Blog 27 Tebu Again

I was getting to be an old hand at the Singapore/Malaysian border crossing and Changi Airport was becoming familiar territory.

Air Aisa gave me a settee to fly up on and, just as before, Hadi was there to meet me at the airport along with the rest of his family.

For this trip, it had been decided, his entire family and I were to stay at his home-stay in the country until it was time to catch the ferry to Tebu.

We called briefly to Ulam Inn and while Hadi finished making the final preparations, I popped to the supermarket and Night market to arrange my supplies for the week.

With our bags full we piled into the car for the short journey to Ulam House.

Although I had driven past the country house on my last visit this was the first time I had stepped inside. A beautiful simple design of two large rooms with smaller bed rooms and bathroom off to the side made the house spacious yet compact.

A hammock swung on the front porch and I spent most of the evening looking out at the stars and lights as crickets and insects filled the evening air with their songs.

In the morning Hadi took me on a quick tour of the land

pointing out fruits and nuts

and nests hidden high in the branches of trees and bushes.

Hadi had one more errand to run before we were to catch the ferry that day so I took the opportunity to visit the Tomb of Mahsuri that was just around the corner from where we were staying.

Having cursed the Island for seven generations, her grave eventually became protected as her story settled into folk law.

A village similar to the one she had lived in was reconstructed around her burial site and the story of her betrayal and death became established.

As more and more people became attracted to the site tourists features were added until the whole thing became a landmark of not only history but also of entertainment.

Ladies played traditional music as you entered, a shop sold souvenirs and clothes. Cafes and snack bars plied their wares.

The traditional houses were fascinating to walk around,

each house depicted a slightly different style dependent upon the owners status within the village.

Long walkways with covered arches decorated the site,

while a giant game of Congkak sat in a courtyard.

I walked, I looked, I took photographs and I left.

By mid day I was heading back to my island only to find FIVE other Workaways camped in and around the open house!

The beach was still looking good although the far end of the bay had been left since my departure.

With the briefest of hello's I changed into swim clothes, picked up my rake and bucket and began work!!

That evening as we all sat around the newly built camp fire, we exchanged stories and ideas. The two German girls plus the Canadian boy were due to leave in the morning.

The Swiss couple were staying for a few more days as their plans were open ended and a new girl from Devon was due to arrive that week.

The Open house now had a community feel to it as each person had added a tiny bit of individualism to the place.

A rope had been coiled around the shell garden I had created. A swing now hung from the rafters of the overhang.

A table was under construction and the kitchen was filled with food!

I added my supplies to the accumulated stock and enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation.

With the departure of half of our crew the next morning, including Hadi and the carpenters, the Open house suddenly felt empty.

The Swiss couple were camped beneath the trees in Hadi's little tent leaving me the entire house to myself once again.

The beach was cleaned in record time as having cleared the years of accumulated leaves and sticks on my last visit and having the other Workaways to maintain it there was not that much to clear.

Each day the tide left a few more gifts but these were now becoming less and less each tide.

The tides were also quite different from my last visit.

The full moon of my last visit had seen huge tidal surges between high and low tides.

With the New moon due in two days time, the tide barely moved from the middle of the beach.

A tidal difference of maybe ten foot left very little of the beach exposed to sea delivered deposits and as the week progressed it became easier and easier to clean.

Flavio and Corinne were master chefs with not only a love of foods but also a passion for creating fabulous dishes out of simple ingredients.

I forgot to mention my catering abilities during their stay as having other people to decide the evenings menu was a true joy.

Our first evening together we dined on rice, salad and the most amazing curry that had been created over an entire afternoon.

Coconuts had been scrapped and washed, strained and mashed to make creamy coconut milk that was infused with lemon grass picked from Gahsri's garden.

Vegetables had been soaked in marinades of ground spices before being simmered to perfection in our open air kitchen.

As night fell we sat the table and dined under the stars as in the absence of any wind, the sea lapped the beach in virtual silence.

The sun had also moved during my four weeks away and no longer could I race the shadows as I swept for now sunlight virtually filled the beach as the sun rose.

My raking hours became earlier and earlier yet each morning I became distracted as I watched the morning sky changing as the sun neared the horizon. It was truly breath taking.

I have seen many sun sets of outstanding beauty and even witnessed the morning sun peeping over the hills of Wales but watching the pre sun rise glow crawl over a horizon now held an enchantment of its own.

I celebrated Kris's Birthday without being able to reach him for the first time in years.

I had already informed him I would be out of contact but we celebrated in style none the less!

The arrival of Matilda brought company to the open house,

we played games in the afternoon

we went for late afternoon swims in the still waters of the bay

and our meals continued to be divinely extravagant,

we even had guests for dinner.

Mid week we woke to find our clear blue sky has disappeared only to be replaced by one filled with high misty clouds.

As we were running low on supplies, a trip to the village was spontaneously planned.

Princess joined us as we climbed over the rock path at the end of the beach, as did Max a friend who was visiting Gahsri.

Even with the cloud the day was hot.

What little breeze there was disappeared once we left the beach and having walked to the village once before I knew it was going to be a long day.

We rested for a photo, we chatted as we walked.

At a road side stall Max treated us all to iced drinks and doughnuts and all the while Princess plodded beside us.

On my last trip I had seen the bridge, just past the supermarket, that linked the two islands but had not approached it.

With company curious to explore we headed to its edge, eager to cross but the new black tarmac that lined the way radiated heat and we worried that this much heat would damage Princesses paws, even though she had walked this far on the hot road.

We retired to the water jetty beside the bridge while Flavio took her into the water to cool.

Suitably rested we restocked our meagre supplies from the supermarket and headed home.

I have always prided myself on being a stubborn independent sort of person but I will confess to being so so grateful when the rest of my team offered to carry more than their fair share of the shopping back along the track, allowing me just to carry myself back over the pass to our beach.

Our final supper was a grand affair, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, spiced noodles and pasta were prepared, served and devoured as insect songs serenaded our late evening meal.

Through Flavio and Corrina I learnt that even though island life can be basic, good food needs nothing more than enthusiasm, imagination and love.

It was with genuine regret that Matilda and I waved them off the next morning, Rice and salad was planned for our lunch, dinner without our chefs was never going to be the same.

By now the tide was moving only five foot up and down the beach.

Boats could land at anytime as low tide no longer existed.

Matilda and I swam to the jetty, we swung in the hammocks and rested through the heat of the day only to swim again in the coolness of the afternoon.

With so little to clean we expanded our duties to rake the entire beach creating an area of smooth soft sand than ran the entire length of the bay.

Gahsri noted that his beach had NEVER looked this clean and with happy hearts we retired to the shade to enjoy my last day on the island.

That evening Gahsri and Max left to go to Langkawi leaving just Matilda and I alone on the beach.

I watched my last sun rise the next morning sitting quietly and wondering what time Hadi would arrive to take me back to his place but as mid afternoon approached I realised something must have happened as no Hadi appeared.

I sent a message to Gahsri asking him to call a boat to pick me up, he replied ten minutes later to say a boat was on its way.

One hour later I climbed aboard the water taxi leaving Matilda alone on the beach.

It had been another amazing week and I was sorry to be leaving.

On the mainland I got a taxi to the airport and booked into a room on the main road.

With a mirror to look in I was amazed at how light my hair had become after a week of pure sea and sun.

When I returned to Singapore I was planning to go blue but for now I was truly blond!!