Pulau Redang General
I enjoyed waking up in the early mornings to go for a walk on the beach, especially after having had a good night’s sleep. I’m not one to laze in bed, and especially not on my last morning in Redang. No, siree, I was rested and ready to go. 
Once I awoke, I slipped quietly out of my room, put on on my flip flops, grabbed my camera and stepped out of my beachfront chalet to check out the new day. I stood for a few minutes, quietly, breathing in the fresh, crisp morning air and looked around. The resort on that Sunday morning was quiet. There were very few guests out and about, and those that were out were just like me, happy to be left alone, lost in thought.
Mornings are my favourite time of the day. The crispness and newness of the morning appeals to me - it is like a present, waiting to be unwrapped, waiting to unfold, discovered, waiting to be filled with events and happenings.
To fly directly to Pulau Redang from Singapore, you’ll need to take Berjaya Air via Singapore Seletar Airport [XSP] (not to be confused with Singapore Changi Airport) in the northern part of the country. This airport started its life as a British military airport and even today, has retained some of the architecture from that era. There is only 1 public bus service (Bus 103) that services the airport. It starts from Serangoon Central Bus Interchange and will make a loop inside the airport before returning to the bus interchange once again. The easiest way to get here (from the city) would be to take a taxi. It should not cost you more than S$14 one way. The airport is pretty compact with only 1 commercial client (Berjaya Air for flights to Pulau Redang & Pulau Tioman). There are no cafes or eateries here, just vending machines. There is one waiting lounge before immigration. The coolest part would be the waiting area at the departure gate, housed in a pre-WW2 bunker. There are 2 large TVs here to entertain passengers. All areas are air-conditioned, except for the connecting walkpaths. Passengers walk right up to the plane for boarding. Pulau Redang Airport [RDN] resembles a fanciful air-strip. The entire airport is open-air in concept. There are separate arrival and departure gates, all housed in a simple white building with 2 small souvenir shops and washrooms in the middle. Baggages are trolleyed from the plane to the baggage claim area where passengers must step forward to collect before clearing customs. Resort coaches will be waiting at the arrival gate to fetch guests. Like Seletar, passengers walk right up to the plane for boarding. The nearest resort is Berjaya Beach Resort which is just 12-15 minutes away.
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May 26th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Marine Park Regulation and Conservation
Marine park are ideal places for viewing the rich aquatic life that abound in Malaysia’s water. There are 5 marine parks and tourist wishing to visit these parks must take note of regulations.
What is Marine Park ?
A Marine park is an area of the sea zoned as a sanctuary for the coral reef community which is considered as possibly the most productive ecosystem in the world, with its diversity of flora and fauna. Coral reefs are also important breeding and nursery grounds for many commercially important species of marine organisms and fish. Among the objectives of the marine park and Marine reserves are:
Preservation and protection of coral reef areas from the impact of development.
Upgrade and preserve the natural habitat of endangered species of aquatic life.
Establishment of zones for preservation of the aquatic flora and fauna and also for the purpose of research and educational activities.
Establishment of zones for recreational uses consistent with the carrying capacity of the area.
What are the benefits of Marine Park?
With the establishment of the Marine Park, the benefits are as follows:
The ecosystem and habitat of marine life will be protected and maintained
Rejuvenation of over exploited zones and their maintenance for the protection of endangered species of marine organisms.
Establishment of zones for research and educational purposes.
Establishment of zones for recreational uses and tourism.
Do’s and Don’ts in Marine Park
Provisions for the establishment and management of the marine parks in the Fisheries Act 1985 allows for the control of the following activities. Permitted Activities :
- Underwater photography
- Swimming
- Observation and appreciation of the aquatic flora and fauna
- Scuba Diving
- Snorkelling
Prohibited Activities (except with permission) :
- Water skiing, speed boat racing and jet skiing
- Destruction, removal or collection of the corals
and other aquatic life
- Vandalizing and structure or object within the marine park
- Anchoring of boats over the coral areas.
- Carrying and using weapons that endanger aquatic life.
- Fishing in the park vicinity. (within a 3.2km radius)
- Discharging of pollutants and rubbish
May 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
It is always says that, the multi races Malaysian society has created an ideal environment to the country to nurture a rich cultural background with lot of legends. This is especially obvious in name of places.
Due to its strategic location, Redang Archipelago was once a traders’ passage-by between Siam (Thailand today) and the Malaya Archipelago. It was a temporary anchorage for them in their miles long trading journey.
Among these passers-by, there was a trader from Terengganu, Awang Sulong Muda whose wife was Cik Hitam Pasir Panjang Muda Elok Terenganu. The Awang couples together with their lady-in-waiting, Dayang Sri Jawa and Hulubalang, Awang Selamat were used to stop and had their break in Redang Island in their trading route. They tided the fowls which they brought along at southeastern of the island which is called Pasir Macam Ayam (chicken-alike sand) today. The rock that this family tided their fowls is still standing there in the island until today, but one might wonder the size of the fowls when looking at the huge size of this rock.
Other than this fowls tided rock, there are two other rocks both embedded with each other standing on a hill in Teluk Kalong. These embedded rocks look very much like the rears of an elephant and therefore are called Batu Gajah (elephant rocks) by the local. Batu Gajah is believed to be the marine elephants or Gajah Laut which were turned into stones due to some unknown reasons.
The cultural rich condition in Malaysia has further enriched by mythos found in folk’s believes. The existence of Orang Bunian (the fairies) in legendary stories is no longer an unfamiliar topic.
In Redang Island, Orang Bunian were said to have resided at the five cluster stones, Batu Surat or Batu Bedung (letter stones) near Pasir Changar Hutang. It was very usual in those days that the villagers will come to these Orang Bunian to inform them of any kenduri (banguet) to be held. They will also inform the fairies of the number of guests expected. Then, on the day of the kenduri, a full set of crockery will appear from nowhere for the kenduri purposes.
Not far from here is another group of rocks, the Batu Tok Kong which, is a worshiping place for some devotees due to the belief that there are Orang Bunian reside here.
To the southeastern of the island is another worship rock, Tanjung Telaga Batu. The worshipping practices started due to a saying that there stayed a man called Syeikh Samarani who would grant requests. No one can tell how true is the saying but up to late 1970’s, there were still people placing their offering and requesting for favours.
The legendary of Redang Archipelago will never be completed if without the turtle like stone laying on top of a rock at Tajung Batu Pepanji, somewhere between Teluk Dalam and Pasir Changar Hutang. This turtle stone is said to be the guardian of all the turtles in Redang Waters.
Whether the fragrant reported by the villagers came from Puteri Mayang Mas who is reputed to reside at Pasir Mak Kepit or there are magic which made the water puddle in Pasir Gontang supplies inexhaustible water, it is all suggesting a room for the readers to imagine and buy-in. However this will never influence the mysterious of Redang Archipelago, instead has become part of its heritage which added to the fascination of these islands.