grouper - interesting fact; it has the special ability to change sex from female to male!

Swimming towards shallower water as i am no strong swimmer and snorkelling right after meals can trigger an unstoppable wave of nausea guaranteed to spoil the underwater experience.

I am not the only one even though the boat was anchored quite a distance away. Sometimes, it's good to follow a guide who has more experiences in identifying marine animals; provided you can keep up with their pace!

Always, always wear shoes! The corals can be sharp and once you are in the water, it can be hard for you to see what you are stepping on! Recommended brand: Crocs! 

A few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Even though i didn't catch sight of any sharks, the humongous field of cabbage-like corals was no doubt the highlight of Shark Point.

The designation as a marine park doesn't stop some individuals from fishing illegally! For those who are unaware, once a place has been given the marine park status, all fishing within a few miles would cease for two reasons; to prevent over-fishing and to allow the marine community to thrive in its natural environment. 

Some took a step further; feeding the fishes! p.s. this is frowned upon by some of the environmentalists, in the same way why the Singapore government doesn't allow us to feed the monkeys in nature reserves.

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For the summarised itinerary of my 3 days 2 nights trip at Perhentian Islands, click here. 

Barelang Bridges (or Jembatan Habibie) of Batam Island [Indonesia]

Photographs of the magnificent Barelang Bridges have surfaced on the web for a few years now and i thought it might be worth our while to have it as part of our itinerary for recent day trip to Batam. 

Resembling towers that loomed from afar, the chain of 6 bridges is now included in most tour packages although some might give it a miss given its inaccessibility. 

Most, if not all, would likely just pay a customary visit to the first two bridges before returning back to Batam island where they can make use of their remaining time to shop, dine (likely A&W) and have a massage. 

Tengku Fisabilillah bridge - a cable-stayed bridge was definitely the most popular and spans 642 meters with two points at 118-meter tall. 

We shall just drive past for the moment as we need to return back anyway. Mr Buldan would stop the car in the middle of this bridge when we return.

There were ample stores along the road and the one thing that caught my attention was roasted corns! I would have loved to purchase a few but we would be having lunch soon! Must save my stomach for the seafood feast... 

On the way to the second bridge. We shall not proceed further than the second bridge as the entire 6-bridge stretch would take us about 50 minutes as the distance from the first to the last bridge was about 50 kilometers! As mentioned previously, we need the extra time to shop, dine and have a massage!

Beyond the first bridge, i believe the rest would be less spectacular anyway. The second Tonton-Nipah Bridge was, as expected, rather normal on the surface.

It was less crowded too and Mr Buldan acceded to our rest for a short stopover so that i can take photographs of the surrounding; like this port by the side.

Jerald endured the hot sun by joining in the fun!

The Tengku Fisabilillah bridge at a short distance away. By the way, the Barelang Bridges are also known as Habibie Bridges as the former president of Indonesia (the same man who gave Singapore its now-famous little red dot label) mooted the building of the bridges to improve the economy within Batam

Frankly, i could so imagine an image of two titans playing tug of war from this angle! Speaking of titans, there would be an upcoming Japanese movie on the gigantic beings! 

Dad with the Tengku Fisabilillah bridge in the background.

On our way back; at this time, it was close to 1pm and i know the two kids must be famished as we didn't really quite have a proper breakfast earlier this morning.

Reappearance of the twin pinnacles! 

Despite the fact that the kids might be hungry, i believe they could endure with a bit of hunger (and burn off those tummy fats) while their uncle me disembarked for a short while to take pictures! 

This side would be near to the seafood restaurant we would be dropping by later for lunch. So near only so i guess the kids can tahan a bit more.

Jerald and dad posing for a picture! It's rare to have dad joining us for a day trip although i can see he was really enjoying himself; the last overseas trip he took should be the one to Ipoh, Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur in 2013!

Closer look of the pylon! 

The other side.

View of the Tonton-Nipah Bridge. 

I honestly could not understand how they would dare to sit by the ledge of the bridge and leisurely continue their fishing! For me, i would be trembling so hard; there's a high chance i might just fall off!

It was mentioned in this post that the bridge is notorious for those who wish to commit suicide! In my opinion, some of the suspected suicide incidents could likely be accidental. The lack of any barrier makes it extremely risky for hyperactive individuals to fall off, unintentionally!

Parting shot by dad! By the way, parking isn't allowed on the bridge and should you insist on doing so, be prepared to fork out 5,000 rupiah! 

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For details of my day trip to Batam via a rented car with a chauffeur, click here. 

Karma Hits - The Story on Kangaroo

My family is a strong believer in karma.

Let me share with you a story in relation to our subject title today that happened a long time ago; when my elder sister, Joyce, was still in secondary school. Back then, she would often sport marks on her arms and there was a particular day that the marks would extremely noticeable.

Image taken from http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1794032/images/o-DRINKING-MILK-facebook.jpg

I was a heavy drinker of full cream milk and hence, blessed with fingernails as hard as nails (pun unintended). Every time my sister bullied me, as all elder sisters do to their younger brothers, i would sink my fingers into her arms.

image taken from http://www.creepybasement.com/fighting-kangaroos/

When friends commented for that particularly noticeable day, her reply was: "i visited Australia and these injuries were the scratch marks from a crazy kangaroo". My nickname, for a period of time, was hence kangaroo!

Wait, so what connection do we have with karma?! 

Fast forward to the current moment, specifically yesterday afternoon, when i made the mistake of irritating Jovyn, our dearest bulldog-cheek kid, who was an even bigger milk drinker!

She sank her fingernails into my skin and i am now the bearer of a mark that appeared ever so often thirty over years ago. Let's hope this unacceptable act is a one-off occurrence but i could not help thinking we have another kangaroo in the family.