Having
been to both Pangkor Laut and Gaya Island Resorts twice, I decided that a
second visit to Tanjong Jara Resort was in order. It was a good thing that YTL
Hotels had a promotion at the end of the Restriction of Movement Order and I
managed to get a room at reduced rates. I asked my niece to go with me and she
agreed. Thus began a long period of counting down to the day of the departure
(at least for me).
We
left Ampang just after 10:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2020, and my niece drove
us all the way there. We stopped twice at Temerloh rest area to use the
facilities and then at Gambang for my niece to fill up. The day started off wet
and we were caught in brief spells of rain during the journey.
We
finally reached the resort at 14:45 and immediately checked in. After being
attended to, we made our way to Nelayan Restaurant for our late lunch. It was
bright and sunny to begin with but the weather changed not long after and
started raining while we were having lunch. We shared a big brolly back to the
lobby to get the room key before going to our room. We stayed in for the rest
of the afternoon as the weather was not encouraging and rested. I was surprised
to find a beach towel in the laundry basket and some sand in the shower
cubicle. Hmm…
We
went for dinner at Di Atas Sungei at 20:00. The thing about the Restriction of
Movement Order is that the resort had no choice but to limit the number of
eateries available to guests and have ala carte menu instead of buffet for
breakfast and dinner so you miss out on those. It was a good thing that the quality
and taste of food remained very satisfactory.
After
dinner, we returned to the room. I woke up after 1:00 to find that I had dozed
off while attempting to read.
I woke up early on Sunday morning to watch the US Open women’s tennis final match. After morning prayers, we walked to the beach for sunrise. We stayed for almost an hour before returning to our room.
We had made reservation to have breakfast
at 08:30 and arrived about 10 minutes later. After a leisurely breakfast, we
drove out to Dungun town. We stopped first at the main market where we bought
some fish crackers. Then we drove on to the Dungun District Museum and spent an
hour there. I tell you, I was so glad that we stopped there because the guard
who gave us a guided tour was excellent. He gave such an entertaining,
enjoyable and thorough guide to us that I was surprised to learn he wasn’t a
local boy but actually hailed from KL. There was a young mother cat with her
two kittens who were weaving themselves at our feet while we were at the ground
floor. I strongly urge anyone going to and through Dungun town to drop by the museum
and learn about the background of the town, district and Bukit Besi.
We
then drove to find a blood cupping place (unfortunately it was closed that day)
and then to 7-11 store as my niece wanted to top up her Touch ‘n Go card. After
that, we drove back to the resort. We headed to Nelayan Restaurant for lunch before
returning to our room. My niece went to swim at the adult pool near Teratai
Terrace while I soaked in the tub. Ahh, bliss!
We
repeated the previous night and went for dinner again but chose to sit at the ‘patio’
instead. Another satisfactory meal was had and then we returned to our room.
I
woke up early again on Monday morning as I was feeling warm and was actually
perspiring. I decided to watch the US Open men’s singles final match. As it
lasted five sets, I even managed to perform morning prayers, showered, dressed
and went for breakfast before the match was concluded.
We
checked out and left just before 10:00. We stopped at Temerloh rest area as I wanted
to buy some patin fish before we continued our journey. It started raining
before we reached Bentong and continued all the way until Ampang.
I
think that might be my last visit to Tanjong Jara Resort as it’s a bit far to
drive to. But I’m thankful that I had the rezeki, time and company to make the
trip this time. Alhamdulillah.
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