Yeoh Hock Hock and Janice Khoo were the first to leave Ipoh on Saturday morning. The second group comprised Liew Chin Chow, Chang Kok Kai, Chong Kok Choo, Choong Yin Theng and I. Yin Theng brought two friends. All of of us met at the Lumut Jetty. The heavy rain left us stranded there with awful thoughts – ‘will it be raining for the rest of the day?’, ‘the trail will be wet and muddy and slippery’, ‘we will all get wet’……It was indeed a long wait. 

Eventually the group boarded the same ferry as the third group, Dr Kiew Chik Sang and Ho Seng Fong, who were scheduled to leave Sitiawan at noon. Apparently the two guys did not notice the Ipoh group. Somehow the group lost sight of the duo upon reaching the island. Sped off in such a hurry? Won’t they be shocked to find no one at the beach?

After loading ourselves into the van, we left for Teluk Gedung, some 4km away. Half way we saw two men with haversacks on their backs, walking steadily in the same direction  ……Dr Kiew and Ho! Were they shocked to see us? We bundled them into our van and off we went again.

From Teluk Gedung, we set off on foot. It took us one and a half hours to reach Teluk Harimau. As it was almost four o’clock, we quickly set up our tents and make ourselves at home. Due to the rain, Dr Kiew noted that the freshwater flowing into the sea was rather murky compared to the last time he was there a few months back. First-timers were warned not to leave their food around, as there are monkeys. Then some started to prepare dinner while others preferred a refreshing dip in the sea. At about 5pm, two more ‘relatives’ from Taiping turned up. Dr Chan Ah Lak and Sharon Chan arrived just in time to pitch up their tent and settle down for dinner.

That night, Kok Kai wasted no time in throwing his fishing line into the subsiding tide. We gathered near him, on the boulders. Later, Dr Chan joined him and this sparked off a fishing competition. It ended with a 2-1 score; Kok Kai was leading.

The competition continued the next morning with Dr Kiew joining in. His strategy to fish in a different area worked well – easily 5 fish. Yeoh and Janice left early. Yin Theng and Co left after breakfast. As for the rest – Ho and Kit Wan went oystering. Sharon did some snorkeling. Kok Choo and Liew wandered around. Then Liew and Dr Kiew tried to catch some ikan bilis. Soon the hot sun drove everyone into the shade. 

At lunchtime, Dr Chan and Sharon left. Just then there was a loud sigh from Jeffery Tan, signaling the arrival of another eight ‘relatives’. The Chairman announced that he was 15 minutes ahead of the rest. He back-trekked with Liew. The group then emerged from behind the trees, proudly presenting the youngest MNS trekker to Teluk Harimau – Kayla Tan (Chairman’s daughter), 3 ½ years old. Much to the amazement of Mom (Cathrynne Boo) and Dad, Lim Swee Ching, Mabel Wong, Karen Lau, Moon and May, her little legs had carried her all the way. They courageously took her up a rather steep slope and along narrow trails, blocked by fallen trees and thorny branches, to reach the bay in 1½ hours. A record? Everyone had lunch together. After that, Moon tried to catch 40 winks while Kayla had her afternoon nap. The rest gathered on the rocks to enjoy the breeze and the serenity of the beach. It was time for Dr Kiew to leave. The way he was packing, he looked like he was leaving with a heavy heart. Kok Choo wondered why there were no monkeys around. Strange……

One by one, we jumped into the water. Hah! An opportunity for the monkeys to embark on an ambush. Nothing seemed to scare them away. One swooped down from a tree and made off with Moon’s dinner, a packet of Maggie Mee. (Moon had to cater from Mabel & Co). Poor Kok Kai was mistaken for a monkey. He had gone to gather firewood. The crashing sound made by the branch he was dragging was enough to scare Liew, who thought a troop of monkeys were charging down the slope. Good thing Liew missed his target.

The drizzle at night had almost everyone gathered under the canvas shelter. May and Kok Kai hit the sack early. Then it was bedtime for Kayla. She announced that she was putting on her pampers. When the rain stopped, the rest gathered near the fire. The sky was dark. No stars. The tide was subsiding. We went beach combing. We found some strange looking marine-life. Except for the specks of lights and the buzzing sound from the fishing boats, there was nothing else to observe. Good nite, then. Moon decided to sleep out in the open, near the fire and his antique carbide lamp.

When we woke up the next morning, the sky looked threatening and the sea was rough. The high tide the night before almost swept away Moon’s carbide lamp. One part was found about 5 metres from the tidemark.  After breakfast, we packed up and made our way out. Moon and Kok Kai were the last to leave. They made sure that the place was really clean before setting off. That’s the spirit of MNS members – leave nothing but footprints.

May said she felt more energized after eating Mabel’s cooking. On our way, we saw a green viper. Take nothing but photographs? Yes. Kok Choo took a snapshot of it.  When we reached the steep slope, Kayla was not allowed to go down by herself. With Dad’s arm around her waist, “She looks like a doll…”, Cathrynne said.

At Teluk Gedung, we did not wait for the van. With lighter haversacks, we decided to take a walk. After about 1km, we changed our plan when we saw an empty van. When we reached the jetty, the ladies and Kok Kai went for a quick shopping spree.

No trip to the Manjung District is complete without tasting its famous seafood. Here, Moon introduced a dish of seashells. At the lunch table, we decided that Teluk Harimau deserves a four-star status. It is indeed a beach of paradise; a beach Robinson Crusoe would love to be marooned on. 

The group would like to thank Liew and Moon for providing the lamps and the ground sheets. Liew was also the one who lugged in the canvas shelter for us. Thank you everyone for making this trip a memorable one.
“I like it,” said Kayla.

Kit Wan’s account