Sunday, June 01, 2008
With much anticipations built up over the weeks of waiting, our kelong trip finally came to be on the day after my wonderful 2 day gig at Swissotel.
I was this shag at 4 in the morning.
Her chaperon for the trip.
So early and already so fierce.
K.O.!
Planned with the thought of skipping the early morning altogether in mind, we set off at 5am in the morning, give or take a quarter of an hour or so, abroad a rented minibus (Driver's included.). Speedily the bus made its way across the Causeway towards Malaysia where our kelong lie in wait.
As are with most planning, ours failed and consequentially we got stuck in the jam. Still our moods were far from dampened as we merrily jested and bantered on aboard our ride, awaiting for the tide of near stationary vehicles to inch forward towards the checkpoint. Inch is perhaps too much of an overstatement if you were there but we did made it in this lifetime after all.
The surviving guys. Sleep is for pussy.
First bite of the day.
So hungry that none really wanted to pose for the pics.
Gimo caught in the act of stealing other's food. REALLY!
The landscape rolled on by and on as our transport drove on, through the packed major roads in the busy city, eventually ventured into emptier minor ones nearing the fringe of the city and finally onto an obscured side road into the countryside.
Waking up on a bus to a sight like this makes you wonder did you die in an accident and gone up to heaven? And if so, where's Elvis?
Excitement grudgingly made way for sleep as our lack of it finally caught up with us. In and out of slumber we slipped before we were all awaken by the halt that marked the end of the somewhat too long a journey to the jetty.
A packed jetty. But why?!
Everyone.
So off the bus and onto the boat we went. It was a sun filled 30 minutes ride filled with rocking and swaying and punctuated frequently by the spraying of seawater onto our faces. The ride came to a uneventful end as the boat glided to a near stop at the jetty side of the kelong.
Poseur or poseur?
Me and Dom clowning around.
Again the 3 musketeers.
First artsy shot of the trip!
Atop the kelong was a culture shock that was pending explosion. And it totally blew us away the moment we sunk our eyes on the surrounding. That's especially true for the ladies less Sandra and her mum who've been through it before.
The crash pads.
The toilet ain't that bad. Taken into consideration that its the nearest one. The next is like an hour away.
100% natural bio waste treament and disposal which the fish in the water underneath the bottom of the toilet eat our shite and we eat them in return. A vicious cycle if you ask me.
After all that, could anyone tell me that Wanyi's not sian. I don't think so.
Languages were hastily dumped, with beds chosen in a similar manner and off the enthusiastic headed to the fringes of the kelong to reel in all that fish that's awaiting us while the shocked linger around their belongings as though clinging to the last remanents of their urban lives.
Thomas's first tourist shot.
How can I be left out then?!
Guess both Wanyi and Dom wants in on the touristic action too!
First catch! Ever!
Taken with the fish I caught!
Still mine.
Okay he got lucky. Bah!
Wow there's really alot of fish in the water eh?
Even the lazy Gimo fished!
My first big catch. I'm not even impressed.
The name on the paper isn't asking for seconds, its really the name of Sandra's dad. REALLY!
Fishing and mahjong pretty much was what the first day was about. But that was just the beginning!
The subsequent day held much promise with me waking up to a magnificent view of the sea, caressed by cooling sea breeze and surrounded by slumbering friends. How much better could one's life get?
Wish you could wake up to this every morning, no?
If you ask them what was the most they saw while on the kelong, the answer you'll get is "the back of our eyelids".
I did found just how much better it gotten as the day aged on with Dom, Wanyi, Thomas, Sandra and me heading to the beach. With the prevalent view while atop the boat heading for the beach, we expected nothing more than just a sleepy and sparsely littered beach, in which a dip in its water was just to complete our touristic perception of kelong lifestyle.
When they say that the grass is always greener on the other side, I never thought it would cross from the realm of figurative speech in to real life. Never did we expect that the view from the beach from the other side of the isle could be so different yet physically so near.
