Kuantan 09/08

LC was able to get gift vouchers for accommodation at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kuantan. MYR120 a night at a five star facility seemed more than reasonable, so we all decided to go for the weekend.

I have fond memories at this place. Dad used to bring all of us there for holidays. He must have been able to get some corporate discount - I remember his Australian colleagues coming along, with their children and their rhyming names (Tilly, Chilly, Lily? Silly? - I can never get the third one right).

I hadn't been back ever since the 1990's. We were warned to have low expectations of the place because apparently "the rooms are old". So after a six hour plus journey (we stopped for food several times), we checked in.

The place was as beautiful as I remember.

This is the indigo pool I splashed about as a scrawny kid. My brother and I used to sit at the pool bar (without ordering drinks - they were expensive even then). I can still fit in the corner under the bar top!

I don't remember there being a second pool, this must have been new.

The pools were both salinated, for which I'm relieved. Chlorine turns my hair into a tangled sculpture and gives me bloodshot eyes (my fear of being knocked into by little kids far exceeds the burning in my eyes). The salty pool water (which we initially thought was due to the concentration of kiddie pee) eased the itch on my skin (I have eczema) and the sting in JL's leg.

We'd stood in the gentle waves earlier, chatting about everything under the sun (literally). The water wasn't quite clear, but there weren't any suspicious substances floating about. That's pretty good for Peninsular Malaysia standards. However ten minutes into our excursion, JL felt a pain in her leg and insisted we went onshore. It isn't jellyfish season - she was pretty unlucky.

We were all ready to pee on her leg, but the pool guy came to the rescue with lemon wedges (to draw out the poison) and sugar syrup (to reduce the pain). After a couple of rubs with both, the swelling became apparent. It didn't look too bad, but JL freaked out and insisted on going to the hospital. Thankfully things got better and we didn't make the trip later. The efficient pool guy did mention that the month before, a tourist's leg became paralysed and hospitalization became necessary.

The boat bar is still around

Seaview rooms - we were too cheap to pay more for them. We got the default garden view ones.

These are bamboo clams (officially known as Jackknife Clams). Their creepiness in appearance increases in tangent to their maturity. The adult ones have this bulbous eyeball-like protrusion at one end. Terribly disturbing. Obviously it wasn't my idea to order them. Not very tasty either.

The restaurant we went to was possibly the messiest eatery I had ever been to. Plates laid stacked up everywhere. The floor and tables were covered with grease and bits of shell and bones. The people were breaking fast and stuffing themselves silly. I was amazed at the amounts they could put away.

Now Kuantan is a relatively conservative state. I found this out the hard way. LC and I were wearing knee length spaghetti strap dresses, but we got stared and stared and stared at. People pointed fingers and whispered amongst themselves. At the restaurant, in the shopping mall (apparently the East Coast Mall is heaps better than the Berjaya Megamall). I felt like a distasteful museum exhibit. I noticed this only happens in public areas and not so much within the hotel though.

We went to the other end of the beach, where there is a forest trek. We just walked along the bridge, admired the view and took an unnecessary amount of photographs.

The antiquated lobby looks warm and inviting under the glow.

This is me, looking like the stereotypical Korean poltergeist during an impromptu photoshoot. Though seriously, I'm a bit less creepy in real life.

I'll be going there again next weekend, this time with the family. It seemed the most plausible choice, with the short distance (three hours on average minus stops) and it's cheap too. At least as cheap as it gets when you bring along a fussy baby.