to describe this weekend in one word: surreal.
a few of my friends & i decided to go on a last minute camping trip on the other side of the island. we packed our bags, tents, and snacks and headed to penang international park, about a 45 minute public bus ride to the other side of the island.
let’s just set the scene really quick. i was to the understanding that their would be a place to get food, water, etc. so what did i bring? about a 1/3 of a full water bottle, and a pack of cookies. that is all. because apparently in my brain while packing, less is more. even more interesting, a lot of us were under a similar impression, that we kind of betted on there being food around. also fun side note – i borrowed my friend hannah’s tennis shoes that she was getting rid of as to not mess up mine.
on arrival, we had a guide who gave us two options — monkey beach, which was the cheaper option, or turtle beach, which was more expensive, would require a guide, further & had a very pretty view of the sunset. obvious decision, we decide to go to the more secluded, prettier, turtle beach.
before entry, my shoe (the ones i got from hannah) TOTALLY falls apart. i’m talkin the WHOLE sole of the shoe starts coming off. i’m dying with laughter, while walking around with essentially what is now a flip flop. luckily, my friend brought a roll of duct tape, so you best believe i stitched those bad boys right up. aaaand we were ready to go — it was a beautiful day, the rain was no where in sight like expected, and we were about to spend the night on the beach!!!
we begin our hike, and shortly we began to realize that this was a little more than just a stroll through nature. after several stairs, & a few monkeys trying to steal our stuff later, i realized, “oh so we in the JUNGLE, jungle.”
the hike was about an hour and a half, QUITE humid, and very muddy. fun nonetheless, but a bit of a struggle. as i’m hiking, i look down, and to my despair, the tape on my shoe is starting to look a lil rough. about 5 minutes later, y’all. that mug is GONE. the WHOLE bottom of my shoe is hangin on by A PRAYER. i’m stumbling through this forest, my ankle is begging for mercy, my shoe is basically gone. i’m still laughing because yep, this is my reality at the moment.
upon arriving to the camp sight, i finally take my ratchet shoes off & we get to setting up. our tents are set, everything is put up & we finally get to go check out the beach! after fending off a pack of monkeys (y’all. i’m not kidding when i say they are not a fun time. SCARY. you ever seen Jumanji? JUST LIKE THAT. these guys are out to annihilate & destroy. bloodthirsty. sticks were our only weapon), we walk down to the beach. THE PRETTIEST BEACH I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY WHOLE LIFE WAS JUST RIGHT THERE. IN FRONT OF ME. there was hardly a soul on that beach, it looked like we were on a deserted island!!! we went and stuck our toes in the water (sadly no swimming, because the water is jellyfish infested) ran on the beach & were in complete awe. we had the whole beach to ourselves & it was incredible. we climbed on rocks & slid down the sand hills & just…had fun. & it was quiet. so quiet. the most quiet i have experienced since being back home in the states. having now lived in two busy cities while on the race, quiet is something that you definitely have to fight for. and it was for sure a blessing.
as amazed and excited and happy and all the emotions i was, i started to realize quickly the lack of…well, anything. no food. no water. most of us had little to no water, & after the long hike, we were worried!
luckily, there was a man who lived on the beach who was a park ranger. he offered to boil us water to drink!!! he was so sweet, and we sat and talked to him and just learned more about him. he told us that there were baby sea turtles being released into the ocean that night & invited us to come watch!
later that night, we watched the sunset over the water. then, our friend brought down a bucket full of baby sea turtles. he smoothed out the sand to make them a pathway to walk on. we got to watch those tiny little turtles race to the water& disappear into the waves. our friend told us that this didn’t happen often and we just so happened to be there at the perfect time!
that night, after laying in my tent and debating on whether or not i wanted to go to sleep, my friend came and grabbed me & said let’s go walk to the water. it was super dark, so we walked through the woods with our flashlights & “monkey-fighting” sticks (just in case of a potential show down with some crazy apes- you know? gotta stay strapped.) we walked down the pier, happy because it hadn’t started raining yet. a few of our friends were already down at the end of the pier, frantically pointing at the water and smiling so big. “what is it?” i kept saying, and all i got in response was, “you…just have to see for yourself.”
when i leaned over the edge of the pier, i was greeted with one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen. fish. lots of them. swimming under the water – glowing. yes you heard me correct. GLOW IN THE DARK FISH. LIKE WHAT? it was incredible — fish swimming and swirling and playing and dancing under the water, like fireworks!!! i kept saying, “wow. WOW. what? is this real???” we all just stared at the sea, laughing and smiling in awe. “it’s just like in The Life of Pi!!”, i said. i couldn’t believe what i was seeing. it was bioluminescence — plankton in the ocean, when disturbed set off a chemical reaction that causes them to glow! i don’t know the whole science behind it, but basically it caused the fish & sand to look super cool! i felt so present with Jesus in that moment, and i felt like a little kid. overwhelmed with awe and wonder and just thanking Him for being so creative.
after staring at the water for hours, completely in shock, the fish started to fade away. my friend claire, who was down on the sand said, “guys! come look at the sand!” we ran down the pier and out onto the beach, and we realized that there was something different about the sand. it was also glowing! the plankton washes up onto the beach, causing the sand to glow when disturbed. we just ran down the beach, laughing and kicking up sand, which looked just like glitter! our footprints glowed as we ran. i could’ve stayed on that beach for hours, playing, dancing, praising & worshiping. and which, i actually did.
this was easily one of my favorite days on the race. by far. i felt like i was in a dream. the next morning, i woke up in my tent & said to my friend, “did that really just happen?” it was so beautiful. so incredible. so breathtaking. it was such a refreshing & restful weekend. & the fact that we just so happened to come across all of it unknowing, that it was a complete surprise. can’t help but thank God for His creation & for letting us in on this little secret place.
Thank you for reading my blog! this one was a little longer than usual, so if you stuck it out for this long, go you. I wanted to share one of my most favorite days ever with you, even though this blog does it no justice. xxTay Morg