An extremely helpful fellow Singaporean lady took this for us 'cause I never bring along my camera. In case you're wondering, my camera isn't water-proofed you asshole. There, I felt much better.
And that Singaporean lady kept her promise and sent me the photos! WTF is wrong with the world?! Why are people keeping their promises!?
It was complete with blindingly white sand, relatively huge rolling waves and greenery filled island in the backdrop. Like a scene pluck out from the tomes of fairy tales, all of us stood rooted to the spot, enchanted by the sight for a moment. The compulsion to throw ourselves into the alluring waters however broke through our state of awed and soon we were wet.
We spent almost half the afternoon frolicking in the water and having a blast of a time. However the fun had a price and pay did us guys did. Thomas and Dom both whom already were carrying sunburn was reddened by the hours spent in the embrace of the sun.
Ouch. It hurts to be Thomas. Literally.
Me? I was blackened to the brink of a racial change. It was that bad. But hell if time would roll back and give us a chance to choose again, it would be without say that we would have made that same decision that led us to that state then.
Don't laugh! I'll fried you till your charcoal black and see how you like it!
Thinking that the day for us beach goers would end early, a thought inspired by our flaccid limbs, all of us reluctantly bid the place goodbye and took the ride back to the kelong with nearing no conceivable expectation for anymore fun.
Life really went outta its way to prove me wrong yet again. But who's complaining.
It started off as a simple birthday surprise for Sandra's mum. Birthday song filled the air, slices of cake went around and into watering mouths and last but never the least, booze and liquor was sipped rather noisily as we sat around doing nothing much but enjoy the midnight breeze and each other's company.
Old friends that I'm thankful for.
Always together!
Chocolate ice cream poisoning! Someone call the medic!
BBQ at night, every night!
Dom: Yes I won!!! Erm... but what did I win?
Jianwei: Can I stop winning please? *Rolls eyes*
Happy birthday to aunty!!!
Family shot. Not as in bleeding from gunshot wounds you moron.
One beer always unfailingly led to another and before long most of us were tipsy and laughing at nearly everything. So senseless we became that we contested Sandra's dad to a drinking competition which was reduced into just senseless drinking on each individual's part and inevitably, we all got sloshed!
Alcohol is just happiness in a ready-to-consume and bottled form, says the drunkard.
Thomas has such an amazing bladder size that it puts the combine size of Singapore's reservoirs to shame!!!
The last thing I remembered was feeling a slight tinge of regret after throwing up the delicious chocolate cake and slipping quietly into bed while the rest of them mahjonged the night away.
Bane of sleep.
That is just about as good as life could be. At least for me. Booze, friends and and a good place to hang is all one needs. Of course having a loved one around would be splendid but I'm just glad that I have what I have.
The final day was really was a cocktail of mixed feelings. I guess I speak for all of us when I say that part of me felt the faint wisp of regret for leaving that paradise of place while the other part yearns for the resumption of my life. So it was in that turmoil of emotions that we ate our breakfast, pack up and headed back to mainland.
And I say hey! What a wonderful time today.. Where we could all learn to work and play.. And get along with each Arthur!
Ain't she happy or what? Give me back my cap idiot!
Couldn't leave without taking a pic with the friendly lady who had been so nice to us!
Poseurs in shades.
Sisters for life!
Let our armpit odor combine!
The full stop of the trip came in the form of a near spectacular lunch at a fancy restaurant in a surprisingly run down portion of the city. If it did affect our appetite in the slightest, we didn't really show as we gouge our way through the different courses with passion nearing gluttony.
Wipe your drool off the keyboard dude.
Of all days to be vegetarian, Wanyi choosed to be one on the same day as the feast. Well more for us then!
It was 3 days full of fabulous chow, wonderful scenery, tons of beer and most importantly, kick-ass company! Encore please?
FUNKED IT ALL UP ON 10:05:00 PM