We walked across the border to Malaysia and flagged down a bus to Kota Bahru.  We went to the central market where vendors were selling produce, household goods, and women’s clothing.  This town is predominantly Muslim so women wear loose dresses and headcoverings.  Periodically throughout the day, prayers are broadcast over loudspeakers all over town while commerce slows to a halt.  We’re enjoying the Indian and Chinese influenced food here. 

The next day, we got a bus to Kuala Besut and a ferry out to Perhentian Kecil (the smaller of two islands).  There’s a small fishing village on the South side of the island, but the rest is rather undeveloped.  We found a cabin perched on the rocks between beaches with a great view of the ocean and distant islands.  We tied up our hammock on the porch and could climb down the rocks to snorkel among coral, fish, turtles, and jellyfish.  Luckily, most of the jellyfish were not the stinging variety.  We went for a walk along the edge of the jungle down to a more secluded beach where we sunbathed and swam. The food on the island was nice.  We dined on fettucine carbonera, fish, and lobster.  That night, we sat out on the beach to enjoy the sounds of the waves. 

The next day, we had another full day of snorkeling and exploring.  As evening approached, we watched bats swarm up the coast.  We went for dinner on the beach but were chased back to our cabin by strong winds as a storm blew in above.  Waves crashed up on the rocks while rain poured down but thankfully the storm blew over as fast as it had arrived.