DESARU BEACH

TO DESARU WITH DAIHATSU

My ever faithful and safe driver

Desaru las lost much of its charm and draw

The turqoise sky we saw

Me, mum and Tini

Tini takes care of mum well

Me and my menu planner and home director

I love you mum

We decided to come back to Desaru again

The open South China Sea in the background

Last weekend, we drove to Desaru since we had no planned destination. The rain had no mercy on us and throughout the journey we had to be extra cautious driving up the Kota Tinggi route. The Senai-Desaru Highway is under construction so we had to take the old route, deftly manouevering for two hours and cursing the lorries and busses infront of us for stalling our journey further. Once the highway is completed, it will slash travelling time from JB to Desaru. You just need to be behind the wheel for 45 mins to throw yourself into the sea.

We turned into the public carpark of Desaru at 5.00pm after stopping for some mee rebus and satay along the way. Streams of cars and visitors were heading for the carpark. The buntings along the road had alerted us of the Berita Harian fishing and a karoake competition for the folks there. Stalls selling Berita Harian merchandise, rinks, clothings and food populated the green patch opposite the carpark. The Joharians can nightingale their notes and pitch thorugh the microphones because our ear drums were entertained by some quality singing and rhythmn. No wonder Johor has produced top grossing singers. swingers and rockers like Amy Search and Mawi.

Desaru is still popular with the locals and is a top choice beach spot as a weekend escapade for the busy Yishunite, Woodlanders or Ang Mo Kians heartlanders. The hotels are pretty fully-booked by Singaporeans, judging by the number of Singapore-registered cars parked at the hotels and resorts lining the beach. I guess we need some peace and a slower pace of life once a while to keep our sanity and value add our life.

The greyish sandy beach stretches for about 25km and is under the constant lashing of the constructive swash and destructive backwash powers of the strong currents of the South China Sea. Casuarina trees swayed in the strong winds. My grievance is that more maintainance could take place here. A beach clean-up is necessary and more facilties could be provided for the beach-goers at the public beach area. I eyed the rundown water scooters at the water sports kiosk and shivered at their condition and safety they would offer to the aqua riders. Stringent measures on watersports safety can be looked into too.

No matter what I will still drive to Desaru.....just waiting for the highway to open up. My husband will be spared of the expletives I used against the big vehicles drivers who snailed our Kota Tinggi route then!

PONTIAN = PONTIANAK?

Me and my chendol man

Chendol time to quench the thirst


Chendol selling like hotcakes on this hot day


Sg Pontian Kechil harbours many fishing boats



Local folks moor their boats here

Bought some slated fish from this shop keeper

Ikan bilis or dried anchovy in the background



Mackerel salted fish.

Customers stopped by to 'chendolise' under this tree

Hotel for the seafarers?

At a stall selling tidbits and fruits

Bought some scarfs from this shop

Aliff Restaurant faces the sea

The bunga tanjung tree lines the road

Casuarina tree along the beach

Hard engineering - stone revetments to prevent erosion

Too much tan for me that day

Crashing waves can dislodge the granite and sandstone

Shops and offices at this commercial area

Lunch was nasi campur

No durian stall outside this kampung house. Cry..cry...

PONTIAN DRIVE

I went crazy the other time we drove to Pontian Kecil because that was the first time I set eyes on a 'Kucing Tidur' (sleeping cat). It's not all about cats but a durian hybrid in which the durians inside the shell lay like a ball of cat curling asleep. The locals were selling their durians in front of their houses and that was when we laden our boot with kilos and kilos of durians. Imagine fantastic creamy and sweet yellow flesh durians going for RM5 a kilo.

I went berserk immediately and wasted no time squatting by the roadside and putting those heavenly creation into my cavernous mouth, relishing every creamy flesh that slid down my throat. I couldn't careless about those stares I received from the kampung folks. After all I did not know them and they did not know me. So what's there to be ashamed of? I would only end up as a passing visitor. My mind was preoccupied with the durians. I only knew that I must have those durians instantly!

Hoping for a repeat scenario, we drove to Pontian one Saturday morning. Luck was not on our side as the durian season was over and not a stall was at sight selling durians along the stretch of road leading to Kukup. Not wanting to come back empty handed, we stopped by at a shop beside Sungai Pontian Kecil and bought some salted fish, ikan bilis, dried prawns and keropok.

For lunch, we headed for Aliff Restaurant at the end of the road. The restaurant had a commanding view of the sea. Bunga Tanjung trees lined the five-foot path along the beach. You can hardly find these trees in Singapore now. I used to pick the tree flowers up on my way back from school at Bidadari Muslim Cemetery before. Old housewives' tales say that pontianaks love to make their home on this tree. I was not in the mood of confirming this and ushered my husband to leave before sunset.

Pontian Kecil serves mainly as a fishing village which has developed into a small town. Pontian is populated by Malays of the Bugis descent. You can stop by Kukup or Tanjung Piai for seafood. Tanjung Piai is the southernmost tip of South East Asia. A notable national park is also located here. Beware of the monkeys here though.

A bowl of chendol with rich gula melaka closed our Pontian Kecil drive that morning. My next visit here would definitely be during the durian season!

WHERE'S MY TAILOR?

Thirah, my niece who always tags along with us!

Pirate Thirah looking ouot for her lbounty oot

Sorry, this vampire has no fangs

Thick lips are beautiful. No Botox needed here!


A sweet floral frame for a sweet princess

I am not a dumb blonde ok?

Goofing around with a clown's face

Ouch and poink!

Nemo has reached JB

No durian lover would miss and ignore this!

With the durian seller who flagged our car to stop

Parked the Terios beside the makan stall

Had luch at this stall. Weather was so hot!

At last the carbo would give added energy

Thirah's lunch - biscuits and bread

With Abah

Thirah with Nenek and Tini

ENDED UP WITH DURIANS INSTEAD...

Had planned with my hubby for a trip to Kota Tinggi during the holidays. There were some materials which I wanted to be tailored into kebayas. Mini Kelantan was my usual haunt except for once when we drove for another 8 km more to reach the Kota Tinggi Waterfall.

We stopped by at roadside makan stall to fill our growling stomach. There were lemak, curry, asam pedas and the 'ulam' to tempt you. After sipping the 'teh ais' and getting lost in space, we left for my favourite tailor shop. Luck was not with me as Su, my tailor had left for Pahang and none of her other assistants were around. I cursed myself for not making an appointment with her before hand. I always tell myself to be positive and not make everybody's mood affected by the circumstances. We walked around the area, venturing to other places which we had not covered in our earlier rounds. We came across another cafe which served wonderful western food.

Since we were not in a haste, I managed to spend more time at Kota Tinggi and bought two suits of baju kurung for office wear. Had I been stuck with Su, I would not have the time to find the new cafe nor the brown and orange baju kurung which I bught. Sometimes, life has its pleasant surprises. And sometimes the surprises can come in double doses. On our way out of Kota Tinggi, a lorry driver of Muar D13 durians was hailing us to stop. I'm for one would not give good durians a miss. Parted with RM 25 for six durians that were selling at giveaway prices.

Beggars can't be choosy right?

MERSING ON MY MIND...