So after 1 tuk tuk, 2 trains, 1 trickshaw, 2 buses, one taxi and 2 boats – I finally arrived at my destination. I’d left Chang Mai 50 hours earlier and arrived on the Perhentian Islands off the NE coast of Malaysia via Bangkok, Sungai Koluk, Rantau Panjang, Kota Bahru, Pasir Puteh and Kuala Besut.
I’d left Manoj and Anneli both doing a Thai Massage course (and hoping that I’d reap the benefits when I next saw them) and had gone to the Perhentian in search of sun, sea, sand and… scuba !!
The Perhentian Islands
The Perhentian Islands are the typical palm trees, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, nice coral – type islands – you’d hate them ! Perhentian Kecil (small island) where I stayed has no mains electricity or water – they are obtained through generators and wells. The vast majority of visitors are backpackers and these concentrate on Long Beach on the Eastern side of the Island. I stayed on Coral Bay on the west as it was where I’d got off of the boat and I couldn’t be bothered to walk the 10 minutes through an unlit jungle to get to Long Beach. Besides, the Dive Centre I wanted to use was on Coral Bay !!! Accommodation for me, was basic – an A-Frame hut with a mattress on the floor. Showers and toilet (complete with geckos and frogs – yes frogs!) were shared.
Rescue Diver Course
The main reason I’d come to the Perhentian apart from the obvious medicinal qualities – was to dive. I did my PADI open water several years ago and my advanced a couple of years later and I’d been thinking for a long time of doing my Dive Master qualification. The Dive Master is a professional divers qualification that allows you to work for Dive Centres as a dive guide – it’s also, so I have been told, useful for getting cheap dives as most Dive Centres like Dive Masters to dive with them for added security. The Dive Master is also a long way towards becoming an Instructor. It takes, full time, from 3 to 4 weeks and as you’d expect is quite involved. I’d wanted to fit it into my travels as it’s a perfect opportunity to dedicate the time to it and to use the qualification so to speak.
Before the Dive Master though I have 2 other courses to do: The Medic First Aid and the Rescue Diver which take 1 to 3 days respectively. Once I have these, I can go for the Dive Master.
Manoj and I have a flight booked for Borneo in 1.5 weeks and it’s not enough time to do all three courses but is long enough to get the Medic First Aid and the Rescue Diver courses out of the way! Then I’ll think about the Dive Master after we get back from Borneo.
The Medic First Aid course is a good general first aid course including Artificial Respiration and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – useful to know whether you dive or not. The Rescue Diver course is about being aware of stress, what causes it, how to recognise it in yourself and others, handling it and basically looking out for potential problems and dealing with them before they become serious. It also teaches you how to deal with emergencies: making rescue plans, organising rescues, searching underwater, rescuing
conscious and unconscious divers both on the surface and underwater, dealing with panicked and tired divers, towing and carrying techniques etc.
It has got to be one of the most demanding courses that I have ever had to do ! Not only was there a lot to learn mentally, but it was also extremely demanding physically.
The course was well worth it – I’d wanted to do a first aid course for ages and I didn’t want to feel impotent in an emergency situation and my diving was changed by the Rescue course – I’d feel so much more confident in my own ability and in my ability to help others.
Manoj and Anneli arrived the evening that I’d finished the course. It was good seeing them again after almost a week. Took my braids out – back to being a standard long haired hippy !!! We stayed a few more days diving, snorkeling etc before heading back to Kota Bharu on the mainland where it was time to say goodbye to Anneli.
“Parting is such sweet sorrow”
We’d met in KL and the three of us thought that we’d hang out together for a day or two depending on how it went – that was 5 weeks ago and since then she’s become a good travel companion and most of all a good friend. Most of what you have read about we all experienced together and together have enjoyed lots of good and special times. She’s well missed !
Jungle Train
To get back to KL to catch our flight to Kuching, Sarawak we decided to catch the Jungle Train. Basically it’s a train that goes through the jungle – nothing strange there then !! What to say ? It was 3rd class, old,
surprisingly comfortable (although after 8 hours it didn’t feel so good), full of locals and their belongings (sometimes it seemed like they were moving house), long, slow, over 2 hours late, with occasional momentary glimpses of nice scenery !! It was an experience – good to say “done that” and not feel obliged to ever do it again.
We stayed in KL for a night before flying off on our next adventure…
Talk to you soon…
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