Koay Yee Ching takes a trek to Pantai Kerachut and discovers a new side to the island she calls home.
Beautiful sunrise greet the hikers
I saw Penang in a new light this week. July 20, to be precise, 28 years after being born on this island.
It was at 7.30 in the morning when 40 of us, staff of Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, headed by general manager Desmond Hatton, began a 3.5 kilometre hike through thick forest to reach the turtle sanctuary at Pantai Kerachut, a little beach on the north-western coast of Penang.
“Do not touch any tree especially those with black sap,” warned Puan Suraya Maulana, our nature guide, who further cautioned us about cobras which could be slithering in the dense undergrowth. Many of us tried to stifle our gasps – we didn’t want to be labelled sissies by her after all.
Hikers in a row
With each step ventured, amazement soon replaced the initial uneasiness.
This was a different Penang from the one I am used to – an island that crawls with more cars and even more honks than its inhabitants, coupled with developers who compete ferociously to build the tallest building within the shortest timeframe.
This Penang is actually alive – with hundreds and hundreds of flora and fauna species. It was indeed a rare sight to behold. Pantai Kerachut is one of the beaches that’s part of Taman Negara Pulau Pinang, the only national park in Penang.
An iguana rested contentedly on a tree bark, barely moving an inch as we took photos of us with it. The morning sun cast rays of gold which illuminated the entire forest. I was reminded of uncut emeralds glistening in the dark.
Gullies and undergrowth
We were introduced to four different types of fungi – one was a light-brown muffin-like mushroom which released some powder once provoked. Some of the trees had strange names, one called Penarahan. Darah means blood in local Malay language and this was shown to be the case when our guide, Mr Sabri, took out a blade to carve at its bark which revealed a dark red sap.
“This one, the Merawan Batu, is a testament to the purity of an untouched jungle,” said Mr Sabri as he pointed up to a towering tree of over 30 metres.
Ahead, a lake opened up before us. We were told it’s a meromictic lake – meaning a condition where two layers of liquids of different densities co-exist but never intermix.
Meromictic lake
In Pantai Kerachut’s case, the salty sea water congregates underneath the fresh water that is accumulated from rain and the five small rivers flowing nearby. This is a rare occurrence and, as a result, there are fewer than 30 meromictic lakes in the world and Pantai Kerachut is one of only two that are found in Asia.
The lake is usually filled during the change of monsoon that occurs between April and May, as well as October and November. The rest of the year, it remains dry.
Treading my way across the vast dried-up lake and occasionally stumbling into muddy crevices, I managed to reach my final destination – the turtle sanctuary which was teeming with newborns hatched only three days ago.
An inhabitant of the turtle sanctuary
The males were easily identified through their preference for shades whilst the females – perhaps their instincts favoured a tan as influenced by Vogue and Cosmopolitan – preferred brighter spots.
This turtle hatchery is one of the many reasons visitors trek to Pantai Kerachut. For me, being immersed in nature and seeing a different side to the Penang I am used to is more than reason enough.
It’s good to know this Penang still exists and I hope it will stay that way for generations to come.
Photos courtesy of Ho Cheng Soon
