It was an easy ferry ride over and we reached the campground nestled in its own cove south of the main resort beach area. No dock, just jump off the front of the boat. Private beach: check. A pirate and Malaysian flag, hand painted signs all over the place, several bamboo structures, and tons of friendly people greeted us as we made our way to the reception counter.

We met the other volunteers (including a Danielle from California…this was about to get confusing) and the owners who all seemed like incredibly laid back people. We were given the rundown: the cafe and bar has to be manned, tents and bathrooms need to be cleaned, and labor needed to be completed. Easy. In exchange for our time, we were fed and housed for free for a month. Kickass!
 We learned that the couple who we would be replacing slept in the treehouse, which is also where we would be staying. It came equipped with three of the most massive geckos I had ever seen (later to be named Ali, Mercury, and Falsto).

In addition to geckos, there was much more wildlife walking, flying, or swimming around our campground. Giant monitor lizards, sea eagles, stingrays, and black tipped reef sharks were things that we saw daily. Vipers, territorial monkeys, and sea turtle tracks on our beach were special sightings. I had to continue to remind myself that we were staying in a rainforest, because some of these sightings became so commonplace. Turtles and amazing snorkeling: check and check.

We learned more about the island as we explored around. Long beach is a fairly dirty, party beach where nightlife (including crappy house music) can be heard well into the early morning. It makes for great sunrises though, as it is east-facing. Coral bay, on the west side of the island is a bit classier with nicer eating and resort options. We would walk over to coral beach for milkshakes and wifi as needed. Our beach was a 25 minute walk south of coral bay, on a beautiful path leading through the rain forest. This island is unique in the fact there is not a single car, truck, or vehicle of any kind on it. Boat taxis are plentiful however, and many times we could hear tourists screaming as the drivers tend to go as fast as possible between point A and point B. The fishing “village” on the south tip of the island, is is more like a local town.

Our days would be spent snorkeling, hammocking, hiking, exploring, kayaking, or relaxing as wanted.

A couple of times we made it to the fishing “village” for breakfast (always before 8 AM to snag local prices).

We also spent a day scuba diving, which is always awesome. One spot had horrible visibility so we spent the duration of our time diving through underwater caves. It was a lot of fun. The day we spent kayaking was great because we could spot good snorkeling areas as we were cruising over them.

Another highlight was putting up a volleyball net on our beach so we could play in the evening (the daytime was way too hot). While there, an Italian couple that were patrons-turned-volunteers, spent all day preparing for homemade pizza night (cheese included). We all ate way to much that night. They also taught us how to make homemade pasta and gnocchi!

And we ended up seeing the bioluminescent plankton! Check. Apparently, it is always in the water but there is so much light pollution on other beaches on the island it is impossible to spot elsewhere. For 4 or 5 nights in a row, around the new moon, we grabbed snorkel gear and headed to the beach. It was incredible to see the little bits of light spiraling around our moving body parts. The light from the stars in the sky and ocean were almost interchangeable. It was also hilarious to see grown adults flailing around as much as possible to disturb the plankton into glowing bright. Shouts of “You’re a wizard, Harry” were screamed. We were surprised to see fireflys floating through where the rainforest hits the beach. We were surrounded by points of light in the sky, ocean, and air around us. It was one of the most magical things I have seen.

Even though my days weren’t spent doing all that much, I still found myself wishing there was more hours in every day. The volunteers, patrons, and owners of the place were all really great people to talk to and I often spent an entire day sitting in the cafe chatting with whoever was down there. Rainforest Campground is beautiful, and attracts beautiful people in return. It wasn’t uncommon to hear about folks deciding to stay with us after wondering down to our beach randomly, or extending their stay by a week or so once they see what the place has to offer. We had so many laughs there as well as deep conversations about internal struggles, politics, and dreams. One of the volunteers led beach yoga sessions in the mornings. One patron painted a beautiful mural in our cafe. People were often seen meditating on the beach. Our place was magical. I’m going to miss Rainforest quite a bit. 

