Lovely Outliers

Pat Conroy once said “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest of chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” On this chilly February day in London, I am so glad I can head to the quiet chamber of my heart and mind to this slice of paradise, and spend a few minutes remembering how the sand felt between my toes and how the ocean displayed myriad colours of blue as the sun moved across the sky. So, allow me to romantically reminisce of my stolen moments of tropical paradise in Malaysia.

For the last few days of my Australia-Asia trip, I decided to hire a driver to bring me to Malaysia, so I could relax on a beach and do more diving. Early in the morning, the car came to pick me up, and we drove from central Singapore, across the Malaysian border, to the docks where a small boat would ferry me across from Mersing to Rawa Island.

Rawa Island is an actual tropical paradise, with white sand so fine it is like walking on flour and the local pest is a herd of elaborately plumaged peacocks. I stayed in a small cabin steps from the beach and enjoyed the elaborate spreads at the dining pavilion at every meal. One of my favourite moments was watching a bold peacock steal pancakes off an unattended plate. Between my diving, I kept a very strict schedule of hammocking, reading, and wandering the beach.

I had arrived in early November, with is the start of monsoon season and the low season for the tourism. The resort was pretty quiet, and we were treated to a sudden intense downpour in the evening.

Once the rain passed, we were treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets. Rawa Island is one of the most naturally beautiful places I have had the privilege of spending time, and I hope I get to wander those white sands again soon.