Desaru, A Getaway in Malaysia

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 by the day
Desaru, calm, blue and green by the day
Our chalet by the night
Our chalet, spooky by the night
The sky, a nice shade of blue
The sky, a nice shade of blue
Desaru Holiday Chalet
Desaru Holiday Chalet

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15 Comments

  1. Hmmmmm…after looking at the snaps, i seriously feel like visiting the place….! I guess you had an amazing time…..Hope i visit this year end….

  2. nice post!

  3. @ VC Haha, yes yes, probably!

    @ Sanjay : We did 🙂 I hope you visit there too. It’ll be worth it! Just a tip – if you need alcohol, get it from JB. The lone provider at Desaru is rather overpriced.

    @ michael : Thanks 🙂

  4. Now I am missing all this. Being at home has many disadvantages. 🙁

  5. smallstar says:

    Great pictures!! I am lovin’ them… ^.^

    *HUGS*

  6. @ Amit: Ah, yeah, one of the few maybe. Your time will come soon 🙂

    @ smallstar: 🙂

    @ Jayesh: Haha, that’s a perpetual wish. We have to make do with what we have 😉

    @ saadil: Glad you like them 🙂

    @ neilina: haha, don’t be. Aren’t you joining the army? 😉

  7. Sounds like you had great fun at this place! Reminds me of the Beach movie. Nice pictures.

  8. A good traveler lives for the journey, not the destination! Any trip has to be random for it to be more fun!! 😀
    Great pics! I wanna go there sometime! 😀

  9. @ Dinesh Babu: haha, I wouldn’t compare it to The Beach, but it sure was fun 🙂

    @ Nikhil: You should! I hope your trip’s full of randomness too 😀

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  11. Thanks for the article. I am visiting in May and will try and fit it in my itinerary.

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