But, it was time to move on after a month. I feel grateful to have the memories I will take home from this place.  Hopefully we will meet again, Rainforest.

Danielle and Grant

The post Perhentian Island – Volunteering, Snorkeling, and Geckos appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

Palms, palms, palms, and more palm trees. We noticed this from the plane as well. Unfortunately, a huge amount of primary forest has been decimated in the last century for palm oil. It's unfortunate to see and everyone hopes to see progress begin moving back in the right direction. As green as the palm plantations are, they don't support diverse life. The only reason the area we are visiting next, the Kinabatangan River, is such a hot spot for wildlife enthusiasts and birders, is because the river and the small protected forest that borders it is all the forest that is left in the area.

Apparently actions are being taken to protect the area and land is being bought back slowly, so we hope for the best. This area was really nice, and, true to it's reputation, packed with wildlife.

We arrived to our accommodation in the afternoon and after seeing our awesome dorm, we went for tea and immediately found a Yellow Ringed Cat Snake. It was a little juvenile and wound its way around a flute hung for decoration. After this and a donut, we left for the first river cruise. On the first cruise we saw two hornbill species, proboscis monkeys, long tail makaks, silver leaf langers, king fishers, snake eaters, egrets, herons, and crocodiles. The amount of wildlife we saw was unreal and it was made infinitely better by the local guide who was spotting and IDing everything in a heartbeat.

Dinner was delicious that night, especially since it was the first times we had beef in a few weeks. Later, geckos rained down from the sky.

The next morning started early and was full of crocodile spotting. Apparently no one with half a brain swims in this water because these crocs are big and probably hungry.

Next, we enjoyed breakfast and a day trek through the limited forest. We spotted stick bugs and fresh water otters and tracks, scat, and sounds for many local mammals. We even heard a wild elephant. The guide was so nervous he started beating on the roots of every tree we passed, so we never spotted him. At the lake at the end of the hike, we were warned not to swim in the water. Besides crocodiles, the area was packed with the little feeder fish that are normally seen cleaning tourist feet on the side of the road in Bangkok. Normally a fun and ticklish activity, this lake had so many that it was kind of a hazard. Ha. Imagine being slowly nibbled to death.

The new guide for the day was kind of a bore, but at the end of the second afternoon boat ride, we spoted a wild Orangutan! She was a huge silhouette in the distance, watching us as the sun set from the top of the canopy. After seeing her, I completely understand why the big foot myths exist, and why 'orangutan' means 'man of the forest'.

The next morning revealed a few more hornbills, monkeys, and crocodiles. After that, we were of to Semporna and Mabul to dive with ScubaJunkie for the next three days. So stoked!

Thanks for reading. I wish I had a SLR to take proper photos during this last leg of the trip, but my phone pictures will find their way to Dropbox eventually.

Regards

Grant and Danielle

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During the first day in Cat Ba, we became instant regulars at the Dolphin Cafe and huge fans of any dish made with chili and lemongrass. We also started the Star Wars saga with hopes to catch the 7th movie three weeks later in Thailand (where they don't censor and edit their movies).

We also tried to rock climb in Cat Ba, but gear and guides are sold at western prices. I'm sure the experience would have been stellar, but we couldn't start dropping bills on this trip quite yet (still can't).

The next two days were filled with trekking. The first day we walked the whole town and found our way to the top the highest peak on the island for stellar views mixed with the usual shenanigans.

On the second day of trekking, we crossed the island from edge to edge. We spotted a collection of new birds, giant black tree squirrels, and a Taiwan habu pit viper. Danielle almost put her hand right next to it. It's was deadly and beautiful. The trail let out in a little village, and the only way back was by riding a little boat back to town that snakes through the karsts of Holong Bay.

I also got a haircut that day and let me say, that was leagues scarier than the snake encounter.

Thanks for reading!

Grant and Danielle

P.S. When in Vietnam, look for vegetables. When you're surrounded by all the food local food, you don't realize you've stopped eating proper vegetables. Not a huge deal, but a healthy regular body needs fiber, if you know what I mean.

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