Return to Penyabong (11-12th June, 2020)

When the Malaysian Government announced that travel restrictions within Malaysia had been lifted after 3 months of the Stay at Home policy, we jumped at the chance of a small trip somewhere, anywhere! Our good friend Hanis said she had been missing the sea, so I suggested we take a trip to Penyabong, just north of Mersing. With the new RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order) we could travel in the same car as non-family members (see a summary of the new restrictions here). So, on a beautiful sunny morning, Lawrence and I drove to pick up Hanis and her son Faris, and we were off on another adventure!

On Thursday 11th June, we drove north towards Kota Tinggi and this turned out to be quite slow because a couple of road blocks were still in place, although we did not see any cars being stopped. We stopped in Mersing for lunch and visited the ferry terminal to see how they were preparing for the loosening up of travel restrictions. Then we continued north to Penyabong following the charming coastal road and arrived at the Sukalayar Resort in mid-afternoon. After a short rest, we headed to the new jetty area at Tanjung Penyabong to check that out and eat some tasty snacks. Then it was back to the resort and time to paddle or take in dip in the warm sea and watch the sunset before eating a picnic dinner which I had prepared.

On Friday 12th June we went exploring the nearby mangrove forests. We started early at 7:30 am to avoid the intense sun which kills off all activity after 9 am. So nothing else to do but head back to Tanjung Penyabong for a long and leisurely breakfast! Then all too soon it was time to shower and prepare to drive home. On the return trip we picked up some food in our favourite restaurant in the paddy fields, and stopped at the more commercial area of Air Papan to see how much of thier tourist industry was ready for revival.

I have of course taken lots of photos, so for this blog I have divided the photos into themes covering the two days. Everywhere we went, people were trying hard to follow the recommended safety guidelines to avoid spreading the coronavirus. So, with beautiful empty beaches just 3 hours away, why not consider an overnight stay to revitalise? None of the accommodation around here is ‘luxury’, but if you go prepared with everything you need, how can you not enjoy time by the sea?