A stranger you were once .
Then , with a gentle look you took my hand .
As our lives engaged ,
You lit my life and I held both your hands .
Now that decades have passed ,
Ours souls have indeed become one .
How fortunate we are
That we have found the love so true ,
That everyone dreams about .






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Hey guys !

It's been a while since I've last blogged , and now is the perfect opportunity for me to do so as I am back from my holiday at Cherating , Pahang .

It's a place where ten years ago , the sands of the beach were white as snow , the winds that trickle on your face were gentle and yet amazing , the waters clean and clear and the foreigners who bathe under the sun , topless , exposing a beautiful monument that closely resembles the twin towers .

But now , no more .

However , it is safe to say that this place is much cleaner than Port Dickson as there were less people on holiday here . Why ?

Because it's definitely a further journey to Cherating than Port Dickson . We had to drive 250 km down the east coast highway , which ate up around 3-4 hours of our time .

The main reason for our journey is to pick up my brother at his university near Gambang , Pahang . And since we're there already , we might as well take a break at Cherating .

I stayed overnight at Holiday Villa , Cherating . A seemingly old hotel that apparently has been here for ages .

So , here are the pictures that I have taken and chosen for today's post that seems decent and normal enough to be posted on the Internet .

I'll narrate some of the pictures , just in case if they needed justification .


Enjoy ~

On the way there

Hillhomes .
Yes , they are snuggled comfortably on hills , between mountains .

Some fancy bridge that crosses over
Pahang River

Not easy to take a photo when the car is
speeding 105km/h .

I saw this sign at Kuantan town .
Apparently , officials there uses reverse psychology on you .

Pool .
Behind it is the reception/lounge area

The dining area with a beach front view

My humble abode

The beach , as I've said , wasn't that clean as it used to be 10 years ago .
Better than Port Dickson a lot , but still does not live up to it's former reputation .

My brother and I share a room , my parents another ,
and my two cousins too .

I somehow like this picture very much .

Buffet table ..

Food was not that good , to be honest .
Typical , Malay styled food that quite frankly I am able
to get here in Subang Jaya .
Conclusion on dinner : Failed .

Breakfast starts off with ..

Lots , and lots of these ..

And several cups of these ..
Guava juice .

Morning view of the beach

The last picture I took .
Was too lazy to take any more .

Besides going to the beach and swimming at the pool , I spent my time there with various other recreational activities to which I find very very convenient .

For example , there was a snooker table to which we made full use of . We played a nice game of table tennis too , with the bats and ball supplied from the hotel management . The management also supplied a volley ball to which we spent some time at the beach playing volleyball .

But whacking the ball senselessly was hurting my hands too much so my cousins and I decided to play throw the ball instead . What can I say ? It's all about the improv .

My cousins and I also took an hour or so to spank a few tennis balls at their tennis courts . Throughout my domination of tennis over my cousin , I got this strange feeling as if I was constantly surrounded by cows , chickens and goats . Why is that so ?

Because I was .

Beyond the walled-perimeter of the court was a rural village . The village was most likely homes for the cows that go moo , chickens that cluck and goats that go bek ~






However the case , I couldn't spot anyone within a mile range that is playing water sports like wind surfing and such . All I could see was an endless length of seaside beach that spreads as far as the eye can see . Adding to that , the blue horizon with tiny looking ships that cruise seemingly slowly across the South China Sea . All I could hear was the endless symphony of waves that crashes upon the shore all day and all night , an example of one of God's most greatest creations .

If only there were some topless Americans laying around , then I would have put my time to even better use !

Topless Americans ... that might be another one of God's finest creations .






The staff at Holiday Villa Cherating was great , I guess . To say the least , they were friendly and helpful enough .

I was lacking a pillow yesterday night and I spotted the housecleaning lady not far away . I asked her if I could have two more pillows when the fact that I was only lacking one , but she happily agreed .

She scurried off , and returned shortly with two fluffy pillows that made my night oh-so special . The funny thing is , I woke up the next morning with a stiff neck . Only a little , so no worries .





As we entered the grounds of the hotel , all we could see was a traditional looking building which turns out to be the reception area , that gives out a strong resemblance of the average kampung style household except , this one was two storeys high .

You can feel a strong vibe of traditional Malay influence in almost everything around you . From the timbers , walls , to giant poles that hold up the roof .






Overall , my trip to Cherating was okay . The rumors that Cherating has many to offer such as clean and clear beaches and seasides were such a disappointment . But I guess all the ping pong , snooker , tennis and swimming made up for the disappointment .

The seafood I had for lunch just before reaching my hotel was not bad . The fish was cooked to perfection with a hint of freshness left in it , and the fried squids was as chewy as can be . Although they could have done a little bit better with the prawns but , I guess everything in this world has it's flaws .

No one of nothing is perfect .

But would I want to return to Cherating in the future again for a holiday ?

My answer , maybe . Trying out another hotel at Cherating would be fine , I guess .






- Jaden -