Pangkor Island - Day 2 am - It's not the size but the quality (of the bike)

Pangkor Island (Palau) is is a mix of absolute luxury (private island Palau Pangkor Laut) to local hotels.  A good mix of hotels can be found at www.agoda.com.  The best beaches and where you want to stay is the Coral Bay or Teluk Nipah beach area.  I was in a hurry so didn't perform due diligence and booked a the Coral Bay hotel which actually is on Pasir Bogak. Now wikitravel.org will tell you good things about Pasir Bogak but ..... don't believe them.  I guess it depends on how you define Pasir Bogak - if you go north beyond the recommended developed area it gets nicer.  But overall it is a narrow beach with litter, gray sand and crowds of people wanting to sell you something.

So if you are going to Pangkor Island - stay at one of the luxury resorts or for nice inexpensive hotels and great beaches stay in the Teluk Nipah area.

Day 1 (Agony of defeat post) was a disappointment
Day 2 (this and two other posts) - was unbelievably nice and we will be back (at a different hotel).

Day started with complimentary breakfast (Malay style) -

Breakfast had some small attempt to include Western fare but hey what do you expect - you are in Malaysia and almost everyone else in the hotel was Malay Malaysian

One whine was no juice - coffee, water and a sugary punch.

Not just in the zoos - picture of a Hornbill from our hotel room.

After a heavy rainstorm from 9-10:30 the day blossomed sunny and clear.  We decided to ride bikes around the island.  2RM per hour or 10RM for 24 hours.  We could have rented scooters (25RM for 24 hours) but Jess wanted this to be her exercise and Janet wasn't comfortable riding a scooter.  We got what we paid for with the bikes (10RM = $3.50 USD) but the brakes worked - important to check and the tires werefully inflated (after insisting)

Once we were 10 minutes north from Pasir Bogak our impression of Pangkor Palau swung 180 degrees in the positive direction.  A little traffic (scooter and pink bus/taxis) but mostly we have the two lanes road to ourselves







Thoughout the island there were small towers for sightseeing.  Similar but different.  All were two stories, a roof, circular stairs and a good view of the beach/ocean








The drunk Russian Janet and Jess had met the previous night rolled up with a Malaysian sidekick on a scooter.  He didn't remember the ladies but seemed no worse for the wear and had a cold beer in hand.

I talked with the guys and the Malaysian was singing the praises of USA - turns out he has been applying for a visa in the lottery for years.  I suggested he get African citizenship to increase his chances (good advice) - he seemed surprised.

Jessica and a troop of monkeys became interested in each other.  The longer we stayed and looked the more came out of the trees - some of the males were good sized once they hit the ground we biked on down the road.

As we traveled around the island - it just got more beautiful.  We were working our way north from the SE point of the Palau.  For beaches stay east of a line from SE to NW tips of the Palau.  The west side of the line is the business side of the Palau.  Some interesting points of view and variety of restaurants but smell of aged and dried fish can be strong.

If this would travel - a great addition to a beach cabin

Crossroads shopping area halfway between Pasir Bogak and Teluk Nipah beaches. We were hitting some inclines (on 10-speed bikes permanently set to a middle gear) so were working up a sweat.  I stopped at all these places and purchased water.

 

 Some nice views of the ocean and horizon

 

The road started to have more variation in elevation.  While we had tested the brakes the first major hill I went down, I let the bike go free.  Big mistake.  While the brakes worked and a low speed the bike handled at faster speed - the brakes were useless and the front tire wobbled wildly.  I was white-knuckled at the bottom of the hill where there was this viewing point.  Janet and Jess wisely never picked up speed and creeped down the hills

Jess wanted to swim out to these and other rocks - but agreed that we had a long way to go and could come back that afternoon in a taxi so we didn't have to ride the bikes with wet shorts and swimsuits.

Spiral staircase - not the same views as in the cathedrals of Europe but same idea of space savings.  Very steep steps - made us think of Borobudur - go down sideways

Jess maintaining the goofy faces tradition

View across Coral Bay

 

Old dock in high state of disrepair (part of resort also in high state of disrepair) that some fisherman were using to repair nets.

Much too hard work for me










..... but a beautiful location - how does that saying that"a bad day fishing is better than a good day working" translate when you fish for work?

 Near the NE tip of the island where the Pangkor Beach Resort is located - this picture is facing away from the private dock

Unspoiled scenery continues

 

Then as we make the turn west from the northern part of the island - the road gets a bit more challenging (this is looking backwards after a long hard climb walking the bike up the hill)

All smiles for the camera  but Janet and I are starting to bonk and looking at the map - "how much further?"  Jessica is often far ahead waiting for us - it's good to be 22.

I was so beat it took me three tries before I could steady my arms enough to take a clear picture (of a stationary object).  Lesson - rent better bikes next time.

Sure - it's only the bikes - not being out of shape

Now moving down the west coast of the island - still close to the north point but moving toward the working part of the island. 

First signs of non-tourist commerce in about three hours

Last lighthouse - just north of "civilization".  We met a couple there who were finishing a mission - 11 months in 11 countries.  So a month in each country.  Apparently a good sized mission organization.  How much missionary work can you do in one month with people who don't speak your language?  Struck me as a way for college kids to postpone the real world for a year and have a blast doing it.  I didn't offer to contribute.

Ubiquitous Chinese cemetery with the standard grave site adornments of Feng Shui (more details in Penag post) and photos.

 

Remote shack on the beach - but with Astro Satellite TV dish!

Less well maintained Chinese cemetery

Working commercial fishing docks and village

Luxury accommodations in the working part of town

Getting close to the main town (and late lunch) - now I am really struggling - this must be Jessica's photo - I was too beat.

At the top of one of the last main hills before we got to the end of our bike journey there was a museum (we didn't go in) but right next to it was a Hindu "holy man".  He had this shrine area made up of bits-o-pieces of all religions I had heard of and more.  He also had these two carousel horses as part of the shrine facing the water.  My language barrier kept me from asking - What?

We made it around the island in roughly 4 hours, which is what wikitravel said was the time to budget for a leisurely ride. We did stop for a nice lunch - pizza and salmon plate for a family style dinner before getting back to our hotel.  I thought I had struggled that last 20 minutes before lunch - but after giving my muscles time to tighten up for 30-45 minutes - I gave struggle a whole new meaning.  A Danish guy from KL stopped me on the way to offer encouragement by boasting that he had ridden around the island and carried his bike through the jungle across the middle of the island.  I was thrilled for him.  He was trying to be helpful but ???????

Exhausted, all a bit sun burnt but a great first part of the day.  Now to share details on the beaches and the sunset.