My ORD Holiday at Redang Island

I was thinking of ways to celebrate my ORD with a bang a few months back. What came to mind were a big BBQ, a dinner treat for my closest friends, and there was one point of time I nearly booked a chalet to celebrate the occasion. There is the burning desire to announce to the world of my release from the prison I call, National Service.

I mulled over it and thought to myself, why not spend some money to go on an adventure? Well, I wasn't too keen to cross the Sahara Desert, nor climb Mount Kinabalu. So, I decided to treat myself to a Holiday to Redang Island. Perhaps some Snorkelling or Canoeing would do the trick.

I left on a Sunday at 2230 hours, took a 10++ hours bus ride (I strongly recommend you upgrade youself to an Executive Class coach, the ones with the Snoozer seats. 10++ hours ain't no joke brother) and found myself on a 45 minutes ferry ride to Redang Island. For your info, I booked the trip through Five Stars Travel and Tours Pte Ltd at a grand total of SGD$380. The bundle includes an upgrade to Executive Class Coach (18-Seater), 3 Snorkelling Trips, 2 Nights at Laguna Redang Island Resort (5 stars) and the ferry ride. They have an office at Jurong Point, so yeah, arranged my trip through their JP office.

After all that travelling, I was just looking forward to a bed and sleeping the afternoon away. But hey, once I reached Redang Island at 1100 hours on Monday, I found myself in Paradise. Literally.

Wow. I was awe struck. And that explains the lack of pictures and angles. lolx! Was too tired to recce around and just took what I could from where I sat. Beautiful ain't it? Just imagine sitting there on the wooden bench, shagged out from the journey, and there you are, in paradise... Arrrhhh... Now that's what I call the start of a well-deserved holiday.

I got my room, and checked the itinerary for the day. Snorkelling at 1500 hours. Sweeet... I had my buffet lunch (scrumptious!) and got my gear ready. The rental fee is RM$40 at the Laguna Redang Island Resort Recreation Centre for the snorkel, goggles and lifejacket which I didn't use it. What I liked most was the rental is a one time payment after which you get to keep the equipment for as long as you stay on the island.

One way to keep your goggles from fogging up, is to spit into the lenses and mix it with sea water. Eeeeew... How's that for crystal clear vision. lolx.

These are just some of the boats that ferried us to the snorkelling sites. I was fortunate enough to take a bigger boat for my 1st dive as seen below. heh.

This one was my 2nd trip. I took a smaller boat.

This was rather deep. I remembered I had to dive quite a bit to take this shot.

Nice shot. My personal favourite. The blue fish reminds me of Dory, Nemo's friend.

The underwater shots were taken by the resort divers. They charge RM$5 per shot. You get to choose which ones to keep back at the Resort. In between the Snorkelling trips, I stole some time to go canoeing and also go around exploring the island on foot. Canoeing was charged at RM$10 for as long as you like. But there's a deposit of RM$10 too.

As a member of the Papua New Guinea Special Forces, Canoeing is one of my many water skills.

It was raining in the distance...

Laguna Redang Island Resort! The structure nearest to the beach is where we have our meals and check in. The ones to the left and right of it are the accommodation.

Can you see the crab?

Corals, only 50m away from the beach! This IS NOT an underwater shot! Taken from the surface. Now you get a picture of how clean and clear the water is. That coral is about 4m deep.

Friends.

This natural pool was right in front of another resort!

The beach in front of the resort.

Trying hard to be artistic.

Overall, I'd give this trip a 5/5. I was satisfied as it was money well-spent. I felt rejuvenated and thankful to God for allowing me the chance to view one of his many magnificent creations. The corals were breathtaking, fishes were everywhere, and the company was definitely enjoyable. If you were to head on to Redang Island, make sure everything you're gonna carry is waterproof. Including yourself! Equip yourself with the necessary swimming skills first or else you're not able to see the beautiful corals.

There are more to Snorkelling and Canoeing at Redang Island. There's the spa, beach volleyball, banana boat ride, and there are pubs to visit. Everything just slows down to a crawl over there and time seems to stand still for the duration you're there.

I hated that Wednesday as I had to return back to Singapore. Just wished I could extend another day....... Haiz. That's all for Redang Island!