I’m still in holiday mood. The last 3 days were nothing short of bliss. No work, no stress, no deadlines. 72 hours of pure randomness, some spookiness, loads of gossip, and drunken tequila talk. A bunch of us packed our bags and headed to Malaysia, with no plans and no maps. The idea was to go on a trekking trail which starts at Gunung Lambak near Johor Bahru, but by the time we made it to JB, the evening sun was already sinking, and a jungle trek didn’t seem very appropriate.
The trip was exactly that, random. We got onto a bus and a couple of broken cabs, and made our way to Desaru. Desaru is a beach resort, with clear blue sea, whitish sand, jungle trails, white colored scurrying crabs, komodo dragons and fireflies. Luckily, our trip was a weekday trip, which meant Desaru showed scant signs of civilization, and we pretty much had the entire place to our happy selves. The night was full of stars (a rare sight in Singapore), a shiny moon, and what we identified as UFOs. If you were there, you’d see four lone souls, wandering the roads of Desaru, at wee hours of the morning, unscathed by the darkness, recounting their super-natural encounters.
Things turned out just right. Water-sports were not in operation, which meant no jet-skiing, no banana boats; it also meant less money spent, which let us extend our trip by another night, though we couldn’t afford more alcohol (which, one of my friends might argue, was a blessing!). We stayed at the Desaru Holiday Chalet, and our Chalet 17 was located far from civilization, in some remote corner, past a jungle inhabited by monkeys, after a swamp which probably bred exotic species, yet right opposite the blue waters. Boy, was it spooky! The doors were half broken, half jammed, half cello-taped. The walls had ancient inscriptions, chinese signs and graffiti by past residents. The glass door was an easy target, and we were defenseless in our cosy rooms, laughing, talking, joking, spooked. It was perfect.
I’m not much of an advisor, but trust me, if you’re stressed, tired or bored, pack your bags and walk, drive or ride out of the country. Plan an unplanned holiday, find a remote destination, go somewhere!
My friends, strolling towards the sea
Desaru, calm, blue and green by the day
Our chalet, spooky by the night
The sky, a nice shade of blue
Desaru Holiday Chalet
