Port Swettenham in the morning of the trip.
Finally, it's time for the first trip of this year for me. Not one too distant, nor one that requires much preparation. Nor, for that matter, was I even involved in organizing it. So for this one, it's for me to sit back and relax. Before going further, allow me to thank Wee Kwong for putting together this excursion to Pulau Payar.We arrived at Port Swettenham early that Sunday morning, April 25, 1999. It was the perfect day for an excursion. After a few days of heavy rain -- which caused much anxiety to be as the day of the trip approached -- the sky was clear and a perfect blue.
The trip consists of Wee Kwong, his wife, her friend, another friend of Wee Kwong, CS Ooi, Trooper Chai Swee Lai and myself. At the pier we caught up with fellow Trooper Looi Seu Chin of IS. She was also on her way to Payar with her daughter and a few overseas IS colleagues. Apparently, Looi booked the trip with Sriwani, a different agency. The advantage is that her trip includes a buffet lunch whereas we have to make do with box lunches. Click here for booking information. The speedboat left Port Swettenham at a little before 8:30am, and within a short while, the skyscrapers that line the north coast of Penang Island were receding fast from view. To our right, I saw the whole sea dotted here, there, everywhere with fishermen in their perahus.
Here I am on deck.We were seated at the bottom part of the speedboat. There was a TV in front of us showing a documentary on corals. But try as I did, it was difficult to concentrate, what with the boat bobbing up and down and we with it. In fact, after half an hour, I began to feel rather dizzy, and I have not been seasick before. I lay down on the seat and shut my eyes.
After a while, I realised that Wee Kwong and gang were missing. I checked around the cabin. Not finding them anywhere, I climbed up on deck, and there they were.
