Kemaman, Malaysia

Malaysia is physically divided across two land masses—The Malay Peninsula and Northern Borneo. Our port of call was Kemaman on the East coast of the Malay Peninsula about 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur, the Capitol. Although the country claims to welcome all religions it is 85% Islamic and the opposing party wants to bring in total Islamic law. This seems to be a big issue in the country right now and would bring some dramatic change to the freedoms it now has.
Much of the area we were in was known for Beach resorts for locals and vacationers from Thailand and Singapore. They can drive the peninsula in a few hours and reach the beaches for a long weekend. As well the economy today is based largely on Petroleum and oil. Kemaman boasts the deepest seaport in Malaysia and also has a liquefied gas export terminal.
Among Malaysia’s traditional crafts, Batik cloth is the most famous. This is a wax based dyeing technique found in several areas of Southeast Asia. Marie was able to find and negotiate some “good deals” during our stay.
Our destination on this day was the Awana Beach resort on the South China Sea coast. We needed a day of rest after Vietnam and before Singapore tomorrow. It was a 20 minute ride by bus and about 15 of us from the ship enjoyed the beach, pool and lunch before rain came and washed out our outdoor activities. It was still an enjoyable day and we looked forward to entering Singapore the next morning.